Pope Benedict XVI has offered a generous donation to the Personal Ordinariate of Our
Lady of Walsingham to help support its clergy and work. The Vatican nuncio to Great
Britain, Archbishop Antonio Mennini said the gift "is a clear sign of (the pope's)
personal commitment to the work of Christian unity and the special place the ordinariate
holds in his heart.”
A May 1st press release announcing the donation
said that “the gift will help establish the ordinariate as a vibrant part of the Catholic
Church in England and Wales.”
Msgr. Keith Newton, who heads the Ordinariate,
said, "This gift is a great help and encouragement as we continue to grow and develop
our distinctive ecclesial life, whilst seeking to contribute to the wider work of
evangelization."
Pope Benedict established the ordinariate to welcome former
Anglicans into the Catholic Church. The structure provided a way for entire Anglican
parishes or groups to become Catholic while retaining some of their Anglican heritage
and liturgical practice.Our Lady of Walsingham was the first ordinariate to be created
after the Pope issued his apostolic constitution "Anglicanorum coetibus" in 2009.