Archbishop of Canterbury criticises Rome for springing this announcement on him
By Damian Thompson Religion
Good Lord, I’ve just seen the letter Dr Rowan Williams has sent to the bishops of the Anglican Communion. He sounds humiliated – and, I suspect, furious that the Vatican sprang the plans to welcome ex-Anglicans on him “at a very late stageâ€.
The Vatican has announced today that PopeBenedict XVI has approved an ‘Apostolic Constitution’ (a formal papal decree) which will make some provision for groups of Anglicans (whether strictly members of continuing Anglican bodies or currently members of the Communion) who wish to be received into communion with the See of Rome in such a way that they can retain aspects of Anglican liturgical and spiritual tradition.
I am sorry that there has been no opportunity to alert you earlier to this; I was informed of the planned announcement at a very late stage, and we await the text of the Apostolic Constitution itself and its code of practice in the coming weeks. But I thought I should let you know the main points of the response I am making in our local English context– in full consultation with Roman Catholic bishops in England and Wales – in the hope of avoiding any confusion or misrepresentation.
Personally, I think Rome was entirely justified in acting as it did: can you image the wretched confusion and misleading rumours if Anglican bishops all over the world had been told about this decision months in advance?
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