VATICAN CITY, 15 JAN 2011 (VIS) - "In accordance with the provisions of the Apostolic Constitution 'Anglicanorum coetibus' of Pope Benedict XVI (4 November 2009) and after careful consultation with the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has today erected a Personal Ordinariate within the territory of England and Wales for those groups of Anglican clergy and faithful who have expressed their desire to enter into full visible communion with the Catholic Church", reads an English-language communique released today. "The Decree of Erection specifies that the Ordinariate will be known as the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham and will be placed under the patronage of Blessed John Henry Newman.
"A Personal Ordinariate is a canonical structure that provides for corporate reunion in such a way that allows former Anglicans to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of their distinctive Anglican patrimony. With this structure, the Apostolic Constitution 'Anglicanorum coetibus' seeks to balance on the one hand the concern to preserve the worthy Anglican liturgical, spiritual and pastoral traditions and, on the other hand, the concern that these groups and their clergy will be fully integrated into the Catholic Church.
"For doctrinal reasons the Church does not, in any circumstances, allow the ordination of married men as bishops. However, the Apostolic Constitution does provide, under certain conditions, for the ordination as Catholic priests of former Anglican married clergy. Today at Westminster Cathedral in London, Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster, ordained to the Catholic priesthood three former Anglican bishops: Reverend Andrew Burnham, Reverend Keith Newton, and Reverend John Broadhurst.
"Also today Pope Benedict XVI has nominated Reverend Keith Newton as the first Ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. Together with Reverend Burnham and Reverend Broadhurst, Reverend Newton will oversee the catechetical preparation of the first groups of Anglicans in England and Wales who will be received into the Catholic Church together with their pastors at Easter, and will accompany the clergy preparing for ordination to the Catholic priesthood around Pentecost.
"The provision of this new structure is consistent with the commitment to ecumenical dialogue, which continues to be a priority for the Catholic Church. The initiative leading to the publication of the Apostolic Constitution and the erection of this Personal Ordinariate came from a number of different groups of Anglicans who have declared that they share the common Catholic faith as it is expressed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and accept the Petrine ministry as something Christ willed for the Church. For them, the time has now come to express this implicit unity in the visible form of full communion".
OP/ VIS 20110115 (460)
"A Personal Ordinariate is a canonical structure that provides for corporate reunion in such a way that allows former Anglicans to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of their distinctive Anglican patrimony. With this structure, the Apostolic Constitution 'Anglicanorum coetibus' seeks to balance on the one hand the concern to preserve the worthy Anglican liturgical, spiritual and pastoral traditions and, on the other hand, the concern that these groups and their clergy will be fully integrated into the Catholic Church.
"For doctrinal reasons the Church does not, in any circumstances, allow the ordination of married men as bishops. However, the Apostolic Constitution does provide, under certain conditions, for the ordination as Catholic priests of former Anglican married clergy. Today at Westminster Cathedral in London, Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster, ordained to the Catholic priesthood three former Anglican bishops: Reverend Andrew Burnham, Reverend Keith Newton, and Reverend John Broadhurst.
"Also today Pope Benedict XVI has nominated Reverend Keith Newton as the first Ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. Together with Reverend Burnham and Reverend Broadhurst, Reverend Newton will oversee the catechetical preparation of the first groups of Anglicans in England and Wales who will be received into the Catholic Church together with their pastors at Easter, and will accompany the clergy preparing for ordination to the Catholic priesthood around Pentecost.
"The provision of this new structure is consistent with the commitment to ecumenical dialogue, which continues to be a priority for the Catholic Church. The initiative leading to the publication of the Apostolic Constitution and the erection of this Personal Ordinariate came from a number of different groups of Anglicans who have declared that they share the common Catholic faith as it is expressed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and accept the Petrine ministry as something Christ willed for the Church. For them, the time has now come to express this implicit unity in the visible form of full communion".
OP/ VIS 20110115 (460)
are we catholic or are we going to be anglicans its wonderful that they want to come over to catholic church but if they share the catholic faith then why do they need to bring they ways with them i must be missing something
ReplyDeleteThere are many ways of being Catholic, and our Church organises itself in many apt ways to embrace us all - Greek Catholic, Chaldean Catholic, Latin Roman Catholic, Benedictine, Franciscan, Opus Dei, Neo-Catechumenal Way and host of others. The Holy Father insists this is about an embrace and exchange of spiritual gifts and patrimony within the universal Church in communion with the successor of Peter. Are we saying in the reconciled Church of the future and visible unity and reintegration there is no space for an identifiable Anglican tradition, or a Methodist, or a Byzantine-Orthodox because we think they should share our faith but not "bring their ways with them"? Fortunately, this is not the teaching of the magisterium, which commends diversity in unity and the mutual enrichment of spiritual ecumenism.
ReplyDeleteThe Church is big. There's not one single way to be "Catholic" as has been demonstrated through the Eastern Catholic Churches, the extraordinary form of Mass, the Zaire Use, the Anglican Use... not to mention all of the various Uses that were in place prior to the Council of Trent.
ReplyDeleteThe Catholic Church ideal is all Christians unified together. There can be diversity in unity.
What you are missing is there are many rites within the Catholic Church depending on traditions of various regions. It is not the form of the rites that unite us, it is communion with Christ in the Eucharist and the Petrine office that Christ himself established.
ReplyDeleteYes, you are missing something.
ReplyDeleteEven in my neck of the woods we have Ukrainian Catholics, Slavic Catholics, Maronites, Melkites and Copts. Each of them brings their own gifts to the Church and all are Catholic. I welcome the Anglicans and pray that they too will enrich us.
ReplyDeleteWe are Catholic and the ways of the ordinariate are not in conflict with us as Catholics, hence they can incorporate. The differences are in their worship and pastoral care.
ReplyDeleteTo be truely Catholic one must recognize the supremacy of the Pope; do Anglican's recognize the Pope as the head of the Church, nay, Christ's Vicar? Anglican/Church of England broke with Rome because a King wanted to be that head; he wanted to be the Supreme head of a new Church. While it is correct to say that the Church has a diverse collection of Churches, they each recognize the supremacy of the Pope in order to be united with the Catholic church.
ReplyDeleteindeed RC, that is what the Anglican Ordinariate is all about -- English believers coming home to the original arrangement, led first by Peter, and today, by Benedict XVI.
ReplyDeleteTutto bene. However - whilst there is an acknowledged diversity within the Catholic Church, I have to say, that as a Latin Rite Catholic, I am most mindful of the shameful way in which the Bishop of Rome has historically handled the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. This led to a widespread break away of such adherents in North America, much to the loss of that particular church. Now - this present occupant of the See of Rome, has shown a marked reluctance to combat the attempted predation of the Russian Orthodox Church - the Devil's Child. It is WELL KNOWN that it seeks to reincorporate the UGCC again. The present leadership in Rome can be best characterised as one of cowardice. I for one salute the UGCC - a church WELL USED to SUFFERING etc, unlike the spiritual corpulency of the Roman Curia - and the Latin hierarchy in general.
ReplyDeleteI have NO problem with Anglicans returning to the historical fold of Catholicism. I DO have a problem however with the fact that Anglican Ordinariate priests - are married (as ARE Eastern Catholic priests), but that Latin Rite priests DO NOT HAVE this option. NOT for biblical - or for reasons of faith, but solely based on historical reasons. This is UNACCEPTABLE to MANY - and NEEDS to be RECTIFIED by the papacy at some point, SOONER rather than Later. The Bishop of Rome cannot justify celebacy in any doctrinal way. It is time to REMOVE this requirement.
ReplyDelete