This document is in essence a practical working out of the embracing spirituality expressed in Pope Benedict XVI’s first encyclical,
Deus Caritas Est.
It shows once again a passionate man, this time one who is passionate for unity.
It will be some time before we fully grasp the enormity of its implications and the breadth of its imagination.
For example, is their a hint here of a revised concept of the revolutionary worker priest, banned in France in the 1970s but on which rules were slightly relaxed more recently? A sort of ‘New Catholic’ worker priest? Because how will these Ordinariates be paid for? The Holy See cannot afford to finance them. With
the ongoing financial crises besetting the Church Commissioners, many Anglican priests have been financed by their congregations for nearly a decade, especially in London where the majority of defections are likely to take place. So this arrangement can just continue under the banner of Rome instead of Cantuar. And where there is no congregation going with him to pay for him, the cleric can get a job. Many Anglicans already do this, in any case.
The document explicitly makes provision for ex-Anglican clergy to have secular careers that are compatible with their ministry, solving at a stroke the problem of providing income for priest, wife and family. Brilliant or what?
This leaves the delicate problem of where these congregations will worship. Many are already talking of local ecumenical sharing agreements. In other words, congregations would divide into two – but still use the one church. Would the Church of England be generous about that? After all, the requests to The Episcopal Church for generosity in the case of its own departing flocks, and with all the local ecumenical projects embracing everything from Methodist to Orthodox up and down the land, it would look a tad hypocritical if dioceses began expelling priests and congregations whose only crime was to espouse the ‘One Holy Catholic Apostolic Faith’ in deed as well as Word.
Among the first to welcome the Apostolic Constitution was Bishop of Guildford Christopher Hill, chairman of the Church of England’s Council for Christian Unity. He said: ‘It will now be for those who have requested and at this point feel impelled to seek full communion with the Roman Catholic Church to study the Apostolic Constitution carefully in the near future and to consider their options. The Vatican response to certain requests from individuals and groups across the world does not deflect us from either the continuing mission of the Church of England in its parishes and dioceses throughout the land, or its longstanding commitment to seeking the unity of all the Churches, including the Roman Catholic Church.’
Soon after followed a message to the 1,000 or so members of
Forward in Faith, who constitute those most likely within the Church of England to go. (The Traditional Anglican Communion in the UK has already indicated it will join the Ordinariate, largely a response in any case to repeated requests from its leader in Australia, Archbishop John Hepworth.)
Father John Broadhurst said: ‘I had thought the original notice from Rome was extremely generous. Today all the accompanying papers have been published and they are extremely impressive. I have been horrified that the Church of England while trying to accommodate us has consistently said we cannot have the jurisdiction and independent life that most of us feel we need to continue on our Christian pilgrimage.
‘What Rome has done is offer exactly what the Church of England has refused. Indeed it has offered the requests of "Consecrated Women" with the completion of its ecumenical hopes. We all need now to ask the question ‘is this what we want?’ For some of us I suspect our bluff is called! This is both an exciting and dangerous time for Christianity in this country. Those who take up this offer will need to enter into negotiation with the Church of England about access to parish churches and many other matters.
‘This situation must not be used to damage the Church of England but I do believe we have a valid claim on our own heritage in history. The doctrinal standard demanded by Rome is the New Catechism which most of us use any way. We would be allowed to use Anglican or Roman rites and our ordinaries would have jurisdiction. We will all need to meet and talk. I would hope that this could take place in collaboration with the PEVs [flying bishops] and other Catholic bishops. It is not my style to give a expansive analysis of a document that I have only received today nor will I answer the question "What are you going to do?" That is something we need to work our together.’
Article 11 §1. A married former Anglican Bishop is eligible to be appointed Ordinary. In such a case he is to be ordained a priest in the Catholic Church and then exercises pastoral and sacramental ministry within the Ordinariate with full jurisdictional authority. §2. A former Anglican Bishop who belongs to the Ordinariate may be called upon to assist the Ordinary in the administration of the Ordinariate. §3. A former Anglican Bishop who belongs to the Ordinariate may be invited to participate in the meetings of the Bishops’ Conference of the respective territory, with the equivalent status of a retired bishop. §4. A former Anglican Bishop who belongs to the Ordinariate and who has not been ordained as a bishop in the Catholic Church, may request permission from the Holy See to use the insignia of the episcopal office.
