Anglican Wanderings: Ut Omnes Unum Sint
A reminder from Bec
(with thanks to Simon Cotton for the picture)
I’ve just returned from celebrating a low Mass of Requiem for the repose of the soul of my wife’s sister-in-law, Rachel Crow, who passed away on this day last year. I prayed the Roman Canon from the Anglican Missal, which I always try to use at Requiems on account of its Memento for the departed and for the fact that it invokes the prayers of the saints. I find it comforting and inspiring – for myself, as well as for mourners – to hear of heaven full of that great multitude and cloud of witnesses. there was also another significance to the Canon. It was the prayer brought to the English shores by S. Augustine, who was sent by Pope S. Gregory the Great to evangelise the Angles and so bring them under the care and ministry of the Roman Church. no further comment necessary needed, I trust. . . (And to those who think otherwise, no, the grass is not always greener, but on this side it’s not quite as green as it used to be).
For those who have not yet had the full opportunity to access all that has been announced and discussed today, here is the Holy See’s Note on Anglicans wishing to enter to the Catholic Church, direct from the Vatican’s Press Office (I even looked it up myself!) Here’s a bit of the detail :
in this Apostolic Constitution the Holy Father has introduced a canonical structure that provides for such corporate reunion by establishing Personal Ordinariates, which will allow former Anglicans to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of the distinctive Anglican spiritual and liturgical patrimony. Under the terms of the Apostolic Constitution, pastoral oversight and guidance will be provided for groups of former Anglicans through a Personal Ordinariate, whose Ordinary will usually be appointed from among former Anglican clergy.
the forthcoming Apostolic Constitution provides a reasonable and even necessary response to a worldwide phenomenon, by offering a single canonical model for the universal Church which is adaptable to various local situations and equitable to former Anglicans in its universal application. It provides for the ordination as Catholic priests of married former Anglican clergy. Historical and ecumenical reasons preclude the ordination of married men as bishops in both the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. the Constitution therefore stipulates that the Ordinary can be either a priest or an unmarried bishop. the seminarians in the Ordinariate are to be prepared alongside other Catholic seminarians, though the Ordinariate may establish a house of formation to address the particular needs of formation in the Anglican patrimony.
It will be very interesting indeed to see the details of the “forthcoming Apostolic Constitution” and, in particular, to note what the Holy see intends to do – specifically and practically – with structures of authority, the marriage discipline and with matters liturgical. It is significant that it is stated that the Constitution will “provide for the ordination as Catholic priests of married former Anglican clergy”.
And this bit, too, is of significance :
The cardinal [Levada] further indicated that “it is the hope of the Holy Father Benedict XVI that the Anglican clergy and faithful who desire union with the Catholic Church will find in this canonical structure the opportunity to preserve those Anglican traditions precious to them and consistent with the Catholic faith. insofar as these traditions express in a distinctive way the faith that is held in common, they are a gift to be shared in the wider Church. the unity of the Church does not require a uniformity that ignores cultural diversity, as the history of Christianity shows. Moreover, the many diverse traditions present in the Catholic Church today are all rooted in the principle articulated by St. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians: ‘There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism’. One comment from a Wanderer (on Facebook, because I still can’t get the combox to live), a priest in the Church of England, Fr. Peter Bolton, said that “[f]or the first time since 11th November 1992 I feel that there IS a church that wants us.” This is no isolated comment. Other priests I have heard from expressed their hopes, pleasure, and joy at this news, but, above all, spoke of the sense that their long-held realisation for some measure of Anglican unity with the Holy see is now within reach.
Forward in Faith had the following response to the announcement, here :
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.
We rejoice that the Holy Father intends now to set up structures within the Church which respond to this heartfelt longing. Forward in Faith has always been committed to seeking unity in truth and so warmly welcomes these initiatives as a decisive moment in the history of the Catholic Movement in the Church of England.
Ut unum sint!
+John Fulham
Geoffrey KirkSimilar hopes have been expressed by Fr. Tomlinson here and Fr. Aquilina here. Bishop Edwin Barnes shares his views here. a joint statement by the Bishops of Ebbsfleet and Richborough here, says :
We warmly welcome news on Tuesday 20th October of the forthcoming publication of a Apostolic Constitution outlining a fresh initiative in the search for Unity with the Holy see which many Anglicans in the Catholic tradition have prayed for and pursued.
This is not a time for sudden decisions or general public discussion. we call for a time of quiet prayer and discernment. the coming season of Advent and the celebration of the mystery of the Incarnation at Christmas, seem to us to provide a good opportunity for this quiet prayer and discernment to take place, as well as some pastoral discussions. some Anglicans in the Catholic tradition understandably will want to stay within the Anglican Communion. others will wish to make individual arrangements as their conscience directs. a further group of Anglicans, we think, will begin to form a caravan, rather like the People of Israel crossing the desert in search of the Promised Land. As bishops we would want to reassure people that, whatever decisions people, priests and parishes make, they will find peace and blessing in following what they discern to be God’s will for them. we have chosen 22nd February, the Feast of the Chair of Peter, to be an appropriate day for priests and people to make an initial decision as to whether they wish to respond positively to and explore further the initiative of the Apostolic Constitution. Many, understandably, will need a much longer period of discernment and we would counsel against over-hasty reactions of whatever kind.
The Bishops of Ebbsfleet and Richborough visited Rome in Eastertide 2008 and, graciously, were given a hearing in the Vatican. we were becoming increasingly concerned that the various agendas of the Anglican Communion were driving Anglicans and Roman Catholics further apart. It was our task, we thought, to take the opportunity of quietly discussing these matters in Rome. we were neither the first nor the last Anglicans to do this in recent years. Following the decision of General Synod of the Church of England in July 2008 to proceed with the ordination of women to the episcopate, we appealed to the Holy Father for help and have patiently awaited a reply. This Apostolic Constitution, addressed worldwide, feels to us to be a reply to concerns raised by others and by us and an attempt to allow all those who seek unity with the Holy see to be gathered in without loss of their distinctive patrimony.
+ Andrew Burnham, Bishop of Ebbsfleet
+ Keith Newton, Bishop of Richborough 22nd February. An interesting date, which doesn’t, on the face of it, isn’t a lot of time. One can only assume that the bishops anticipate the publication of the Apostolic Constitution before that time, if clergy and laity are to come to an “initial decision”, as indicated. there will be much to chew over between now and then. I will be interested to see comment and reaction to this news from Roman Catholic bishops, other than the joint statement issued by the Archbishops of Canterbury and Westminster. I leave you with that, also found here, for now. I shall be in Westminster Cathedral tomorrow afternoon and will offer up prayers for the unity of the Church Universal.
Today’s announcement of the Apostolic Constitution is a response by Pope Benedict XVI to a number of requests over the past few years to the Holy see from groups of Anglicans who wish to enter into full visible communion with the Roman Catholic Church, and are willing to declare that they share a common Catholic faith and accept the Petrine ministry as willed by Christ for his Church.
Pope Benedict XVI has approved, within the Apostolic Constitution, a canonical structure that provides for Personal Ordinariates, which will allow former Anglicans to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of distinctive Anglican spiritual patrimony.
The announcement of this Apostolic Constitution brings to an end a period of uncertainty for such groups who have nurtured hopes of new ways of embracing unity with the Catholic Church. It will now be up to those who have made requests to the Holy see to respond to the Apostolic Constitution.
The Apostolic Constitution is further recognition of the substantial overlap in faith, doctrine and spirituality between the Catholic Church and the Anglican tradition. Without the dialogues of the past forty years, this recognition would not have been possible, nor would hopes for full visible unity have been nurtured. in this sense, this Apostolic Constitution is one consequence of ecumenical dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion.
The on-going official dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion provides the basis for our continuing cooperation. the Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) and International Anglican Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission (IARCCUM) agreements make clear the path we will follow together.
With God’s grace and prayer we are determined that our on-going mutual commitment and consultation on these and other matters should continue to be strengthened. Locally, in the spirit of IARCCUM, we look forward to building on the pattern of shared meetings between the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales and the Church of England’s House of Bishops with a focus on our common mission. Joint days of reflection and prayer were begun in Leeds in 2006 and continued in Lambeth in 2008, and further meetings are in preparation. This close cooperation will continue as we grow together in unity and mission, in witness to the Gospel in our country, and in the Church at large.
+ Vincent + Rowan
Anglican Wanderings: Ut Omnes Unum Sint
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