Archbishop Wuerl will head efforts in US to welcome Anglicans into Catholic Church

September 23, 2010

Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington, DC, has been named by the Vatican to head efforts in the US to welcome Anglicans seeking entry into the Catholic Church.

The US bishops’ conference has announced that Archbishop Wuerl will head a committee charged with oversight for the implementation of Anglicanorum Coetibus, the Pope’s apostolic constitution setting out the terms for the reception of Anglicans into the Catholic Church. The committee also includes Bishops Kevin Vann of Fort Worth, Texas; and Robert McManus of Worcester, Massachusetts. Father Scott Hurd, a former Episcopal cleric who is now a Catholic priest of the Washington archdiocese, will assist the committee of bishops.

Anglicanorum Coetibus, issued in November 2009, allowed for the establishment of “ordinariates”—roughly the equivalent of non-geographical dioceses—to serve the pastoral needs of Anglicans who wish to become Catholic while preserving their own liturgical heritage. The committee headed by Archbishop Wuerl will be asked to assess the demand for creating such an ordinariate in the US.

The bishops’ committee will work with the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which has been charged with the worldwide implementation of the Pope’s plan. Similar committees of bishops are being established to oversee the process in Australia, Canada, and Great Britain.

 

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Further information:

• Doctrine Of The Faith Congregation Names Archbishop Wuerl To Guide Bringing Anglican Groups Into Catholic Church In U.S. (USCCB)
• Wuerl to lead incorporation of Anglicans into Catholic Church (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)