APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTION ANGLICANORUM COETIBUS PROVIDING FOR
PERSONAL ORDINARIATES FOR ANGLICANS ENTERING INTO FULL COMMUNION WITH THE
CATHOLIC CHURCH
, 09.11.2009
APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTION ANGLICANORUM COETIBUS
PROVIDING FOR PERSONAL ORDINARIATES FOR ANGLICANS ENTERING INTO FULL COMMUNION
WITH THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
PRESS RELEASE
APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTION ANGLICANORUM
COETIBUS
COMPLEMENTARY NORMS FOR THE
APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTION ANGLICANORUM COETIBUS
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE APOSTOLIC
CONSTITUTION ANGLICANORUM COETIBUS (FR. GIANFRANCO GHIRLANDA, S.J.,
RECTOR OF THE PONTIFICAL GREGORIAN UNIVERSITY)
PRESS RELEASE
On October 20, 2009, Cardinal William Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for
the Doctrine of the Faith, announced a new provision responding to the many
requests that have been submitted to the Holy See from groups of Anglican clergy
and faithful in different parts of the world who wish to enter into full visible
communion with the Catholic Church.
The Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus which is published
today introduces a canonical structure that provides for such corporate reunion
by establishing Personal Ordinariates, which will allow the above mentioned
groups to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving
elements of the distinctive Anglican spiritual and liturgical patrimony. At the
same time, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is publishing a set of
Complementary Norms which will guide the implementation of this provision.
This Apostolic Constitution opens a new avenue for the promotion of Christian
unity while, at the same time, granting legitimate diversity in the expression
of our common faith. It represents not an initiative on the part of the Holy See,
but a generous response from the Holy Father to the legitimate aspirations of
these Anglican groups. The provision of this new structure is consistent with
the commitment to ecumenical dialogue, which continues to be a priority for the
Catholic Church.
The possibility envisioned by the Apostolic Constitution for some married
clergy within the Personal Ordinariates does not signify any change in the
Church’s discipline of clerical celibacy. According to the Second Vatican
Council, priestly celibacy is a sign and a stimulus for pastoral charity and
radiantly proclaims the reign of God (Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church,
1579).
[01642-02.01] [Original text: English]
APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTION ANGLICANORUM COETIBUS
In recent times the Holy Spirit has moved groups of Anglicans to petition
repeatedly and insistently to be received into full Catholic communion
individually as well as corporately. The Apostolic See has responded favorably
to such petitions. Indeed, the successor of Peter, mandated by the Lord Jesus to
guarantee the unity of the episcopate and to preside over and safeguard the
universal communion of all the Churches,1 could not fail to make
available the means necessary to bring this holy desire to realization.
The Church, a people gathered into the unity of the Father, the Son and the
Holy Spirit,2 was instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ, as "a
sacrament – a sign and instrument, that is, of communion with God and of unity
among all people."3 Every division among the baptized in Jesus
Christ wounds that which the Church is and that for which the Church exists; in
fact, "such division openly contradicts the will of Christ, scandalizes the
world, and damages that most holy cause, the preaching the Gospel to every
creature."4 Precisely for this reason, before shedding his blood
for the salvation of the world, the Lord Jesus prayed to the Father for the
unity of his disciples.5
It is the Holy Spirit, the principle of unity, which establishes the Church
as a communion.6 He is the principle of the unity of the faithful in
the teaching of the Apostles, in the breaking of the bread and in prayer.7
The Church, however, analogous to the mystery of the Incarnate Word, is not only
an invisible spiritual communion, but is also visible;8 in fact,
"the society structured with hierarchical organs and the Mystical Body of
Christ, the visible society and the spiritual community, the earthly Church and
the Church endowed with heavenly riches, are not to be thought of as two
realities. On the contrary, they form one complex reality formed from a two-fold
element, human and divine."9 The communion of the baptized in
the teaching of the Apostles and in the breaking of the eucharistic bread is
visibly manifested in the bonds of the profession of the faith in its entirety,
of the celebration of all of the sacraments instituted by Christ, and of the
governance of the College of Bishops united with its head, the Roman Pontiff.10
This single Church of Christ, which we profess in the Creed as one, holy,
catholic and apostolic "subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed
by the successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him. Nevertheless,
many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside her visible
confines. Since these are gifts properly belonging to the Church of Christ, they
are forces impelling towards Catholic unity."11
In the light of these ecclesiological principles, this Apostolic Constitution
provides the general normative structure for regulating the institution and life
of Personal Ordinariates for those Anglican faithful who desire to enter into
the full communion of the Catholic Church in a corporate manner. This
Constitution is completed by Complementary Norms issued by the Apostolic See.
I. §1 Personal Ordinariates for Anglicans entering into full communion with
the Catholic Church are erected by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith within the confines of the territorial boundaries of a particular
Conference of Bishops in consultation with that same Conference.
§2 Within the territory of a particular Conference of Bishops, one or more
Ordinariates may be erected as needed.
§3 Each Ordinariate possesses public juridic personality by the law itself (ipso
iure); it is juridically comparable to a diocese.12
§4 The Ordinariate is composed of lay faithful, clerics and members of
Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, originally
belonging to the Anglican Communion and now in full communion with the Catholic
Church, or those who receive the Sacraments of Initiation within the
jurisdiction of the Ordinariate.
§5 The Catechism of the Catholic Church is the authoritative
expression of the Catholic faith professed by members of the Ordinariate.
II. The Personal Ordinariate is governed according to the norms of universal
law and the present Apostolic Constitution and is subject to the Congregation
for the Doctrine of the Faith, and the other Dicasteries of the Roman Curia in
accordance with their competencies. It is also governed by the Complementary
Norms as well as any other specific Norms given for each Ordinariate.
III. Without excluding liturgical celebrations according to the Roman Rite,
the Ordinariate has the faculty to celebrate the Holy Eucharist and the other
Sacraments, the Liturgy of the Hours and other liturgical celebrations according
to the liturgical books proper to the Anglican tradition, which have been
approved by the Holy See, so as to maintain the liturgical, spiritual and
pastoral traditions of the Anglican Communion within the Catholic Church, as a
precious gift nourishing the faith of the members of the Ordinariate and as a
treasure to be shared.
IV. A Personal Ordinariate is entrusted to the pastoral care of an Ordinary
appointed by the Roman Pontiff.
V. The power (potestas) of the Ordinary is:
a. ordinary: connected by the law itself to the office entrusted to
him by the Roman Pontiff, for both the internal forum and external forum;
b. vicarious: exercised in the name of the Roman Pontiff;
c. personal: exercised over all who belong to the Ordinariate;
This power is to be exercised jointly with that of the local Diocesan
Bishop, in those cases provided for in the Complementary Norms.
VI. §1 Those who ministered as Anglican deacons, priests, or bishops, and
who fulfill the requisites established by canon law13 and are not
impeded by irregularities or other impediments14 may be accepted by
the Ordinary as candidates for Holy Orders in the Catholic Church. In the case
of married ministers, the norms established in the Encyclical Letter of Pope
Paul VI Sacerdotalis coelibatus, n. 4215 and in the Statement In
June16 are to be observed. Unmarried ministers must submit to the
norm of clerical celibacy of CIC can. 277, §1.
§2. The Ordinary, in full observance of the discipline of celibate clergy in
the Latin Church, as a rule (pro regula) will admit only celibate men to
the order of presbyter. He may also petition the Roman Pontiff, as a derogation
from can. 277, §1, for the admission of married men to the order of presbyter
on a case by case basis, according to objective criteria approved by the Holy
See.
§3. Incardination of clerics will be regulated according to the norms of
canon law.
§4. Priests incardinated into an Ordinariate, who constitute the
presbyterate of the Ordinariate, are also to cultivate bonds of unity with the
presbyterate of the Diocese in which they exercise their ministry. They should
promote common pastoral and charitable initiatives and activities, which can be
the object of agreements between the Ordinary and the local Diocesan Bishop.
§5. Candidates for Holy Orders in an Ordinariate should be prepared
alongside other seminarians, especially in the areas of doctrinal and pastoral
formation. In order to address the particular needs of seminarians of the
Ordinariate and formation in Anglican patrimony, the Ordinary may also establish
seminary programs or houses of formation which would relate to existing Catholic
faculties of theology.
VII. The Ordinary, with the approval of the Holy See, can erect new
Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, with the right
to call their members to Holy Orders, according to the norms of canon law.
Institutes of Consecrated Life originating in the Anglican Communion and
entering into full communion with the Catholic Church may also be placed under
his jurisdiction by mutual consent.
VIII. §1. The Ordinary, according to the norm of law, after having heard the
opinion of the Diocesan Bishop of the place, may erect, with the consent of the
Holy See, personal parishes for the faithful who belong to the Ordinariate.
§2. Pastors of the Ordinariate enjoy all the rights and are held to all the
obligations established in the Code of Canon Law and, in cases established by
the Complementary Norms, such rights and obligations are to be exercised in
mutual pastoral assistance together with the pastors of the local Diocese where
the personal parish of the Ordinariate has been established.
IX. Both the lay faithful as well as members of Institutes of Consecrated
Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, originally part of the Anglican Communion,
who wish to enter the Personal Ordinariate, must manifest this desire in writing.
X. §1. The Ordinary is aided in his governance by a Governing Council with
its own statutes approved by the Ordinary and confirmed by the Holy See.17
§2. The Governing Council, presided over by the Ordinary, is composed of at
least six priests. It exercises the functions specified in the Code of Canon Law
for the Presbyteral Council and the College of Consultors, as well as those
areas specified in the Complementary Norms.
§3. The Ordinary is to establish a Finance Council according to the norms
established by the Code of Canon Law which will exercise the duties specified
therein.18
§4. In order to provide for the consultation of the faithful, a Pastoral
Council is to be constituted in the Ordinariate.19
XI. Every five years the Ordinary is required to come to Rome for an ad
limina Apostolorum visit and present to the Roman Pontiff, through the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and in consultation with the
Congregation for Bishops and the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples,
a report on the status of the Ordinariate.
XII. For judicial cases, the competent tribunal is that of the Diocese in
which one of the parties is domiciled, unless the Ordinariate has constituted
its own tribunal, in which case the tribunal of second instance is the one
designated by the Ordinariate and approved by the Holy See.
XIII. The Decree establishing an Ordinariate will determine the location of
the See and, if appropriate, the principal church.
We desire that our dispositions and norms be valid and effective now and in
the future, notwithstanding, should it be necessary, the Apostolic Constitutions
and ordinances issued by our predecessors, or any other prescriptions, even
those requiring special mention or derogation.
Given in Rome, at St. Peter’s, on November 4, 2009, the Memorial of St.
Charles Borromeo.
BENEDICTUS PP XVI
_________________
1 Cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic
Constitution Lumen gentium, 23; Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith, Letter Communionis notio, 12; 13.
2 Cf. Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 4; Decree Unitatis
redintegratio, 2.
3 Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 1.
4 Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 1.
5 Cf. Jn 17:20-21; Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 2.
6 Cf. Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 13.
7 Cf. ibid; Acts 2:42.
8 Cf. Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 8; Letter Communionis
notio, 4.
9 Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 8.
10 Cf. CIC, can. 205; Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium,
13; 14; 21; 22; Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 2; 3; 4; 15; 20; Decree Christus
Dominus, 4; Decree Ad gentes, 22.
11 Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 8.
12 Cf. John Paul II, Ap. Const. Spirituali militium curae, 21
April 1986, I § 1.
13 Cf. CIC, cann. 1026-1032.
14 Cf. CIC, cann. 1040-1049.
15 Cf. AAS 59 (1967) 674.
16 Cf. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Statement of 1 April
1981, in Enchiridion Vaticanum 7, 1213.
17 Cf. CIC, cann. 495-502.
18 Cf. CIC, cann. 492-494.
19 Cf. CIC, can. 511.
[01640-02.01] [Original text: English]
COMPLEMENTARY NORMS FOR THE APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTION ANGLICANORUM
COETIBUS
Jurisdiction of the Holy See
Article 1
Each Ordinariate is subject to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
It maintains close relations with the other Roman Dicasteries in accordance with
their competence.
Relations with Episcopal Conferences and Diocesan Bishops
Article 2
§1. The Ordinary follows the directives of the national Episcopal Conference
insofar as this is consistent with the norms contained in the Apostolic
Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus.
§2. The Ordinary is a member of the respective Episcopal Conference.
Article 3
The Ordinary, in the exercise of this office, must maintain close ties of
communion with the Bishop of the Diocese in which the Ordinariate is present in
order to coordinate its pastoral activity with the pastoral program of the
Diocese.
The Ordinary
Article 4
§1. The Ordinary may be a bishop or a presbyter appointed by the Roman
Pontiff ad nutum Sanctae Sedis, based on a terna presented by the
Governing Council. Canons 383-388, 392-394, and 396-398 of the Code of Canon Law
apply to him.
§2. The Ordinary has the faculty to incardinate in the Ordinariate former
Anglican ministers who have entered into full communion with the Catholic Church,
as well as candidates belonging to the Ordinariate and promoted to Holy Orders
by him.
§3. Having first consulted with the Episcopal Conference and obtained the
consent of the Governing Council and the approval of the Holy See, the Ordinary
can erect as needed territorial deaneries supervised by a delegate of the
Ordinary covering the faithful of multiple personal parishes.
The Faithful of the Ordinariate
Article 5
§1. The lay faithful originally of the Anglican tradition who wish to belong
to the Ordinariate, after having made their Profession of Faith and received the
Sacraments of Initiation, with due regard for Canon 845, are to be entered in
the apposite register of the Ordinariate. Those baptized previously as Catholics
outside the Ordinariate are not ordinarily eligible for membership, unless they
are members of a family belonging to the Ordinariate.
§2. Lay faithful and members of Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies
of Apostolic Life, when they collaborate in pastoral or charitable activities,
whether diocesan or parochial, are subject to the Diocesan Bishop or to the
pastor of the place; in which case the power of the Diocesan Bishop or pastor is
exercised jointly with that of the Ordinary and the pastor of the Ordinariate.
The Clergy
Article 6
§1. In order to admit candidates to Holy Orders the Ordinary must obtain the
consent of the Governing Council. In consideration of Anglican ecclesial
tradition and practice, the Ordinary may present to the Holy Father a request
for the admission of married men to the presbyterate in the Ordinariate, after a
process of discernment based on objective criteria and the needs of the
Ordinariate. These objective criteria are determined by the Ordinary in
consultation with the local Episcopal Conference and must be approved by the
Holy See.
§2. Those who have been previously ordained in the Catholic Church and
subsequently have become Anglicans, may not exercise sacred ministry in the
Ordinariate. Anglican clergy who are in irregular marriage situations may not be
accepted for Holy Orders in the Ordinariate.
§3. Presbyters incardinated in the Ordinariate receive the necessary
faculties from the Ordinary.
Article 7
§1. The Ordinary must ensure that adequate remuneration be provided to the
clergy incardinated in the Ordinariate, and must provide for their needs in the
event of sickness, disability, and old age.
§2. The Ordinary will enter into discussion with the Episcopal Conference
about resources and funds which might be made available for the care of the
clergy of the Ordinariate.
§3. When necessary, priests, with the permission of the Ordinary, may engage
in a secular profession compatible with the exercise of priestly ministry (cf.
CIC, can. 286).
Article 8
§1. The presbyters, while constituting the presbyterate of the Ordinariate,
are eligible for membership in the Presbyteral Council of the Diocese in which
they exercise pastoral care of the faithful of the Ordinariate (cf. CIC,
can. 498, §2).
§2. Priests and Deacons incardinated in the Ordinariate may be members of
the Pastoral Council of the Diocese in which they exercise their ministry, in
accordance with the manner determined by the Diocesan Bishop (cf. CIC,
can. 512, §1).
Article 9
§1. The clerics incardinated in the Ordinariate should be available to
assist the Diocese in which they have a domicile or quasi-domicile, where it is
deemed suitable for the pastoral care of the faithful. In such cases they are
subject to the Diocesan Bishop in respect to that which pertains to the pastoral
charge or office they receive.
§2. Where and when it is deemed suitable, clergy incardinated in a Diocese
or in an Institute of Consecrated Life or a Society of Apostolic Life, with the
written consent of their respective Diocesan Bishop or their Superior, can
collaborate in the pastoral care of the Ordinariate. In such case they are
subject to the Ordinary in respect to that which pertains to the pastoral charge
or office they receive.
§3. In the cases treated in the preceding paragraphs there should be a
written agreement between the Ordinary and the Diocesan Bishop or the Superior
of the Institute of Consecrated Life or the Moderator of the Society of
Apostolic Life, in which the terms of collaboration and all that pertains to the
means of support are clearly established.
Article 10
§1. Formation of the clergy of the Ordinariate should accomplish two
objectives: 1) joint formation with diocesan seminarians in accordance
with local circumstances; 2) formation, in full harmony with Catholic tradition,
in those aspects of the Anglican patrimony that are of particular value.
§2. Candidates for priestly ordination will receive their theological
formation with other seminarians at a seminary or a theological faculty
in conformity with an agreement concluded between the Ordinary and, respectively,
the Diocesan Bishop or Bishops concerned. Candidates may receive other aspects
of priestly formation at a seminary program or house of formation established,
with the consent of the Governing Council, expressly for the purpose of
transmitting Anglican patrimony.
§3. The Ordinariate must have its own Program of Priestly Formation,
approved by the Holy See; each house of formation should draw up its own rule,
approved by the Ordinary (cf. CIC, can. 242, §1).
§4. The Ordinary may accept as seminarians only those faithful who belong to
a personal parish of the Ordinariate or who were previously Anglican and have
established full communion with the Catholic Church.
§5. The Ordinariate sees to the continuing formation of its clergy, through
their participation in local programs provided by the Episcopal Conference and
the Diocesan Bishop.
Former Anglican Bishops
Article 11
§1. A married former Anglican Bishop is eligible to be appointed Ordinary.
In such a case he is to be ordained a priest in the Catholic Church and then
exercises pastoral and sacramental ministry within the Ordinariate with full
jurisdictional authority.
§2. A former Anglican Bishop who belongs to the Ordinariate may be called
upon to assist the Ordinary in the administration of the Ordinariate.
§3. A former Anglican Bishop who belongs to the Ordinariate may be invited
to participate in the meetings of the Bishops’ Conference of the respective
territory, with the equivalent status of a retired bishop.
§4. A former Anglican Bishop who belongs to the Ordinariate and who has not
been ordained as a bishop in the Catholic Church, may request permission from
the Holy See to use the insignia of the episcopal office.
The Governing Council
Article 12
§1. The Governing Council, in accord with Statutes which the Ordinary
must approve, will have the rights and responsibilities accorded by the
Code of Canon Law to the College of Consultors and the Presbyteral Council.
§2. In addition to these responsibilities, the Ordinary needs the consent of
the Governing Council to:
a) admit a candidate to Holy Orders;
b) erect or suppress a personal parish;
c) erect or suppress a house of formation;
d) approve a program of formation.
§3. The Ordinary also consults the Governing Council concerning the pastoral
activities of the Ordinariate and the principles governing the formation of
clergy.
§4. The Governing Council has a deliberative vote:
a. when choosing a terna of names to submit to the Holy See for the
appointment of the Ordinary;
b. when proposing changes to the Complementary Norms of the Ordinariate to
present to the Holy See;
c. when formulating the Statutes of the Governing Council, the Statutes of
the Pastoral Council, and the Rule for houses of formation.
§ 5. The Governing Council is composed according to the Statutes of the
Council. Half of the membership is elected by the priests of the Ordinariate.
The Pastoral Council
Article 13
§1. The Pastoral Council, constituted by the Ordinary, offers advice
regarding the pastoral activity of the Ordinariate.
§2. The Pastoral Council, whose president is the Ordinary, is governed by
Statutes approved by the Ordinary.
The Personal Parishes
Article 14
§1. The pastor may be assisted in the pastoral care of the parish by a
parochial vicar, appointed by the Ordinary; a pastoral council and a finance
council must be established in the parish.
§2. If there is no vicar, in the event of absence, incapacity, or death of
the pastor, the pastor of the territorial parish in which the church of the
personal parish is located can exercise his faculties as pastor so as to supply
what is needed.
§3. For the pastoral care of the faithful who live within the boundaries of
a Diocese in which no personal parish has been erected, the Ordinary, having
heard the opinion of the local Diocesan Bishop, can make provisions for
quasi-parishes (cf. CIC, can. 516, §1).
The Supreme Pontiff Benedict XVI, at the Audience granted to the undersigned
Cardinal Prefect, approved these Complementary Norms for the Apostolic
Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus, adopted in the Ordinary Session of
the Congregation, and ordered their publication.
Rome, from the Offices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,
November 4, 2009, the Memorial of St. Charles Borromeo.
William Card. Levada
Prefect
+ Luis. F. Ladaria, S.I.
Titular Archbishop of Thibica
Secretary
[01641-02.01[Original text: English]
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTION ANGLICANORUM
COETIBUS (FR. GIANFRANCO GHIRLANDA, S.J., RECTOR OF THE PONTIFICAL GREGORIAN
UNIVERSITY)
The Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus of November 4th
2009, provides the essential norms which will govern the erection and the life
of Personal Ordinariates for those Anglican faithful who wish to enter, either
corporately or individually, into full communion with the Catholic Church. In
this way, as it says in the Introduction, the Holy Father Benedict XVI
– Supreme Pastor of the Church and, by mandate of Christ, guarantor of the
unity of the episcopate and of the universal communion of all the Churches –
has shown his fatherly care for those Anglican faithful (lay, clerics and
members of Institutes of Consecrated life and of Societies of Apostolic Life)
who have repeatedly petitioned the Holy See to be received into full Catholic
Communion.
The Introduction to the Apostolic Constitution lays out the ratio
legis of the provision emphasising a number of things which it might be
useful to point out:
- The Church, which in its unity and diversity is modelled on the Most Holy
Trinity, was instituted as "a sacrament – a sign and instrument, that is,
of communion with God and of unity among all people" (Lumen
gentium, 1). For this reason every division among the baptized wounds that
which the Church is and that for which the Church exists, and constitutes,
therefore, a scandal in that it contradicts the prayer of Jesus before his
passion and death (cf. John 17:20-21).
- Ecclesial communion, established by the Holy Spirit who is the principle of
unity in the Church, is, by analogy with the mystery of the Incarnate Word, at
the same time both invisible (spiritual) and visible (hierarchically organized).
The communion among the baptized, therefore, if it is to be full communion, must
be "visibly manifested in the bonds of the profession of the faith in its
entirety, of the celebration of all of the sacraments instituted by Christ, and
of the governance of the College of Bishops united with its head, the Roman
Pontiff".
- Although the one Church of Christ subsists in the Catholic Church governed
by the Successor of Peter and the Bishops in union with him, there are also
elements of sanctification and of truth to be found outside her visible confines,
in the Churches and Christian Communities separated from her, which, because
these elements are gifts properly belonging to the Church of Christ, are forces
impelling towards Catholic unity.
Those Anglican faithful who, under the promptings of the Holy Spirit, have
asked to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church have been moved
towards unity by those elements of the Church of Christ which have always been
present in their personal and communal lives as Christians.
For this reason the promulgation of the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum
coetibus by the Holy Father, together with what will follow from this,
indicate in a particular way the movement of the Holy Spirit.
The juridical means by the which the Holy Father has decided to receive these
Anglicans into full Catholic communion is the erection of Personal Ordinariates
(I § 1).
The competence of erection has been given to the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith. The reason for this is that during the long process which
has finally borne fruit in this Apostolic Constitution many doctrinal questions
have had to be addressed, and such questions will continue to arise as the time
comes for the erection of particular Ordinariates and for the incorporation of
groups of Anglican faithful into full Catholic communion through the
Ordinariates. In any case, as specific issues emerge, each Ordinariate will be
subject not just to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith but also to
the other Dicasteries of the Roman Curia according to their competences (Ap.
Cons. II). For example: for associations of the Faithful, the Pontifical Council
for the Laity will have competence; for the formation and life of priests, the
Congregation for the Clergy; for the various forms of consecrated life, the
Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life,
etc. For the visit ad limina Apostolorum, which the Ordinary is obliged
to make every five years, the Apostolic Constitution specifically mentions that
the Ordinary must consult not only with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith but also with the Congregation for Bishops and the Congregation for the
Evangelization of Peoples(Ap. Cons. XI).
The possibility for the erection of Personal Ordinariates for Anglicans
entering into full communion with the Catholic Church which is envisioned in the
Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus does not create a new
structure within the current canonical norms, but rather, uses the structure of
Personal Ordinariates, originally created for the pastoral care of members of
the armed forces, in the Apostolic Constitution of John Paul II Spirituali
militum cura of April 21, 1986. Notwithstanding the similarities between
these two types of Personal Ordinariates, it is clear that given their different
purposes, one for the Military and the other for those coming from Anglicanism,
there are also significant differences between them. What we are dealing with
are structures created by the Church in order to deal with specific situations
which arise from the needs of the faithful, and which are, by definition,
exceptional. The pastoral concern of the Church and the flexibility of her
canonical norms permit the creation of juridical structures which are
specifically adapted to the spiritual good of the faithful, while not
contradicting the foundational principles of Catholic ecclesiology.
Just as the Military Ordinariates were not envisioned in the Code of Canon
Law, so also Personal Ordinariates for Anglicans entering into full communion
with the Catholic Church were not specifically foreseen. However, just as the
Military Ordinariates are described in the Apostolic Constitution Spirituali
militum cura as specific ecclesiastical jurisdictions which are similar to
dioceses (Ap. Cons. I § 1), so also the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum
coetibus describes Personal Ordinariates for the faithful coming from
Anglicanism as juridically similar to dioceses (Ap. Cons. I § 3).
These Personal Ordinariates cannot be considered as Particular Ritual
Churches since the Anglican liturgical, spiritual and pastoral tradition is a
particular reality within the Latin Church. The creation of a Ritual Church
might have created ecumenical difficulties. Nor can these Personal Ordinariates
been considered as Personal Prelatures since, according to can. 294, Personal
Prelatures are composed of secular priests and deacons and, according to can.
296, lay people may simply dedicate themselves to the apostolic works of
Personal Prelatures by way of agreements. Members of Institutes of Consecrated
Life or of Societies of Apostolic Life are not even mentioned in the canons
concerning Personal Prelatures.
The Ordinariates for the faithful coming from Anglicanism are therefore
personal structures in as much as the jurisdiction of the Ordinary, and
consequently also of parish priests, is not geographically defined within the
territory of an Episcopal Conference like a particular territorial Church, but
is exercised "over all who belong to the Ordinariate" (Ap. Cons. V).
Moreover, one or more Personal Ordinariates can be erected within the territory
of the same Episcopal Conference, according to necessity (Ap. Cons. I § 2).
It is clear from a careful reading of the Apostolic Constitution and of the
Complementary Norms published by the Apostolic See that the provision of
erecting Personal Ordinariates is intended to respond to two needs: on the one
hand the need "to maintain the liturgical, spiritual and pastoral
traditions of the Anglican Communion within the Catholic Church, as a precious
gift nourishing the faith of the members of the Ordinariate and as a treasure to
be shared" (Ap. Cons. III); on the other hand the need to fully integrate
into the life of the Catholic Church groups of faithful, or individuals, coming
from Anglicanism.
The enrichment is mutual: the faithful coming from Anglicanism and entering
into full Catholic communion receive the richness of the spiritual, liturgical
and pastoral tradition of the Latin Roman Church in order to integrate it into
their own tradition, which integration will in itself enrich the Latin Roman
Church. On the other hand, exactly this Anglican tradition – which will be
received in its authenticity in the Latin Roman Church – has constituted
within Anglicanism precisely one of those gifts of the Church of Christ, which
has moved these faithful towards Catholic unity.
What is involved in this provision, therefore, goes beyond what was
envisioned in the Pastoral Provision adopted by the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith and approved by John Paul II on June 20, 1980. Whereas the
Pastoral Provision foresaw that the faithful coming from Anglicanism
would be members of the Diocese in which they were domiciled, although receiving
special care from the diocesan Bishop, the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum
coetibus considers them as members of a Personal Ordinariate and not of the
Diocese in which they are domiciled. Furthermore these Ordinariates will be
composed of faithful from every sate of life (laity, priests and members of
Institutes of Consecrated Life and of Societies of Apostolic Life) coming from
Anglicanism either in groups or individually, or receiving the sacraments of
initiation within the Ordinariate itself (Ap. Cons. I § 4).
Priests will be ascribed to the Personal Ordinariate by incardination,
regulated according to the Code of Canon Law (Ap. Cons. I § 3), while
lay people and Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
must manifest their desire to enter and become part of the Ordinariate in
writing (Ap. Cons. IX). The Complementary Norms (= CN) state that such
lay people and Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
must be inscribed in an appropriate register of the Ordinariate (Art. 5 § 1).
Thus, while one is a member of a particular territorial Church by virtue of one’s
domicile or quasi-domicile, one is a member of the Personal Ordinariate in
virtue of the objective fact of having previously adhered to Anglicanism, or
because one has come to the Catholic faith through the Ordinariate. In this
sense, inscription in the appropriate register substitutes for the fact of
domicile or quasi-domicile, which in relation to membership in a Personal
Ordinariate is irrelevant.
This Apostolic Constitution wishes above all to provide a means to
re-establish full communion, in some way "corporately", for groups
composed of people in various states of life. Personal Ordinariates for such
groups appear to be the most suitable canonical structure by which the
spiritual, liturgical and pastoral tradition, developed within Anglicanism and
recognised as authentic by the Catholic Church, can be protected and nourished.
All of which does not exclude the possibility of membership in the Ordinariate
for individuals coming from Anglicanism, or for individuals who come to the
Catholic faith through the pastoral or missionary work of the Ordinariate and
who receive the sacraments of initiation within the Ordinariate. The Pastoral
Provision was not suitable for the new situation to which that the Holy See
was called upon to respond.
The Ordinary, to whom the pastoral care of the faithful who belong to the
Ordinariate is entrusted, exercises ordinary vicarious authority (potestas
ordinaria vicaria) in the name of the Roman Pontiff (Ap. Cons. V.b). He
enjoys legitimate autonomy with respect to the jurisdiction of the Diocesan
Bishops in which the faithful of the Ordinariate have their domicile and is,
therefore, better able to ensure that those faithful are not simply assimilated
into the local Dioceses in a way which would lead to the loss of the richness of
their Anglican tradition – which would be an entire impoverishment of the
entire Church. On the other hand, the Ordinary in the exercise of his vicarious
authority must ensure the full integration of the Ordinariate into the life of
the Catholic Church, making sure that it does not evolve into an isolated
community.
The safeguarding and nourishing of the Anglican tradition is guaranteed:
1. by the concession to the Ordinariate of the faculty to celebrate the
Eucharist and the other sacraments, the Liturgy of the Hours and other
liturgical celebrations according to the liturgical rites proper to the Anglican
tradition and approved by the Holy See, without, however, excluding liturgical
celebrations according to the Roman Rite (Ap. Cons. III);
2. by the fact that the Ordinary may determine specific programmes of
formation for seminarians of the Ordinariate living in a diocesan seminary, or
may establish a house of formation for them (Ap. Cons. VI § 5; CN Art.
10 § 2); the seminarians must come from a personal parish of the Ordinariate or
from Anglicanism (CN Art. 10 § 4);
3. by the concession that those who were married Anglican ministers,
including bishops, may be ordained priests according to the norms of the
Encyclical Letter of Paul VI Sacerdotalis coelibatus, n. 42 and of the
Declaration In June, while remaining in the married state (Ap. Cons. VI
§ 1);
4. by the possibility that, following a process of discernment based on
objective criteria and the needs of the Ordinariate (CN Art. 6 § 1), the
Ordinary may also petition the Roman Pontiff, on a case by case basis, to admit
married men to the priesthood as a derogation of CIC can. 277, § 1,
although the general norm of the Ordinariate will be to admit only celibate men
(Ap. Cons. VI § 2);
5. by the fact that the Ordinary may erect personal parishes, after having
consulted with the local Diocesan Bishop and having obtained the consent of the
Holy See (Ap. Cons. VIII § 1);
6. through the capacity to receive into the Ordinariate Institutes of
Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic life coming from Anglicanism, and of
erecting new ones;
7. by the fact that, out of respect for the synodal tradition of Anglicanism:
a) the Ordinary will be appointed by the Roman Pontiff from a terna of
names presented by the Governing Council (CN Art. 4 § 1); b) that the
Pastoral Council will be obligatory (Ap. Cons. X § 2); c) that the Governing
Council, composed of at least six priests, apart from fulfilling the duties
established in the Code of Canon Law for the Presbyteral Council and the College
of Consultors, will also exercise those duties specified in the Complementary
Norms which include in some cases giving or withholding consent or of expressing
a deliberative vote (Ap. Cons. X § 2; CN Art. 12).
The integration of the Ordinariate into the life of the Catholic Church is
assured by those norms which govern the profession of faith and the
relationships of an Ordinariate with an Episcopal Conference, and with
individual Diocesan Bishops. According to these norms:
1. the Catechism of the Catholic Church will be considered the
authentic expression of the faith of the members of the Ordinariate (Ap. Cons. I
§ 5);
2. a Personal Ordinariate will be erected by the Holy See within the
territorial confines of an Episcopal Conference, after having consulted with
that Episcopal Conference (Ap. Cons. I § 1);
3. the Ordinary will be a member of his respective Episcopal Conference and
will be obliged to follow its directives, unless they are incompatible with the
Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus (CN Art. 2);
4. the ordination of ministers coming from Anglicanism will be absolute, on
the basis of the Bull Apostolicae curae of Leo XIII of September 13,
1896. Given the entire Catholic Latin tradition and the tradition of the
Oriental Catholic Churches, including the Orthodox tradition, the admission of
married men to the episcopate is absolutely excluded (NC Art. 11 § 1);
5. the priests incardinated into an Ordinariate constitute its presbyterate,
but are obliged to cultivate bonds of fraternal unity with the presbyterate of
the Dioceses in whose territory they exercise their ministry. They are to
encourage joint initiatives and pastoral and charitable activities, which may be
regulated by agreements between the Ordinary and the Diocesan Bishop or Bishops
concerned (Ap. Cons. VI § 4; NC Art. 3). The Complementary Norms
envisage the possibility of mutual pastoral assistance between priests
incardinated into the Ordinariate and those incardinated into Dioceses in which
there are faithful of the Ordinariate (NC Art. 9 §§ 1 and 2);
6. the priests of the Ordinariate are eligible for election to the
Presbyteral Council of the Dioceses in whose territory they exercise the
pastoral care of the faithful of the Ordinariate (NC Art. 8 § 1);
7. the priests and deacons of the Ordinariate are eligible to be members of
the Pastoral Council of the Dioceses in whose territory the exercise their
ministry (NC Art. 8 § 2);
8. the authority (potestas) of the Ordinary is exercised together with
the Diocesan Bishop in the circumstances envisioned in the Complementary Norms (Ap.
Cons. V; NC Art. 5 § 2);
9. candidates for Holy Orders will be formed together with other seminarians,
especially with regard to doctrinal and pastoral formation, even though
particular programmes or houses of formation may also be established for them (Ap.
Cons. VI § 5; CN Art. 10 § 2);
10. before establishing a personal parish the Ordinary must listen to the
opinion of the Diocesan Bishop of the area (Ap. Cons. VIII § 1);
11. the Complementary Norms establish when the rights and duties proper to a
parish priest of the Ordinariate are to be exercised in mutual pastoral
cooperation with the parish priest of the territory in which the personal parish
has been erected ( Ap. Cons. VIII § 2; CN 14 § 2);
12. the competent tribunal for judicial cases regarding the faithful of the
Ordinariate is that of the Diocese in which one of the parties has domicile,
presuming that the Ordinariate has not constituted its own tribunal (Ap. Cons.
XII).
It is clear that the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus provides
norms which establish the nature and, in general, regulate the life of Personal
Ordinariates erected specifically for Anglicans who wish to enter into full
communion with the Catholic Church.In this way a flexible canonical structure
has been instituted. Moreover, it is foreseeable that what is contained in the
present Apostolic Constitution and Complementary Norms may be adapted in the
Decrees of Erection of each individual Ordinariate in the light of particular
local situations. As the Holy Spirit has guided the preparation of this
Apostolic Constitution, so may he also assist in its application.
[01643-02.01] [Original text: English]
VISITA PASTORALE DEL SANTO PADRE BENEDETTO XVI A BRESCIA E CONCESIO
(8 NOVEMBRE 2009) - V
- COSTITUZIONE APOSTOLICA ANGLICANORUM COETIBUS CIRCA L’ISTITUZIONE
DI ORDINARIATI PERSONALI PER ANGLICANI CHE ENTRANO NELLA PIENA COMUNIONE CON LA
CHIESA CATTOLICA
LE UDIENZE
- AVVISO DI CONFERENZE STAMPA
UDIENZA AI PARTECIPANTI AL VI CONGRESSO MONDIALE PER LA PASTORALE
DEI MIGRANTI E DEI RIFUGIATI
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