Ordinariate for Anglicans

(October, 01, 2011) The ordinariate established for Anglicans who wish to become Catholic while maintaining elements of their tradition is one of Pope Benedict XVI's personal projects, according to Cardinal William Levada, Prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The cardinal mentioned this, Wednesday, when he spoke at a fundraising event for the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham which is the first of the ordinariates established for former Anglicans and based in England. Others are in the process of being developed in the United States and in other countries.According to the U.K. Catholic Herald, Cardinal Levada said the Vatican views the ordinariate in a similar way to the Ambrosian Rite, an ancient form of the liturgy used by about 5 million Catholics.The cardinal described the ordinariate as an "important new structure in the Church," to which all christians must give the support of their prayers and sacrifices.