Anglicanorum Coetibus

Anglicanorum Coetibus (Latin: Groups of Anglicans) is an apostolic constitution which introduces a canonical structure providing for the corporate reception of some groups of Anglicans by establishing personal ordinariates. These personal ordinariates are intended to allow such groups to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while also preserving some elements of their distinctive Anglican spiritual and liturgical patrimony, responding to two needs: on the one hand the need "to maintain the liturgical, spiritual and pastoral traditions of the Anglican Communion within the Catholic Church, as a precious gift nourishing the faith of the members of the Ordinariate and as a treasure to be shared";^[1] on the other hand the need to fully integrate into the life of the Catholic Church groups of faithful, or individuals, coming from Anglicanism.

The constitution was signed by Pope Benedict XVI on 4 November 2009 and was released on 9 November 2009, after being announced on 20 October 2009 by Cardinal William Levada at a press conference in Rome and by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and Archbishop of Westminster Vincent Nichols at a simultaneous press conference in London.

Institutions similar to that created by the document

The personal ordinariates that the apostolic constitution created are similar to military ordinariates for the pastoral care of members of armed forces in that membership is on a personal rather than a territorial basis; but they differ in many aspects, as can be seen by a comparison of Anglicanorum coetibus with the apostolic constitution Spirituali militum cura of 21 April 1986 by which Pope John Paul II restructured the military ordinariates, which were previously called military vicariates. For instance, the military ordinariates must be headed by a bishop and lack structures such as the "governing council" of the ordinariates for former Anglicans.

The personal ordinariates for former Anglicans differ also from personal prelatures, which, according to canon 294, are composed of secular priests and deacons, excluding lay people, even those who, in accordance with canon 296, dedicate themselves to the apostolic works of a personal prelature by a formal agreement. Membership of a personal ordinariate for former Anglicans extends to "lay faithful, clerics and members of Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, originally belonging to the Anglican Communion and now in full communion with the Catholic Church, or those who receive the Sacraments of Initiation within the jurisdiction of the Ordinariate".^[2]

Background

The Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) was formed in 1991. Archbishop Louis Falk was its first primate. He was succeeded in 2002 by Archbishop John Hepworth of the Anglican Catholic Church in Australia.

The TAC churches have been formed outside of the Anglican Communion churches over a number of different issues. The principal issue has been the ordination of women. Other issues include liturgical revisions, the acceptance of homosexuality and the importance of tradition.

Other groups of Anglican tradition whose attitude is similar also exist.

Contents of the apostolic constitution

The document provides for personal ordinariates, which the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith will establish within the area of an episcopal conference and in consultation with it. The ordinariates will be juridically comparable to dioceses. They will be composed of lay faithful, clergy and members of religious orders originally of the Anglican tradition but now in full communion with the Catholic Church.

Without excluding liturgical celebrations according to the Roman Rite, the ordinariates may celebrate the Eucharist, the other sacraments, the Liturgy of the Hours and other liturgical celebrations in accordance with liturgical books proper to Anglican tradition and approved by the Holy See, so as to maintain the Anglican liturgical, spiritual and pastoral tradition.

The ordinary, after having heard the opinion of the local diocesan bishop, may erect, with the consent of the Holy See, personal parishes for the faithful of his ordinariate. Every five years the ordinary is required to make an ad limina Apostolorum visit to Rome and to present to the Pope, through the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and in consultation with the Congregation for Bishops and the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, a report on the status of his ordinariate.

On the basis of objective criteria determined by the ordinary in consultation with the episcopal conference and approved by the Holy See, the ordinary may petition the Pope, on a case by case basis, to admit married men to the priesthood as a derogation of canon 277 §1 of the Code of Canon Law, but the general rule is that the ordinariate will admit only celibate men.^[3]

The ordinary is not necessarily a bishop: he may instead be "a presbyter appointed by the Roman Pontiff ad nutum Sanctae Sedis, based on a terna presented by the Governing Council" of the ordinariate.^[4]

The governing council that each ordinariate is to have will be composed of at least six priests. Its duties are those that the Code of Canon Law assigns to the presbyteral council and the college of consultors of a diocese, and additional duties specified in the complementary norms, requiring in some cases its consent for an action to be undertaken.^[5]

Anglican religious institutes

The apostolic constitution provides a juridical framework within which Anglican religious communities may join the Catholic Church as a group: “Institutes of Consecrated Life originating in the Anglican Communion and entering into full communion with the Catholic Church may also be placed under his (the ordinary's) jurisdiction by mutual consent.”^[6]

Ordination of married former Anglican clergy and the rule of celibacy

The Catholic Church does not recognize Anglican priests as validly ordained (see Apostolicae Curae), and therefore requires that, if they are to minister within the Catholic Church, they be ordained in that Church: "Those who ministered as Anglican deacons, priests, or bishops, [...] may be accepted by the Ordinary as candidates for Holy Orders in the Catholic Church″.^[7]

Ordination to the priesthood is open, in certain cases, even to married former Anglican clergy: "In consideration of Anglican ecclesial tradition and practice, the Ordinary may present to the Holy Father a request for the admission of married men to the presbyterate in the Ordinariate."^[8] There is no blanket acceptance of all married former Anglican clergy for ordination to the priesthood: the admission of married men to the order of presbyterate will be granted only on a case by case basis,^[9] after a process of discernment based on objective criteria and the needs of the ordinariate,^[10] and not as a matter of course but by exception: "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."^[11]

The complementary norms for Anglicanorum coetibus explicitly excludes two categories of former Anglican clergy from admission to priestly ministry in the Catholic Church: those who had been ordained in the Catholic Church before becoming Anglicans, and those in irregular matrimonial situations.^[12] The apostolic constitution itself speaks generically of the exclusion of those who are "impeded by irregularities or other impediments",^[13] a phrase that it explains by making reference to the section of the Code of Canon Law headed "Irregularities and other impediments".

Special provisions for former Anglican bishops

Ordination of married men to the episcopacy is excluded in the Catholic tradition, but the Holy See went to great lengths to take into account the position of married former Anglican bishops.

A former Anglican bishop who is married may be ordained to the priesthood. Any former Anglican bishop who is a member of an ordinariate may be invited to participate in the meetings of the episcopal conference, with the status of a retired bishop.^[14] In addition, a former Anglican bishop who has not been ordained a bishop in the Catholic Church can nonetheless request permission to use episcopal regalia.^[15]

Even as simple priests, they may be chosen to head an ordinariate^[16], which enables them to remain at the service of their community. The head of an ordinariate is a full member of the episcopal conference.

References

^ Apostolic Constitution, III
^ Apostolic Constitution, I §4
^ Apostolic Constitution, VI §2; complementary norms, 6 §1
^ Complementary norms, art. 4 §1
^ Apostolic Constitution, X §2; complementary norms, art. 12
^ Apostolic constitution, VII
^ Apostolic constitution VI §1
^ Complementary norms, art. 6 §1; cf. Apostolic constitution, VI §2.
^ Apostolic constitution, VI §2
^ Complementary norms, art. 6 §1
^ Complementary norms, art. 6 §1. The first document cited declares: "While, on the one hand, the law requiring a freely chosen and perpetual celibacy of those who are admitted to Holy Orders remains unchanged, on the other hand, a study may be allowed of the particular circumstances of married sacred ministers of Churches or other Christian communities separated from the Catholic communion, and of the possibility of admitting to priestly functions those who desire to adhere to the fullness of this communion and to continue to exercise the sacred ministry. The circumstances must be such, however, as not to prejudice the existing discipline regarding celibacy." The second, which is quoted in press release of the United States Catholic Conference of 12 January 1982, states: "In accepting former Episcopal clergy who are married into the Catholic priesthood, the Holy See has specified that this exception to the rule of celibacy is granted in favor of these individual persons, and should not be understood as implying any change in the Church's conviction of the value of priestly celibacy, which will remain the rule for future candidates for the priesthood from this group."
^ Complementary norms, art. 6 §2
^ Apostolic constitution VI, §1
^ Complementary norms, article 11 §3
^ Complementary norms, article 11 §4
^ Complementary norms, article 11 §1

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[1] Apostolic Constitution, III

[2] Apostolic Constitution, I §4

[3] Apostolic Constitution, VI §2; complementary norms, 6 §1

[4] Complementary norms, art. 4 §1

[5] Apostolic Constitution, X §2; complementary norms, art. 12

[6] Apostolic constitution, VII

[7] Apostolic constitution VI §1

[8] Complementary norms, art. 6 §1; cf. Apostolic constitution, VI §2.

[9] Apostolic constitution, VI §2

[10] Complementary norms, art. 6 §1

[11] Complementary norms, art. 6 §1. The first document cited declares: "While, on the one hand, the law requiring a freely chosen and perpetual celibacy of those who are admitted to Holy Orders remains unchanged, on the other hand, a study may be allowed of the particular circumstances of married sacred ministers of Churches or other Christian communities separated from the Catholic communion, and of the possibility of admitting to priestly functions those who desire to adhere to the fullness of this communion and to continue to exercise the sacred ministry. The circumstances must be such, however, as not to prejudice the existing discipline regarding celibacy." The second, which is quoted in press release of the United States Catholic Conference of 12 January 1982, states: "In accepting former Episcopal clergy who are married into the Catholic priesthood, the Holy See has specified that this exception to the rule of celibacy is granted in favor of these individual persons, and should not be understood as implying any change in the Church's conviction of the value of priestly celibacy, which will remain the rule for future candidates for the priesthood from this group."

[12] Complementary norms, art. 6 §2

[13] Apostolic constitution VI, §1

[14] Complementary norms, article 11 §3

[15] Complementary norms, article 11 §4

[16] Complementary norms, article 11 §1

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