Members of the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) around the world and other conservative believers have welcomed Pope Benedict XVI\u2019s overture to Anglicans enabling them to become Catholics \u201cen masse\u201d\u009d.<\/p>\n
The primate of the TAC, which claims 400,000 members worldwide and is not part of the Anglican Communion, said Pope Benedict\u2019s response \u201cmore than matches the dreams we dared to include in our petition of two years ago\u201d\u009d. Adelaide-based Archbishop John Hepworth expressed gratitude to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, for not standing in the TAC\u2019s way.<\/p>\n
A US group affiliated to the TAC is the Anglican Church in America (ACA), which claims 5,200 members. In a statement its House of Bishops said they welcomed the Pope\u2019s announcement \u201cwith deep joy\u201d\u009d. ACA Bishop Louis Campese told The Tablet the ACA bishops planned to hold a special synod to consider the proposal. Bishop Peter Wilkinson who heads the Canadian TAC organisation, the Anglican Catholic Church of Canada, said they shared Archbishop Hepworth\u2019s excitement. He said the next moves would be determined after full details of the Apostolic Constitution were released.<\/p>\n