These restrictions (Article 5 and 6 of the Norms) were acknowledged by the leader of the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC), Archbishop John Hepworth, on Tuesday. He had, in October 2007, with TAC’s other 37 bishops, petitioned the CDF for “a communal and ecclesial way of being Anglican Catholics in communion with the Holy See”.
At the time of the petition, he had wanted to make his personal situÂation clear to Rome, he said; so he had sent a letter of resignation to Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope BenÂedict), then head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), to take effect when unity was achieved, “if that is what Rome reÂquires”.
The reason why he had done so was that he had been married twice, although his first marriage was not recognised by Rome.
“Ratzinger wrote back to me in his own hand.” The Archbishop had responded: “The ball’s in your court. I will bring them [TAC] to your door. I will fade out, and you must do what you want.” Other bishops in the TAC had also offered their resignations to Rome.
He expected most of the 400,000-strong international Communion, which, he said, had a Sunday attendÂance of 210,000, to vote to enter into unity with Rome. TAC in Britain had voted to do so on 29 October. “We will meet in Rome in Low Week after Easter, and we will present the yes vote to the CDF.”
If TAC is the first one through the door, will they be able to name the new ordinaries?
Latecomers may find the ground already trodden and the paths carved.