Anglican bishops ready to join Catholic Church?
May 03, 2010
Three bishops of the Church of England expressed an interest in joining the Catholic Church during talks last week with Vatican officials, according to the London Sunday Telegraph.
The Vatican has not commented on the report. One of the three Anglican bishops involved in the discussions with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) denied that an agreement had been reached. "No decisions have been made," he told the Associated Press.
Anglican Bishop Keith Newton of Richborough, Andrew Burnham of Ebbsfleet, and John Broadhurst of Fulham traveled to Rome for the talks just before of the general synod of the Church of England's general synod. The synod will discuss the ordination of women as bishops: one of several issues that have split the Anglican communion and prompted many tradition-minded Anglican clerics to consider reunion with Rome.
If the three bishops do indeed petition for the establishment of "personal ordinariates"-- under the terms of the Pope's apostolic constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus-- they could bring dozens of their parishes, and thousands of Anglican believers, into the Catholic Church. According to the Telegraph report, the three Anglican bishops told Vatican officials that they were not confident of receiving any encouragement from the British Catholic hierarchy in their quest to become Roman Catholics. Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster, the leader of the British bishops' conference, was reportedly not informed about the talks between the Anglican bishops and the CDF.
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Further information:
- Anglican bishops in secret Vatican summit (Daily Telegraph)
- Thousands of Anglican churchgoers could cross over to Rome with bishops (Daily Telegraph)
- British bishops in defection talks with Vatican (AP)
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Posted by: wojo425627 -
May. 04, 2010 8:24 AM ET USA
My sense is that a number of Anglicans see themselves as entering into a closer relationship with Rome or inter-communion (their words). Some of the Anglicans seem reluctant to change anything about Anglicanism that may not be compatible with Catholicism as they profess to be part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic church and they seem to see the ordinariates as being Anglican Churches with a connection to Rome but still independent on their own.
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Posted by: -
May. 04, 2010 1:10 AM ET USA
I converted from the Anglican communion to the Catholic Church for one reason alone, forget all the side issues of women bishops etc., because I realized that it was God's Church. It seems to me that these people are not coming in for the right reasons. They should convert because it is the right thing to do.
