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The World Seen From Rome
Daily dispatch - November 09, 2009
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VATICAN DOSSIER
- New Avenue Leads to Communion
- Celibacy as a Rule Still in Force for Anglicans
- Pope: Sports Aid Human Development
WORLD FEATURES
- 1st British Anglicans Headed to Rome
- Berlin's Archbishop Recalls Fall of Wall
- Host Countries Might Miss a Chance With Migrants
INTERVIEW
Civilization of Love
DOCUMENTS at ZENIT Web Page
DOCUMENTS
- Apostolic Constitution "Anglicanorum Coetibus"
- Complementary Norms for Anglican Constitution
- Papal Message to Seminar on Faith and Sports
VATICAN DOSSIER
New Avenue Leads to Communion
Commentator Praises Benedict XVI's Fatherly Care
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 9, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The apostolic constitution responding to Anglicans who wish communion with the Holy See opens "a new avenue for the promotion of Christian unity," the Vatican says.
This evaluation was given in a statement from the Vatican announcing "Anglicanorum Coetibus," Benedict XVI's apostolic constitution that establishes personal ordinariates for Anglicans who want to enter the Catholic Church. Complementary norms and an official commentary were also published.
The constitution "introduces a canonical structure that provides for such corporate reunion [...] 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," the statement explained.
This new avenue for promoting Christian unity also grants "legitimate diversity in the expression of our common faith," the Vatican added, assuring that it is "consistent with the commitment to ecumenical dialogue, which continues to be a priority for the Catholic Church."
As well, the statement noted, "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."
Finally, the Vatican clarified in introducing the constitution that the "possibility envisioned [...] 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."
Spirit's prompting
Jesuit Father Gianfranco Ghirlanda, rector of the Pontifical Gregorian University, pointed to Benedict XVI's "fatherly care" with this initiative.
The "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," he wrote, "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."
Certain press reports or critics, most notably dissident theologian Hans Kung, tried to paint the Holy Father's move as a power play, failing to highlight that the constitution is a response to Anglican requests.
Father Ghirlanda also emphasized that unity is first and above all the work of the Holy Spirit.
"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," he wrote.
And he concluded with the wish: "As the Holy Spirit has guided the preparation of this apostolic constitution, so may he also assist in its application."
What we wanted
Indeed, an initial reaction from the leader of the traditionalist Anglican group Forward in Faith called the constitution and norms "extremely impressive."
Bishop John Broadhurst wrote: "I had thought the original notice from Rome was extremely generous. Today all the accompanying papers have been published and they are extremely impressive.
"I have been horrified that the Church of England while trying to accommodate us has consistently said we cannot have the jurisdiction and independent life that most of us feel we need to continue on our Christian pilgrimage. What Rome has done is offer exactly what the Church of England has refused."
--- --- ---
On ZENIT's Web page:
"Anglicanorum Coetibus": www.zenit.org/article-27490?l=english
Complementary norms: www.zenit.org/article-27491?l=english
Official commentary: www.zenit.org/article-27492?l=english
This evaluation was given in a statement from the Vatican announcing "Anglicanorum Coetibus," Benedict XVI's apostolic constitution that establishes personal ordinariates for Anglicans who want to enter the Catholic Church. Complementary norms and an official commentary were also published.
The constitution "introduces a canonical structure that provides for such corporate reunion [...] 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," the statement explained.
This new avenue for promoting Christian unity also grants "legitimate diversity in the expression of our common faith," the Vatican added, assuring that it is "consistent with the commitment to ecumenical dialogue, which continues to be a priority for the Catholic Church."
As well, the statement noted, "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."
Finally, the Vatican clarified in introducing the constitution that the "possibility envisioned [...] 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."
Spirit's prompting
Jesuit Father Gianfranco Ghirlanda, rector of the Pontifical Gregorian University, pointed to Benedict XVI's "fatherly care" with this initiative.
The "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," he wrote, "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."
Certain press reports or critics, most notably dissident theologian Hans Kung, tried to paint the Holy Father's move as a power play, failing to highlight that the constitution is a response to Anglican requests.
Father Ghirlanda also emphasized that unity is first and above all the work of the Holy Spirit.
"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," he wrote.
And he concluded with the wish: "As the Holy Spirit has guided the preparation of this apostolic constitution, so may he also assist in its application."
What we wanted
Indeed, an initial reaction from the leader of the traditionalist Anglican group Forward in Faith called the constitution and norms "extremely impressive."
Bishop John Broadhurst wrote: "I had thought the original notice from Rome was extremely generous. Today all the accompanying papers have been published and they are extremely impressive.
"I have been horrified that the Church of England while trying to accommodate us has consistently said we cannot have the jurisdiction and independent life that most of us feel we need to continue on our Christian pilgrimage. What Rome has done is offer exactly what the Church of England has refused."
--- --- ---
On ZENIT's Web page:
"Anglicanorum Coetibus": www.zenit.org/article-27490?l=english
Complementary norms: www.zenit.org/article-27491?l=english
Official commentary: www.zenit.org/article-27492?l=english
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Celibacy as a Rule Still in Force for Anglicans
Ordination of Married Men to Come Case by Case
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 9, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI's apostolic constitution establishing personal ordinariates for Anglicans in communion with Rome does not alter the discipline of clerical celibacy nor the esteem the Church has for this practice, the Vatican clarified.
This clarification was given today in a statement from the Vatican announcing "Anglicanorum Coetibus," Benedict XVI's apostolic constitution for Anglicans who want to enter the Catholic Church. Complementary norms and an official commentary were also published.
The constitution states: "Those who ministered as Anglican deacons, priests, or bishops, and who fulfill the requisites established by canon law and are not impeded by irregularities or other impediments 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 June' are to be observed. Unmarried ministers must submit to the norm of clerical celibacy of CIC can. 277, §1."
This practice is nothing new and has already been in use for Anglican priests who have come into communion with Rome on an individual basis.
The question nevertheless arose after last month's announcement of the constitution whether married seminarians would be able to become priests.
The document clarifies: "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."
--- --- ---
On ZENIT's Web page:
Anglicanorum coetibus: www.zenit.org/article-27490?l=english
Complementary norms: www.zenit.org/article-27491?l=english
Official commentary: www.zenit.org/article-27492?l=english
This clarification was given today in a statement from the Vatican announcing "Anglicanorum Coetibus," Benedict XVI's apostolic constitution for Anglicans who want to enter the Catholic Church. Complementary norms and an official commentary were also published.
The constitution states: "Those who ministered as Anglican deacons, priests, or bishops, and who fulfill the requisites established by canon law and are not impeded by irregularities or other impediments 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 June' are to be observed. Unmarried ministers must submit to the norm of clerical celibacy of CIC can. 277, §1."
This practice is nothing new and has already been in use for Anglican priests who have come into communion with Rome on an individual basis.
The question nevertheless arose after last month's announcement of the constitution whether married seminarians would be able to become priests.
The document clarifies: "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."
--- --- ---
On ZENIT's Web page:
Anglicanorum coetibus: www.zenit.org/article-27490?l=english
Complementary norms: www.zenit.org/article-27491?l=english
Official commentary: www.zenit.org/article-27492?l=english
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Pope: Sports Aid Human Development
Underlines Support for Healthy Competition
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 9, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is expressing support for sports programs, underlining the role of athletics and competitive activity in the formation of the person.
The Pope stated this in a message sent to participants in a seminar on "Sports, Education and Faith: For a New Stage in the Catholic Sports Movement," which took place Friday and Saturday in Rome.
The message was sent to Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity. The Church and Sport section of that dicastery organized the event.
The Pontiff affirmed, "Sport has a notable educational potential above all in the realm of youth and, because of this, it is of great importance not only in the use of free time, but also in the formation of the person."
"Through sports activities," he said, "the ecclesial community contributes to the formation of youth, offering an appropriate ambit for its human and spiritual growth."
The Holy Father continued, "In fact, when they are directed to the integral development of the person and are managed by qualified and competent personnel, sports initiatives reveal themselves as propitious occasions in which priests, religious and laity can become true and proper educators and teachers of life of young people."
He noted the "urgent need to educate the new generations," and thus underlined the necessity of the Church's continual support of sports for young people."
The Church, Benedict XVI said, fully appreciates "competitive activity in its positive aspects, as for example, in the capacity to stimulate competitiveness, courage and tenacity in the pursuit of objectives."
He noted the need to avoid "all tendencies that pervert" the nature of sports.
"In a coordinated formative action," the Pope affirmed, "Catholic leaders, technicians and operators must be considered experienced guides for adolescents, helping them to develop their own competitive potentialities without neglecting the human qualities and Christian virtues that make the person completely mature."
He concluded by highlighting the "many and precious opportunities that sport can offer youth pastoral care."
--- --- ---
On ZENIT's Web page:
Full text: www.zenit.org/article-27497?l=english
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WORLD FEATURES
1st British Anglicans Headed to Rome
Leaders Note Excitement, Uncertainty
LONDON, NOV. 9, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Anglicans who have sought communion with Rome are giving a positive initial reaction to the apostolic constitution released today that outlines how their personal ordinariates will be established.
In a report posted today on the Messenger Journal, the Great Britain province of the Traditional Anglican Communion said they are "the first to accept" the Vatican initiative.
The vote was unanimous including mail-in votes from those not present, and took place before the constitution was even released, the report explained.
"Significantly, this vote took place in the birthplace of the Anglican Communion," the statement added. "The synod was held at St. Catherine's Priory, a restored monastic house destroyed by Henry VIII."
Impressive
An initial reaction from the leader of the traditionalist Anglican group Forward in Faith called the constitution and norms "extremely impressive."
Bishop John Broadhurst wrote: "I had thought the original notice from Rome was extremely generous. Today all the accompanying papers have been published and they are extremely impressive.
"I have been horrified that the Church of England while trying to accommodate us has consistently said we cannot have the jurisdiction and independent life that most of us feel we need to continue on our Christian pilgrimage. What Rome has done is offer exactly what the Church of England has refused."
Way forward
Bishop Broadhurst did not hide that the way forward is complex.
"We all need now to ask the question 'is this what we want?'" the bishop said. "For some of us I suspect our bluff is called! This is both an exciting and dangerous time for Christianity in this country."
He noted that those who take the offer will need "to enter into negotiation with the Church of England about access to parish churches and many other matters."
"This situation must not be used to damage the Church of England but I do believe we have a valid claim on our own heritage in history," he wrote.
As to doctrine, the Anglican prelate noted that the "doctrinal standard demanded by Rome" is the Catechism of the Catholic Church, "which most of us use any way."
"We will all need to meet and talk," he remarked.
"It is not my style to give a expansive analysis of a document that I have only received today," the bishop concluded, "nor will I answer the question 'What are you going to do?' That is something we need to work out together."
In a report posted today on the Messenger Journal, the Great Britain province of the Traditional Anglican Communion said they are "the first to accept" the Vatican initiative.
The vote was unanimous including mail-in votes from those not present, and took place before the constitution was even released, the report explained.
"Significantly, this vote took place in the birthplace of the Anglican Communion," the statement added. "The synod was held at St. Catherine's Priory, a restored monastic house destroyed by Henry VIII."
Impressive
An initial reaction from the leader of the traditionalist Anglican group Forward in Faith called the constitution and norms "extremely impressive."
Bishop John Broadhurst wrote: "I had thought the original notice from Rome was extremely generous. Today all the accompanying papers have been published and they are extremely impressive.
"I have been horrified that the Church of England while trying to accommodate us has consistently said we cannot have the jurisdiction and independent life that most of us feel we need to continue on our Christian pilgrimage. What Rome has done is offer exactly what the Church of England has refused."
Way forward
Bishop Broadhurst did not hide that the way forward is complex.
"We all need now to ask the question 'is this what we want?'" the bishop said. "For some of us I suspect our bluff is called! This is both an exciting and dangerous time for Christianity in this country."
He noted that those who take the offer will need "to enter into negotiation with the Church of England about access to parish churches and many other matters."
"This situation must not be used to damage the Church of England but I do believe we have a valid claim on our own heritage in history," he wrote.
As to doctrine, the Anglican prelate noted that the "doctrinal standard demanded by Rome" is the Catechism of the Catholic Church, "which most of us use any way."
"We will all need to meet and talk," he remarked.
"It is not my style to give a expansive analysis of a document that I have only received today," the bishop concluded, "nor will I answer the question 'What are you going to do?' That is something we need to work out together."
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Berlin's Archbishop Recalls Fall of Wall
Says Differences Remain Between East and West
By Serena Sartini
BERLIN, Germany, NOV. 9, 2009 (Zenit.org).- On the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the city's archbishop is recalling the moment of Germany's reunification with gratitude.
Cardinal Georg Maximilian Sterzinsky told ZENIT that when the border between East and West Germany was opened Nov. 9, 1989, he "couldn't believe it."
He had just been ordained a bishop on Sept. 9, and explained that he had been traveling to Rome to visit the Pope when the wall fell.
"Watching Italian television I saw the citizens of East Berlin as they crossed the borders," the prelate recalled. "The next day I learned what had happened."
Still today, when recalling that event, he said that he feels "above all, gratitude."
"After what had happened in Tiananmen Square, in Beijing," the cardinal explained, all of us in the German Democratic Republic [East Germany] "seriously feared that it could end in violent confrontations."
As a newly ordained priest, before being named bishop, one of his first assignments had been to serve as pastor for 15 years at St. John the Baptist Community in Jena, which boasted the greatest number of Catholics in the territory of the former German Democratic Republic.
Cardinal Sterzinsky noted that among Germans today, "the euphoria over the fall of the wall has vanished."
Expectations
Although some people imagined that after this event the churches would be filled, he said, it did not happen quite as expected. "We have always lived in the diaspora in East Germany," he explained.
The prelate continued, "No doubt many have placed in newly united Germany expectations that haven't been realized."
The East and the West "have developed together in many areas," he observed, but "there are still fundamental differences."
Those from the West, the cardinal explained, are "far more individualistic in their way of thinking and presenting themselves."
In contrast, he continued, "people who come from East Germany have a way of feeling and thinking that is more collective."
Though striving for unity, Cardinal Sterzinsky affirmed that the people from the two sides of the country have "a different taste for life."
BERLIN, Germany, NOV. 9, 2009 (Zenit.org).- On the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the city's archbishop is recalling the moment of Germany's reunification with gratitude.
Cardinal Georg Maximilian Sterzinsky told ZENIT that when the border between East and West Germany was opened Nov. 9, 1989, he "couldn't believe it."
He had just been ordained a bishop on Sept. 9, and explained that he had been traveling to Rome to visit the Pope when the wall fell.
"Watching Italian television I saw the citizens of East Berlin as they crossed the borders," the prelate recalled. "The next day I learned what had happened."
Still today, when recalling that event, he said that he feels "above all, gratitude."
"After what had happened in Tiananmen Square, in Beijing," the cardinal explained, all of us in the German Democratic Republic [East Germany] "seriously feared that it could end in violent confrontations."
As a newly ordained priest, before being named bishop, one of his first assignments had been to serve as pastor for 15 years at St. John the Baptist Community in Jena, which boasted the greatest number of Catholics in the territory of the former German Democratic Republic.
Cardinal Sterzinsky noted that among Germans today, "the euphoria over the fall of the wall has vanished."
Expectations
Although some people imagined that after this event the churches would be filled, he said, it did not happen quite as expected. "We have always lived in the diaspora in East Germany," he explained.
The prelate continued, "No doubt many have placed in newly united Germany expectations that haven't been realized."
The East and the West "have developed together in many areas," he observed, but "there are still fundamental differences."
Those from the West, the cardinal explained, are "far more individualistic in their way of thinking and presenting themselves."
In contrast, he continued, "people who come from East Germany have a way of feeling and thinking that is more collective."
Though striving for unity, Cardinal Sterzinsky affirmed that the people from the two sides of the country have "a different taste for life."
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Host Countries Might Miss a Chance With Migrants
Vatican Urges Integration Not Assimilation
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 9, 2009 (Zenit.org).- When immigrants arrive to their destinations, integration is a two-way street, according to the secretary of the Vatican's council on migration.
Archbishop Agostino Marchetto said today that immigrants do not have the sole responsibility of adapting to the culture of their host countries and that citizens of nations that receive migrants also have to be ready to make changes.
The archbishop made this affirmation as the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Travelers began its conference on how the topic of human mobility has developed in the past five years. The council secretary began the event with an overview of the phenomenon in some of its salient aspects.
He looked at some of the causes of migration, but noted Benedict XVI's affirmation in "Caritas in Veritate": "On this earth there is room for everyone: Here the entire human family must find the resources to live with dignity, through the help of nature itself -- God's gift to his children -- and through hard work and creativity."
Archbishop Marchetto also reflected on the relationship between immigration and development.
He noted that "the cause-and-effect ratio between the two terms of the binomial is not linear. It is believed that lack of development in countries of origin triggers emigration, because it is difficult to ensure a decent life in them, or even meet basic survival needs for oneself and one's family. Yet emigration itself can also generate a lack of development, which becomes quite difficult if a country of origin is deprived of its best human resources who are used to make a significant contribution to local production and its ancillary processes."
Related to this latter consideration, the prelate mentioned the problem of "brain drain," and the recruiting of skilled laborers by developed countries.
Millions moving
In any case, immigration is a widespread phenomenon, the archbishop observed, noting that at its peak between 2005 and 2008, there were an average of 3.3 million migrants per year around the globe.
The obvious consequence to these numbers is that the issue of immigrant integration is faced by masses of people.
"Does integration mean that immigrants must adapt themselves to the local model of life, to the extent of becoming copies of the native people, thus neglecting their own legitimate cultural roots?" the archbishop asked. "If this were the case, they would be assimilated rather than integrated."
The Vatican official contended that such "assimilation" is an "impoverishment of the host society, because the cultural and human contribution made by immigrants is thus minimized or even cancelled out."
"Undoubtedly," he said, "immigrants should take the necessary steps to be socially included in their places of arrival, but this process should respect the cultural heritage that everyone brings with them."
"Therefore, true integration occurs where interaction between immigrants and the native population is not limited to social and economic relations, but is fully acted out, including in the area of culture," Archbishop Marchetto added. "Both parties, however, should be willing to do so, because the driver of integration is dialogue, which presupposes a reciprocal relationship."
The Vatican conference concludes on Thursday. The Holy Father addressed the participants today.
Archbishop Agostino Marchetto said today that immigrants do not have the sole responsibility of adapting to the culture of their host countries and that citizens of nations that receive migrants also have to be ready to make changes.
The archbishop made this affirmation as the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Travelers began its conference on how the topic of human mobility has developed in the past five years. The council secretary began the event with an overview of the phenomenon in some of its salient aspects.
He looked at some of the causes of migration, but noted Benedict XVI's affirmation in "Caritas in Veritate": "On this earth there is room for everyone: Here the entire human family must find the resources to live with dignity, through the help of nature itself -- God's gift to his children -- and through hard work and creativity."
Archbishop Marchetto also reflected on the relationship between immigration and development.
He noted that "the cause-and-effect ratio between the two terms of the binomial is not linear. It is believed that lack of development in countries of origin triggers emigration, because it is difficult to ensure a decent life in them, or even meet basic survival needs for oneself and one's family. Yet emigration itself can also generate a lack of development, which becomes quite difficult if a country of origin is deprived of its best human resources who are used to make a significant contribution to local production and its ancillary processes."
Related to this latter consideration, the prelate mentioned the problem of "brain drain," and the recruiting of skilled laborers by developed countries.
Millions moving
In any case, immigration is a widespread phenomenon, the archbishop observed, noting that at its peak between 2005 and 2008, there were an average of 3.3 million migrants per year around the globe.
The obvious consequence to these numbers is that the issue of immigrant integration is faced by masses of people.
"Does integration mean that immigrants must adapt themselves to the local model of life, to the extent of becoming copies of the native people, thus neglecting their own legitimate cultural roots?" the archbishop asked. "If this were the case, they would be assimilated rather than integrated."
The Vatican official contended that such "assimilation" is an "impoverishment of the host society, because the cultural and human contribution made by immigrants is thus minimized or even cancelled out."
"Undoubtedly," he said, "immigrants should take the necessary steps to be socially included in their places of arrival, but this process should respect the cultural heritage that everyone brings with them."
"Therefore, true integration occurs where interaction between immigrants and the native population is not limited to social and economic relations, but is fully acted out, including in the area of culture," Archbishop Marchetto added. "Both parties, however, should be willing to do so, because the driver of integration is dialogue, which presupposes a reciprocal relationship."
The Vatican conference concludes on Thursday. The Holy Father addressed the participants today.
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INTERVIEW
Readying the Field for God
Interview on Evangelizing Youth Through Sports
By Carmen Elena Villa
ROME, NOV. 9, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Sports are an effective way to prepare young people for a meeting with God, according to a participant in a seminar on athletics, education and faith organized by the Vatican's laity council.
Spanish Father Javier Agudo García, 54, participated in a discussion panel at the event, which ended Saturday in Rome.
The priest told ZENIT that pastoral ministers should implement "threshold pedagogy" in sports, that is, to make sports a school of values such as friendship, teamwork, and humility -- in triumph or defeat -- so that the young person can come to the threshold of evangelization.
"It is a privileged place that helps to understand the Gospel itself," said Father García.
ZENIT: What makes a person look at sports with the eyes of faith?
Father Agudo García: Our faith is a way of looking at the world, it isn't only a series of practices but a concrete position. The believing player must look at the other not as an enemy. Professional sports are something different, [it's] where money is involved, where the one who loses does not win. For us God is the great arbiter and Christian values are his guide. This influence makes a difference -- as it does in any activity -- between those who look from the point of view of faith and those who do so from another perspective.
ZENIT: How can sports increase or strengthen the faith of one who practices it?
Father Agudo García: By the habits and values in which it plays out. The testimony of educators is important -- a few good educators giving testimony of [coherence] between what is done and what is lived. Sports thus become a small school in society. When the sportsman becomes a professional, he will have to compete not in the field of sport but with lawyers, doctors, chemists and physicians. And thus he will be able to apply the values he learned as a youth playing sports.
ZENIT: In your experience of work with young people, have you come across someone who discerned his vocation to consecrated life through the practice of sports?
Father Agudo García: I must say that it is usually not so miraculous as to come to the subject of vocation, but it does offer an approach to God. Sport is an excellent place for the young person to experience coexistence with others. The youngsters with whom I work belong to Christian families and their entering a dimension with others brings them closer to God.
ZENIT: Are you devoted to some sports saints?
Father Agudo García: In the folder of this seminar they have given us a booklet on St. Paul and sports. He referred much to sports, especially in the First Letter to the Corinthians; he made analogies with the Christian life. It is important to keep him in mind, especially now when we have just ended the Pauline year. He was a man with a vision who valued sport as a place and space of personal effort."
ZENIT: What do you believe are some of the threats posed to sports today?
Father Agudo García: They are there in today's world. Competitiveness that sees a god in money ... a very harsh competitiveness that makes a person take recourse to doping because what matters is no longer the effort but only winning. So the essential values are blurred.
ZENIT: How do you see the fact that the Holy See gives space to sports through this seminar and the "Church and Sports" section of the Pontifical Council for the Laity?
Father Agudo García: If we have said that sport is a part of education, the fact that the Holy See is behind it, makes those of us who work in Catholic education see that there is support. In this way we realize the potential -- I'm not sure if it is evangelizing [potential] but certainly brings all that initial pedagogy that leads the child to understand the Gospel.
ZENIT: Is there a film that highlights the pedagogic dimension of sports?
Father Agudo García: "Karate Kid" comes to mind, from 1984. I value it for that struggle, the effort of Daniel Larusso, (played by Ralph Marcchio) to learn when confronted with other youths of a Los Angeles gang who make a mistaken use of the practice of karate. It is a very educational film and, in fact, makes an analysis of two visions of sport which have been discussed in this seminar."
ZENIT: Almost 10 years after the celebration of the Jubilee Year, what do you recall of John Paul II's words during the Athletes' Jubilee?
Father Agudo García: I remember that the Pope emphasized the formation of those of us who are educators, the importance that development has, which gives a horizon to life. We live in a world where young people have no clear orientation and those who are in sports have their fixed goals and an activity on which they center their lives.
[Translation by ZENIT]
ROME, NOV. 9, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Sports are an effective way to prepare young people for a meeting with God, according to a participant in a seminar on athletics, education and faith organized by the Vatican's laity council.
Spanish Father Javier Agudo García, 54, participated in a discussion panel at the event, which ended Saturday in Rome.
The priest told ZENIT that pastoral ministers should implement "threshold pedagogy" in sports, that is, to make sports a school of values such as friendship, teamwork, and humility -- in triumph or defeat -- so that the young person can come to the threshold of evangelization.
"It is a privileged place that helps to understand the Gospel itself," said Father García.
ZENIT: What makes a person look at sports with the eyes of faith?
Father Agudo García: Our faith is a way of looking at the world, it isn't only a series of practices but a concrete position. The believing player must look at the other not as an enemy. Professional sports are something different, [it's] where money is involved, where the one who loses does not win. For us God is the great arbiter and Christian values are his guide. This influence makes a difference -- as it does in any activity -- between those who look from the point of view of faith and those who do so from another perspective.
ZENIT: How can sports increase or strengthen the faith of one who practices it?
Father Agudo García: By the habits and values in which it plays out. The testimony of educators is important -- a few good educators giving testimony of [coherence] between what is done and what is lived. Sports thus become a small school in society. When the sportsman becomes a professional, he will have to compete not in the field of sport but with lawyers, doctors, chemists and physicians. And thus he will be able to apply the values he learned as a youth playing sports.
ZENIT: In your experience of work with young people, have you come across someone who discerned his vocation to consecrated life through the practice of sports?
Father Agudo García: I must say that it is usually not so miraculous as to come to the subject of vocation, but it does offer an approach to God. Sport is an excellent place for the young person to experience coexistence with others. The youngsters with whom I work belong to Christian families and their entering a dimension with others brings them closer to God.
ZENIT: Are you devoted to some sports saints?
Father Agudo García: In the folder of this seminar they have given us a booklet on St. Paul and sports. He referred much to sports, especially in the First Letter to the Corinthians; he made analogies with the Christian life. It is important to keep him in mind, especially now when we have just ended the Pauline year. He was a man with a vision who valued sport as a place and space of personal effort."
ZENIT: What do you believe are some of the threats posed to sports today?
Father Agudo García: They are there in today's world. Competitiveness that sees a god in money ... a very harsh competitiveness that makes a person take recourse to doping because what matters is no longer the effort but only winning. So the essential values are blurred.
ZENIT: How do you see the fact that the Holy See gives space to sports through this seminar and the "Church and Sports" section of the Pontifical Council for the Laity?
Father Agudo García: If we have said that sport is a part of education, the fact that the Holy See is behind it, makes those of us who work in Catholic education see that there is support. In this way we realize the potential -- I'm not sure if it is evangelizing [potential] but certainly brings all that initial pedagogy that leads the child to understand the Gospel.
ZENIT: Is there a film that highlights the pedagogic dimension of sports?
Father Agudo García: "Karate Kid" comes to mind, from 1984. I value it for that struggle, the effort of Daniel Larusso, (played by Ralph Marcchio) to learn when confronted with other youths of a Los Angeles gang who make a mistaken use of the practice of karate. It is a very educational film and, in fact, makes an analysis of two visions of sport which have been discussed in this seminar."
ZENIT: Almost 10 years after the celebration of the Jubilee Year, what do you recall of John Paul II's words during the Athletes' Jubilee?
Father Agudo García: I remember that the Pope emphasized the formation of those of us who are educators, the importance that development has, which gives a horizon to life. We live in a world where young people have no clear orientation and those who are in sports have their fixed goals and an activity on which they center their lives.
[Translation by ZENIT]
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Civilization of Love
Health Care and the "Creative Minority"
Abortion Amendment Finds Its Way Into Reform Bill
By Carl Anderson
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 9, 2009 (Zenit.org).- With an abortion-friendly political majority solidly in control of the U.S. government, an abortion-mandating health care bill seemed to many a "fait accompli." People didn't count on the power of a "creative minority."
On his recent trip to the Czech Republic, Benedict XVI called for the Church to act as a "creative minority" in the public square.
In his most recent use of this term, he said: "I would say that usually it is creative minorities who determine the future, and in this regard the Catholic Church must understand that she is a creative minority who has a heritage of values that are not things of the past, but a very lively and relevant reality. The Church must modernize, she must be present in the public debate."
On Saturday, the world saw this vision for a creative minority in action. The addition of an amendment that would ban public funding for abortion to the health care reform legislation was just such a creative presence in the public debate.
The passage of the Stupak Amendment -- named for Catholic and Knight of Columbus Representative Bart Stupak, a Democrat, and the amendment's author -- shows just how far America has come on the abortion debate.
A New York Times blog reported that some opponents had called it the most significant restriction on abortion since the Hyde Amendment. That amendment -- passed in 1976 -- banned the use of Federal funds for abortion in the United States. It was named for Catholic -- and Knight of Columbus -- Representative Henry Hyde, a Republican.
The Stupak Amendment goes even further in banning government funding of abortion.
Bishops' Support Critical
The efforts to exclude abortion funding from health care were supported by the U.S. episcopal conference, who urged support of the Stupak Amendment at Masses throughout the country as the "sine qua non" of the health care debate.
That strong leadership and support for principled legislation is to be commended, and has been widely discussed in the media as a key factor in the health care-abortion debate.
For years, pundits have warned of a backlash against strong leadership by the Catholic bishops of the United States on the issue of abortion. Nothing could be further from the truth. As the vote to keep abortion out of health care reform in the U.S. House of Representatives shows, strong leadership has resulted in a huge victory.
Predicted Shift
Those who closely follow the abortion debate in this country might be less surprised at the outcome of the Stupak Amendment than some in the media and Congress.
After all, poll after poll this spring and summer has shown a significant shift in Americans attitudes on abortion. Polling from Gallup and Pew showed decisive majorities opposed to the unrestricted abortion legacy of Roe v. Wade. A pro-life majority was even visible for the first time.
The most detailed of these polls, one commissioned by the Knights of Columbus found that 86% of Americans want significant restrictions on abortion.
And in September, a Rasmussen poll found that only 13% of Americans wanted abortion covered in government subsidized health care.
The writing was on the wall. The polling showed that years of unwavering teaching by the bishops, and tireless efforts by Catholics and others committed to life had begun to pay off.
What was needed in the health care debate was principled action -- and the American people got just that. With the clear voice of U.S. bishops and from the principled action by those like Bart Stupak, and the 64 Democrats who broke party ranks to join him, a clear pro-life victory was achieved.
With their party in control of both the presidency and both houses of Congress, enough Democrat lawmakers were willing to stand up to their own party leadership to represent a "creative minority" within their own party.
The result is this: What polling showed earlier this year, the political process proved this weekend. America is becoming a country increasingly uneasy with Roe v. Wade's abortion legacy. To build a better future requires only that the creative minority act with principle on its convictions.
* * *
Carl Anderson is the supreme knight of the Knights of Columbus and a New York Times bestselling author.
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 9, 2009 (Zenit.org).- With an abortion-friendly political majority solidly in control of the U.S. government, an abortion-mandating health care bill seemed to many a "fait accompli." People didn't count on the power of a "creative minority."
On his recent trip to the Czech Republic, Benedict XVI called for the Church to act as a "creative minority" in the public square.
In his most recent use of this term, he said: "I would say that usually it is creative minorities who determine the future, and in this regard the Catholic Church must understand that she is a creative minority who has a heritage of values that are not things of the past, but a very lively and relevant reality. The Church must modernize, she must be present in the public debate."
On Saturday, the world saw this vision for a creative minority in action. The addition of an amendment that would ban public funding for abortion to the health care reform legislation was just such a creative presence in the public debate.
The passage of the Stupak Amendment -- named for Catholic and Knight of Columbus Representative Bart Stupak, a Democrat, and the amendment's author -- shows just how far America has come on the abortion debate.
A New York Times blog reported that some opponents had called it the most significant restriction on abortion since the Hyde Amendment. That amendment -- passed in 1976 -- banned the use of Federal funds for abortion in the United States. It was named for Catholic -- and Knight of Columbus -- Representative Henry Hyde, a Republican.
The Stupak Amendment goes even further in banning government funding of abortion.
Bishops' Support Critical
The efforts to exclude abortion funding from health care were supported by the U.S. episcopal conference, who urged support of the Stupak Amendment at Masses throughout the country as the "sine qua non" of the health care debate.
That strong leadership and support for principled legislation is to be commended, and has been widely discussed in the media as a key factor in the health care-abortion debate.
For years, pundits have warned of a backlash against strong leadership by the Catholic bishops of the United States on the issue of abortion. Nothing could be further from the truth. As the vote to keep abortion out of health care reform in the U.S. House of Representatives shows, strong leadership has resulted in a huge victory.
Predicted Shift
Those who closely follow the abortion debate in this country might be less surprised at the outcome of the Stupak Amendment than some in the media and Congress.
After all, poll after poll this spring and summer has shown a significant shift in Americans attitudes on abortion. Polling from Gallup and Pew showed decisive majorities opposed to the unrestricted abortion legacy of Roe v. Wade. A pro-life majority was even visible for the first time.
The most detailed of these polls, one commissioned by the Knights of Columbus found that 86% of Americans want significant restrictions on abortion.
And in September, a Rasmussen poll found that only 13% of Americans wanted abortion covered in government subsidized health care.
The writing was on the wall. The polling showed that years of unwavering teaching by the bishops, and tireless efforts by Catholics and others committed to life had begun to pay off.
What was needed in the health care debate was principled action -- and the American people got just that. With the clear voice of U.S. bishops and from the principled action by those like Bart Stupak, and the 64 Democrats who broke party ranks to join him, a clear pro-life victory was achieved.
With their party in control of both the presidency and both houses of Congress, enough Democrat lawmakers were willing to stand up to their own party leadership to represent a "creative minority" within their own party.
The result is this: What polling showed earlier this year, the political process proved this weekend. America is becoming a country increasingly uneasy with Roe v. Wade's abortion legacy. To build a better future requires only that the creative minority act with principle on its convictions.
* * *
Carl Anderson is the supreme knight of the Knights of Columbus and a New York Times bestselling author.
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DOCUMENTS at ZENIT Web Page
Significance of "Anglicanorum Coetibus"
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 9, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The official Vatican commentary on the significance of the apostolic constitution "Anglicanorum Coetibus" is available on ZENIT's Web page.
Both the constitution and the commentary were published today by the Holy See, along with the constitution's complementary norms.
The commentary was written by Jesuit Father Gianfranco Ghirlanda, who currently serves as rector of the Pontifical Gregorian University.
* * *
On ZENIT's Web page:
Full text: www.zenit.org/article-27492?l=english
Both the constitution and the commentary were published today by the Holy See, along with the constitution's complementary norms.
The commentary was written by Jesuit Father Gianfranco Ghirlanda, who currently serves as rector of the Pontifical Gregorian University.
* * *
On ZENIT's Web page:
Full text: www.zenit.org/article-27492?l=english
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DOCUMENTS
Apostolic Constitution "Anglicanorum Coetibus"
"Jesus Prayed to the Father for the Unity of His Disciples"
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 9, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is the apostolic constitution "Anglicanorum Coetibus," which was signed by Benedict XVI on Nov. 4 and published today.
The constitution introduces a canonical structure that will allow groups of Anglicans to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of their spiritual and liturgical patrimony.
* * *
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 law[13] and are not impeded by irregularities or other impediments[14] 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. 42[15] and in the Statement In June[16] 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.
The constitution introduces a canonical structure that will allow groups of Anglicans to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of their spiritual and liturgical patrimony.
* * *
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 law[13] and are not impeded by irregularities or other impediments[14] 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. 42[15] and in the Statement In June[16] 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.
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Complementary Norms for Anglican Constitution
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 9, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here are the complementary norms for the apostolic constitution "Anglicanorum Coetibus," which was signed Nov. 4 by Cardinal William Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Archbishop Luis Ladaria, secretary of the same congregation.
* * *
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.
Cardinal William Levada
Prefect
Luis. F. Ladaria, S.I.
Titular Archbishop of Thibica
Secretary
* * *
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.
Cardinal William Levada
Prefect
Luis. F. Ladaria, S.I.
Titular Archbishop of Thibica
Secretary
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Papal Message to Seminar on Faith and Sports
"Sport Has a Notable Educational Potential"
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 9, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the message Benedict XVI sent to Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, on the occasion of the two-day seminar titled "Sports, Education and Faith: For a New Stage in the Catholic Sports Movement," which ended Saturday in Rome.
* * *To Venerated Brother
Stanislaw Cardinal Rylko
President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity
With great pleasure I send a cordial greeting to you, to the secretary, to the collaborators of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, to the representatives of Catholic organizations that work in the world of sports, to those in charge of international and national sports associations and to all those taking part in the study seminar on the theme: "Sports, Education and Faith: For a New Stage in the Catholic Sports Movement," organized by the Church and Sport section of this dicastery.
Sport has a notable educational potential above all in the realm of youth and, because of this, it is of great Importance not only in the use of free time, but also in the formation of the person. Vatican Council II named it among the means that belong to the common patrimony of men and that are appropriate for moral perfection and human formation (cf "Gravissimum Educationis," No. 4).
If this is true for sports activity in general, it is all the more so for that which is carried out in oratorios, in schools and in sports associations, for the purpose of ensuring a human and Christian formation to the new generations. As I had the opportunity to remind recently, it must not be forgotten that "sports, practiced with passion and vigilant ethical sense becomes, especially for youth, training in healthy competitiveness and physical improvement, school of formation in human and spiritual values, privileged means of personal growth and of contact with society" (Address to the participants of the Swimming World Cup, Aug. 1, 2009).
Through sports activities, the ecclesial community contributes to the formation of youth, offering an appropriate ambit for its human and spiritual growth. In fact, when they are directed to the integral development of the person and are managed by qualified and competent personnel, sports initiatives reveal themselves as propitious occasions in which priests, religious and laity can become true and proper educators and teachers of life of young people. Hence, it is necessary that, in our time -- in which we see the urgent need to educate the new generations -- the Church continue to support sports for young people, fully appreciating also competitive activity in its positive aspects, as for example, in the capacity to stimulate competitiveness, courage and tenacity in the pursuit of objectives avoiding, however, all tendencies that pervert its very nature with recourse to practices that are also dangerous to the organism, as is the case of doping. In a coordinated formative action, Catholic leaders, technicians and operators must be considered experienced guides for adolescents, helping them to develop their own competitive potentialities without neglecting the human qualities and Christian virtues which make the person completely mature.
In this perspective, I find it very useful that this third Seminar of the "Church and Sport" section of the Pontifical Council for the Laity focus its attention on the specific mission and the Catholic identity of sports associations, of schools and of oratories managed by the Church. It is my heartfelt hope that it will help to take advantage of the many and precious opportunities that sport can offer youth pastoral care and, while hoping for a fruitful meeting, I assure you of my prayer invoking on the participants and on those who are involved in promoting a healthy sports activity, particularly in Catholic institutions, the guidance of the Holy Spirit and Mary's maternal protection. With these sentiments, I send to all my heartfelt Apostolic Blessing.
In the Vatican, Nov. 3, 2009
BENEDICTUS PP. XVI
[Translation by ZENIT]
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