Vatican Clarification on Announced Apostolic Constitution

Vatican Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi has issued the following clarification of the announced Apostolic Constitution regarding personal ordinariates for Anglican entering into full communion with the Catholic Church:

"There has been widespread speculation, based on supposedly knowledgeable remarks by an
Italian correspondent Andrea Tornielli, that the delay in publication of the Apostolic Constitution
regarding Personal Ordinariates for Anglicans entering into full communion with the Catholic
Church, announced on October 20, 2009, by Cardinal William Levada, Prefect of the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, is due to more than “technical” reasons. According
to this speculation, there is a serious substantial issue at the basis of the delay, namely,
disagreement about whether celibacy will be the norm for the future clergy of the Provision.

Cardinal Levada offered the following comments on this speculation: “Had I been asked I
would happily have clarified any doubt about my remarks at the press conference. There is no
substance to such speculation. No one at the Vatican has mentioned any such issue to me. The
delay is purely technical in the sense of ensuring consistency in canonical language and
references. The translation issues are secondary; the decision not to delay publication in order
to wait for the ‘official’ Latin text to be published in Acta Apostolicae Sedis was made some time
ago.

The drafts prepared by the working group, and submitted for study and approval through the
usual process followed by the Congregation, have all included the following statement, currently
Article VI of the Constitution:
 
§1 Those who ministered as Anglican deacons, priests, or bishops, and who fulfill the requisites
established by canon law and are not impeded by irregularities or other impediments may be
accepted by the Ordinary as candidates for Holy Orders in the Catholic Church. In the case of
married ministers, the norms established in the Encyclical Letter of Pope Paul VI Sacerdotalis
coelibatus, n. 42 and in the Statement “In June” are to be observed. Unmarried ministers must
submit to the norm of clerical celibacy of CIC can. 277, §1.
§2. The Ordinary, in full observance of the discipline of celibate clergy in the Latin Church, as
a rule (pro regula) will admit only celibate men to the order of presbyter. He may also petition
the Roman Pontiff, as a derogation from can. 277, §1, for the admission of married men to the
order of presbyter on a case by case basis, according to objective criteria approved by the Holy
See.

This article is to be understood as consistent with the current practice of the Church, in
which married former Anglican ministers may be admitted to priestly ministry in the Catholic
Church on a case by case basis. With regard to future seminarians, it was considered purely
speculative whether there might be some cases in which a dispensation from the celibacy rule
might be petitioned. For this reason, objective criteria about any such possibilities (e.g. married
seminarians already in preparation) are to be developed jointly by the Personal Ordinariate and
the Episcopal Conference, and submitted for approval of the Holy See.”

Cardinal Levada said he anticipates the technical work on the Constitution and Norms will
be completed by the end of the first week of November".