02 February 2009

Another Step Leap Toward Unity

The Pope is going to offer a personal prelature to the Traditional Anglican Communion. A personal prelature is semi-autonomous, akin to a worldwide diocese without borders, with its own clergy and laity.
"History may be in the making", reports The Record. "It appears Rome is on the brink of welcoming close to half a million members of the Traditional Anglican Communion into membership of the Roman Catholic Church. Such a move would be the most historic development in Anglican-Catholic relations in the last 500 years. But it may also be a prelude to a much greater influx of Anglicans waiting on the sidelines, pushed too far by the controversy surrounding the consecration of practising homosexual bishops, women clergy and a host of other issues."
The Traditional Anglican Communion broke off from the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1991 for a number of reasons: female ordination, same-sex marriage, liturgical revisionism, etc. It upholds a Catholic interpretation of the Thirty-Nine Articles, and has desired unity with Rome for several years now. The Homepage for the TAC is worth perusing, particularly the Appeal to Unity made to Rome.

My question: would the Anglican bishops and priests have to be re-ordained?