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.