Monday, November 02, 2009

Vatican issues 'clarification' of Anglican plan


http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/100015355/breaking-news-vatican-issues-clarification-of-anglican-plan-which-does-not-rule-out-ordaining-married-men/

[The Telegraph] 2 Nov 2009--The Vatican today issued a statement about its plans to create a personal Ordinariate for ex-Anglicans which discusses the possibility of ordaining married laymen on a case-by-case basis.

Cardinal William Levada, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, was seeking to quash speculation that the publication of the Apostolic Constitution had been held up by squabbles over the ordination of married men. Not true, he insists.

His statement makes clear that celibacy will be the norm for priests in the Ordinariate – but does not rule out the possibility of married seminarians becoming priests, so long as the local Ordinary, the bishops’ conference and the Holy See agree that an exception should be made. My reading of this document is that it does not completely close the door on the possibility of future married seminarians being ordained.

Here’s the press release containing the Cardinal’s statement in full. These things are difficult to interpret, so I’d be interested to hear what you make of it:

1 comment:

Joe Mahler said...

The more the anglo-papist go to Rome the better. That is where they belong and Anglican Christianity may be restored.