ANGLICANS are divided over the announcement, last week, by the Vatican that they could form “Per­sonal Ordinariates” under the author­ity of Pope Benedict XVI. Many Anglicans said that it was no substi­tute for restored communion between the two Churches. Others welcomed the move.

The “pastoral” move by the Pope was widely believed to be his response to approaches by, among others, the leader of the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC), Archbishop John Hepworth, who is based in Australia, in April 2007. The head of TAC in Canada, Bishop Carl Reid, said last week that although its members were “on the same page” as Roman Catholics on ethics and family life, there were “weighty” doctrinal issues that could cause problems. “I can’t really predict how everyone is going to respond.”

The former Bishop of Rochester, Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, a long-term mem­ber of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) and the International Anglican- Roman Catholic Commis­sion for Unity and Mission (IARCCUM), who was the subject of press speculation that he could accept the offer, said on Tuesday that he was not going to become a Roman Catholic.

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Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams • Anglican Provinces • Church of England (CoE) • CoE Bishops • * Religion News & Commentary • Other Churches • Roman Catholic • Pope Benedict XVI

1. MotherViolet wrote: The head of TAC in Canada, Bishop Carl Reid could allow TAC congregations to join ACNA or the Roman Church and thus disband the TAC denomination having served its purpose. http://www.churchoftheword.net October 30, 7:22 am | [comment link]

2. Br_er Rabbit wrote: Thanks, Glendermott. This is something I was wondering. Is it possible that TAC may disappear? October 30, 8:55 am | [comment link]

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