1st bishop for Catholics of Anglican origin in UK
by John Burger, Aleteia:
New ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham once served in the General Synod of the Church of England.
A former Anglican priest who served as a member of the General Synod of the Church of England will lead a special Catholic diocese in England as a bishop.
Pope Francis on Monday appointed Fr. David Waller, 63, as head of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, a diocese specifically established for former Anglicans who have become Catholic.
Fr. Waller in 2011 was among the first group of Anglican clergymen to be ordained to the Catholic priesthood under the provisions of the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus, Pope Benedict XVI’s 2009 apostolic constitution that authorized the creation of “personal ordinariates” for Anglicans who become Catholics.
The ordinariate is a geographic region similar to a diocese but typically national in scope. Parishes in these ordinariates retain elements of the Anglican heritage and liturgical practices. There are three ordinariates; in addition to the UK-based one, there is one in the United States and another in Oceania.
Fr. Waller’s appointment followed Pope Francis’ acceptance of the resignation of Msgr. Keith Newton, 72, who has led the ordinariate since its establishment 2011.
As many Ordinariate priests are converts from Anglicanism, they are often married, but bishops must be celibate.
Related Posts
Tags
Share This
