ANGLICAN priests opposed to the ordination of women yesterday welcomed
a statement from the Vatican opening the door for them to join the Roman
Catholic Church.
The Vatican's pronouncement could see hundreds of priests and parishes
leaving the Church of England, said Father Peter Geldard, chairman of
the Catholic group in the Church of England Synod.
Father Geldard, priest at St Mary Magdalene, Faversham, Kent, has been
involved in discussions with Cardinal Basil Hume, the Archbishop of
Westminster, since the Church of England's decision in November to
ordain women.
Anglicans who are opposed to women's ordination described the move as
illustrating a fatal loss of authority on the part of the Church's
leadership.
In its statement, reported in the La Stampa, the Vatican said the
Roman Catholic Church had ''answered positively'' requests from
Anglicans opposed to women's ordination to defect to Rome.
The newspaper, which has close links with the Vatican, quoted sources
there warning Anglican defectors it was not enough simply to oppose
women priests.
Anglican clergy would have to go through a process of conversion,
accepting all Roman Catholic doctrine.
Father Geldard said this would pose no problems, in the light of the
offer of accommodation he hoped would be forthcoming later this month
from the Roman Catholic hierarchy in England.
''The Church of England accepts 99% of Roman Catholic doctrine as it
is,'' he said.
Roman Catholic bishops are meeting at Westminster from April 19, and
Father Geldard said he hoped they would decide to offer rebel Anglicans
''pastoral provision'' which would allow them to join Rome while
retaining their Anglican identity.
''What seems to have happened is that the Vatican has now prepared the
ground for that.''
He hoped the pastoral provision eventually offered by the Roman
Catholic church would allow Anglicans to join it, while retaining ''the
same clergy, the same services, the same buildings, the same music --
their identity''.
Father Geldard expected that initially about 250 Anglican ''priests
and parishes'' would respond to a favourable offer from the English
Roman Catholic hierarchy by leaving the Church of England.
He thought as many as 1000 priests might eventually leave the Anglican
Church.
The Church of England welcomed the commitment the Vatican's statement
also made to the continuing search for church unity.
A statement from Church House said: ''We warmly welcome the Pontifical
Council's stress on its continuing commitment to the search for full
communion between the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches.''
Junior social security minister Ann Widdecombe, who announced she
would be turning to Rome after decison on women priests, said: 'There is
eagerness on the part of Rome to smooth the path for all Anglicans who
want to cross and join Rome.''
Miss Widdecombe, MP for Maidstone, added: ''I very much regret that
there is a possibility -- and I won't put it higher than that -- that
the Church of England will just descend into being just another
Protestant sect.''
Meanwhile, the Bishop of London, Dr David Hope, yesterday issued an
appeal for patience to members of the Church of England unhappy about
the ordination of women.
He was speaking at a Maundy Thursday service in St Paul's Cathedral
where the depth of the division in the Church was evident when only 400
of London's clergy attended.
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