The [Ordinariate] offer sent shock waves through the Anglican Communion. Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, first among equals in the Anglican Communion, the world’s third-largest Christian group after Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox, indicated that he had little warning of the Vatican move and reacted coolly to it at the time.<\/p>\n
Most people who will act on the Vatican’s still-undefined arrangement, called a special ordinariate, are expected to come from groups that have already split from the Anglican Communion. That reality, along with the resumption of the official ecumenical dialogue between the churches, has helped to smooth relations between Pope Benedict and Archbishop Williams, who will host the pope at Lambeth Palace in London on Friday.<\/p>\n
“The Vatican offer “felt like a hard thing at first, especially since we were in Rome preparing for the next round of ecumenical talks when it took place,” said Rev. Canon Alyson Barnett-Cowan, director of unity, faith and order for the Anglican Communion, who leads the Anglican side of the official dialogue between the churches. “But I think it won’t cause disrepair to the Roman Catholic-Anglican Communion discussions.”<\/p>\n