Pope Benedict XVI has laid out a welcome mat for Anglicans around the world who feel they’ve been abandoned by the Anglican Communion but weren’t quite ready to join ranks with Rome.
Vatican officials today announced that the Pope has decided to set up a structure that will allow entire Anglican communities into the Catholic fold, while maintaining their own liturgy and traditions.
The move could have wide-reaching implications for the Anglican Communion, about 80 million people worldwide, including the Episcopal Church in the United States.
While Vatican officials responded cautiously when asked about the numbers of Anglicans eventually uniting with Rome, they did admit that several dozen Anglican bishops have been in touch with them.
And they stressed that they were not out to steal sheep. Cardinal William Levada, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome, said Pope Benedict’s decision to ease the way for Anglicans came “responding to the many requests that have been submitted to the Holy See from groups of Anglican clergy and faithful in different parts of the world who wish to enter into full visible communion.”
The move will almost certainly bring thousand and perhaps tens of thousands of Anglicans into the Roman Catholic Church.
Conservative Anglicans say they have been shocked at the way the Anglican Communion has moved away from historical Christianity, especially with the ordination of women to the priesthood, and the departure from traditional moral teaching.