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Vatican offers Anglicans new angle of entry

25 Oct 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In this Sunday's reading from the Book of Jeremiah, the exiled remnant of Israel is given hope that the Lord "will gather them from the ends of the world" so that "they shall return as an immense throng." While not predicting such a dramatic response, the Vatican Tuesday announced that disaffected Anglicans would be allowed to join the Roman Catholic Church within distinctive "personal ordinariates" led by former Anglican prelates and maintaining many Anglican spiritual and liturgical traditions. The Vatican's surprise announcement signaled a significant moment in relations between two churches that parted ways during the Reformation of the 16th century over theological issues and the primacy of the pope. Some observers saw the move as a bold invitation to traditionalist Anglicans--many of whom disagree with practices such as the ordination of women, openly gay clergy, and the blessing of same-sex unions--to convert en masse to Roman Catholicism. Catholic and Anglican leaders sought on Tuesday to present the move as a joint effort to aid those seeking conversion. But it appeared that the Vatican had engineered the policy on its own, presenting it as a fait accompli to the Most Rev. Rowan Williams, archbishop of Canterbury and the spiritual head of the Anglican Communion, only in recent weeks. The decision created a formal structure to streamline conversions that had previously been evaluated case by case. The Vatican said that it would release details in coming weeks, but that generally speaking former Anglican prelates chosen by the Catholic Church would oversee Anglicans, including entire parishes or even dioceses seeking to convert. Currently married Anglican priests and seminarians can become ordained Catholic priests--much the same way that Eastern rite priests who are in communion with Rome are allowed to be married. Married Anglicans, though, cannot become Catholic bishops. Cardinal William J. Levada, the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, acknowledged at Tuesday's news conference that accepting large numbers of married Anglican priests while forbidding Catholic priests to marry could pose problems for some Catholics. But he argued that the circumstances differed. "The unity of the church does not require a uniformity that ignores cultural diversity, as the history of Christianity shows," he said. Source: Articles by Rachel Donadio and Laurie Goodstein for the New York Times, Nicole Winfield for the Associated Press, and Jeff Israely for TIME

Conversion vatican catholic church anglicans rowan williams william j levada married priests

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Anglican leaders not so jolly on pope’s visit to England

07 Feb 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The prophet Isaiah is ready to be sent to the people, we hear in this Sunday’s first reading. Pope Benedict XVI confirmed Monday he is planning to visit England later this year, a trip that follows his recent move to welcome into the Roman Catholic Church groups of disaffected Anglicans. Benedict confirmed his plans in a speech to visiting British bishops, saying he hoped the trip would “strengthen and confirm” the faith of Catholics across the country. The pope urged the bishops to help disaffected Anglicans who want to convert to Catholicism. “I am convinced that, if given a warm and openhearted welcome, such groups will be a blessing for the entire church,” he said. The Vatican announced last October it was making it easier for Anglicans to become Catholic, essentially creating independent dioceses for converts who could still maintain certain Anglican traditions, including having married priests. The unprecedented invitation surprised Anglicans and Catholics alike--particularly in Britain, seat of Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the spiritual leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Neither Williams nor Britain’s Catholic bishops were consulted by the Vatican, and they were only advised of the new rules shortly before they became public. Williams pointedly raised his concerns about the way in which the announcement was made when he met with the pope last November. “Clearly many Anglicans, myself included, felt that it put us in an awkward position,” Williams told Vatican Radio at the time. Benedict’s trip is expected to focus on Cardinal John Henry Newman, the most famous Anglican convert, who has been cleared for beatification, the first major step toward possible sainthood. The 19th-century British theologian is a hero to many Anglicans and Catholics alike, making him a possible figure of bridge-building. Source: An article by Nicole Winfield for Associated Press

benedict xvi anglicans rowan williams england john henry newman

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Married Catholic priests? Not out of the ordinariate

08 Jan 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“The stewardship of God's grace” was granted to Saint Paul for the benefit of early Christians, the Letter to the Ephesians tells us this Sunday. Pope Benedict XVI Sunday announced the creation of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, to be based in Houston. Under the stewardship of Father Jeffrey Steenson, a former Episcopal bishop, the ordinariate was created to benefit former U.S. Anglican parishes and others who wish to join the Catholic Church as groups. The ordinariate will function, in essence, as a nationwide diocese. Steenson had been bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande, based in Albuquerque, before leaving to become a Roman Catholic priest in 2007. He and his wife, Debra, have three adult children and one grandchild. Because he is married, the 59-year-old Steenson will not be ordained a bishop and will not be able to ordain priests. He will, however, otherwise function as a bishop and will be a voting member of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, making him the only married member of that body. The Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter is the first structure of its kind in the United States and the second in the world. The other is the Our Lady of Walsingham ordinariate, which was established in 2011 to serve England and Wales. The ordinariates are the result of appeals from Anglican communities to become Catholic while retaining their Anglican tradition in terms of music, liturgy, structure, and prayers. "Particularly in the area of worship and liturgy, Anglicans have a goodly heritage and the Catholic Church has always understood and appreciated that Anglican heritage," Steenson said. "We hope the personal ordinariate can bring this Anglican literary culture into the life of the church." Sources: Articles by Jenny Faber and Jonah Dycus for Catholic News Service and by Agence France Presse

bishops anglicans personal ordinariate of the chair of st peter episcopalians

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