There’s no contradiction ” “

The transfer of Anglican priests – who are often married – to the Roman Catholic Church is a frequent occurrence in England but not in the rest of the United Kingdom. It is difficult to obtain official statistics, but in the London area for example, the dioceses of Westminster and Southwark each have between 8 and 10 married priests of Anglican provenance. Such a transfer has now taken place for the first time in Scotland: on 2 March, a former minister of the Scottish Episcopalian Church, deacon James Bell, received ordination as a priest from the Catholic bishop of Aberdeen PETER MORAN , by special permit of Rome. The rite took place in the Catholic church of St. Mary in Inverness, in Scotland. The Mass was concelebrated by 20 priests as well as by Bishop Moran and the Bishop emeritus of Southwark, John Jukes. A congregation of some 300 participated in it. The ordinand, now in his sixties, has great pastoral experience behind him, both in the Anglican communities of London and Peterborough and in the Scottish Episcopalian Church of Easter Ross and Sutherland. THE PROTAGONISTS. During the celebration, Bishop Moran welcomed James Bell and emphasized the “wide and rich experience”, the “deep religious commitment and warm and likable personality” that he bring with him in his new role. In receiving the new “colleague and brother” who “will share the bishop’s pastoral task” of tending the Christian “flock”, Bishop Moran thanked the authorities in Rome and also pointed out that in a huge diocese served only by a few priests, like that of Aberdeen, “even a single additional priests is a wonderful incentive for the spirit of his colleagues and for the ministry we offer to our people”. Just before his ordination, deacon JAMES BELL declared: “I approach Catholic ordination with a deep sense of gratitude for the privilege granted to me by the Holy See to be able to serve the Church here in the Highlands”. Bell added that this is the “fulfilment of a desire” that he had long nurtured in his “Christian pilgrimage” and at the same time “a wonderful new start”. Bell also thanked the clergy and the diocese of Aberdeen for the encouragement and warm welcome given to him and to his wife Lesley. James Bell will continue to work as the assistant of Monsignor Robert MacDonald in the parish of St. Mary at Inverness until he is assigned a new task. ECUMENICAL IMPLICATIONS. Regarding this ordination sui generis, the auxiliary bishop of Westminster GEORGE STACK, who is responsible for ministerial formation in the Department for Christian education and formation of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, said that “these married priests have been well received and accepted in various dioceses and have conducted a valuable ministry, and I think the same will be the case in Scotland”. In commenting on this phenomenon (which began in the 1990s, when the Anglican Church opened the priesthood to women), Bishop Stack added that “it is in fact a question of authority for many”. The Anglican priests and ministers who decide to transfer to Catholicism, explained Stack, place in question the authority with which the Anglican Church takes important decisions, such as that of ordaining women, “a decision that changes the nature and significance of the priesthood in the whole Anglican Communion”. What consequences and implications do these ordinations in the Catholic Church of married Anglican priests have for ecumenical dialogue and for the significance of the traditional priesthood? Bishop Stack replies that “the norm for the Catholic priesthood remains celibacy” and this vow “is as binding for a priest as the mutual vow of fidelity between husband and wife” united in holy matrimony. As regards ecumenical dialogue, the bishop says that the relations between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Church remain “good”. “Social meetings and theological dialogue are continuing at the national level”. Both Churches recognize that “individuals must follow their own conscience”, explains the bishop. And he adds: “in London there are regular meetings and contacts between the bishops of the two Churches in which these questions are discussed and shared. There is no conflict or difficulty, only the recognition of the individual conscience and the fact that these persons continue their journey of faith”. In saying so, Bishop Stack quotes a sentence used by Cardinal Hume during the ordination of former Anglican priests. The Church, said Hume, “recognizes the value of the previous ministry, so that ordination as Catholic priest does not contradict the previous one, but develops and deepens the ministry that contains the grace to lead the people to God”.