On the intention of the Holy Father and the Ordinariate

Out of Bishop Kevin Vanns' statement on the Ordinariate Portal seen at the right here, one comment struck me as all important for those Anglicans coming in through the English Ordinariate, or the American one. It is of the utmost important that the communities who come in together, those parishes and priests, are given the support of the dioceses to stay as one with there own local church facilities. This is not always happening in England, and I, for one, am concerned about this. Here is the paragraph from Bishop Vann:

Not many years after the establishment of the Pastoral Provision by Pope John Paul II in 1981, its lived reality proved to be a blessing and a part of the life of the local Church of Fort Worth – where life long Catholics and priests, and priests and individuals and communities who came through the Pastoral Provision have lived and worked together to proclaim the Kingdom of God and built up the Body of Christ.

This idea of staying together is being eroded in some dioceses. Let us pray together that the Vatican intention is fulfilled today under the Anglicanorum coetibus.

If this system is not successful because of shortsightedness or obstruction, (both a lack of shared vision with the last two Popes), I cannot see an easy reconciliation with the SSPX, who could easily come in as a personal ordinariate, that is, if  the offer was accepted.

Here is a paragraph from another article on the Portal today, which is important and eloquent, by William Johnstone.

It is ecumenical in a cultural sense as well. Rather than forcing Anglicans to deny their heritage – and no one who has attended choral evensong can fail to be impressed by the glories of the Anglican tradition – Pope Benedict is encouraging some of the distinctive aspects of the tradition to be retained. They are treasures that can contribute significantly to the universal Church. In a similar way, the fruits of communion with Peter will breathe new life into this heritage. This is what it meant by a “mutual exchange of gifts”.


Read the entire article.