What Pope Benedict XVI did was approve a new church provision that will allow Anglicans to join the Catholic Church while maintaining many of their distinctive spiritual and liturgical traditions, including married priests, Cardinal William Levada, the Vatican's chief doctrinal official, told a news conference.

The Roman Catholic Church did not offer a Personal Prelature to Anglo-Catholics something which has only been granted once to the Opus Dei movement.

The new Roman Catholic Church entities are called personal ordinariates, units of faithful established within local Catholic Churches, headed by former Anglican prelates who will provide spiritual care for Anglicans who wish to be Catholic.

They are modeled on Catholic military ordinariates, special units of the church established in most countries to provide spiritual care for members of the armed forces and their dependents.

In the past, such exemptions have only been granted in a few cases in certain countries. The new church provision is designed to allow Anglicans around the world to access a new church entity if they want to convert.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, downplayed the significance of the new provision saying it wasn't a Vatican commentary on Anglican problems. "It has no negative impact on the relations of the communion as a whole to the Roman Catholic Church as a whole," he said in London.

The Vatican announcement immediately raised questions about how the Vatican's long-standing dialogue with the Archbishop of Canterbury could continue. Noticeably, no one from the Vatican's ecumenical office on relations with Anglicans attended the news conference; Levada said he had invited representatives to attend but they said they were all away from Rome.

Just last week, the Vatican's top ecumenical official, Cardinal Walter Kasper, told reporters: "We are not fishing in the Anglican pond," when asked about the Vatican's negotiations with would-be converts.

Perhaps, but some commentators observed that this has been coming for some time, acerbated by the possibility of women bishops in the Church of England and the increasing encroachment of pansexual behavior on the Church of England now fully entrenched in the American Episcopal Church.

Bishop Christopher Epting, speaking for The Episcopal Church wrote, "We in the Episcopal Church continue to look to the Holy Spirit, who guides us in understanding of what it means to be the Church in the Anglican Tradition." Many, however, believe the Holy Spirit fled The Episcopal Church a long time ago, leaving it to its present day debaucheries and apostasies.

The Most Rev. Robert Duncan, Archbishop and Primate of the Anglican Church in North America said he rejoiced that the Holy See has opened this doorway, which represents another step in the growing cooperation and relationship between our Churches. "This significant decision represents a recognition of the integrity of the Anglican tradition within the broader Christian church. While we believe that this provision will not be utilized by the great majority of the Anglican Church in North America's bishops, priests, dioceses and congregations, we will surely bless those who are drawn to participate in this momentous offer.

"While our historic differences over church governance, dogmas regarding the Blessed Virgin Mary and the nature of Holy Orders continue to be points of prayerful dialogue, we look forward to an ever deepening partnership with the Catholic Church throughout the world. We pledge our earnest prayers for all those touched by this initiative, as we look forward to the publication of the Apostolic Constitution detailing today's announcement."

CANA bishop Martyn Minns noted that the Vatican is opening a door for Anglicans who sense a call to be part of the Church of Rome to join that body while still maintaining Anglican traditions. "This move by the Catholic Church recognizes the reality of the divide within the Anglican Communion and affirms the decision to create a new North American province that embraces biblical truth. We urge Lambeth Palace to move swiftly to fully endorse the efforts of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans and the Anglican Church in North America to keep the Anglican family together."

Traditional Anglican Communion Primate John Hepworth said he was profoundly moved by the generosity of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI. "He offers in this Apostolic Constitution the means for former Anglicans to enter into the fullness of communion with the Catholic Church". He hopes that we can "find in this canonical structure the opportunity to preserve those Anglican traditions precious to us and consistent with the Catholic faith".

Forward in Faith UK chairman Bishop John Broadhurst commented, "It has been the frequently expressed hope and fervent desire of Anglican Catholics to be enabled by some means to enter into full communion with the See of Peter whilst retaining in its integrity every aspect of their Anglican inheritance which is not at variance with the teaching of the Catholic Church.

"We rejoice that the Holy Father intends now to set up structures within the Church which respond to this heartfelt longing. Forward in Faith has always been committed to seeking unity in truth and so warmly welcomes these initiatives as a decisive moment in the history of the Catholic Movement in the Church of England. Ut unum sint."

"I think this is the beginning of a Grand Realignment not just of the Anglican world, but of Christendom. A Russian Orthodox priest I know says his Metropolitan is about to fly to Moscow to urge the Patriarch to 'talk faster' with Rome so the Anglicans won't get ahead of the Orthodox and steal the show," an insider told VOL.

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VOL is putting out this special digest because of the enormity of the news and because there are so many stories that could occupy one complete digest of its own.

We have posted all the available documents from the Vatican plus commentary and links where possible.

All Blessings,

David W. Virtue DD
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