Pope Benedict is promulgating an apostolic constitution that will permit Anglican communities whose members wish to be received into the Catholic Church to do so as communities.
“In this Apostolic Constitution the Holy Father has introduced a canonical structure that provides for such corporate reunion by establishing Personal Ordinariates, which will allow former Anglicans to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of the distinctive Anglican spiritual and liturgical patrimony,” according to a note published by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. “Under the terms of the Apostolic Constitution, pastoral oversight and guidance will be provided for groups of former Anglicans through a Personal Ordinariate, whose Ordinary will usually be appointed from among former Anglican clergy.”
"The forthcoming Apostolic Constitution provides a reasonable and even necessary response to a world-wide phenomenon, by offering a single canonical model for the universal Church which is adaptable to various local situations and equitable to former Anglicans in its universal application," the note continues. "It provides for the ordination as Catholic priests of married former Anglican clergy. Historical and ecumenical reasons preclude the ordination of married men as bishops in both the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. The Constitution therefore stipulates that the Ordinary can be either a priest or an unmarried bishop. The seminarians in the Ordinariate are to be prepared alongside other Catholic seminarians, though the Ordinariate may establish a house of formation to address the particular needs of formation in the Anglican patrimony. In this way, the Apostolic Constitution seeks to balance on the one hand the concern to preserve the worthy Anglican liturgical and spiritual patrimony and, on the other hand, the concern that these groups and their clergy will be integrated into the Catholic Church."
Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster and the primate of the Anglican Communion have issued a joint statement in response to the announcement.
CWN will offer additional coverage and analysis of this story later today.
Source(s): these links will take you to other sites, in a new window.
- Pope announces plans for Anglicans to convert en masse (The Telegraph)
- Note Of The Congregation For The Doctrine Of The Faith About Personal Ordinariates For Anglicans Entering The Catholic Church
- Joint Statement By The Archbishop Of Westminster And The Archbishop Of Canterbury
This is the fruit of much longing and prayer ever since Michael Ramsey, Archbishop of Canterbury and Pope Paul VI resolved to find a way first, towards intercommunion and the reconciliation of priestly ordination, and then unity. Each had agreed that neither the Anglicans nor Roman Catholics would proceed in the matter of ordination of women to the priesthood unilateraly. That was back in 1971 and shortly thereafter the Episcopal bishop of Philadelphia, without authority, 'ordained' eight women and the whole thing blew up over the next decade.
ReplyDeleteSince then, of course, the Anglican Communion, lacking unity within itself and the discipline of faith and order, has had a massive meltdown resulting in hundreds of thousands of fleeing sheep.
This canonical accomodation to Anglicans, their spirituality and liturgy (with strong Benedictine roots)is simply brilliant and will being home so many as the Lord willed.
Deo gratias.
That is a bold move for the Catholic Church.
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