Anglican leader doesn't rate Pope's plan

Australia's Anglican leader Dr Phillip Aspinall says he doesn't believe a new
structure easing the way for disaffected Anglicans to become Roman Catholics will
have much impact.

Pope Benedict XVI has approved a structure, known as an Apostolic Constitution,
allowing groups of Anglicans to "enter into full visible communion with the Roman
Catholic Church".
Until now, Anglicans disenchanted with the ordination of women and acceptance of
openly gay clergy and same-sex blessings have moved over to the Roman Catholic
church on a case-by-case basis.
The latest move was triggered by a request from Bishop John Hepworth, the leader of
an Australian-based group, the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) which split from
the Anglican church in 1991, to the Pope in 2007 for its members to be allowed into
the Catholic fold.
Dr Aspinall said the decision would allow groups such as Bishop Hepworth's to find a
home in the Roman Catholic church.
"I don't think this development will affect the Anglican Church of Australia very
much at all," Dr Aspinall said.
"Some groups that left the Anglican Church of Australia some time ago might find
this helpful in finding a home in the Roman Catholic Church.
"If that provides a means for Christian groups to come together, then that is a good
thing and a contribution to the ecumenical goals we share."
He said he expected relations with the Catholic church to "continue to be rich and
productive", but he acknowledged differences remained over women priests.
Bishop Hepworth said in a statement he was "profoundly moved" by the Pope's decision
and would seek the approval of his estimated 400,000 members worldwide to create
ties.
"I have made a commitment to the Traditional Anglican Communion that the response of
the Holy See will be taken to each of our national synods (parliaments)," he said.
"They have already endorsed our pathway.
"Now the Holy See challenges us to seek in the specific structures that are now
available the `full, visible unity, especially Eucharistic communion', for which we
have long prayed and about which we have long dreamed. That process will begin at
once."
A number of Anglican priests and lay members have already joined the Catholic church
since the first Anglican ordination of women in 1984.
Church of England head, Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams, was diplomatic
in responding to the move, about which he was not consulted.
Archbishop Williams and the head of the Catholic Bishops' Conference in England and
Wales, Vincent Nichols, said in a joint statement the new 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".
The Church of England is the mother church of the worldwide Anglican Communion,
which has about 77 million followers.
The Catholic Church has around 1.1 billion faithful.