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To: BelegStrongbow
Dear BelegStrongbow,

Married bishops won't be permitted in these new ordinariates.

I know that the married bishops in the TAC have already accepted that they will need to leave the episcopacy of their communion. I imagine many (most? all?) will be ordained (conditionally or not) as Catholic priests, but they definitely will not be able to serve in the office of bishop.

From what I've seen in the news, what will likely happen is that where an Anglican group has a married bishop, after he steps aside, the group will be able to select an unmarried priest from within their community to become the new bishop. If there aren't any unmarried men from which to choose, I read in one of the communications that a married priest from within the affected community will be permitted to serve in the role of heading the ordinariate without being consecrated a bishop.

I don't know how it works in your communion, but for us, this often happens when a bishop dies or resigns abruptly, and there is no one to immediately become the new bishop of the diocese. The diocese will be overseen by someone given a different title from bishop, and not necessarily consecrated a bishop, until such time that an arrangement can be made to install a new bishop in the diocese.

This may not be the ideal arrangement, but it may be a compromise that works for some Anglican communities who want to use this new structure and come into communion with Rome.

I'm speculating here, but perhaps your current bishop could continue to function in the role of the ordinary for your ordinariate (once in communion with Rome) as a Catholic priest.

Another option (again, my speculation) may be, at least for some smaller communities, to come into the Catholic Church under another group's ordinariate, where there are unmarried men who can be consecrated bishops.


sitetest

14 posted on 10/20/2009 8:48:55 AM PDT by sitetest (If Roe is not overturned, no unborn child will ever be protected in law.)
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To: sitetest

I’m wondering if this is a step toward allowing ALL priests to marry... with the limitation of no advancement to Bishop.


15 posted on 10/20/2009 9:44:26 AM PDT by StolarStorm
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To: sitetest

Dear sitetest,

You read it as I thought I read it. Both options are non-starters for communions such as ours, which long ago separated from the Episcopal Church. I am actually wondering why Rome is not considering autocephalous status for us. This would delay full integration, but it would shorten the ecclesial distance in the middle term, something I should think all of us really want.


16 posted on 10/20/2009 9:52:40 AM PDT by BelegStrongbow (I'm still waiting for Dear Leader to say something that isn't a lie)
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