WELCOME TO ROME
Ordinariate established in Australia – at last
On 15 May 2012 The Age, Melbourne, reported that “several hundred” Anglican Australians were expected “to convert to Roman Catholicism while keeping many of their Anglican practices.” According to the report, Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart said that the Pope would announce the establishment of a personal ordinariate for “former” Anglicans on 15 June, to be called “The Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross.” June 15 is, of course, the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Roman calendar.
Fr Brian Lucas, the Secretary of the Australian Bishops Conference, said that he expected there would be two parishes in Melbourne, two in Sydney, one in Brisbane and one in Perth. He also said that about 500 Anglicans were expected “to convert”, some from the Traditional Anglican Communion.
Archbishop Hepworth
Two days later David Virtue, on his blog <virtueonline.org>, reported that Archbishop Hepworth had been suspended by the College of Bishops of the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) and consequently was ineligible to serve as Bishop Ordinary of the Anglican Catholic Church in Australia (ACCA). Authority had been transferred to the Vicar General, Fr Owen Buckton, assisted by Bishop David Robarts as Episcopal Authority.
From a previous report it appears that Bishop Hepworth was suspended by the College because of alleged “financial irregularities”.
Bishop Hepworth, however, has claimed that the day before he was suspended he had appointed Fr Andrew Kinmont as Vicar General. He then purported to call a meeting of the National Synod of the ACCA which was to be held in July. Archbishop Prakash, the Acting Primate of the TAC has advised that further steps are being considered against Bishop Hepworth in light of a document sent out by Bishop Hepworth openly advocating schism within the TAC (2 Sam 1:19b).
On 28 May Bishop Hepworth issued an ad clerum in which he stated that, “with the full concurrence of Bishop Entwistle”, the licence of Bishop Robarts was cancelled on 15 January. The College of Bishops found that the attempt to have Bishop Robarts suspended allegedly “for daring to seek clarification on serious matters pertaining to the management of finances in the ACCA” was unconstitutional and confirmed that Bishop Robarts is and remains a full and active member of the College of Bishops.
Ordinary Harry Entwistle
Meanwhile, in Perth, Bishop Entwistle had been granted a nulla osta by Rome, which meant that there was no impediment to him being re-ordained as a priest in the Roman Catholic Church. Indeed, on 15 June he was ordained a priest in that Church (a Church which does not recognize his previous ordination as a priest and consecration as a bishop because, as Pope Leo XIII declared in 1896 (and the Pope Emeritus has confirmed), all Anglican sacraments are “absolutely null and totally void”), having been re-ordained a deacon in the Roman Church the previous Sunday. At the same time it was announced that the Pope had selected him to be the Ordinary of the Australian Ordinariate. Of course, ”Monsignor” (a title bestowed on him by the Pope) Entwistle can never be a bishop in his new Church because he is married, but he will be permitted to dress up as one, even though he cannot fulfil episcopal duties, such as ordinations. I am not quite sure how he is able to reconcile all this with the solemn vows he took when he was ordained a priest in the Anglican Church and a Bishop in the Anglican Catholic Church (Mt 7:1). It will also be remembered that, for some time while he was a priest in the Anglican Church of Australia, he supported the “ordination” of women to the priesthood.
It is reported that, for various reasons, Frs Ted Wilson, Peter Copeland, Lewis Firman and Hamish Philson are unable to be re-ordained in the Roman Church. This means that they will be laymen (or “Anglican priests” as Monsignor Entwistle prefers to call them, which is really the same thing as Rome considers all Anglican priests to be laymen) in the Ordinariate. I find it very sad that, after all these years, after all they have done for the faith once for all delivered to the saints, these faithful labourers in God’s vineyard will no longer be priests and will not be able to exercise any priestly functions. I find it even sadder that those of the laity who, for reasons of conscience, are unable to convert to Catholicism and become members of the Ordinariate, have been abandoned. I can assure them that they will receive a warm welcome should they decide to worship with us.
I think that the fact that the liturgy which was originally used in the Ordinariate was the New English Translation 2010 of the Order of Mass (which is the liturgy used by Roman Catholic parishes) speaks volumes.
Episcopus Vagans?
Where does all this leave Bishop Hepworth? He is unable to be a member of the Ordinariate, the TAC certainly doesn’t want him and Rome will only receive him as a layman. Is his future that of an episcopus vagans? (An episcopus vagans is a wandering or stray bishop, one who has been consecrated as a Christian bishop but who is outside the structures and canon law of the established churches and who is not in communion with any generally recognized diocese. Also included are those bishops who have in communion with them small groups that appear to exist solely for the bishop's sake.)
Indulgences
According to the Vatican Information Service, on 25 May 2012 the Apostolic Penitentiary issued a decree “granting Indulgences to faithful for the seventh World Meeting of Families, due to be held in Milan, Italy, from 30 May to 3 June.”
The good news is that “Faithful who are unable to participate in the event” may nonetheless obtain “Plenary Indulgence” if, “spiritually bonded to the faithful gathered in Milan, they recite the Our Father, the Creed and other devout prayers calling on Divine Mercy to grant the aforementioned ends, particularly when the words of the Pontiff are transmitted by radio and television”. Partial Indulgence is granted to the faithful “whenever, during that period, they pray with a contrite heart for the good of families”.
Welcome to Rome.
The new Ordinariate parish
“A picture is worth a thousand words.”
Fr Brian.
