Traditional Anglican group ‘profoundly moved’ by Pope's new provision for converts

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TAC Primate Archbishop John Hepworth

Blackwood, Australia, Oct 22, 2009 / 02:57 am (CNA).- The Primate of the Traditional Anglican Communion has responded to the Vatican’s announcement of a new provision for Anglicans who wish to convert to Catholicism, saying his church is “profoundly moved” by Pope Benedict’s generosity. He added that the provision will now be taken to the national synods of his Communion.

In an Oct. 20 statement published on the website of the communion’s The Messenger Journal, Traditional Anglican Communion Primate Archbishop John Hepworth said he had been speaking with bishops, priests and lay people of the Communion in England, Africa, Australia, India, Canada, the U.S. and South America about the recent news.

“We are profoundly moved by the generosity of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI,” Archbishop Hepworth wrote. He said the creation of the canonical structure for Anglicans was an act of “great goodness” on the part of Pope Benedict and his “cause of unity.”

“It more than matches the dreams we dared to include in our petition of two years ago. It more than matches our prayers. In those two years, we have become very conscious of the prayers of our friends in the Catholic Church. Perhaps their prayers dared to ask even more than ours,” the Traditional Anglican archbishop added.

He praised the “pastoral nature” of the notes released by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and also noted that his fellow bishops have signed the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

In that 2007 event, Traditional Anglican bishops signed the Catechism and placed it on the altar of the historic National Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in Norfolk, England in order to attest to “the faith we aspire to teach and hold.”

The signed Catechism was later presented to then-Fr. Augustine Di Noia, OP, the senior ecumenical theologian at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Di Noia has since been consecrated an archbishop and named Secretary of the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship.

Archbishop Hepworth also discussed the statement issued by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the most senior prelate in the Church of England and the Anglican Communion.

The statement shows that Archbishop Williams does not stand in traditional Anglicans’ way, he said.

“Both his reaction and our petition are fruits of a century of prayer for Christian unity, a cause that many times must have seemed forlorn,” Archbishop Hepworth commented, expressing gratitude to Archbishop Williams.

Archbishop Hepworth reported that the response of the Holy See will be taken to each of the Traditional Anglican Communion’s National Synods. While these synods have already endorsed “our pathway,” the archbishop explained, they will now consider the specific structures proposed.

He closed his message by referring to the Te Deum, a traditional Christian prayer of thanksgiving.

“It is with heartfelt thanks to Almighty God, the Lord and Source of all peace and unity, that the hymn is on our lips today,” the archbishop said. “This is a moment of grace, perhaps even a moment of history, not because the past is undone, but because the past is transformed.”

Comments: 7

Subscriber comments:

Published by: (Fr) Don Coutts
Garran/ACT/Australia 10/22/2009 07:04 PM EST

I knew John Hepworth from Adelaide in the Catholic seminary in 1967 and have some knowledge of his movements including his leaving the catholic priesthood in compromising circumstances and joining the anglican church. I hope he has changed.

Published by: Lisa
Oklahoma 10/22/2009 01:29 PM EST

Francis makes a point that I had not considered before. Also from what I have read of the Anglican Use Rite, it sounds very much like what the Episcopalians used prior to the changes to their Book of Common Prayer in 1979. It sounds archaic, much like the King James Version of the Bible. Certainly rich in tradition, but not really going the way that Vatican II has pointed us--it rather points us towards the past when we spoke a little bit differently.

Published by: Deacon Sean Smith
Marion, IA USA 10/22/2009 12:44 PM EST

This article does not speak at all to the different rites within the Church. Nothing I've read from the official sources say anything about a separate rite being established. The Holy Father has established a "Personal Ordinariate" for these Anglican converts. There are detailed descriptions about what a Personal Ordinariate is in other places. Given their historical nature, and foundation typically rooted in the apostles, I don't think these venerable rites are going anywhere any time soon.

Published by: Francis
Wareham MA 10/22/2009 08:22 AM EST

Just to follow up on my last post; St Peter founded the Church of Antioch, which the Maronites belong. St Maron founded the Maronites.

Published by: gregory Wenker
usa 10/22/2009 08:22 AM EST

Amen.

Published by: Kevin Kasson
Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A. 10/22/2009 06:54 AM EST

My fellow Christians. Please do not refer to the Holy Fathers response as a conversion to Catholicism. Rather, you are fellow apostolic Christians who are simply reaffirming your faith in Christ and his Church on earth. God Bless and God speed.

Published by: Francis
Wareham Ma 10/22/2009 05:06 AM EST

I hope and pray that someday the Catholic Church gets out of the "rite" mentality. The Eastern Catholic Churches, like the Roman church, were founded by the Apostles, (the Maronites by St Peter), they have Apostolic succession, have always been under the juristinction of, and have always been loyal to, the successor of St Peter, the Pope. The United Kingdom however, like the rest of western Europe, were Roman rite Catholics for over 1000 years up until the Protestant revolution in the 16th Century. My opinion is this: if people from the Protestant sects want to convert to Catholicism that is great because the Catholic Church is the only TRUE Church that Our Lord established, and there is no Salvation outside the Catholic Church. Yet these European Protestants when returning home to the Catholic Church should become Roman rite Catholics because that is what they were before their ancestors rebelled and seperated themselves from the Pope and the true Church in the 16th century. Unlike the Eastern Catholic Churches that have true cultural traditions, the European Protestants and their descendants that emigrated to North America have no local "traditions" per se. Their local "traditions" were Roman Rite Catholicism until they seperated themselves from Rome. The Catholic church should have only one "rite"; The rite that made up most of Europe for centuries, this rite should be Roman Catholicism! With some leeway for the Eastern Catholic Churches for their cultural traditions.

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