COMMENT ON THE CATHOLIC BISHOPS STATEMENT, REPRODUCED BELOW
The long wait is now over and we have, via the Statement of the Catholic Bishops reproduced below, more details of the implementation of the Ordinariate in the United Kingdom. Initially it is thought that there will be up to 50 parishes with their clergy in the first wave. They will join the five Bishops who have already handed in their resignations to the Archbishop of Canterbury. However I suspect there are many more who will be waiting for various reasons or are still in the process of making a decision under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and who make this move at some later stage. The Archbishop of Canterbury has already indicated that losing 50 parishes and clergy is going to leave a void in the Church of England with people without priestly support. I think General Synod should have taken that into account when they made the decision that they did to make little or no provision for those who will never, ever, accept women as bishops. It will be interesting to see, over the next few months, how the Society of St. Wilfrid and St. Hilda develops but to date there has been no news apart from its original inauguration at the Holy Synods in October.
We Catholics are waiting with open arms as you make your way back home. Welcome, welcome, welcome! We love you!
ReplyDeleteI was raised in the Church of England, but have been Catholic for about 25 years; longer than I was ever Anglican. When Anglicanorum Coetibus was announced, I was interested but fairly ambivalent. However, having followed several intelligent, courteous and insightful Catholic-leaning blogs both of CofE priests and of members of the Traditional Anglican Communion, I have been turned into a cheerleader. You have so much to offer to the Catholic Church, and I can't wait until you join us. i feel like a twelve-year old at Christmas.
ReplyDeleteYou are all so very welcome.