Pope Announces Procedure for Anglicans to Enter into Full Communion with Catholic Church
Pope Benedict Responds to Requests from Anglicans
"Personal ordinariates," which would be similar to dioceses, would be established according to the new apostolic constitution and these would oversee the pastoral care of those who want to bring elements of their Anglican heritage with them. Establishment of the new jurisdictions allows Pope Benedict to respond to "many request" by Anglican groups and individuals, including "20 to 30 bishops."
Married Anglican priests may be ordained as Catholic priests; however, married Anglican bishops will not be allowed to function as Catholic Bishops. The new process would be similar to Ukrainian or Eastern Rite Catholics, keeping their liturgy and married priests, but not married bishops.
"This is a historic event with great significance and it's a remarkable day today that this should have come about," said Fr. Allan Hawkins, a former Anglican minister now a Catholic priest in Arlington, Tex. Fr. Hawkins was received into the Catholic Church along with his entire Episcopal St. Mary the Virgin Church in 1994 under the Pastoral Provision to the Anglican Usage of the Roman Rite. Pope John Paul II created this provision for Anglican parishes in the United States; the new apostolic constitution would apply to Anglicans worldwide. Fr. Hawkins was then ordained as a Catholic priest by Bishop Joseph P. Delaney of Fort Worth. Fr. Hawkins is married and has two grown children.
The ordination of female priests and bishops as well as the acceptance of same-sex blessing has caused many Anglicans to question the authority of the Anglican Church. An Anglican splinter group known as the Traditional Anglican Communion claims it has over 400,000 members in 41 countries after leaving the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1990. The Traditional Anglican Communion has been waiting on reception from Rome.
One of the major theological differences between Anglican belief and Roman Catholic faith is the Catholic belief in transubstantiation, which is the belief that the bread becomes the actual body of Christ during mass. Protestants do not believe in transubstantiation and rather see the wafer or bread to be a symbol of the body of Christ during their communion services.
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Published by Rebecca Caroll
Rebecca is a person passionate about life! She is a ardent supporter of adoption and an advocate for children with Special Needs. Outspoken on all things political, she always enjoys robust debate. Her fai... View profile
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19 Comments
Post a CommentNicely Written :)
Catching up on all your great work today!
great work
Very interesting I hadn't heard this - both my parents are Catholic sure there will be discussion at Thanksgiving Dinner.
interesting, thanks for the info
It will be interesting to see the impact... :)
I think it's great that the Catholic Church is opening its doors, but I am not sure if this is a good thing for the Anglicans, given the rift that is causing this exodus. In any case, a church is but a symbol and meeting place...it's what lies within that truly counts.
Religion is in flux like everything in our world.
That was very interesting and educational. Thank you.
Good article-this should be interesting to watch as it develops