An Anglican Bridge Across the Tiber
A former Anglican vicar now a Catholic priests reflects on the Apostolic Constitution

by Fr. Dwight Longenecker
Times Online
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article6923444.ece
November 19, 2009

Last Monday I was traveling to Tampa, Florida for a week long retreat with other Catholic priests who were once Anglican priests. In the airport I got an email with the news that the new Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus had been published. Suddenly the rest of the week's program was decided. My brother priests and I spent time studying the document and discussing its implications.

Cardinal Kasper says provision for Anglicans is not anti-ecumenical

By Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The establishment of special structures for Anglicans who want to enter into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church absolutely is not a signal of the end of ecumenical dialogue with the Anglican Communion, said the Vatican's chief ecumenist.

Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, said the visit Nov. 19-22 of Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury, primate of the Anglican Communion, to the Vatican "demonstrates that there has been no rupture and reaffirms our common desire to talk to one another at a historically important moment."

LONDON: It's time for Dr Rowan Williams to square up to a rampant Rome

On Thursday, Dr Rowan Williams makes his own journey to see Pope Benedict in Rome Dr Williams must challenge the Pontiff over his raid on Anglo-Catholics

OPINION

By George Pitcher
The Telegraph
http://tinyurl.com/yhqu66m
November 16, 2009

I've lost count of the times I've been asked joshingly over the past couple of weeks whether I'm going over to Rome. I'd love to go to Rome, I reply, not least because my daughter has promised to buy me a Bellini in her favourite bar by the Pantheon. But there is about as much chance of me taking up the Vatican's offer of conversion to Roman Catholicism, under its new Apostolic Constitution, as there is of Pope Benedict XVI subsidising free condoms for Africa.

Rome opens arms to world's Anglicans

By Anna Arco
http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/articles/a0000684.shtml
November 13, 2009

The Vatican has released an eagerly awaited document outlining the Pope's provision for Anglican groups wishing to enter into full communion with Rome.

The Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus ("On groups of Anglicans") was published on Monday, two weeks after the Vatican announced a new provision for Anglican communities that wish to become Catholic while retaining aspects of their Anglican identity. The document, which introduces a new legal structure called a Personal Ordinariate, was accompanied by a set of complementary norms, clarifying some of the points outlined.

Anglicans focus on home, and Rome

By Trevor Timpson
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8340022.stm
November 13, 2009

New rules on admission to the Roman Catholic Church have been hailed by some discontented Anglicans as an answer to their prayers. But not by all.

Anglicans in Sevenoaks, Kent, have given mixed reactions to the Apostolic Constitution published by the Vatican.

Since the Church of England first ordained women priests in the 1990s several hundred Anglicans have taken the road to Rome; many married Anglican priests have been ordained in the Roman Catholic church.

VATICAN: Pope 'is not trying to lure Anglicans into the Catholic Church'

By Nick Pisa in Rome
http://tinyurl.com/yg2xp9v
Nov. 10, 2009

Father Federico Lombardi, the Pope's official spokesman, spoke out following the recent announcement that the Pontiff would allow traditional Anglicans to "move to Rome" - which was seen as a possible shift in policy on the celibacy of priests.

In the Roman Catholic Church, priests are not allowed to marry or have sexual intercourse and Father Lombardi made his comments after the Vatican published a guide for Anglicans who want to convert called "The Apostolic Constitution".

Pope's historic offer creates an Anglican tradition within the Catholic Church

By Damian Thompson
http://tinyurl.com/yjzxpz3
November 9th, 2009

Pope Benedict XVI's Apostolic Constitution for Anglicans wishing to convert, published today, has surprised everyone by the scope of its ambitions and its extraordinary tributes to Anglican spirituality, elements of which the Pope believes will greatly enrich the Catholic Church. There is a sense in which Rome is recognising, for the first time, that you can be Anglican and Roman Catholic.

The immediate reaction from Forward in Faith has been very positive indeed. Bishop John Broadhurst of Fulham said this morning: "I had thought the original notice from Rome was extremely generous. Today all the accompanying papers have been published and they are extremely impressive."

LONDON: GAFCON Primates statement on Vatican offer

A Statement from GAFCON/FCA Primates Council

November 10, 2009

RESPONSE TO OFFER OF AN APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTION TO ANGLICANS

We have received the Archbishop of Canterbury's letter informing us of the Pope's offer of an 'Apostolic Constitution' for those Anglicans who wish to be received into the Roman Catholic Church. We believe that this offer is a gracious one and reflects the same commitment to the historic apostolic faith, moral teaching and global mission that we proclaimed in the Jerusalem Declaration on the Global Anglican Future and for this we are profoundly grateful.

We are, however, grieved that the current crisis within our beloved Anglican Communion has made necessary such an unprecedented offer. It represents a grave indictment of the Instruments of Communion whose very purpose is to strengthen and protect our unity in obedience to our Lord's clear command. Their failure to fully address the abandonment of biblical faith and practice by The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada has now brought shame to the name of Christ and seriously impedes the cause of the Gospel.

Vatican Commentary on New Norms for Anglicans

by Father Gianfranco Ghirlanda

This commentary was written by Jesuit Father Gianfranco Ghirlanda, who currently serves as rector of the Pontifical Gregorian University.

VATICAN CITY, NOV. 9, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is the official Vatican commentary on the significance of the apostolic constitution "Anglicanorum Coetibus." Both the constitution and the commentary were published today by the Holy See, along with the constitution's complementary norms.


* * *

The Apostolic Constitution "Anglicanorum Coetibus" of November 4th 2009, provides the essential norms which will govern the erection and the life of Personal Ordinariates for those Anglican faithful who wish to enter, either corporately or individually, into full communion with the Catholic Church. In this way, as it says in the Introduction, the Holy Father Benedict XVI - Supreme Pastor of the Church and, by mandate of Christ, guarantor of the unity of the episcopate and of the universal communion of all the Churches - has shown his fatherly care for those Anglican faithful (lay, clerics and members of Institutes of Consecrated life and of Societies of Apostolic Life) who have repeatedly petitioned the Holy See to be received into full Catholic Communion.

ANGLICAN PERSPECTIVE: Vatican's Apostolic Constitution explained

By Bill Franklin
Episcopal News Service
November 9, 2009

The text of the new Apostolic Constitution for former Anglicans entering into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church has now been released. Pope Benedict announces a new path of unity for Christians separated from the Roman Catholic Church in his letter. He says: "This Apostolic Constitution opens a new avenue for the promotion of Christian unity."

But the future of Christian unity foreseen in this text is found by returning to the past. The document, "On the Groups of Anglicans," seems to be a return to the philosophy of the 1928 papal encyclical Mortalium Animos of 1928, "On Fostering True Religious Unity."

VATICAN CITY: Papal document on former Anglicans maintains some Anglican traditions

By Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service
http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0904970.htm
November 10, 2009

Former Anglicans entering the Catholic Church can preserve their liturgical traditions, married priests in some circumstances and even a shade of their consultative decision-making processes, according to Pope Benedict XVI's document on new structures for welcoming the former Anglicans.

The pope's apostolic constitution "Anglicanorum Coetibus" ("Groups of Anglicans") was published Nov. 9 at the Vatican along with specific norms governing the establishment and governance of "personal ordinariates," structures similar to dioceses, for former Anglicans who become Catholic.

"Conversion is not necessary and absorption is not appropriate"

By Archbishop Mark Haverland
November 9, 2009


A response from the Anglican Catholic Church to Rome's Offer to Former Anglicans

1. Rome's Offer

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) on October 20th issued a widely publicized Note that summarizes a forthcoming Apostolic Constitution concerning former Anglicans seeking to be received into full union with the Roman Catholic Church.. This Constitution, as best one can judge from the Note, mainly will do two new things:

First, it will extend internationally terms offered already to some in North America by the Pastoral Provision and by the Book of Divine Worship. The Pastoral Provision permits ordination as Roman Catholic priests for some married, formerly Anglican clergy who join the Roman Catholic Church, and this despite the general Roman demand for clerical celibacy. The Book of Divine Worship contains some liturgical forms which have sources in the Anglican tradition: the so-called Anglican Use. At present these forms may be permitted by the local Roman bishop when both a group of former Anglicans desiring the Use and also a competent priest are present. The Pastoral Provision has permitted many dozens of former Anglican clergymen to become Roman Catholic priests. The Anglican Use, in contrast, has had little success, with fewer than ten congregations. In any case, the Apostolic Constitution will extend beyond North America permission both for the Roman Catholic ordination of married, former Anglicans and also for some Anglican liturgical usages within the Roman Church.

OFFICIAL TEXT: APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTION ANGLICANORUM COETIBUS PROVIDING FOR PERSONAL ORDINARIATES FOR ANGLICANS ENTERING INTO FULL COMMUNION WITH THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

9.11.2009

APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTION ANGLICANORUM COETIBUS PROVIDING FOR PERSONAL ORDINARIATES FOR ANGLICANS ENTERING INTO FULL COMMUNION WITH THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

# PRESS RELEASE

# APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTION ANGLICANORUM COETIBUS

# COMPLEMENTARY NORMS FOR THE APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTION ANGLICANORUM COETIBUS

Forward in Faith UK offers first reaction to publication of Anglicanorum Coetibus

by John Broadhurst
November 9, 2009

The Holy See has today published the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus, which will provide for Personal Ordinariates for Anglicans entering into full communion with the Catholic Church. The text of the Apostolic Constitution, and its Complementary Norms, can be read here.
http://tinyurl.com/ygzfha7

The Chairman of Forward in Faith, Bishop John Broadhurst, has issued the following interim statement to those clergy who look to him, as Bishop of Fulham, for episcopal care at the present time and he is happy to share it with the membership of Forward in Faith worldwide.

UK: Church Society Responds to proposals from Rome

Church Society Council Response
http://www.evangelicals.org/news.asp?id=1074
November 4, 2009

The following is a response from the Council of Church Society to the plans by the Church of Rome to receive disaffected Anglicans.

According to its own doctrinal standards and history, the Church of England's true nature is that of a Protestant, Reformed, Evangelical and catholic (in other words, universal) church. Orthodox Anglicanism is therefore defined by reference to these characteristics only, which are set out in the Thirty-nine Articles and the Church of England's submission to the over-arching authority of Scripture alone. Church Society seeks to defend and promote these defining characteristics, especially the Gospel of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone which is at the heart of the message and mission of the Church of England.

Traditional Anglican Communion in UK accepts Pope's invitation

By Stephen Smuts
http://tinyurl.com/ybdlfcb
November 5, 2009

The Traditional Anglican Communion in England has accepted Pope Benedict XVI's invitation of a Ordinariate.

The following appears on their website:

The Resolutions

That this Assembly, representing the Traditional Anglican Communion in Great Britain, offers its joyful thanks to Pope Benedict XVI for his forthcoming Apostolic Constitution allowing the corporate reunion of Anglicans with the Holy See, and requests the Primate and College of Bishops of the Traditional Anglican Communion to take the steps necessary to implement this Constitution.

Cardinal: New Vatican move not a reflection on Anglican Communion

By Simon Caldwell
Catholic News Service
http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0904867.htm
November 2, 2009

LONDON (CNS) -- An English cardinal said Pope Benedict XVI's decision to receive entire groups of Anglicans into the Catholic Church did not represent a comment on the state of the Anglican Communion.

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, retired archbishop of Westminster, said a forthcoming apostolic constitution to establish "personal ordinariates" should not be seen as an attempt by the Vatican to poach Anglicans disaffected by such issues as the ordination of women and sexually active homosexuals as priests and bishops.

Vatican Clarifies Celibacy Issue in Apostolic Constitution for Anglicans

http://212.77.1.245/news_services/bulletin/news/24594.php?index=24594&po_date=31.10.2009&lang=en
10/31/2009

CLARIFICATION BY THE DIRECTOR OF THE HOLY SEE PRESS OFFICE, FR. FEDERICO LOMBARDI, S.I., ON SPECULATIONS ABOUT THE CELIBACY ISSUE IN THE ANNOUNCED APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTION REGARDING PERSONAL ORDINARIATES FOR ANGLICAN ENTERING INTO FULL COMMUNION WITH THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

There has been widespread speculation, based on supposedly knowledgeable remarks by an Italian correspondent Andrea Tornielli, that the delay in publication of the Apostolic Constitution regarding Personal Ordinariates for Anglicans entering into full communion with the Catholic Church, announced on October 20, 2009, by Cardinal William Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, is due to more than "technical" reasons. According to this speculation, there is a serious substantial issue at the basis of the delay, namely, disagreement about whether celibacy will be the norm for the future clergy of the Provision.

Vatican Clarification on Announced Apostolic Constitution
Vatican Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi has issued the following clarification of the announced Apostolic Constitution regarding personal ordinariates for Anglican entering into full communion with the Catholic Church:

http://www.oecumene.radiovaticana.org/EN1/Articolo.asp?c=330866
October 31, 2009

"There has been widespread speculation, based on supposedly knowledgeable remarks by an Italian correspondent Andrea Tornielli, that the delay in publication of the Apostolic Constitution regarding Personal Ordinariates for Anglicans entering into full communion with the Catholic Church, announced on October 20, 2009, by Cardinal William Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, is due to more than "technical" reasons. According to this speculation, there is a serious substantial issue at the basis of the delay, namely, disagreement about whether celibacy will be the norm for the future clergy of the Provision.

The Vatican and married ex-Anglicans: how far will Rome go?

by Damian Thompson
Damian Thompson is Blogs Editor of the Telegraph Media Group
http://tinyurl.com/ye3bdm4
November 1, 2009

Following Cardinal Levada's "clarification" of the Ordinariate plan yesterday, which touched on the ordination of married ex-Anglicans without giving much away, I've been sent an expert commentary by a priest who is an old hand at interpreting Vatican documents. I found it helpful (though not encouraging for Anglicans who hope that the Latin Church is about to sweep away its 1,000-year-old celibacy rule). Note my contact's references to the sensitive subjects of Anglican priests in second marriages and those who were born Catholics.

Breaking news: Vatican issues 'clarification' of Anglican plan which does not rule out ordaining married laymen
The Vatican has issued a statement about its plans to create a personal Ordinariate for ex-Anglicans which discusses the possibility of ordaining married laymen on a case-by-case basis.

By Damian Thompson
The Telegraph
http://tinyurl.com/ye7mz33
October 31, 2009

Cardinal William Levada, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, was seeking to quash speculation that the publication of the Apostolic Constitution had been held up by squabbles over the ordination of married men. Not true, he insists.

RECIFE, Brazil: Reformation Yes, Rome No.

by Bishop Robinson Cavalcanti
October 30, 2009


The calendar of the Brazilian Book of Common Prayer (LOCb) of the Diocese of Recife - and of the majority of evangelical churches in our country - registers today as the day in which we commemorate the Reformation.

This year we celebrate 500 years of the birth of John Calvin, and we're reminded of the fact that the Protestant Reformation of the 16th. Century was one of the most important chapters in the History of the Church, and that october 31st. 1517 was one of the most significant days since Pentecost.

The protestant community, ever growing in Latin America owes its existence to the sacrificial work of missionaries in the 19th, and 20th, centuries, who were motivated by the conviction and message of the Reformers.

The denunciation of and break with the "errors and superstitions" within Christendom, the affirmation of the supremacy of Holy Scripture - which all should have the freedom to read - the recovery of the apostolic message of salvation exclusively by Grace received through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and the universal priesthood of all believers, comprise a genuine treasure, valuable and non-negotiable.

ROME: Vatican row delays Anglo-Catholic text

by Richard Owen in Rome
Times Online
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article6895501.ece
October 29, 2009

The Pope is said to have wanted to wait until the text was finalised before making an announcement

A row has broken out behind the Vatican walls over the "confusion" surrounding Pope Benedict XVI's opening to disaffected Anglicans, according to a papal biographer.

Andrea Tornielli, the biographer of several modern Popes including Pope Benedict, said that just over a week after its existence was revealed by the Vatican, the text of the Apostolic Constitution laying down the conditions for the creation of a new "Anglo-Catholic" section of the Church was still not ready for publication.

MARYLAND: Episcopal bishop opens door to Catholics
Sutton says two sects work cooperatively in Maryland

By Matthew Hay Brown
http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/faith/bal-md.fa.episcopal30oct30,0,1481184.story
October 30, 2009

In the wake of Vatican plans to make it easier for Episcopalians to become Catholic, the Episcopal bishop of Maryland would like to make one point clear: The door swings both ways.

Lost in talk of the splintering of the Anglican Communion, Bishop Eugene Taylor Sutton says, is the appeal that the 45,000-member Episcopal Diocese of Maryland has held for former Roman Catholics and others looking for a big-tent church.

While attention focused on the conversion en masse last month of a Catonsville-based order of Episcopal nuns to the Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore, the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland has received three former Roman Catholic clergy in the past couple of months, Sutton says.

"We just want to remind people that this switching from Anglicans becoming Roman Catholics goes both ways," Sutton said. "Many, many laypeople in our churches came from the Roman Catholic Church. We get many clergy."

FRESNO, CA: Few Anglicans to take pope's offer
Episcopal divisions already pushed one local diocese out

By Sue Nowicki
http://www.modbee.com/local/story/913707.html
October 30, 2009

Last week, Pope Benedict XVI made what many called a startling offer to Anglican priests: Become a Roman Catholic priest and bring your wives, children and book of prayer with you.

While the specific details have yet to be worked out, the offer was aimed mainly at priests who have left or are considering leaving the Episcopal Church in the United States and priests in the Church of England, many of whom disagree with their denomination's stand on social issues, such as the ordination of women and gays, and on theological issues, such as the inerrancy of Scripture.

NEW HAVEN, CT: Anglican Society of Catholic Priests Responds to Vatican Decision

http://www.thescp.org/
Oct 27, 2009

A group of Anglican clergy responded to the Vatican's recent decision to open the way for disaffected Anglicans to enter into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church. Robert Hendrickson, the Director of Communications for the Society, released a statement acknowledging that for those Anglicans who disagree with recent developments within Anglicanism, "such a move may make some sense." He went on to point out that for many in the catholic tradition of Christianity, "such changes are a natural extension of our understanding of the evolution of Tradition in the life of the Church."

Hendrickson also points out that though the move appears to highlight the differences between Anglicanism and the Roman Catholic Church over recent developments, it actually highlights the "amazing degree of overlap" between two ecclesial bodies over a wide degree of theological questions and spiritual practices. Here he agrees with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, who said in an earlier joint statement with the Archbishop of Westminster, that this news was an outgrowth and fruit of continued ecumenical dialog between the two bodies.

'It will be a little like registering with a new GP and boarding a coach for Walsingham' - Ebbsfleet

by Glyn Paflin
The Church Times
http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=84015
October 30, 2009

"I SUSPECT everyone is feeling fairly be­wildered," the Bishop of Chichester, Dr John Hind, told the Forward in Faith (FiF) National Assembly in London in his keynote address last Friday. "When you are bewildered, it is not always wise to act in a hurry. And it does not seem as if hurry is required."

Held in the week of the Vatican's announce­ment of an Apostolic Constitution to make a new special provision for ex-Anglicans, the Assembly wrestled with its possible con­sequences, but was hindered by not knowing the full details, which are partly still to be released, and partly to be worked out.

LONDON: Church of England bishop says 'Anglican experiment is over'

Sotto Voce
October 28, 2009

Members of the traditionalist Anglican group Forward in Faith recently concluded their annual gathering, which was dedicated to discussing Pope Benedict's overture to Anglicans.

The general impression left by the conference was the "Anglican experiment is over," a mood that was reinforced by Bishop John Hind officially announcing he is ready to become Catholic.

The 2009 National Assembly of Forward in Faith was held in the Emmanuel Centre, Westminster, London, October 23-24.

The Assembly was originally scheduled before the Vatican announced its unprecedented move, but the issue dominated most of the discussion.

LONDON: Former Archbishop of Canterbury branded a moaner over Rome offer

by Sotto Voce
October 27, 2009

A senior bishop has attacked the former Archbishop of Canterbury as a "moaner" for complaining about the timing of the Pope's offer to Anglo-Catholics in the Church of England to join Rome.

The Bishop of Fulham, the Right Rev John Broadhurst, told The Times that the Church of England, including the current Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, had been aware for years of the Vatican's plans to admit disaffected Anglicans.

"The Archbishop of Canterbury knew that this was happening, but didn't know when," Bishop Broadhurst said.

ROME: Anglican Reunion will Create "Huge Cultural Shift" to the Extreme Left in Anglican Church

By Hilary White
www.LifeSiteNews.com
October 26, 2009

By focusing on the issue of married clergy in the Catholic Church, the secular media has got the thin end of the story of last week's offer of reunion from the Vatican to "traditionalist" Anglicans. The more interesting story, says Fr. Philip Powell, a Dominican priest based in Rome and a former Episcopalian, is the "huge cultural shift" in the Anglican Church that it presages.

Fr. Powell gave his analysis of the move in an interview with LSN, saying that despite accusations from the left and from some quarters of the Anglican Communion, it was not an opportunistic grab for numbers by the Vatican preying upon the Anglican Churches. The decision, he said, is purely a matter of pastoral concern and a provision for people in real spiritual "distress."

Global South Primates Steering Committee Affirms Anglican Covenant in Face of Rome Offer

October 25, 2009

1. We, under-shepherds of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church of Jesus Christ, bring greetings to the faithful in the Anglican Communion. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. For in his great love for us, we are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit (Ephesians 2: 19-22).

PARIS: Developing nation Anglicans decline pope's offer

By Tom Heneghan, Religion Editor
Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE59O17T20091025
October 25, 2009

Conservative bishops who say they represent almost half the world's Anglicans urged fellow believers on Sunday to reform the Anglican Communion rather than take up Pope Benedict's invitation to join the Roman Catholic Church.

The "Global South" group, which last year seemed close to quitting the Communion, said those opposed to gay clergy and other liberal reforms should "stand firm with us in cherishing the Anglican heritage (and) pursuing a common vocation."

PERTH: Anglicans warned about joining Catholic Church in anger and haste

by Caroline Overington and Natasha Robinson
The Australian
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,26252649-5006789,00.html
October 24, 2009

THE Anglican Archbishop of Perth has cautioned disgruntled Anglicans not to join the Catholic Church in anger and haste.

Rogert Herft said the Vatican's offer to receive Anglicans would provide a "helpful way for those who wished to join the Roman Catholic Church to do so on similar terms to many Roman Catholics".

What the Vatican's welcome of Anglicans means

National Catholic Reporter
http://ncronline.org/
October 24, 2009

This week's big Vatican story is obviously the decision to create special structures, called "personal ordinariates", to welcome Anglicans seeking to join the Catholic church. In some reports, the move was touted as a bold gambit to end the schism that began with the English Reformation in the 16th century -- a dubious bit of spin, given that the actual number of Anglicans likely to sign up for one of these ordinariates will almost certainly be quite small.

When the dust settles, the centuries-long breach between Rome and Canterbury will remain intact.

ROSEMONT, PA: For an Episcopal Parish, a Path to Catholicism

By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/25/us/25church.html?_r=1
October 24, 2009

When the Vatican announced last week that it would welcome groups of traditionalist Anglicans into the Roman Catholic Church, leaders of one Episcopal parish celebrated as if a ship had arrived to rescue them from a drifting ice floe.

Bishop David Moyer of the Church of the Good Shepherd welcomes a Vatican decision to embrace traditionalist Anglicans.

"We'd been praying for this daily for two years," said Bishop David L. Moyer, who leads the Church of the Good Shepherd, a parish in the Main Line suburbs of Philadelphia that is battling to keep its historic property. "When I heard the news I was speechless, then the joy came and the tears."

LONDON: Some Anglicans welcome Rome's invitation

By Henry Chu
The Record
http://news.therecord.com/Life/faith/article/618352
October 23, 2009

The parishioners at St. Savior's come from various backgrounds: Afro-Caribbean countries, Eastern European nations, Britain itself. But it may be that all roads are leading them to Rome.

The East London church is Anglican in name but Roman Catholic in spirit and worship, with the "smells and bells" of traditional Roman Catholic liturgy. Father David Waller sticks to the Vatican's line on doctrines such as transubstantiation - the transformation of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ - and teachings such as the ban on contraception. Neither he nor his congregation believes in allowing women into the priesthood.

Roman Catholics and Anglo-Catholics: this is the moment of truth

By Damian Thompson
The Telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
October 24th, 2009

Be careful what you ask the Pope for, because he might just give it to you. That's the truth slowly sinking in to attendees at the annual conference of Forward in Faith, held in London today. For ages, many Anglo-Catholics have said they would come over to Rome, but on their own terms (not unreasonable ones, in my opinion). And now the Vatican has said: OK, you can have your own church-within-a-church, only for form's sake we can't call it that.

Uh-oh. Suddenly one or two Anglo-Catholics who used to bleat on about how the only obsctacle to coming over was the ghastly RC bishops' conference are having second thoughts, even though that ghastly conference has been written out of the picture. On the other hand, other Anglicans whom you would never expect to be attracted by a Roman offer are taking it seriously, so dramatic are its contents.

AUSTRALIA: More roads lead to Rome as divine divide diminishes
TAC Archbishop John Hepworth answers questions

by Christopher Pearson
The Australian
http://tinyurl.com/yh26jwn
October 24, 2009

ON Tuesday the Vatican unveiled a brand-new structure designed to facilitate groups of traditionally minded Anglicans entering into corporate communion with Rome, something many on both sides of the divide have aspired to for more than 40 years. On Wednesday the global primate of the Traditional Anglican Communion, Archbishop John Hepworth, gave Inquirer an exclusive interview.

LONDON: Property row brews in church rift

by Riazat Butt
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
October 25, 2009

THE Church of England is on a collision course with clergy who want to take property with them when they defect to Rome following a papal decision to help them convert en masse.

In Westminster on Friday, hundreds of Anglo-Catholics mulled over the impact of the apostolic constitution, which will create a section in the Catholic church for former Anglicans who wish to retain parts of their spiritual heritage.

LONDON: Pope's church coup may rid Rowan Williams of turbulent priests

Commentary

By Ruth Gledhill
The Times
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article6888274.ece
October 24, 2009

Rowan Williams must be starting to wonder if he has any friends left. He is like the academic boy at school who no one wants to play with because he doesn't understand the rules of fisticuffs.

In Rome, he has been regarded with great respect. His theology and learning mean he is considered a Catholic, albeit a liberal one. He has now learnt that respect counts for nothing when souls are at stake.

LONDON: Lord Carey 'appalled' by Pope's treatment of Dr Rowan Williams

Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent
The Times
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article6888208.ece
October 24, 2009


Lord Carey of Clifton has called on his successor as Archbishop of Canterbury to complain to the Pope in person about not being consulted over plans to admit disaffected Anglicans to the Roman Catholic Church.

Lord Carey warned that the Pope's strategy could damage relations with the Vatican. Lord Carey, who stepped down in 2002, urged Dr Rowan Williams to protest strongly when he visits the Pope in Rome next month.

Lord Carey was speaking after the joint press conference this week between Dr Williams and the Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, the Most Rev Vincent Nichols, to announce the move. Under an apostolic constitution decree, the Pope will set up personal ordinariates, or extra-geographical Roman Catholic dioceses, such as those that already exist in the military, to take in former Anglicans who oppose women bishops and accept the Petrine ministry of Rome.

KENYA: Anglicans reject Pope offer

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8322069.stm
October 23, 2009

Anglican Archbishop Eliud Wabukala says it is a question of faith

The head of Kenya's Anglican Church, Archbishop Eliud Wabukala, has rejected the Pope's offer to allow disaffected Anglicans to join the Catholic Church.

He told the BBC it would not be easy for African Anglicans to enter into full communion with Catholics.

Earlier this week, the Vatican said groups of Anglicans could join but maintain a distinct religious identity.

Catholic Beliefs Might Give Anglicans Pause

By Robert Mackey
The New York Times
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/22/catholic-beliefs-might-give-anglicans-pause/
October 22, 2009

When the Catholic Church announced this week that the Vatican would make it easier for Anglicans to convert to Catholicism, much was made of the many similarities between the two faiths. And there are a few Catholic beliefs that might strike Anglicans as foreign, and one or two that could be deal-breakers for potential defectors.

The Times of London published a handy list of some Catholic beliefs Anglican converts would have to embrace. Social conservatives who are upset by the Anglican Church's acceptance of female priests and openly gay bishops are unlikely to have trouble adopting the Catholic beliefs that only men can become priests and that, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church puts it, "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered" and "under no circumstances can they be approved."

UGANDA:'Pope's offer not vital for Africa' - Archbishop Orombi

By Moses Mulondo
http://www.newvision.co.ug
October 22, 2009

AFRICAN Anglicans do not need the Pope's intervention over consecration of gay bishops, the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Henry Luke Orombi, has said.

Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday announced new initiatives allowing Anglicans to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of their spiritual and liturgical tradition.

Orombi said such measures by the Vatican are not called for in the African Anglican Church, which he said had successfully resisted liberalism from Western countries.

"Anglo-Catholic Anglicans have been disillusioned by the liberal churches in the West that created a theological crisis with their liberal attitude to sexuality. Many of them would be happy with the Pope's initiative. But the African Church does not need that because it is strong on biblical theology," he argued.

Vatican Guilty of "Divisiveness" for Anglican Reunification Offer
Leftist Critics "Progressives," Leftists and Womynpriest Supporters in a Fury

By Hilary White
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/oct/09102206.html

VATICAN CITY, October 22, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The battle lines in the culture wars within both the Anglican and Catholic Churches have become clearly visible with the announcement of new provisions to bring traditionally-minded Christian Anglicans into the Catholic Church in groups. Some are accusing the Vatican of having torpedoed the remains of the rapidly deteriorating Worldwide Anglican Communion with its surprise announcement by Cardinal Levada, the head of the Vatican's doctrinal office on Tuesday.

Although officially denied by the Vatican, it is being widely acknowledged that the move has been in response to overtures by the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC), the largest of the "conservative breakaway" groups. The TAC has objected to the Anglican Churches' decisions to ordain women to the clergy and episcopate and to embrace homosexual activity as equal to natural sexual relations, as well as other deviations from traditional Christian teaching. After decades of apparently fruitless "ecumenical dialogue," observers have said the Pope has taken the matter into his own hands and offered a refuge to Anglicans who adhere to the tenets of classical, biblical Christianity.

AUSTRALIA: Papal move on Anglicans provokes debate

http://www.cathnews.com/search.aspx?sid=219
October 23, 2009

The Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne Philip Freier says it would be regrettable if some of the church's clergy joined the Catholic Church, while Traditional Anglican Communion leader Archbishop John Hepworth, says he expects many Australian Anglo-Catholics to leave. ABC reports Archbishop Freier saying he estimates up to 30 Melbourne clergy consider themselves to be Anglo-Catholics, and "if people have a decision on conscience, I'd want to respect that because I think that we're fortunate to live in a society where our religious beliefs are a matter of principle and conscience."

Archbishop Hepworth said disagreement over female priesthood is one reason Anglicans are split.

VATICAN CITY: Celibacy a deal-breaker for some Anglicans
The pope is easing celibacy rules for Anglican priests who convert, which experts say will exacerbate the issue among Catholics.

By Alessandro Bianchi
Reuters
October 22, 2009

While Pope Benedict XVI hopes to encourage conversions by allowing disaffected Anglicans to continue to use traditional forms of worship, the Catholic tradition of celibate clergy may be an insurmountable obstacle for some potential converts.

The Vatican announced Tuesday (Oct. 20) that it will create new national dioceses tailored to Anglicans upset with their church's growing acceptance of homosexuality and female clergy. The dioceses will feature not only distinctively Anglican music and prayers, but also the trait that till now has most conspicuously distinguished Anglicanism from Roman Catholicism: married priests.

LONDON: Vatican offer may lure Church of England priests

By GREGORY KATZ, Associated Press Writer Gregory Katz, Associated Press Writer
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091022/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_anglicans
October 22, 2009

On the surface, it looks like a polite tug of war between two of the world's great churches, each saying nice things about the other.

But the ramifications of the conflict between the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England are broad and not yet completely clear, with details of the Vatican's offer to help Anglicans convert still unpublished.

It is not yet known what part of the Anglicans' liturgy and rites will be incorporated into Catholic worship under the surprise offer made earlier this week in a bold bid by Pope Benedict XVI to capitalize on sharp divisions within the Anglican community over the proper role of women clergy and the acceptability of openly gay priests.

Nor is it evident how many Anglicans will seek to switch churches because of the pope's new policy. The Right Rev. John Broadhurst, the Bishop of Fulham, believes roughly 1,000 Church of England clergy will seek to join the Roman Catholic Church. He is chairman of Forward in Faith, a group of traditionalists opposed to the ordination of women.

ROME: For the Vatican, New Resolve to Expand the Catholic Fold

By STACY MEICHTRY
The Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125615912837899783.html
October 22, 2009


Long regarded as a hard-liner on religious doctrine, Pope Benedict XVI also is emerging as the pontiff of interchurch, or ecumenical, relations.

The 82-year-old pope's decision Tuesday to amend Vatican laws to make it easier for Anglicans to become Roman Catholic represents his most aggressive attempt to bring more Christians into the Catholic fold.

Pope Benedict XVI kissed a baby during Wednesday's regular general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican.

The pope's outreach to rival churches has spanned the conservative-liberal spectrum. He has bolstered dialogue with Lutherans and other mainline Protestants. He met with the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, regarded by some as the spiritual leader of Eastern Orthodox Churches. And he lifted an excommunication ban on the highly conservative Catholic splinter group Society of St. Pius X.

LONDON: 400,000 former Anglicans worldwide seek immediate unity with Rome

by Ruth Gledhill, Sophie Tedmanson, Giles Whittell and Richard Owen
The Times
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/
October 22, 2009

Leaders of more than 400,000 Anglicans who quit over women priests are to seek immediate unity with Rome under the apostolic constitution announced by Pope Benedict XVI. They will be among the first to take up an option allowing Anglicans to join an "ordinariate" that brings them into full communion with Roman Catholics while retaining elements of their Anglican identity.

The Pope's move is regarded by some Anglicans as one of the most dramatic developments in Protestant christendom since the Reformation gave birth to the Church of England 400 years ago.

LAGOS, Nigeria: Africa's Anglicans Weigh Vatican Offer

By WILL CONNORS
The Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125615227718899569.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_world
October 21, 2009

The Vatican's invitation to Anglicans could have far-reaching repercussions across Africa, where about half of the world's 80 million Anglicans now live.

African clergymen have been some of the harshest critics of their Anglican colleagues in the West, whom they accuse of liberally interpreting the Bible. But it's far from clear whether churches here, many of which have already distanced themselves from Anglican churches in the U.S., Canada and England, would see the need to embrace the Vatican's offer.

Primate of Canada Responds to Vatican Overture

By Fred Hiltz
http://lists.national.anglican.ca/
October 21, 2009

Statement from the Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada The following is a statement from Archbishop Fred Hiltz, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, in response to the Vatican's announcement of an Apostolic Constitution earlier this week.

I hereby acknowledge the announcement of the Apostolic Constitution (a formal papal decree) whereby Pope Benedict XVI makes provision for groups of Anglicans who, while retaining certain aspects of Anglican Tradition, wish to be received into communion with the See of Rome. I offer the following comments.

This is not an entirely new phenomenon. For a number of years, Rome has made provisions for individual Anglicans to be received. What is unique about this provision is that it responds to groups of Anglicans who have made special enquiries. Who these groups are has not been announced.

As Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said in a letter to the Bishops of the Church of England and to the Primates of the Anglican Communion, "It remains to be seen what use will be made of this provision since it is now up to those who have made requests to the Holy See to respond to the Apostolic Constitution."

LONDON: Lambeth Palace 'implacably opposed' to Pope's Anglican plans

Damian Thompson is Blogs Editor of the Telegraph Media Group
http://tinyurl.com/yh9h9gj
October 21, 2009

This from a good source in Rome: apparently both Lambeth Palace and elements in the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity were "implacably opposed" to Pope Benedict XVI's dramatic new arrangements for Anglicans.

The source also reports speculation that Archbishop Rowan Williams put pressure on Vatican ecumenists to stop the Apostolic Constitution being issued.

Affirming Catholicism on Vatican Initiative to Anglo-Catholics

October 20, 2009

Affirming Catholicism shares the desire of all Christians, and especially Catholic Christians, for the full and visible unity of the Church of Jesus Christ. We also value our Anglican tradition as one which has its own distinctive contribution to make to the life of the whole Church, a gift of the Spirit which is an important part of the richness of God's work in the world.

We recognise that Pope Benedict's announcement may be of great comfort to some who combine deep attachment to Anglican patterns of worship with acceptance of the claims of the Roman Catholic Church as regards doctrine and church order. We affirm, though, that there is an authentically Catholic tradition within Anglicanism which seeks unity through a process of mutual learning. In such a process, each church will have something to give and to receive at every level of its life.

US Prelates Ready to Welcome Anglicans

Sotto Voce
October 20, 2009

The president of the U.S. bishops' conference is expressing support for a Vatican statement regarding Anglican groups that desire to enter the Catholic Church.

Cardinal Francis George, archbishop of Chicago, affirmed this in a statement today, after receiving word "of the new provision in the form of an apostolic constitution issued by the Holy See for the reception into full communion with the Catholic Church of groups from the Anglican tradition."

The bishops' conference "stands ready to collaborate in the implementation of that Provision in our country," he stated.

The cardinal explained that "this step by the Holy See is in response to a number of requests received in Rome from groups of Anglicans seeking corporate reunion."

"The application of the new Provision," he continued, "recognizes the desire of some Anglicans (Episcopalians) to live the Catholic faith in full, visible communion with the See of Peter, while at the same time retaining some elements of their traditions of liturgy, spirituality and ecclesial life which are consistent with the Catholic faith."

Fr. Jeffrey Steenson: Policy Reflects Pope's Passion

By Doug LeBlanc
http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2009/10/20/father-steenson-policy-reflects-popes-passion
October 20, 2009


Even as he studied at the Pontifical Irish College in Rome last year, the Rev. Jeffrey Steenson did not know just how much the Vatican was preparing to widen its arms to Anglican pilgrims like himself.

Fr. Steenson, as he is now known again, served as Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande from 2005 to 2007, when he resigned to join the Roman Catholic Church. He now teaches theology at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas.

"I was certainly aware that there were very significant conversations going on at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, but I didn't know the scope of things," Fr. Steenson told The Living Church.

He believes the Vatican's policy change reflects the passion of Pope Benedict XVI. "I really think the Pope helped move things along," he said. "Evangelization is really the heart and soul of what he's about. When people are knocking on the door of the Church, the Catholic Church needs to take extra steps to welcome them in. It's all about the gathering in of souls."

Rome converts urged to decide by February 22

Sotto Voce
October 20, 2009

Two Bishops have called on Anglicans considering moving to Rome to consider their option before making a declaration on February 22.

Their call comes after Pope Benedict XVI's 'historic' promise to provide structures enabling Anglicans to have full communion with Rome.

This week the Bishop of Ebbsfleet, Andrew Burnham, and the Bishop of Richborough, Keith Newton said in a joint statement: "Many, understandably, will need a much longer period of discernment and we would counsel against over-hasty reactions of whatever kind."

Meanwhile, other bishops have openly welcomed Pope Benedict XVI's announcement.

Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC) responds to Vatican announcement

20 October 2009


Today, the Roman Catholic Church released an "Apostolic Constitution" offering a way for some orthodox Anglicans to enter into a full communion relationship with the Roman Catholic Church while preserving some aspects of their Anglican heritage.

This action recognizes how deeply broken the Anglican Communion has become as a result of the abandonment by some Anglican leaders of historic Christian teaching and discipline. Like the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Church in North America - of which ANiC is a part - has also provided a means for those within North America to remain faithful Anglicans.

"We are encouraged to see the Archbishop of Canterbury working with the Vatican to make accommodate these Anglicans," said the Right Reverend Donald Harvey, moderator of the Anglican Network in Canada. "We urge him to do the same for us by joining with the Anglican Primates who have already officially recognized and endorsed the Anglican Church in North America."

ENGLAND: Forward in Faith bishops welcome Apostolic Constitution

http://www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=15017
October 20, 2009

Forward in Faith,John Broadhurst, Bishop of Fulham, Bishop Andrew Burnham, Bishop of Ebbsfleet and Keith Newton, Bishop of Richborough

Three bishops from the traditionalist Anglican group Forward in Faith, have welcomed the today's announcement of new structures enabling Anglicans to become Catholic.

The Rt Rev John Broadhurst, Bishop of Fulham, who recently said the General Synod was "guilty of sin" by voting for women bishops said in a statement:

It has been the frequently expressed hope and fervent desire of Anglican Catholics to be enabled by some means to enter into full communion with the See of Peter whilst retaining in its integrity every aspect of their Anglican inheritance which is not at variance with the teaching of the Catholic Church.