The Traditional Anglican Communion in the UK voted last Thursday (October 29th)to request that they form part of the proposed Ordinariate in the UK.
During the Forward in Faith conference Archbishop Hepworth of the TAC had stated that the motion would be placed before the Synod of the Traditional Anglican Church in the UK (and other Synods of the TAC) that the Apostolic Constitution of Benedict XVI be accepted and that its immediate implementation be requested.
The website of the TAC in the UK is now reporting that the following resolution was passed:
"The Resolutions
That this Assembly, representing the Traditional Anglican Communion in Great Britain, offers its joyful thanks to Pope Benedict XVI for his forthcoming Apostolic Constitution allowing the corporate reunion of Anglicans with the Holy See, and requests the Primate and College of Bishops of the Traditional Anglican Communion to take the steps necessary to implement this Constitution.
That this Assembly is of the respectful opinion that Bishop Robert Mercer CR might be considered for the position of Ordinary in Great Britain."
This is not unexpected as the TAC was the group that had approached Rome and Archbishop Hepworth had publically stated that the offer of the "ordinariates" exceeded their expectations.
The TAC in the UK numbers about twenty parishes (they also have one in France). Some of these parishes would be more accurately described as mass centres rather than parishes in the full sense of the word.
This is good news as it is the first indication that the Pope's offer is being accepted.
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4 comments:
The TAC may have only a tiny presence in the UK, but they have thousands of people in Australia (Hepworth is Australian) and South Africa. Quite a lot in Canada and the USA, too, although the word is that the latter are less likely to accept the offer. The Holy Father's initative will bear fruit in lots of places.
Is Bishop Robert Mercer still alive?
I heard he had died some years ago?
And is he still a member of the CR?
Bishop Mercer is 74, I believe. I have no idea about CR.
Robert Mercer is unable to be an ordinary for Great Britain. The Apostolic Constitution states that an ordinariate must be set up within an episcopal conference. An 'Epsicopal Conference of Great Britain' does not exist. If he were to be an ordinary somewhere in the British state it would have to be either in Scotland or England and Wales which each has its own separate conference of bishops.
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