The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s announcement that the Holy See will approve ‘Personal Ordinariates’ for Anglicans wanting to join the Catholic Church could well spell the end of the phenomenon of Anglo-Catholicism, although it seems to me that the most significant feature of the Pope’s plans is to allow married clergy to be ordained as Catholic priests, something which has not been permitted since special arrangements were made for the mass exodus of Anglo-Catholics when women were first ordained in 1994. The promise to allow ex-Anglicans to keep their liturgical and spiritual traditions is not as significant as this, given that a large number of Anglicans use Common Worship which is derived from the ICEL translation of the Catholic mass; Anglo-Catholics differ in the respect they accord the Book of Common Prayer, with many abandoning it as too Protestant. It is puzzling that proponents of the ordination of women bishops have condemned the Pope’s move as poaching when it considerably advances their cause by potentially removing Anglo-Catholic opposition to women bishops; likewise, it is amusing that Forward in Faith should welcome the move since, in one sense, it represents the end of Forward in Faith’s existence – unless, that is, Forward in Faith makes a seamless transition across the denominational boundary to be reborn as a personal ordinariate of the Catholic Church!
However, the media may have overstated the impact of the Pope’s decision, insofar as a number of Anglo-Catholics claim to differ with Roman Catholics on the scope of Papal authority. The statement from the CDF makes quite clear that an acceptance of the Catholic Church’s understanding of the Petrine ministry (i.e. the doctrinal statements of Vatican I and Vatican II) will be required of anyone seeking to establish a personal ordinariate. Many Anglo-Catholics doubtful about the validity of Anglican orders have orders from the Dutch Old Catholics and have historic links with schismatic groups that refused to accept the decrees of Vatican I. It would be surprising, to say the least, if every Anglo-Catholic priest were to find himself suddenly able to bury the hatchet with Rome on the issue of Papal Infallibility, and I suspect fewer than the 1000 predicted by the Bishop of Fulham will accept the Pope’s invitation.
This move of the Pope’s ought to please everyone at the extreme ends of the argument over women bishops – the proponents because their opponents will migrate, and the opponents because it will be easier for them to migrate. The broad church liberal ‘high’ Anglicans (of whom Rowan Williams is one) will genuinely suffer from this, because it blows out of the water their belief that the Church of England can incorporate Anglo-Catholics without reservation.
