In the apostolic constitution, Pope Benedict reaffirmed his commitment to promoting Christian unity and said that as the one chosen "to preside over and safeguard the universal communion of all churches," he had to find a way to accept the request of Anglican individuals and groups who wanted "to be received into full Catholic communion."

The personal ordinariate is a canonical structure similar to a diocese that covers the area of a bishops' conference. This permits the incoming Anglicans to be part of the Catholic Church while retaining aspects of their Anglican heritage and liturgical practice.

Other members of the committee are Bishop Kevin Vann of Fort Worth, Texas, and Bishop Robert McManus of Worcester, Mass. The committee will be assisted by Father Scott Hurd, who was ordained an Episcopal priest in 1993, joined the Catholic Church in 1996 and was ordained a Catholic priest for the Archdiocese of Washington in 2000. Father Hurd will assist Cardinal Wuerl as staff to the ad hoc committee and as a liaison to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The ad hoc committee has two tasks: To facilitate the implementation of Anglicanorum coetibus in the United States; and to assess the level of interest in such an ordinariate in the United States.

Interested Anglicans are asked to contact Cardinal Wuerl through the Archdiocese of Washington.

In an interview, Cardinal Wuerl reflected on the work of the ad hoc committee.

What was your reaction to the appointment?

Cardinal Wuerl: "I recognized that this response on the part of the Holy See to the persistent requests over a long period of time provides an opportunity for a truly pastoral response on the part of the Church here in the United States. While this work can be challenging, it's the fruit of the Spirit."

What goals do you have for this committee?

Cardinal Wuerl: "The first thing we would like to do is determine how many groups there are who would like to be part of the ordinariate. Over the past year, there have been a number of people who have written, interested in exploring this idea. Now we are able to begin the most significant work that the committee and myself as a delegate will face. We're going to have to determine how many potential ordinariate parishes there are. There is envisioned in the United States one ordinariate. We don't know how many congregations across the country would want to take advantage of the provision. I have received a number of inquiries since my appointment. Father Hurd has responded on my behalf.

We want to enter into dialogue with the communities. The information we would need includes its size, location and history. The committee has developed some criteria to begin to determine the necessary information we would need relative to the communities across the country. Our first step right now is receiving inquiries and responding to them, and in dialogue to assess with them what the prospects are for an ordinariate in this country."

What about the timing of the announcement of this appointment, just days after Pope Benedict's visit to Great Britain?

Cardinal Wuerl: "My appointment is for the United States. It is not directly related to the Pope's visit to England. The possibility of an ordinariate had been discussed and the apostolic constitution had been issued long before the visit. The constitution Anglicanorum coetibus followed on the persistence of the requests. At a certain point, the Holy Father, in consultation with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, decided there has to be a pastoral response."

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