Personal Ordinariate for former Anglicans to be established in Australia
(May 14, 2012) The President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference has announced
that Pope Benedict XVI intends to establish a Personal Ordinariate next month for
groups of former Anglicans in Australia who seek to enter into full communion with
the Catholic Church. “I am confident that those former Anglicans who have made a
journey in faith that has led them to the Catholic Church will find a ready welcome”,
said Archbishop Denis Hart of Melbourne. He hopes that there will be a warm welcome
to those wishing to enter the Catholic Church through the Ordinariate which will be
called the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross under the patronage
of St Augustine of Canterbury, and will commence on June 15. A personal ordinariate
is similar to a diocese but unlike a geographical jurisdiction it is made of persons.
In 2009 Pope Benedict announced special arrangements to cater for groups of Anglicans
who wished to join the Catholic Church. This provision allows them to maintain some
of the traditions of prayer and worship of Anglicanism. The first such Personal Ordinariate
was established in the United Kingdom last year, and was followed by another one this
year in the United States. Monsignor Keith Newton, Ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate
of Our Lady of Walsingham in the UK said: "This is great news for the Church in Australia,
and for those from the Anglican tradition who are seeking to fulfil the goal of full
visible unity with the Apostolic See, whilst maintaining essential elements of our
Anglican tradition". "A close bond already exists between the Ordinariate here in
the UK and our brothers and sisters of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St
Peter. It is my hope that similarly strong ties can be established with our Australian
counterparts, especially as we look forward to the publication of a common liturgical
use".