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Anglicans returning to Rome (Updated)

Quite an amazing story has appeared online. The Traditional Anglican Communion, whose members worldwide number about 400,000, have decided to formally ask the Vatican to join the Catholic Church. I have no idea if this will affect any Anglicans in NZ.

There's been a path open to Anglicans to do this for quite some years now, using the Pastoral Provision for the Anglican Communion. So far, only the odd parish here and there have taken advantage of it. Something on the scale of TAC joining has so far been unprecedented.
PORTSMOUTH, UK, October 25, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The splits in the Worldwide Anglican Communion over the church’s secularising trends and growing enthusiasm for homosexuality has led some to seek reunion with the Catholic Church after nearly 500 years apart.

The bishops of the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC)are reported to have met in Plenary Session in Portsmouth, England, in the first week of October 2007 and “unanimously agreed” to send a letter to the Pope seeking full, corporate, sacramental union” with the Catholic Church. The group has agreed not to give interviews until the Vatican has responded to their request.

The TAC boasts of some 400,000 members worldwide with at least 100 parishes in the US. It has been estimated that the TAC could have as many as 500 parishes supporting its goals in the UK.

TAC has been seeking for some years to establish some agreement with Rome that would see the entire body into the Catholic Church. In 2005, shortly after the election of Pope Benedict XVI, the head of the TAC, Archbishop John Hepworth of Adelaide, Australia, said, “We are looking at a church which would retain an Anglican liturgy, Anglican spirituality and a married clergy.” The TAC has retained a positive relationship with Pope Benedict since, as Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, he was head of the Vatican’s doctrinal office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Related Links:
Traditionally Christian Anglicans Ask to Join Catholic Church En Masse
An article explaining the pastoral provision for Anglicans
Anglican Use Society

UPDATE: Very interesting comments on What Does the Prayer Really Say

Comments

  1. How this plays out will be very interesting.

    Expect a backlash from the more strident gay lobbies.

    ReplyDelete

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