Positively welcomed and respected

A canonical structure establishing “Personal Ordinariates” will enable Anglican faithful to become Catholic while retaining elements of Anglican spiritual and liturgical patrimony. With the Apostolic Constitution presented past October 20 in the Vatican Pope Benedict XVI responds to the requests of groups of Anglican faithful and clergy to enter into full visible communion with the bishop of Rome. Msgr. Andrew Faley, Secretary General for Ecumenical Affairs of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference illustrates the details of the new agreement to SIR Europe. The joint press statement by Catholic Primate Vincent Nichols and Anglican Primate Rowans Williams states that Personal Ordinariates will preserve elements of the distinctive Anglican spiritual and liturgical patrimony. What does this mean? “We must consider that along with pastors and bishops also nuns, religious and ordinary faithful, perhaps entire congregations, could ask to be received as Catholics and will be enabled to celebrate the Eucharist with Anglican customs approved by the Holy See. In each Country, Anglican communities wishing to become Catholic will constitute a separate diocese coordinated by a special bishop who is a member of that Country’s Bishops’ Conference, as is the case of Military Ordinariates. Anglicans wishing to enter the Catholic Church are required to be formed in adult Christian initiation rite, in the Catholic doctrine and only then will they be received into the Church”.Could the Anglicans wishing to enter Catholicism be so many as to need more than one bishop per country? “It’s impossible to envisage what will happen. It will take weeks before the Apostolic Constitution is published, while the details of the different regulations will be clear only after the groups of Anglicans wishing to enter the Catholic Church will have contacted the Holy See and established the modalities of their reception”.The British press pictured that hundreds of thousands of Anglicans will become Catholics. It is realistic? “It’s truly impossible for me to comment on this since these groups of Anglicans contacted the Holy See autonomously. Only when an agreement with Rome is reached, the Holy See will inform the Bishops’ Conferences of the different Countries on the modalities of the new Constitution and on the impact of the Anglicans’ arrival. The Holy See has always kept its door open to Christians from all Churches who wished to enter into the Catholic Church”.In the communiqué it is also stated that the Apostolic Constitution is the result of the fact that thanks to the ecumenical dialogue of the past forty years the Catholic Church and the Anglican tradition share the same areas of faith, doctrine and spirituality. Could you give us more details about this? “Thanks to the ‘ARCIC’ and ‘IARCUUM’ Commissions the Anglican and Catholic Churches reached agreements on the meaning of authority inside the Church, on the Eucharist and on the significance of life according to Christian morals. It’s important to recall that the Anglican Church has always been very close to the Catholic Church. The Reformation of Henry VIII preserved Catholic spirituality and liturgy. The Catholic Church never viewed the Anglican Church as Protestant in terms of doctrine, while the two communions’ theology and doctrine have always been very close”.What will be the impact of the new Apostolic Constitution on ecumenical dialogue?“During the press conference both Catholic Primate Vincent Nichols and Anglican Primate Rowan Williams stated that nothing is going to change. Ecumenical dialogue will proceed as it has done over the past forty years”.Could married Anglican pastors wishing to enter Catholic priesthood constitute a problem? “Until now, all married Anglican pastors who became Catholic priests were positively received and respected. If they should become Catholic with their congregations they may decide to serve their own parishioners following Anglican liturgy. They may also decide to serve as priests inside Catholic parishes and this won’t be a problem either”.