Churchmen on the End of the Henrician Schism

"They have declared that they share the common Catholic faith as it is expressed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and accept the Petrine ministry as something Christ willed for the Church," said William Joseph Cardinal Levada, quoted in this report — Pope approves special rules and structures to welcome Anglican clergy, including married priests. "For them, the time has come to express this implicit unity in the visible form of full communion," His Eminence added.

"The unity of the Church does not require a uniformity that ignores cultural diversity, as the history of Christianity shows," said His Eminence, quoted in another report — Pope Benedict approves structure for admitting large groups of Anglicans into Catholic Church. "Moreover, the many diverse traditions present in the Catholic Church today are all rooted in the principle articulated by St. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians: 'There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism.'"

Archbishop Vincent Gerard Nichols of Westminster calls it "further recognition of the substantial overlap in faith, doctrine and spirituality between the Catholic Church and the Anglican tradition" — Anglican and Catholic archbishops say declaration won't change dialogue. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, said that "in the light of recent discussions with senior officials in the Vatican, I can say that this new possibility is in no sense at all intended to undermine existing relations between our two communions or to be an act of proselytism or aggression."

"The announcement of this apostolic constitution brings to an end a period of uncertainty for such groups who have nurtured hopes of new ways of embracing unity with the Catholic Church," said the two English churchmen — Prelates Give Joint Response to Provision for Anglicans. "It will now be up to those who have made requests to the Holy See to respond to the apostolic constitution."

Archbishop John Hepworth of the Traditional Anglican Communion said he was "profoundly moved by the generosity of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI" — Anglican Archbishop: Our Prayers Have Been Answered. "May I firstly state that this is an act of great goodness on the part of the Holy Father. He has dedicated his pontificate to the cause of unity."

"It has been the frequently expressed hope and fervent desire of Anglican Catholics to be enabled by some means to enter into full communion with the See of Peter whilst retaining in its integrity every aspect of their Anglican inheritance which is not at variance with the teaching of the Catholic Church," said the Rt. Rev. John Broadhurst, Bishop of Fulham — Forward in Faith bishops welcome Apostolic Constitution. "We rejoice that the Holy Father intends now to set up structures within the Church which respond to this heartfelt longing. Forward in Faith has always been committed to seeking unity in truth and so warmly welcomes these initiatives as a decisive moment in the history of the Catholic Movement in the Church of England. Ut unum sint!

In America, Francis Eugene Cardinal George "has said the provision will serve the unity of the Church" while "[a]n Episcopalian spokesman said the full implications of the action are still being studied and ecumenical dialogue will continue" — U.S. Catholic and Episcopalian leaders respond to Vatican’s new Anglican provision.

His Eminence further suggested the the decision, "at the service of the unity of the Church, calls us as well to join our voices to the priestly prayer of Jesus that 'all may be one' (John 17:21) as we seek a greater communion with all our brothers and sisters with whom we share Baptism" — US Prelates Ready to Welcome Anglicans.

"It is a dramatic slap-down of liberal Anglicanism and a total repudiation of the ordination of women, homosexual marriage and the general neglect of doctrine in Anglicanism," says one prominent convert from Anglicanism — Fr. Rutler discusses Vatican's Anglican provision.

"A text message sent Monday evening ensured that Vatican correspondents wouldn't miss today's announcement that Benedict XVI is facilitating the process for groups of Anglicans to join the Catholic Church" — Vatican's Anglican Announcement Unexpected. "This is the first time a press conference of this kind has been announced in such a seemingly hurried way."