Full text of the [url=”http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_ben-xvi_apc_20091104_anglicanorum-coetibus_en.html”]Apostolic Constitution [b][i]Anglicanorum coetibus[/i][/b][/url] and the [url=”http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20091104_norme-anglicanorum-coetibus_en.html”]Complementary Norms[/url], from the Holy See’s site, in English.
This appears to be quite a conservative move by the Vatican, after all, and refutes much of the commentary offered before its issuance. In particular, only those married men who are currently ordained as Anglicans will be considered for Catholic ordination. There is a possible exception for married postulants currently in the process, but there it stops. Also, intriguingly, Catholics baptized in the larger church will not be allowed to join this Anglican body in most cases. (This cannot be to prevent them from trying to circumvent the ban on married priests, because that’s already banned except for this current generation.) Is this the standard for the Catholic uniates? That is, is it true that a Catholic from the regular dioceses cannot join the Maronites or the Byzantines?
This document seems to have little time and space for distinctive Anglican doctrinal formulation, presenting as it does the Catechism of the Catholic Church as the doctrinal standard. This plan is clearly for those who wish the Reformation had not happened.
In addition, it states, “Without excluding liturgical celebrations according to the Roman Rite, the Ordinariate has the faculty to celebrate the Holy Eucharist and the other Sacraments, the Liturgy of the Hours and other liturgical celebrations according to the liturgical books proper to the Anglican tradition, which have been approved by the Holy See, so as to maintain the liturgical, spiritual and pastoral traditions of the Anglican Communion within the Catholic Church, as a precious gift nourishing the faith of the members of the Ordinariate and as a treasure to be shared.” It would be interesting to know which liturgical books are acceptable to the Holy See, but I suspect the great Book of Common Prayer of 1662 will not be among them.
I am reliably informed that this restriction indeed applies to the existing non-Latin rite jurisdictions in the Catholic Church. Written permission to transfer from one to the other is required from both bishops. This is consistent with the experience of a friend of mine, a Maronite Catholic who married a Latin-rite Catholic here in the U.S. She had to get permission from both bishops, and is now a member of the Latin church, along with her husband and children.
#1 Thanks for the links to the ‘Complementary Norms’
I imagine these provisions may have an impact:
[blockquote]Article 5
§1. The lay faithful originally of the Anglican tradition who wish to belong to the Ordinariate, after having made their Profession of Faith and received the Sacraments of Initiation, with due regard for Canon 845, are to be entered in the apposite register of the Ordinariate. Those baptized previously as Catholics outside the Ordinariate are not ordinarily eligible for membership, unless they are members of a family belonging to the Ordinariate.[/blockquote]
and
[blockquote] Article 6
§2. Those who have been previously ordained in the Catholic Church and subsequently have become Anglicans, may not exercise sacred ministry in the Ordinariate. Anglican clergy who are in irregular marriage situations may not be accepted for Holy Orders in the Ordinariate.[/blockquote]
So:- those baptised as Catholics, whether currently Anglicans or other Catholics may not be members of the Anglican grouping [one hesitates to say ghetto]; and former catholic priests, including those who previously left the CofE for Rome and returned presumably, may not be priests, nor may divorcees or others in “irregular” marriage situations. The laity who may be divorced former catholics who became Anglicans are already caught by the general prohibition on baptised Catholics and these people should they return will be unable to take communion until they have sorted things out in the Catholic way it sounds like.
The norms which accompany the document make clear that married men may be ordained in the ordinariates indefinitely:
“Article 6 §1. In order to admit candidates to Holy Orders the Ordinary must obtain the consent of the Governing Council. In consideration of Anglican ecclesial tradition and practice, the Ordinary may present to the Holy Father a request for the admission of married men to the presbyterate in the Ordinariate, after a process of discernment based on objective criteria and the needs of the Ordinariate. These objective criteria are determined by the Ordinary in consultation with the local Episcopal Conference and must be approved by the Holy See.”
This accords with the Constitution itself, which, while it says that married men will be approved for ordination on a “case by case basis,” which sounds quite rare, nonetheless it always says that objective norms for the ordination of married men will need to be drawn up. This means that the process of receiving married men as candidates for ordination will, in some way, be institutionally structured (by the norms), and therefore not unheard of. While “case by case basis” might give the connotation of being very rare, nonetheless also remember that marriages between Catholics and non-Christians are also approved “on a case-by-case basis” (although by the bishop, not the Holy See), yet this permission is not regularly denied.
The “as a rule” (pro regule) line can be confusing, because American usually associate “as a rule” with “usually.” But remember that “as a rule,” confirmation precedes first communion in the Roman Catholic Church, but by no means does that make the it the “usual” practice, at least in some parts of the Church.
Full text of the [url=”http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_ben-xvi_apc_20091104_anglicanorum-coetibus_en.html”]Apostolic Constitution [b][i]Anglicanorum coetibus[/i][/b][/url] and the [url=”http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20091104_norme-anglicanorum-coetibus_en.html”]Complementary Norms[/url], from the Holy See’s site, in English.
This appears to be quite a conservative move by the Vatican, after all, and refutes much of the commentary offered before its issuance. In particular, only those married men who are currently ordained as Anglicans will be considered for Catholic ordination. There is a possible exception for married postulants currently in the process, but there it stops. Also, intriguingly, Catholics baptized in the larger church will not be allowed to join this Anglican body in most cases. (This cannot be to prevent them from trying to circumvent the ban on married priests, because that’s already banned except for this current generation.) Is this the standard for the Catholic uniates? That is, is it true that a Catholic from the regular dioceses cannot join the Maronites or the Byzantines?
This document seems to have little time and space for distinctive Anglican doctrinal formulation, presenting as it does the Catechism of the Catholic Church as the doctrinal standard. This plan is clearly for those who wish the Reformation had not happened.
In addition, it states, “Without excluding liturgical celebrations according to the Roman Rite, the Ordinariate has the faculty to celebrate the Holy Eucharist and the other Sacraments, the Liturgy of the Hours and other liturgical celebrations according to the liturgical books proper to the Anglican tradition, which have been approved by the Holy See, so as to maintain the liturgical, spiritual and pastoral traditions of the Anglican Communion within the Catholic Church, as a precious gift nourishing the faith of the members of the Ordinariate and as a treasure to be shared.” It would be interesting to know which liturgical books are acceptable to the Holy See, but I suspect the great Book of Common Prayer of 1662 will not be among them.
I am reliably informed that this restriction indeed applies to the existing non-Latin rite jurisdictions in the Catholic Church. Written permission to transfer from one to the other is required from both bishops. This is consistent with the experience of a friend of mine, a Maronite Catholic who married a Latin-rite Catholic here in the U.S. She had to get permission from both bishops, and is now a member of the Latin church, along with her husband and children.
#1 Thanks for the links to the ‘Complementary Norms’
I imagine these provisions may have an impact:
[blockquote]Article 5
§1. The lay faithful originally of the Anglican tradition who wish to belong to the Ordinariate, after having made their Profession of Faith and received the Sacraments of Initiation, with due regard for Canon 845, are to be entered in the apposite register of the Ordinariate. Those baptized previously as Catholics outside the Ordinariate are not ordinarily eligible for membership, unless they are members of a family belonging to the Ordinariate.[/blockquote]
and
[blockquote] Article 6
§2. Those who have been previously ordained in the Catholic Church and subsequently have become Anglicans, may not exercise sacred ministry in the Ordinariate. Anglican clergy who are in irregular marriage situations may not be accepted for Holy Orders in the Ordinariate.[/blockquote]
So:- those baptised as Catholics, whether currently Anglicans or other Catholics may not be members of the Anglican grouping [one hesitates to say ghetto]; and former catholic priests, including those who previously left the CofE for Rome and returned presumably, may not be priests, nor may divorcees or others in “irregular” marriage situations. The laity who may be divorced former catholics who became Anglicans are already caught by the general prohibition on baptised Catholics and these people should they return will be unable to take communion until they have sorted things out in the Catholic way it sounds like.
Katherine,
The norms which accompany the document make clear that married men may be ordained in the ordinariates indefinitely:
“Article 6 §1. In order to admit candidates to Holy Orders the Ordinary must obtain the consent of the Governing Council. In consideration of Anglican ecclesial tradition and practice, the Ordinary may present to the Holy Father a request for the admission of married men to the presbyterate in the Ordinariate, after a process of discernment based on objective criteria and the needs of the Ordinariate. These objective criteria are determined by the Ordinary in consultation with the local Episcopal Conference and must be approved by the Holy See.”
This accords with the Constitution itself, which, while it says that married men will be approved for ordination on a “case by case basis,” which sounds quite rare, nonetheless it always says that objective norms for the ordination of married men will need to be drawn up. This means that the process of receiving married men as candidates for ordination will, in some way, be institutionally structured (by the norms), and therefore not unheard of. While “case by case basis” might give the connotation of being very rare, nonetheless also remember that marriages between Catholics and non-Christians are also approved “on a case-by-case basis” (although by the bishop, not the Holy See), yet this permission is not regularly denied.
The “as a rule” (pro regule) line can be confusing, because American usually associate “as a rule” with “usually.” But remember that “as a rule,” confirmation precedes first communion in the Roman Catholic Church, but by no means does that make the it the “usual” practice, at least in some parts of the Church.