Successio Apostolica and Re-ordination of Anglican Convert Priests

In a post below on Catholic Ecclesiology there is a good question that is asked in the comments about a statement made in the post. The statement reads, " ... break with the concrete continuity of the Church that celebrates the Eucharist with the bishops ... " The question is, do you by this statement in fact refer back to the Roman Catholic position on the validity of Holy Orders within the Church of England? In another story mentioning the re-ordination of Father Jeffrey Steenson who was an Episcopal bishop in the US Episcopal church Simon Caldwell at the Catholic Independent writes, This was highlighted by the embarrassment caused to the US Catholic bishops when the Episcopal bishop in New Mexico, Jeffrey Steenson, resigned over the election of Gene Robinson as the first openly gay bishop, as well as the blessing of same-sex unions. Bishop Steenson wanted to become a Catholic priest but was made to go back to university in Rome and be re-ordained. Instead of being welcomed as a hero, he was humiliated. This led for an appraisal of the way things were done. As for Rowan Williams, the affection for him within the Vatican is genuine. He will be welcomed as a friend. He can relax. One source said: "Rome has decided to lay out a red carpet that is long and deep for Rowan because they like and respect him personally. The question needs to be asked to those of us who have had Anglican ordination as priests in the CofE and other Anglican bodies. No matter who the person is, re-ordination will occur for any convert Anglican to the Catholic Church. It is important for all to remember that apostolic succession is not simply and only a formal power but a very important ingredient that makes up the mission of the gospel as a whole. There is a successio structure that is linked with tradition and is unbroken that is a concept of the Catholic Church. As a convert to the Catholic Church it is my understanding that I was validly ordained as a priest within the Anglican communion alone. It was not an ordination that had within its structure the unbroken line of the imposition of hands that maintained the Church's intention connecting Christology and pneumatology within the sacramental context of the Catholic Church. This links us back to the C19 'High Church' movement within Anglicanism in what Benedict XVI termed 'apocryphal' ordinations. Though there is a concept of understanding holy orders and the related symbolism by the imposition of hands as the Catholic model of sacramental ordination, the Holy Father finds the understanding rather 'obfuscated in many respects.' The Holy Father has written, As a result, there are, today, a number of persons holding such ministries whose succession is, if I may so phrase it, apocryphal. Wherever such "high-church" ordinations are conferred or received thus "apocryphally", the fundamental nature of the imposition of hands has been totally misunderstood. Regardless of the positive reasons that occasion it, it expresses, in such cases, either a liturgical romanticism or a canonical tutiorism. These churches want a formally assured legitimacy and tend toward an archaizing liturgical model (often, too, toward an equally archaizing dogmatic model). but they accomplish all this without venturing to revise the ecclesial context in anything but rite. Where this occurs, however, the sacrament is, in fact, restricted to a liturgical-juridical formalism. The more genuine rite and the more genuine geneology appear as automatic guarantors of sacramentality and apostolicity. The inevitable result is that this formalism is regarded with irony by the other side and is countered by the genuineness of the word independent of the rite. (Principles of Catholic Theology 246). Form is never to be separated from context and hence be valid if it bypasses the rest of the Church and attempts to dig a private tunnel to the apostles (Ben XVI). Ordination must have continuity of context in order for there to be sacramental guarantors and true apostolicity. I therefore do not believe for a moment that the re-ordination of Father Jeffrey Steenson or any formal Anglican for that matter is humiliating but rather necessary for sacramental assurance of the successio apostolica in Catholic ordinations. All Catholic ordinations must be held firmly in the concrete Church by the imposition of hands of those in succession with the apostles. This is glorious and sacramental, and nothing of humiliation, but GIFT.

Father Dwight Longenecker on Obstacles to Unity Between Catholics and Anglicans

This brings me to these two particular doctrines of the Immaculate Conception and Papal Infallibility. Catholics understand these two doctrines to be central to the fullness of the Christian gospel, and see them clearly set out in the gospel itself. That they were defined later is only evidence that it was only in later days that the doctrines were doubted, and therefore needed to be defended and defined. The Immaculate Conception is there in the realization that the Blessed Virgin was 'full of grace.' If sin is the lack of God's glory, ("all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God") and grace is the gift of God's glory, then Mary who was full of grace was also empty of sin. It only remains to ask when that sinlessness began and we conclude that it began when her life began. Thus, even if one disagrees with this interpretation, it is at least arguable that the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception is folded not only into the gospels itself, but into a coherent and complete understanding of the doctrine of the Incarnation. It is, if you like, part of the original deposit of the faith. Can this be said or even argued about the issue of homosexual marriage? No. This is a radical departure from every strain of Christian and Hebrew moral teaching at all times and in all places. It is impossible to argue that homosexual marriage is even a permissible part of universal and primitive Christian teaching. Similarly, Papal Infallibility is folded neatly into Christ's commission to Peter: "You are Peter and on this Rock I will build my Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it." It is arguable, and part of ancient and continuous Christian tradition that this verse not only establishes the Petrine Primacy, but also it's implicit infallibility: "The gates of hell will not prevail against it." Again, while one may disagree with this interpretation, it is impossible to disagree with the historical fact that this is an interpretation held by most Christians at most times in most places down through the ages. Therefore, like the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, it is a stepping stone to a profound unity in the church --not just a handshake with neighbors, but a way in to a deep sharing in the fullness of the faith. We need to contrast this, like the contrast with homosexual marriage, with women's ordination. This too, is a radical break from the whole Hebrew-Christian tradition. It is not part of the core of the gospel, it is not part of the ancient tradition. It is not part of the continued tradition, and any interpretations of the Scriptures or theological justifications for this innovation are novelties. Read it all at his site.

Old Roman Chant for a New Catholic Evangelisation

Thanks NLM

Anglicans and Catholics: What is Catholic Ecclesiology?

Hat tip to Ruth Gledhill for the portion here of Rowan Williams' speech on the Apostolic Constitution in Rome. What stands out to me as most frustrating is that this speech seems to want to dismiss with the wave of the hand something that Rowan and Anglican ecclesiology (if there is such a definable thing!) often forgets, which is what he/Anglicans see as 'secondary' issues cannot within Catholic theology as a whole be disregarded as secondary. As one commenter said in the below post, Jesus is praying for a whole lot more than an ecumenical 'group hug' of us all getting along pretending that Ordo as the Sacramental expression of the principle of Tradition is treated as something adiaphorous. Sorry, but that is the very heart of the problem that Anglican ecclesiology and sacramental misunderstandings of the Catholic Church's position on these issues keeps us divided. The Church's structures are at the heart of the gospel of communicating the will of Jesus Christ to the Church and world. Anglicans have such a wide range of views of the ministry that it is virtually impossible to claim any real unity about structure no matter what names we give to the structure; deacon, priest, and bishop. There is a very deep problem that is being overlooked that the Apostolic Constitution is answering for those Catholic-minded Anglicans. That principle reminds us that for the Catholic the sacrament of Ordo is the sacrament of the Church not, a private way to one's views of the beginnings of Christianity. This is always going to bring us to the issue that continues to divide Anglicans and Catholics and that is the issue of authority seen in the differences in the use of Scripture and tradition. Here is the heart of the problem and it is seen in the answer to this very important question: 'Can the essential character of the word and the essential character of the Church be present where there is a break with the concrete continuity of the Church that celebrates the Eucharist with the bishops?' (Benedict XVI) Anglicans cannot ultimately claim that in its Ordo, an ecclesial sacrament via the imposition of hands, that real unity is understood in terms of intention. Luther is a clear example of this problem in terms of sacrifice and priesthood. The present crisis in the CofE is a clear marker for this problem by the CofE's General Synod looking for a way for co-existence and not having ALL the bishops in communion with one another. It makes no ecclesial sense to even hope or argue for such a structure and view it as Catholic. Therefore, if Ordo is not a binding of the apostolicity and Catholicity together in the unity of Christ and the Holy Spirit, then it will not be completed in the Eucharistic community no matter how hard one tries to pretend that it is. It is within the Eucharistic community in which one sees and experiences the completedness of Ordo within the apostolicity and Catholicity in union with Jesus that real unity takes place. It is my humble opinion that until such a time that this issue is dealt with real ecumenical discussions will not and cannot take place.

Williams to Catholics: Rethink Women's Ordination

Discuss! The archbishop of Canterbury today pleaded with Roman Catholics to set aside their differences with Anglicans over the issue of female bishops, insisting there was more uniting the denominations than dividing them. Rowan Williams was giving a lecture in Rome before Saturday's meeting with the pope, their first encounter since the Vatican's surprise announcement of a special institution for traditionalist Anglicans wanting to convert to Catholicism. In his address at the Gregorian University, Williams said the Anglican communion was proof that churches could stay together in spite of their differences. The communion has teetered on the edge of schism for nearly a decade over the issue of gay clergy but has retained a sliver of fellowship. Williams urged Roman Catholics to continue their 35-year dialogue with Anglicans in spite of theological and ideological divisions. He said: "The various agreed statements of the churches stress that the church is a community, in which human beings are made sons and daughters of God. "When so much agreement has been established in first-order matters about the identity and mission of the church, is it justifiable to treat other issues as equally vital for its health and integrity?" Those issues included papal primacy, female clergy and the relations between the local and universal church in making decisions. "Is there a level of mutual recognition which allows a shared theological understanding of primacy alongside a diversity of canonical and juridical arrangements?" he wondered Williams challenged Roman Catholic thinking on female bishops, saying there was no proof that their ordination damaged the church. For his part the "ecumenical glass" was "genuinely half-full". Catholics and Anglicans had achieved "striking" agreement on the broader questions. All that stood between them now were the "second order" issues of church organisation. In an explicit but fleeting reference to the pope's move last month, Williams said it was an "imaginative pastoral response, but did not break any new ecclesiological ground." His speech was aimed at reviving dialogue between Anglicans and Catholics. But it also carried an implicit threat that there would be little point in continuing if the Catholic side continued to insist that the obstacles were insuperable. Williams said: "The question is whether this unfinished business is quite as fundamental as our Roman Catholic friends believe." He seemed tense, biting the sides of his fingers while he listened to the speaker who followed. His anxiety is understandable. Bishop Brian Farrell, the secretary of the Vatican department that deals with ecumenical dialogue, told him: "You have certainly presented us with a challenge." • This article was amended on Friday 20 November 2009. We said Rowan Williams was due to meet the pope on Sunday. The meeting is on Saturday. This has been corrected.

On Retreat With Year 10

I am now on retreat with the Year 10 from school right now and it is so incredibly loud and a non-retreat atmosphere. All sorts of theological questions about how to get wild teenagers in the mode for retreat. There seems to be a great need for a lot of teaching and preparation about what a retreat is all about because I think I am convinced it's not what I am presently experiencing. We are at the Youth Village of the Diocese. Pray for me!!!

Anglicans Can Cross the Tiber This Way

"If they can jump a pier for the hell of it, you can jolly well cross the Tiber for the sake of Jesus Christ"

Ecclesiology of Communion: Pope Benedict XVI

It can certainly be said that, at the time of the extraordinary Synod of 1985, which was to attempt an evaluation of the 20 years following the Council, there appeared a new effort to sum up conciliar ecclesiology in a basic concept: the ecclesiology of communio. I received this new focus of ecclesiology with joy and did my best to prepare it. Even so, it should be recognized first of all that the word communio does not have a central position in the Council. But if it is properly understood it can serve as a synthesis for the essential elements of conciliar ecclesiology. All of the essential elements of the Christian concept of communio are combined in the famous text of I Jn 1, 3, which can be taken as the criterion for the correct Christian understanding of communion: "That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you also may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing this that our joy may be complete". Here the starting point of communio is brought to the fore: the encounter with the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who comes to men and women through the Church's proclamation. So there arises communion among human beings, which in turn is based on communio with the Triune God. We have access to communion with God through the realization of the communion of God with man which is Christ in person; the encounter with Christ creates communion with him and thus with the Father in the Holy Spirit; and from this point unites human beings with one another. The purpose of all this is full joy: the Church carries an eschatological dynamic within her. In the words "full joy", we can glimpse a reference to the farewell discourse of Jesus, to the Easter mystery and to the return of the Lord in his Easter appearances, which prepare for his full return in the new world: "You will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy . . . I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice . . . ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full" (Jn 16; 20; 22; 24). If the last sentence is compared with Lk 11,13 — the invitation to prayer in Luke — it clearly appears that "joy" and "Holy Spirit" are one and the same, and that the word "joy" in I Jn 1, 3, conceals the Holy Spirit who is not expressly mentioned here. The word communio therefore, based on the biblical context has a theological, Christological, salvation historical and ecclesiological character. It therefore has within it the sacramental dimension which in Paul appears explicitly: "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one Bread, we who are many are one body . . . " (I Cor 10, 16 f.). The ecclesiology of communion is a profoundly Eucharistic ecclesiology. It is thus very close to the Eucharistic ecclesiology, which Orthodox theologians have developed convincingly in our century. Ecclesiology becomes more concrete and at the same time remains totally spiritual, transcendent and eschatological. In the Eucharist Christ, present in the bread and wine and giving himself ever anew, builds the Church as his body and through his risen body unites us to the Triune God and to one another. The Eucharist is celebrated in different places, and yet at the same time it is universal, because there is only one Christ and only one body of Christ. The Eucharist includes the priestly service of the repraesentatio Christi and thus the network of service, the synthesis of unity and multiplicity, which is already expressed in the word communio. Thus it can be said without a doubt that the concept incorporates an ecclesiological synthesis, which unites the discourse on the Church with the discourse on God and with life from God and with God, a synthesis that takes up all the essential intentions of the Second Vatican Council's ecclesiology and connects them in the right way. For these reasons I was grateful and pleased when the Synod of 1985 made the concept of communion once again the focus of reflection. However, the years that followed show that no word is safe from misunderstandings, not even the best and most profound. SOURCE

Apostolic Constitution and CofE Revision Committee

The Revision Committee for the CofE's General Synod has submitted a response at their third meeting (below) that should give clarity about what the response should be from those who have been singing the Anglo-papist song of joy towards Pope Benedict XVI and words of desire to be reunited with the Holy See. My greatest concern is for clergy and laity to want to run from the CofE to Rome because of the issue of women bishops. That should not be the reason nor should the reason be that some feel unwanted or unloved and the Holy Father's option is a better one than the Revision Committee's below. There is a lot of talk about orders and sacramental ministry etc. But surely, we can all humbly understand that the structures Anglo-Catholics have set up in the CofE and the clear structures that they wanted due to the arrival of women bishops can also be turned on clergy within the CofE about sacramental assurance for Rome! What I came to conclude is that it would have been totally unacceptable in Catholic theology to have structures set up that would allow for bishops to not be in communion with one another. That is totally an absurd thought when it comes down to questions of real ecclesiology. For me, I think it came down to a question of soul-searching honesty about whether or not what the Catholic Church claimed about herself and the authority she carries as the Church established by Jesus Christ was true or not. It's not really a question about how much patrimony one can take over or women priests and bishops, or even human sexuality. The Catholic Church can easily handle all those issues. The real question that must be answered is, 'Is it TRUE what the Catholic Church says about herself and is her teaching the living faith of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour?' If the answer is 'YES' for any Anglo-Catholic then there is not a lot more soul-searching that needs to be done. What must happen is the dawning of some swimming trunks and a leap into the Tiber to swim across, towels awaiting on the other side. Journeys take time to plan and the water is a bit cool this time of the year but there are wetsuits for that too. There will be hard decisions for many to make and the possibility of great costs to be had but didn't Jesus tell us all that unless we take up our cross and follow him we cannot be his disciple? I know there is fear involved and a lot of uncertainty; believe me, I've lived it and in many ways continue to live it. But what I do not live with anymore whatsoever is ANY question about who I am going to receive this morning in the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist. No doubts!! And there are no doubts about the call to live a holy life and when we fail and take ourselves to the Sacrament of Reconciliation there is no doubt at the words of absolution. None! But looking for comfort and security in something like what is written below leaves me with nothing but doubts. Now is the day for decisions and now is the time to follow the words and prayers that have been prayed for so long because the Holy Father is calling his children home to security and love. It is past time for the Protestant Reformation to be over and it is time for the Catholic Church in this beautiful land of England and all over the world to become strong and united in the message of love and forgiveness offered by God in his Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ! That is our mission, not committees of revision; leave those dull things to those who live for such things. Here is an example. The Revision Committee met for its third scheduled meeting yesterday (13 November) since 8 October (see earlier statement). It concluded a substantial exploration of ways in which the draft legislation could be amended to enable certain functions to be vested by statute in bishops who would provide oversight for those unable to receive the episcopal and/or priestly ministry of women. After much discussion, the members of the Committee were unable to identify a basis for specifying particular functions for vesting which commanded sufficient support both from those in favour of the ordination of women as bishops and those unable to support that development. As a result all of the proposals for vesting particular functions by statute were defeated. The effect of the Committee’s decision is therefore that such arrangements as are made for those unable to receive the episcopal ministry of women will need to be by way of delegation from the diocesan bishop rather than vesting. There remain important issues for the Committee to determine at its forthcoming meetings over the shape of the proposed legislation in the light of this decision, in particular whether to retain a statutory code of practice or adopt the simplest possible legislation. The work of a Revision Committee in scrutinising draft legislation, and in considering submissions to amend it, is only part of a longer legislative process. The Revision Committee on this draft legislation will report to the full General Synod at the conclusion of its work and the Synod will debate its proposals and have its own opportunity to support, amend or invite further reconsideration of the legislation by the Revision Committee. Further stages in the legislative process would require consideration of any legislation by the Diocesan Synods of the Church of England, final approval by the General Synod, Parliamentary approval and the Royal Assent. Personally, I cannot imagine spending one day doing what this last paragraph calls for. To be honest, reading it gives me the feeling of a heavy yoke being put around one's neck. I recall the resounding statement, 'we want to get off the battlefield and onto the mission field' being spoken so often. Well, the gate is wide open to the mission field, may many put their hands to the plough and never look back!

Saint Barnabas Society: Support for Convert Clergy

I think it is very appropriate at this time where we come to the end of an exciting year where a number of men and families have returned to the Catholic Church from around the globe to give God thanks. Another reason for giving thanks is the recent Apostolic Constitution from the Holy See that reaches out in great generosity to Anglicans to be reunited to the Holy See. This post is a call to let the readers know how they can help converts to the Catholic Church. St. Barnabas Society is a charity that offers support to convert clergy and their families to give them some assistance as they make the transition out of a life of pastoral ministry and get settled into the Catholic Church. Support does not come until one has actually been received into the Church for obvious reasons but applications are always seriously considered. As someone who has received support from the Saint Barnabas Society and knows of their great generosity, I want to make readers aware of a fantastic charity where you can be confident that your gifts will be used to really help those in need. With the recent Apostolic Constitution and perhaps many clergymen in England deciding to return to the rock from which we were hewn, the society is going to be granting more gifts than it has had to in the last 15 or so years. This society is beyond generous in its care for families and it really does seek to help as much as it can those who step out in such great faith to be united to the Catholic Church. Can I ask that each reader be willing to consider offering a gift of support this year to help the society keep its accounts up so that it can help more families in the future who make the courageous move to be reunited to the Catholic Church. Here is what the society does: The St Barnabas Society, a registered charity, operates in Great Britain and Ireland and exists to provide pastoral and financial help on behalf of the whole Catholic community to former clergy ministers and religious from other churches, who live in Great Britain and Ireland, and who have been led by faith and conscience to come into full communion with the Catholic Church. St Barnabas was chosen as its patron because it was he who befriended Paul after his dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus and encouraged him to begin a new life in the apostolic church with St Peter at its head. The St Barnabas Society continues the work, begun over a century ago, of welcoming and helping clergy and religious of other churches. It cooperates with the Bishops and Parish Priests to provide support until the individuals have been integrated into the Catholic community and established in a new life. As one whose family has benefitted from the help of this society I can say without reservation that I would not be where I am with my family today if it were not from their generous support of me during this transition and continued prayers and support. So, if you are wondering what you might do with some extra Christmas money this year or looking for a great charity to give to at the end of a tax year, please consider the wonderful work and generosity of the Saint Barnabas Society and please be generous! It is my heartfelt prayer that many of you will support this charity and tell others about this post so that they can support it as well. Thank you and may God bless the Saint Barnabas Society and all who give to the society from the generosity of their hearts!

Apostolic Constitution and a Brief Look at Magisterium and Tradition

I am a bit disappointed about my lack of time for reflections and snooping around the I-Net to see what is being said on the recent happenings for Catholic-minded Anglicans. I think it is imperative to say from the beginning as it has had to be said numerous times that this document and provision is an *answer* to Anglo-Catholics who have already been 'converted' to seeing the necessity of the papacy and the authority of the Magisterium. After reading a number of negative responses from Anglicans and reading those head-scratching responses from AC priests saying that they want to wait to decide on Rome's offer after seeing what the C of E is going to do, for instance, just makes one wonder what some have been all about to begin with. With malice toward none, it does seem to be in some sense that a serious bluff has been called and in another sense a lot of dressing up of skeletons with not much flesh under the cassock is becoming evident. I digress. What I want to briefly point out in this post is a clarification about the relationship between the Tradition of the Church and the Magisterium as I understand it. Entries around the I-Net and the post below from the ACC Archbishop just goes to prove that there is a hierarchical misunderstanding about Tradition and its context with the Magisterium. There is an apparent misunderstanding with regards to what looks to be ignorance about a supposed autonomy that the Magisterium has in and of itself. But that is not the case at all. The Magisterium is not independent of the deposit of the faith. The Magisterium is the active and living tradition of the Church. The Magisterium is a witness to the deposit of faith and derives its authority from the spoken and the non-spoken writings and traditions of the apostolic tradition. The Magisterium evaluates this tradition and makes judgments but is always dependent upon the apostolic tradition. The Magisterium does not have a function outside or above the Church but within her and is in the Church to keep, define and protect that apostolic tradition. The Magisterium can sometimes be said to function as the conscience of the Church when she defends the apostolic tradition received. It is not as if she has some infused knowledge but rather the Magisterium studies and submits to the apostolic tradition of the Church. I like what Yves Congar says when he describes this relationship. The Fathers and the Councils never separate the subjective instinct of the faith from the objective content received from preceding generations. For them there is no question of autonomy for the subjective, mystical instinct in spiritual things, concerning the proposition that God has himself made us, according to all the means he has established to this end, forming as it were a scale of descending importance: the Revelation made to the prophets and apostles, the Church, the Councils, the Fathers, the Doctors and the saints. Certain modern theories, which I have criticized elsewhere, do not pay enough respect to this balance and, overstressing the aspect of "Church" or "Magisterium" , come to attribute to them a sort of autonomy with regard to the deposit, whose content can be obtained only in the objective monuments. The Magisterium does not have an autonomous value: it receives assistance only when it keeps, interprets and defines the Revelation, of which it has been made a witness. Similarly, the Church has no power to create truth. this is why the subjective instinct of the faith should always seek expression in the objective setting of the truths, customs, rites and behaviour on which the Church agrees, and in the fellowship in space as well as time, which in its Councils, has always borne witness, using such terms as "This is what the Church believes, this is what she has always believed; it is what we have received from our Fathers and what we have lived by, faithful to their traditions." It is the latter part of this paragraph that I find the answer to the problems of those who say that they can have a non-papal Catholicism and be a true 'branch' of the Catholic Church when they do not exercise an autonomy in truth but in their own grabbing of power. It is to the latter that an Anglo-Catholic must come to terms with and have a true conversion to this truth before even contemplating the decision to swim the Tiber. I do pray many come, but I hope they come realising and asking God for theconversion of heart to the ONE truth of the deposit of faith.

Apostolic Constitution and the New Missionary Spirit by Fr Dwight Longenecker

What is going to be required for Benedict XVI's Personal Ordinariate for Anglicans to succeed? First and foremost, I believe that what is required is a 'paradigm shift' on the part of Anglicans. Very often Rome is perceived as ossified, inflexible, unimaginative and legalistic. Both Pope John Paul II ("Be generous to these men.") and now Pope Benedict XVI have been exactly the opposite. They have put together daring initiatives. They have stepped out in faith and made amazingly generous offers. They've taken risks for the unity of the Church. As the successor of Peter and the focus of unity this is part of their job and they have taken it very seriously. Now we await the response of Anglicans. There are going to be huge difficulties for many, and this is where the paradigm shift is necessary. There are two seismic shifts in understanding that will be required for many. The first of these is a fresh missionary spirit. Instead of seeing themselves as members of an established, educated and well financed church Anglican clergy and people who hold to the historic faith will need to re-imagine themselves as primarily a missionary people. To respond to the Holy Father's offer they may have to walk away from their buildings. They may have to set up and 'do church' in a living room, a school hall or a borrowed or rented or abandoned church building. Priests may have to walk away from a salary and do some other work to get their congregation started. (The Apostolic Constitution provides for this possibility) The priests will need to take leadership and may need to start again and 'plant a church.' They might do this with a remnant of their people from the parish they walk away from or they might have to move to another part of the country or even the world to serve a congregation of like minded faithful. This new missionary spirit will have to be part of the people's step of faith as well for they will have to work hard and dig deep to finance the Personal Ordinariate. Sacrifices will have to be made. They will have to find a way to pay for their priest and support his family. If they own buildings they may have to hand the keys over to the ordinariate. If they enjoy a congregational form of government they may have to sacrifice some measure of their power. (However the Constitution does provide for a conciliar form of government for the ordinariate. Go here to Read it all.

Apostolic Constitution and Some That Don't Get It

Sadly it is early in the morning and I have much to do to get ready for work and am not able to comment extensively right now on the response from the Archbishop of the Anglican Catholic Church that is one of the numerous 'Anglican' bodies in America (too many to count for sure!). But, I can post it here and say my bits in the discussion. Here it is for all the readers to discuss and I will enter it when I can. Full-time chaplaincy work keeps me quite busy during the day and I am not able to keep up with much these days but do pass this around and point people here for a good charitable discussion of +Dr. Mark Haverland's response to the Holy Father. II. Our Response The Note, however, does not mark in any respect an ecumenical advance. The Note assumes the fullest and highest claims for the Petrine Office which emanate from Vatican I and Vatican II. The Note assumes the essential correctness of Pope Leo XIII's condemnation of Anglican Orders and practically implies that for all effective purposes that condemnation has not been reconsidered or superceded in any degree by subsequent events. The Note assumes that Anglican confirmations and ordinations are utterly null and absolutely void. The Note does not imply the union of ecclesial bodies, but rather the conversion of former Anglicans to Roman Catholicism with what amounts to the prior, effective, and complete dissolution of their former ecclesial structures. This conversion by absorption is the case even if some of the leaders of those former structures may eventually gain office in new subdivisions of the Roman Catholic Church. We assume that local or congregational ownership of property will be entirely extinguished in accordance with normal Roman Catholic practice. Insofar as the Note and subsequent Constitution provide for relatively one-sided conversions of former Anglicans with minimal concessions, we fear that the Note and Constitution in fact will harm and retard genuine ecumenical progress. By genuine ecumenical progress we mean, for instance, joint consideration of the Petrine Office of the sort some hoped for after promulgation by John Paul II of his encyclical Ut Unum Sint. While Pope John Paul repeated a description of the modern Petrine Office and noted the need for 'the power and authority without which such an office would be illusory' (94), he also seemed to speak of a joint exploration of the manner in which that office is exercised which might, it seems, help to reconcile classical Anglicans, as well as Orthodox and Oriental Christians, to the Roman Catholic Church. Pope John Paul wrote, "I am convinced that I have a particular responsibility in this regard, above all in acknowledging the ecumenical aspirations of the majority of the Christian Communities and in heeding the request made of me to find a way of exercising the primacy which, while in no way renouncing what is essential to its mission, is nonetheless open to a new situation. For a whole millennium Christians were united in 'a brotherly fraternal communion of faith and sacramental life ... If disagreements in belief and discipline arose among them, the Roman See acted by common consent as moderator.'" (95) Anglican and Orthodox Christians look for union and full communion without "conversion," submission, and effective absorption and for an exercise of the Petrine Office that is compatible with the actual situation of the Church of the first millennium. The new Constitution will do nothing to forward that goal. The forthcoming Constitution is in effect addressed to those who are already essentially Roman Catholic. We are not. We wish nothing but the best to Roman Catholic converts when they act in good conscience. But persons already convinced of the truth of Roman Catholic teaching in its fulness should become Roman Catholics promptly with or without the Pastoral Provision, with or without a liturgical "Anglican Use," and with or without the new Ordinariates. We see in this Note an offer which is merely prudential and practical in its nature and effect, and we do not see anything to attract persons who are not already essentially Roman Catholic in faith. We believe that classical Anglicanism, as presented clearly in The Affirmation of Saint Louis and in our liturgies and other authoritative formularies, is already faithful to Scripture and the Fathers and is already fully Catholic and Orthodox. Conversion is not necessary and absorption is not appropriate. We believe that our Anglican patrimony is, moreover, by God's grace and Providence, also most appropriate for the English-speaking peoples and probably is essential for the successful evangelization or re-evangelization of the English-speaking lands. We hope eventually for a genuine dialogue concerning the Petrine Office and long for the day when we, with our Orthodox and Oriental Christian friends, may again find in the successor of Saint Peter a patriarch with the primacy of honor and with high authority both as an organ for strengthening the Church's unity and also as an instrument for the articulation of the Church's teaching. We regret that the forthcoming Constitution, while kindly meant, seems set to delay that happy day. ----The Most Reverend Mark Haverland, Ph.D. is Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Anglican Catholic Church

Apostolic Constitution and the Rule of Celibacy: No Change!

VI. §1 Those who ministered as Anglican deacons, priests, or bishops, and who fulfill the requisites established by canon law13 and are not impeded by irregularities or other impediments14 may be accepted by the Ordinary as candidates for Holy Orders in the Catholic Church. In the case of married ministers, the norms established in the Encyclical Letter of Pope Paul VI Sacerdotalis coelibatus, n. 4215 and in the Statement In June16 are to be observed. Unmarried ministers must submit to the norm of clerical celibacy of CIC can. 277, §1. §2. The Ordinary, in full observance of the discipline of celibate clergy in the Latin Church, as a rule (pro regula) will admit only celibate men to the order of presbyter. He may also petition the Roman Pontiff, as a derogation from can. 277, §1, for the admission of married men to the order of presbyter on a case by case basis, according to objective criteria approved by the Holy See.

Apostolic Constitution is OUT

Go here! On October 20, 2009, Cardinal William Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, announced a new provision responding to the many requests that have been submitted to the Holy See from groups of Anglican clergy and faithful in different parts of the world who wish to enter into full visible communion with the Catholic Church. The Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus which is published today introduces a canonical structure that provides for such corporate reunion by establishing Personal Ordinariates, which will allow the above mentioned groups to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of the distinctive Anglican spiritual and liturgical patrimony. At the same time, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is publishing a set of Complementary Norms which will guide the implementation of this provision. This Apostolic Constitution opens a new avenue for the promotion of Christian unity while, at the same time, granting legitimate diversity in the expression of our common faith. It represents not an initiative on the part of the Holy See, but a generous response from the Holy Father to the legitimate aspirations of these Anglican groups. The provision of this new structure is consistent with the commitment to ecumenical dialogue, which continues to be a priority for the Catholic Church. The possibility envisioned by the Apostolic Constitution for some married clergy within the Personal Ordinariates does not signify any change in the Church’s discipline of clerical celibacy. According to the Second Vatican Council, priestly celibacy is a sign and a stimulus for pastoral charity and radiantly proclaims the reign of God (Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1579).