www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News Italian media speculates: Vatican will announce massive reception

I'm not saying they should, only that they could. I don't think they could get away with it for very long. If celibacy is the norm of the Latin Church, then the dispensation for married Anglican converts should require the same sort of discernment that the Latins want us to give men who transfer into the Eastern Churches.

I'll be waiting for the howls of outrage about married Anglican priests in the Latin Church from the same people who object to us having married priests in the Eastern Churches. But I think I might be waiting for a long time.

If they are raised Catholic and leave, become a priest in Episcople Church (typeing without glassees on) and then want to return to the Catholic Church later as a priest, it most likely won't be accepted. Becuae it is a public denial of the teachings of the CC.

I think Rose has hit a nail on the head - despite having her glasses off . I won't say that this has never happened (because somewhere in the dark recesses of my mind, I seem to have a dim recollection as to something of the sort), but I think it is most unlikely to be allowed to happen.

Many years,

Neil

Hello Neil and Rose,

The head of this Anglican group, the Traditional Anglican Church (TAC), is Archbishop John Hepworth of Australia. Archbishop Hepworth was a Roman Catholic priest who left the Catholic Church. It is his long years of patient negotiation with Rome which has seen this outcome today for his Church.

Neil, I recall when, years ago, on CAF we discussed Hepworth's desire to bring his Church into union with Rome and most of us were incredulous.

I wonder if Rome will allow him to continue in his episcopal Orders?

According to last Tuesday declaration, he will not be allowed to be ordered bishop (because he is married) . That for "pastoral and ecumenic" reasons (probably not to open a new front with the Orthodox who dont' allow married bishops)
He can anyway be the "ordinary" of the "Personal Ordinarate" (i.e. the new structure): so he can have all the jurisdictional duty and power of a bishop (but obviously not the sacramental ones) without being ordered bishop.
It is something that usually happens for many "apostolic vicars" in lands of missions

An big un-resolved issue of last declaration is whether to admit as catholic priest the Anglican priests who were divorced and re-married: I suppose that this issue will be solve case by case

Bless, Father,

Yes, we were indeed incredulous - albeit our incredulousity was chiefly in response to the topic's ardent proponent, who kept assuring us that it was due to occur any weekend (and who, as I recollect, was claiming incredible numbers of faithful for the TAC). That it has now happened is definitely a testimony to what you rightly describe as Archbishop Hepworth's patient negotiations.

Father and antv,

I believe that I read somewhere that, besides having been a former RC priest and now married, Archbishop Hepworth has himself been both divorced and remarried. He clearly will not be able to be elevated to the episcopacy and the question of his ability to serve as a priest is at question, for the point that Rose made above. I rather suspect that his future role in the Ordinariate, in any capacity, is going to be the subject of much back-room discussion before being resolved.

Many years,

Neil

I suspect the Constitution will prohibit those baptized Catholic from being ordained based upon reception of Anglican orders.

ISTR that the extant pastoral provision held just such an injunction.

It also paves the way for similar structures for Lutherans and Methodists. And I know a couple Lutheran parishes likely to jump ship post-haste if such ordinariates are established for them.

I suspect that the Anglo-Catholics in union will become an archiepiscopal church within a century, and while probably never being properly sui iuris, will likely be strong and thriving.

I also suspect that they will get a large influx of Romans... and unless the wording is something strange, the implied status is that they will be canonically Roman, in the same way that the Faithful of Toledo are canonically Roman, whether baptized with the Mozarabic or the Roman form.

It will be interesting to see just how many of these Protestants will actually become Catholics and how many will stay and try and sort things out in their various Protestant churches, as some dont see Rome as a solution to their problems.

In most cases, by default, there should be a bishop. But I would have reason to believe that Hepworth will be some sort of an honorary prelate/vicar-general. He will possibly be a Monsignor/archpriest. It will possibly boil down to that.

The announcement specifically stated that the ordinariates are to have as ordinary clerics who were former anglicans. Until some are widowers, that leaves priests-ordinary, instead of bishops. And such already is provided for under canon law for religious orders; it's no stretch to see that extended to Anglicans.

There are enough unmarried and widowed bishops to allow at least a few to serve as Anglican ordinaries. But they have to apply, first.

It would be interesting to ascertain how many Catholic bishops at present are former Anglicans.

Fr. Serge

I know at least one Orthodox bishop who is a former Anglican.

Bishop Peter Elliot Assistant Bishop in Melbourne and the late Archbishop (Sir) Lancelot Goody of Perth were all converts from the CofE. Archbishop Goody received the first 4 married Convert CofE clergy in Western Australia many years ago. They were wondeful men and their wives worked well with them.

Hi Paul,

I've been told that there are a few married Catholic priests here in Perth, of which only one is a cradle Catholic (Fr. Kevin Cummins). I recall that there was one who passed on just a few months back. Who are the other priests?