Former TAC Bishop to be the Head of the New Australian Ordinariate
June 16, 2012 5 Comments
Still more news. Note the last paragraph.
Washington, DC (Catholic Online) – On Friday, June 15, 2012 the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith officially announced the establishment of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross for Australia. That was expected.
However, just one hour before his ordination as a Catholic Priest on that same day, former Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) bishop Harry Entwistle was informed that he had been named as the first Ordinary by Pope Benedict XVI.
Father Entwistle, 72, was as an Anglican priest who immigrated to Australia in 1988. He joined the TAC in 2006 and was later consecrated as the bishop for Western Australia. The new Ordinary, who was ordained at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Perth is married and has two grown children.
The Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross is the third Ordinariate established by the Holy Father. The Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham for England and Wales was announced in January of 2011 and the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter for the United States was announced January 1st of this year.
Monsignor Jeffrey N. Steenson, Ordinary of the U.S.-based Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, welcomed the appointment of Fr. Entwistle saying, “I welcome the news of the new Ordinariate in Australia and the appointment of Rev. Harry Entwistle as Ordinary.
“I offer my support to him as he begins the important work of raising a home for Anglicans in Australia who have been called by God to full communion with the Catholic Church and the rock from which we were hewn. The prayers of the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter are with him. May God bless Fr. Entwistle as he launches this new endeavor in the vast lands of ‘down under.’”
Monsignor Keith Newton, the Ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, joined Msgr. Steenson in offering his congratulations. “I’m very pleased to hear of this encouraging appointment. Fr Entwistle has a wealth of experience from his Anglican ministry in England and in Australia, and I look forward to working with him closely as we seek to articulate the vision of Anglicanorum coetibus.”
Anglicanorum coetibus, issued on November 4, 2009, is the Apostolic Constitution of Pope Benedict XVI that authorizes the establishment of “Personal Ordinariates” for those of the Anglican heritage entering full communion with the Catholic Church while maintaining distinctive elements of their theological, spiritual, and liturgical patrimony.
Just as the U.S. Ordinariate is currently covering Canada for the time being, reports are indicating that the Australian Ordinariate will also cover Japan.
About Fr Stephen Smuts
I guess no Anglican Church in Australia Bishops wanted to become a part of the Ordinariate. Has everyone in the ACA gone liberal?
Ross Davies, former ACA Bishop of the Murray became Catholic last year but has decided to remain a layman. I don’t know if he intends to join the Ordinariate.
Pretty much yes, Matthew. The Murray (Ross Davies) was the last orthodox diocese. There are still some priests, and they are headed for the Ordinariate.
@MtW
Not everybody in ACA are liberal, but conservatives, are rather evengelical than anglo-catholics.
@Conchúr
I’ve heard that bp. Ross Davies left his post in ACA due to financial (or legal, I don’t know) misconducts. That would be a real obstacle in his way to catholic priestly ordination.
The Diocese of Sydney is so far down the fundamentalist evangelical route that lay presidency at the Eucharist is legal. There may be another diocese like it in NSW, but I don’t know a diocese elsewhere in Australia that doesn’t have either priestesses or a bishop that isn’t really opposed to them. Wangaratta fell to the liberals relatively recently, Ballarat is either fallen or falling, and The Murray is under a cloud of uncertainty. Bp Davies left for health reasons. I believe the misconduct claims were more to do with management style than fiddling the books.