Personal Ordinariates for Former Anglicans: Canonical Aspects of the Response to Anglican Groups that Ask to Be Received in the Catholic Church

Abstract

The article’s aim is to study the regulatory framework established by the const. ap. Anglicanorum coetibus for the pastoral attention of the groups of faithful coming from Anglicanism and, more particularly, the nature of the personal ordinariates provided for this purpose. It starts by reviewing some of the problematic formal profiles of the const. ap. and Complementary Norms issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Then it examines the figure of personal ordinariates, comparing them with other personal ecclesiastical circumscriptions already existing. It focuses on the extent of the Ordinary’s jurisdiction, to determine if it is cumulative with that of the diocesan bishops, or exclusive, trying to understand the meaning to be given to the provision that the ordinary exercises its power “jointly” with that of the bishops, and comparing this solution with that of sui iuris Churches. It also explores what the legal position of the personal of the faithful in the dioceses where they live. Along with other specific issues, this article examines the consequences of the voluntary way of membership in these ordinariates.