Note on Anglicans entering the Catholic Church

Our Lady of Walsingham, Patroness of England

VIS NINETEENTH YEAR – N. 181 – TUESDAY, 20 OCTOBER 2009

VATICAN CITY, 20 OCT 2009 (VIS) – In a meeting with journalists held this morning in the Holy See Press Office Cardinal William Joseph Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Archbishop Joseph Augustine Di Noia O.P., secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, presented a note on a new measure concerning «Personal Ordinariates for Anglicans entering the Catholic Church».

Commenting on the English-language note, which has been published by his dicastery, Cardinal Levada explained how, «with the preparation of an Apostolic Constitution, the Catholic Church is responding to the many requests that have been submitted to the Holy See from groups of Anglican clergy and faithful in different parts of the world who wish to enter into full visible communion».

«In this Apostolic Constitution the Holy Father has introduced a canonical structure that provides for such corporate reunion by establishing Personal Ordinariates, which will allow former Anglicans to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of the distinctive Anglican spiritual and liturgical patrimony. Under the terms of the Apostolic Constitution, pastoral oversight and guidance will be provided for groups of former Anglicans through a Personal Ordinariate, whose Ordinary will usually be appointed from among former Anglican clergy».

«The forthcoming Apostolic Constitution provides a reasonable and even necessary response to a worldwide phenomenon, by offering a single canonical model for the universal Church which is adaptable to various local situations and equitable to former Anglicans in its universal application. It provides for the ordination as Catholic priests of married former Anglican clergy. Historical and ecumenical reasons preclude the ordination of married men as bishops in both the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. The Constitution therefore stipulates that the Ordinary can be either a priest or an unmarried bishop. The seminarians in the Ordinariate are to be prepared alongside other Catholic seminarians, though the Ordinariate may establish a house of formation to address the particular needs of formation in the Anglican patrimony».

«The provision of this new structure is consistent with the commitment to ecumenical dialogue, which continues to be a priority for the Catholic Church, particularly through the efforts of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. The initiative has come from a number of different groups of Anglicans» who, said Cardinal Levada, «have declared that they share the common Catholic faith as it is expressed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and accept the Petrine ministry as something Christ willed for the Church. For them, the time has come to express this implicit unity in the visible form of full communion».

The cardinal further indicated that «it is the hope of the Holy Father Benedict XVI that the Anglican clergy and faithful who desire union with the Catholic Church will find in this canonical structure the opportunity to preserve those Anglican traditions precious to them and consistent with the Catholic faith. Insofar as these traditions express in a distinctive way the faith that is held in common, they are a gift to be shared in the wider Church. The unity of the Church does not require a uniformity that ignores cultural diversity, as the history of Christianity shows. Moreover, the many diverse traditions present in the Catholic Church today are all rooted in the principle articulated by St. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians: “There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism”».

«Our communion», the cardinal added in conclusion, «is therefore strengthened by such legitimate diversity, and so we are happy that these men and women bring with them their particular contributions to our common life of faith».

In a joint declaration on the same subject, Catholic Archbishop Vincent Gerard Nichols of Westminster and Anglican Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury affirm that the announcement of the Apostolic Constitution «brings to an end a period of uncertainty for such groups who have nurtured hopes of new ways of embracing unity with the Catholic Church. It will now be up to those who have made requests to the Holy See to respond to the Apostolic Constitution», which is a «consequence of ecumenical dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion».

«The on-going official dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion provides the basis for our continuing co-operation», the declaration adds. «The Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) and International Anglican Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission (IARCCUM) agreements make clear the path we will follow together».

«With God’s grace and prayer we are determined that our on-going mutual commitment and consultation on these and other matters should continue to be strengthened. Locally, in the spirit of IARCCUM, we look forward to building on the pattern of shared meetings between the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales and the Church of England’s House of Bishops with a focus on our common mission».

CDF/ANGLICANS CATHOLICS/LEVADA VIS 091020 (820)

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Personal Ordinariates for Anglicans entering the Catholic Church

Our Lady of Walsingham, Patroness of England

Note of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
about personal Ordinariates for Anglicans entering the Catholic Church

Bollettino della Sala Stampa della Santa Sede quotidiano del: 20.10.2009

With the preparation of an Apostolic Constitution, the Catholic Church is responding to the many requests that have been submitted to the Holy See from groups of Anglican clergy and faithful in different parts of the world who wish to enter into full visible communion.

In this Apostolic Constitution the Holy Father has introduced a canonical structure that provides for such corporate reunion by establishing Personal Ordinariates, which will allow former Anglicans to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of the distinctive Anglican spiritual and liturgical patrimony. Under the terms of the Apostolic Constitution, pastoral oversight and guidance will be provided for groups of former Anglicans through a Personal Ordinariate, whose Ordinary will usually be appointed from among former Anglican clergy.

The forthcoming Apostolic Constitution provides a reasonable and even necessary response to a world-wide phenomenon, by offering a single canonical model for the universal Church which is adaptable to various local situations and equitable to former Anglicans in its universal application. It provides for the ordination as Catholic priests of married former Anglican clergy. Historical and ecumenical reasons preclude the ordination of married men as bishops in both the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. The Constitution therefore stipulates that the Ordinary can be either a priest or an unmarried bishop. The seminarians in the Ordinariate are to be prepared alongside other Catholic seminarians, though the Ordinariate may establish a house of formation to address the particular needs of formation in the Anglican patrimony. In this way, the Apostolic Constitution seeks to balance on the one hand the concern to preserve the worthy Anglican liturgical and spiritual patrimony and, on the other hand, the concern that these groups and their clergy will be integrated into the Catholic Church.

Cardinal William Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith which has prepared this provision, said: «We have been trying to meet the requests for full communion that have come to us from Anglicans in different parts of the world in recent years in a uniform and equitable way. With this proposal the Church wants to respond to the legitimate aspirations of these Anglican groups for full and visible unity with the Bishop of Rome, successor of St. Peter».

These Personal Ordinariates will be formed, as needed, in consultation with local Conferences of Bishops, and their structure will be similar in some ways to that of the Military Ordinariates which have been established in most countries to provide pastoral care for the members of the armed forces and their dependents throughout the world. «Those Anglicans who have approached the Holy See have made clear their desire for full, visible unity in the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. At the same time, they have told us of the importance of their Anglican traditions of spirituality and worship for their faith journey», Cardinal Levada said.

The provision of this new structure is consistent with the commitment to ecumenical dialogue, which continues to be a priority for the Catholic Church, particularly through the efforts of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity. «The initiative has come from a number of different groups of Anglicans», Cardinal Levada went on to say: «They have declared that they share the common Catholic faith as it is expressed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and accept the Petrine ministry as something Christ willed for the Church. For them, the time has come to express this implicit unity in the visible form of full communion».

According to Levada: «It is the hope of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, that the Anglican clergy and faithful who desire union with the Catholic Church will find in this canonical structure the opportunity to preserve those Anglican traditions precious to them and consistent with the Catholic faith. Insofar as these traditions express in a distinctive way the faith that is held in common, they are a gift to be shared in the wider Church. The unity of the Church does not require a uniformity that ignores cultural diversity, as the history of Christianity shows. Moreover, the many diverse traditions present in the Catholic Church today are all rooted in the principle articulated by St. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians: «There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism» (4:5). Our communion is therefore strengthened by such legitimate diversity, and so we are happy that these men and women bring with them their particular contributions to our common life of faith».

Background information

Since the sixteenth century, when King Henry VIII declared the Church in England independent of Papal Authority, the Church of England has created its own doctrinal confessions, liturgical books, and pastoral practices, often incorporating ideas from the Reformation on the European continent. The expansion of the British Empire, together with Anglican missionary work, eventually gave rise to a world-wide Anglican Communion.

Throughout the more than 450 years of its history the question of the reunification of Anglicans and Catholics has never been far from mind. In the mid-nineteenth century the Oxford Movement (in England) saw a rekindling of interest in the Catholic aspects of Anglicanism. In the early twentieth century Cardinal Mercier of Belgium entered into well publicized conversations with Anglicans to explore the possibility of union with the Catholic Church under the banner of an Anglicanism «reunited but not absorbed».

At the Second Vatican Council hope for union was further nourished when the Decree on Ecumenism (n. 13), referring to communions separated from the Catholic Church at the time of the Reformation, stated that: [Inter eas, in quibus traditiones et structurae catholicae ex parte subsistere pergunt, locum specialem tenet Communio anglicana] «Among those in which Catholic traditions and institutions in part continue to exist, the Anglican Communion occupies a special place».

Since the Council, Anglican-Roman Catholic relations have created a much improved climate of mutual understanding and cooperation. The Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) produced a series of doctrinal statements over the years in the hope of creating the basis for full and visible unity. For many in both communions, the ARCIC statements provided a vehicle in which a common expression of faith could be recognized. It is in this framework that this new provision should be seen.

In the years since the Council, some Anglicans have abandoned the tradition of conferring Holy Orders only on men by calling women to the priesthood and the episcopacy. More recently, some segments of the Anglican Communion have departed from the common biblical teaching on human sexuality—already clearly stated in the ARCIC document «Life in Christ»—by the ordination of openly homosexual clergy and the blessing of homosexual partnerships. At the same time, as the Anglican Communion faces these new and difficult challenges, the Catholic Church remains fully committed to continuing ecumenical engagement with the Anglican Communion, particularly through the efforts of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity.

In the meantime, many individual Anglicans have entered into full communion with the Catholic Church. Sometimes there have been groups of Anglicans who have entered while preserving some «corporate» structure. Examples of this include, the Anglican diocese of Amritsar in India, and some individual parishes in the United States which maintained an Anglican identity when entering the Catholic Church under a «pastoral provision» adopted by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and approved by Pope John Paul II in 1982 [Statement on behalf of some clergy and laity formerly or actually belonging to the Episcopal (Anglican) Church for full communion with the Catholic Church, April 1st, 1981; Documenta 45; OR 1.4.1981; DocCath 78 (1981) 433 [Gall.]; EV 7, 1110-1113; LE 4836; Dokumenty, I, 45]. In these cases, the Catholic Church has frequently dispensed from the requirement of celibacy to allow those married Anglican clergy who desire to continue ministerial service as Catholic priests to be ordained in the Catholic Church.

In the light of these developments, the Personal Ordinariates established by the Apostolic Constitution can be seen as another step toward the realization the aspiration for full, visible union in the Church of Christ, one of the principal goals of the ecumenical movement.

[01517-02.01]

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Nota sobre paso de fieles anglicanos a la Iglesia Católica

Our Lady of Walsingham, Patroness of England

VIS AÑO XIX – Nº 181 – MARTES, 20 OCTUBRE 2009

CIUDAD DEL VATICANO, 20 OCT 2009 (VIS). – El cardenal William Joseph Levada, prefecto de la Congregación para la Doctrina de la Fe y el arzobispo Joseph Augustine Di Noia, O.P., secretario de la Congregación para el Culto Divino y la Disciplina de los Sacramentos, explicaron esta mañana durante un encuentro con periodistas la nota sobre los Ordinariatos Personales para los anglicanos que entran a formar parte de la Iglesia católica.

El cardenal Levada comentó una nota informativa de su dicasterio en la que se dice que «la Iglesia católica responde con una Constitución Apostólica a las peticiones dirigidas a la Santa Sede de grupos de clérigos y fieles anglicanos de diversas partes del mundo, que desean entrar en la plena y visible comunión con ella».

«En esta Constitución Apostólica –dijo–, el Santo Padre ha introducido una estructura canónica que provee a una reunión corporativa a través de la institución de Ordinariatos Personales, que permitirán a los fieles ex anglicanos entrar en la plena comunión con la Iglesia católica, conservando al mismo tiempo elementos del especifico patrimonio espiritual y litúrgico anglicano. Según el tenor de la Constitución Apostólica, la atención y la guía pastoral para estos grupos de fieles ex anglicanos será asegurada por un Ordinariato Personal, del que el Ordinario será habitualmente nombrado por el clero ex anglicano».

«La Constitución Apostólica, que está a punto de publicarse, representa una respuesta razonable e incluso necesaria a un fenómeno global, ofreciendo un único modelo canónico para la Iglesia universal adaptable a diversas situaciones locales, y en su aplicación universal, equitativa para los ex anglicanos. Este modelo prevé la posibilidad de la ordenación de clérigos casados ex anglicanos, como sacerdotes católicos. Razones históricas y ecuménicas no permiten la ordenación de hombres casados como obispos, tanto en la Iglesia católica como en las ortodoxas. Por tanto, la Constitución determina que el Ordinario pueda ser o un sacerdote o un obispo no casado. Los seminaristas del Ordinariato se prepararán junto a otros seminaristas católicos, pero el Ordinariato podrá abrir una casa de formación para responder a necesidades particulares de formación en el patrimonio anglicano».

«Esta nueva estructura –continúa la nota– está en consonancia con el compromiso en el diálogo ecuménico, que sigue siendo una prioridad para la Iglesia católica, en particular a través de los esfuerzos del Pontificio Consejo para la Promoción de la Unidad de los Cristianos». En este sentido, el cardenal Levada señaló que «la iniciativa proviene de varios grupos de anglicanos que han declarado que comparten la fe católica común, como expresa el Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica, y que aceptan el ministerio petrino como un elemento querido por Cristo para la Iglesia. Para ellos ha llegado el tiempo de expresar esta unión implícita en una forma visible de plena comunión».

El purpurado subrayó que «Benedicto XVI espera que el clero y los fieles anglicanos deseosos de la unión con la Iglesia católica encuentren en esta estructura canónica la oportunidad de preservar aquellas tradiciones anglicanas que son preciosas para ellos y conformes con la fe católica. En cuanto expresan en un modo distinto la fe profesada comúnmente, estas tradiciones son un don que hay que compartir en la Iglesia universal. La unión con la Iglesia no exige la uniformidad que ignora las diversidades culturales, como demuestra la historia del cristianismo. Además, las numerosas y diversas tradiciones hoy presentes en la Iglesia católica están todas enraizadas en el principio formulado por San Pablo en su carta a los Efesios: “Un solo Señor, una sola fe, un solo bautismo”».

«Nuestra comunión –concluyó el cardenal Levada– se ha reforzado por diversidades legítimas como estas, y estamos contentos de que estos hombres y mujeres ofrezcan sus contribuciones particulares a nuestra vida de fe común».

En una declaración conjunta, los arzobispos de Westminster y Canterbury, respectivamente Vincent Gerard Nichols y Rowan Williams, afirman que el anuncio de la Constitución Apostólica «acaba con un período de incertidumbre para los grupos que nutrían esperanzas de nuevas formas para alcanzar la unidad con la Iglesia católica. Toca ahora a los que han cursado peticiones de ese tipo a la Santa Sede responder a la Constitución Apostólica», que es «consecuencia del diálogo ecuménico entre la Iglesia Católica y la Comunión Anglicana».

«El actual diálogo oficial entre la Iglesia Católica y la Comunión Anglicana –subrayan los prelados– sienta las bases para que prosiga nuestra cooperación. Los acuerdos de la Comisión Internacional Anglicano Católica (ARCIC) y de la Comisión Internacional Anglicano Católica para la Unidad y la Misión (IARCCUM) establecen con claridad el camino que seguiremos juntos».

«Con la ayuda de Dios y de la oración –concluyen– proclamamos nuestra determinación para reforzar el mutuo compromiso actual y la consulta sobre éste y otros argumentos. A nivel local, con el espíritu de la IARCCUM, quisiéramos adoptar el modelo de reuniones entre la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de Inglaterra y Gales y la Cámara Episcopal de la Iglesia de Inglaterra, centrándonos en la misión común».

CDF/ANGLICANOS: IGLESIA CATOLICA/LEVADA VIS 091020 (800)

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Compendium Eucharisticum (19 Oct. 2009)

Para ayudar al pueblo cristiano a creer, celebrar y vivir cada vez mejor el Misterio eucarístico, se ha publicado con fecha de 19 de octubre de 2009, un Compendio Eucarístico preparado por Congregación para el Culto Divino y la Disciplina de los Sacramentos, que recoge entre otros textos, oraciones eucarísticas, así como todo lo que pueda ser útil para la correcta comprensión, celebración y adoración del Sacramento del altar:

Congregatio de Cultu Divino et Disciplina Sacramentorum

Compendium Eucharisticum

19 ottobre 2009, Libreria Editrice Vaticana

18x25 cm, 470

Language: Italian

ISBN-13: 978-88-209-8291-1

Utilidad de un Compendio eucarístico

93. Al final de estas reflexiones, en las que he querido fijarme en las orientaciones surgidas en el Sínodo, deseo acoger también una petición que hicieron los Padres para ayudar al pueblo cristiano a creer, celebrar y vivir cada vez mejor el Misterio eucarístico. Preparado por los Dicasterios competentes se publicará un Compendio que recogerá textos del Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica, oraciones y explicaciones de las Plegarias Eucarísticas del Misal, así como todo lo que pueda ser útil para la correcta comprensión, celebración y adoración del Sacramento del altar.

Benedicto XVI, Sacramentum Caritatis: Exhortación apostólica postsinodal sobre la Eucaristía fuente y culmen de la vida y de la misión de la Iglesia (22 de febrero de 2007)

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Zonas lingüísticas de Hispanoamérica según la RAE

Español en América

Aéreas de población hispanohablante: orígenes del dialecto español en Estados Unidos

Recursos Lingüísticos de la RAE

La utilización de los ordenadores y de las técnicas computacionales ha supuesto una importante remodelación de los modos de trabajo en todas las disciplinas lingüísticas, ya que permite la consulta cómoda de grandes conjuntos de materiales (cientos de millones de palabras en los estándares actuales) con los que se puede obtener una visión mucho más ajustada de la realidad de la que era posible hace unos cuantos años.

Banco de datos

El banco de datos de la Real Academia Española está constituido por dos grandes corpus textuales: el Corpus de Referencia del Español Actual (CREA, escrito y oral) y el Corpus Diacrónico del Español (CORDE). Ambos conjuntos son complementarios, de modo que el CREA contiene textos desde 1975 a 2004, mientras que el CORDE incluye textos de todos los períodos anteriores. El carácter integrado de los dos corpus se refleja en la previsión de que los textos pertenecientes a períodos que, por el paso del tiempo, vayan quedando fuera del ámbito del CREA, pasarán a formar parte del CORDE.

CREA Escrito y Oral

El Corpus de referencia del español actual (CREA) es un conjunto de textos de diversa procedencia, almacenados en soporte informático, del que es posible extraer información para estudiar las palabras, sus significados y sus contextos.

Criterio de selección geográfico (procedencia de los textos)

• España: 50%

• Hispanoamérica: 50%

A su vez, el continente americano se divide en diferentes zonas lingüísticas:

Andina: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Perú y Bolivia.

Caribeña: Cuba, Panamá, Puerto Rico, República Dominicana, costas de Venezuela y Colombia y sudeste de Estados Unidos.

Central: Costa Rica y Nicaragua.

Chilena: Chile.

Mexicana: Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, México y sudoeste de Estados Unidos.

Rioplatense: Argentina, Paraguay y Uruguay.

A la lengua española

Lengua inmortal, que hablaron mis mayores,
tan bella como tú no hay lengua humana.

Por tus frases enérgicas obtuve

el hermoso concepto de la Patria,

y sé por ti que Dios, Bondad Suprema,

sobre los hombres su piedad derrama;

y al abrir de la Historia el libro inmenso,

supe que fueron tuyas las palabras

que pronunció Colón mirando al cielo

al descubrir la tierra americana.

[José Mercado, portorriqueño]

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