Africa and the Anglican provision…

Our friends over at the Intentional Disciples blog have been following the news developing in the wake of last week’s surprise announcement about the Anglican provision . While much of the world’s attention (and ours too) has focused on the Church of England and the Traditional Anglican Communion, some commentators have looked at what the Anglican provision–the Personal Ordinariates–might mean for Africa.

A Dominican answers questions…

Fr Philip Neri Powell OP offers a very helpful Q&A about the Anglican provision on hisDomine da mihi hanc aquam blog.

Here’s the first one:

1). What’s the difference between the current pastoral provisions for allowing married Anglican clergy to become Catholic priests and this new arrangement?

Under the pastoral provisions of John Paul II a married Anglican priest may be admitted to Catholic Holy Orders at the discretion of a local bishop. He will have to take some classes and pass a few exams before ordination. After ordination, he can be assigned to a Catholic parish as an administrator or associate pastor. He may not serve as a pastor. Whole Anglican parishes may come over as well and be included in what is called “Anglican Use” parishes. These parishes use a version of the Book of Common Prayer for their liturgies and are usually served by a former Anglican priest. In all cases, the individual priest and the parish remain under the direct jurisdiction of the local bishop.

Thin end of the wedge

We couldn’t help noticing a mildly hysterical tone in some of the headlines in the Times these last couple of days when references were being made to the forthcoming Apostolic Constitution. From the military sounding Rome parks tanks on Rowan’s lawn (accompanied with a picture of the Church on a tank) to Vatican to poach traditional Anglicans and the slightly distasteful Converts may choke on the raw meat of Catholicism the headlines do not require psychic powers to sense a bit of hostility. Anyone?

It was reminiscent of another period in the history of the Catholic Church in this country — the re-establishment of the Catholic hierarchy — when the Times was not very happy with the state of things either (granted in those days, the old Papists were being pretty provocative). A bit of digging came up with a cartoon from an issue of Punch from the period.

Harvesting the fruits of ecumenism in a slightly different way

Tuesday’s news—that the Holy See is offering a canonical structure Anglicans wishing to become Catholics, but keep aspects of their identity—has set the Christian (and secular) interweb a-humming.

A million different interpretations of the statements made both in Rome and in London about the Apostolic Constitution, the highest form of Papal decree, abound, while experts attempt to unravel the process and the politics behind the Vatican move. Speculation is varied: Does this announcement mean the end of the Anglican Communion? Was Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, hopping mad over the news?  Had he been implacably opposed to the idea? How will the hierarchy of England and Wales react? Was the Vatican fishing/poaching from the Anglican pool? Showing a vote of no confidence in the Anglican Communion? Is this the end of the ecumenical process? Will it make the Catholic Church more conservative? Will it put an end to mandatory celibacy?  Will it foreshadow a structure which the SSPX could adopt if it were to return to the fold after the conversations start on Monday? Is the Pope simply moving forward in his greater plan for Christian unity?

For a comprehensive overview of reactions and coverage of the story as it has developed, see my editor Luke Coppen’s blog.