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<DIV><A href="http://deacbench.blogspot.com/2008/07/truly-remarkable-development.html">http://deacbench.blogspot.com/2008/07/truly-remarkable-development.html</A></DIV>
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<H2 class=date-header>Thursday, July 17, 2008</H2>
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<H3 class="post-title entry-title"><A href="http://deacbench.blogspot.com/2008/07/truly-remarkable-development.html">"A truly remarkable development"</A> </H3>
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<DIV class="post-body entry-content">After focusiing for a few weeks now on all the <A href="http://deacbench.blogspot.com/2008/07/everybody-slide-down-and-make-extra.html"><FONT color=#940f04>turmoil</FONT></A> roiling the Anglican Communion in England, Damien Thompson has found <A href="http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/damian_thompson/blog/2008/07/16/exanglican_communities_to_become_catholic_rome_confirms"><FONT color=#940f04>some big news</FONT></A> on the other side of the pond. In New Jersey, in fact:
<BLOCKQUOTE>The Catholic Church will expand its provision of "Anglican Use" parishes in the United States in order to allow whole communities of traditionalist Anglicans into the Roman fold, a senior Catholic archbishop has announced.<BR><BR>The Most Rev John J Myers, Archbishop of Newark and Ecclesiastical Delegate for the Pastoral Provision, told a conference of ex-Anglicans on Friday that "we are working on expanding the mandate of the Pastoral Provision [of Catholic parishes using Anglican-inspired services] to include those clergy and faithful of 'continuing Anglican communities'.<BR><BR>"We are striving to increase awareness of our apostolate to Anglican Christians who desire to be reconciled with the Holy See. We have experienced the wonder of several Episcopal bishops entering into full communion with the Catholic Church and we continue to receive requests from priests and laity about the Pastoral Provision."<BR><BR>This is big news, and makes
nonsense of the claim that Pope Benedict wants to dissuade Anglo-Catholics from converting. The obvious interpretation of the Archbishop's words is that the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC), a "continuing church" which has hundreds of thousands of members worldwide (though few in the UK), will eventually be given its own Catholic parishes which use a Eucharistic Prayer incorporating Cranmerian language.<BR><BR>This possibility has existed since the 1970s, but Archbishop Myers indicates that it is only now - under a sympathetic Pope, and during the break-up of the Anglican Communion - that the Pastoral Provision is entering a new dimension.<BR><BR>If Rome is expanding its network of ex-Anglican parishes in America, then we can rest assured that it is sympathetic to the notion of group conversion in England. The Vatican is well aware that such a process is likely to be complicated and patchy; no one is naive enough to assume that entire parishes will
"bring their buildings with them." </BLOCKQUOTE>Thompson calls this "a truly remarkable development." Let's keep the prayers going.
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<DIV class="post-footer-line post-footer-line-1"><SPAN class="post-author vcard">Posted by <SPAN class=fn>Deacon Greg Kandra</SPAN> </SPAN><SPAN class=post-timestamp>at <A class=timestamp-link title="permanent link" href="http://deacbench.blogspot.com/2008/07/truly-remarkable-development.html" rel=bookmark><ABBR class=published title=2008-07-17T11:36:00-04:00><FONT color=#2d6e89>11:36 AM</ABBR></FONT></A> </SPAN><SPAN class=post-comment-link></SPAN><SPAN class=post-icons><SPAN class=item-action><A title="Email Post" href="http://www.blogger.com/email-post.g?blogID=2053328907510811521&postID=4648035955505438334"><IMG class=icon-action alt="" src="http://www.blogger.com/img/icon18_email.gif"><FONT color=#940f04> </FONT></A></SPAN><SPAN class="item-control blog-admin pid-845017454"><A title="Edit Post" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2053328907510811521&postID=4648035955505438334"><FONT color=#940f04><IMG class=icon-action alt=""
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<DIV><EM><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#0000bf>Like a deer that longs for running waters so my soul longs for you, O God.</FONT></EM></DIV></FONT></EM></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000bf><EM><FONT face="comic sans ms">Ps 42:1</FONT></EM></FONT></DIV>
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