Benedict XVI appointed Father Keith Newton, former Anglican bishop,
as the first ordinary for the new Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of
Walsingham.
The Vatican press office announced Saturday that
Father Newton, 58, was chosen by the Pope to head the newly erected
ordinariate in England and Wales for those groups of Anglican clergy and
faithful who have expressed their desire to enter into full communion
with the Catholic Church.
The priest was one of three former
Anglican bishops who were ordained to the Catholic priesthood on
Saturday in Westminster Cathedral.
The other two are Father Andrew
Burnham and Father John Broadhurst.
Upon hearing of his
appointment, Father Newton stated: "I can look back at over 35 years of
ordained ministry with tremendous gratitude.
"The Church of
England nourished me in the Christian faith and it was within her that I
discovered, as a teenager, my vocation to the ordained ministry which
has involved service both in England and Africa.
"I do not see my
reception into the Catholic Church as a radical break but part of the
ongoing pilgrimage of faith which began at my baptism. Since my teenage
years I have longed and prayed for corporate unity with the Catholic
Church and the publication of the apostolic constitution has offered the
possibility of realizing that dream."
The priest expressed
particular gratitude to the Anglican archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan
Williams, "for his patience and graciousness with those of us who have
been exploring our way forward over the last few months."
He
concluded, "I hope the ordinariate will be a gift to the Catholic Church
and that I, together with those priests and people who join the
ordinariate, will be of service to the whole Church."
Biography
Born in Liverpool, Keith Newton married Gill Donnison in 1973. They have three children and one grandchild.
In
a communiqué regarding the creation of the new ordinariate, the Holy
See explained that "for doctrinal reasons the Church does not, in any
circumstances, allow the ordination of married men as bishops."
"However,"
it added, "the apostolic constitution ['Anglicanorum coetibus'] does
provide, under certain conditions, for the ordination as Catholic
priests of former Anglican married clergy."
Keith Newton was
received into the Catholic Church along with his wife on Jan. 1. He was
ordained a Catholic deacon on Thursday, two days before he became a
priest.
Previously, he had served as an Anglican priest since 1976, and a bishop for the Church of England since 2002.
Episcopal collegiality
Archbishop
Vincent Nichols, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of
England and Wales, welcomed the news of Father Newton's appointment as
ordinary, noting that he "will prove to be a valued member" of the
conference.
In a statement published Tuesday, the conference's
general secretary, Father Marcus Stock, explained: "As the ordinary of
the ordinariate has similar authority and responsibilities in canon law
to a diocesan bishop he will therefore be an ex officio member of the
Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales.
"As a member of the conference, the ordinary will, like a diocesan bishop, take a full part in its discussions and decisions.
"The
ordinary will exercise collegiate responsibility for implementing the
resolutions taken by the conference within the life of the ordinariate
in the same way that a diocesan bishop does so within his diocese."
Archbishop
Nichols assured all three clergy "of the continuing prayers and support
of the bishops' conference, as they now begin their new ministry within
the Catholic Church in the personal ordinariate."
The Holy See
communiqué noted that these three clergy "will oversee the catechetical
preparation of the first groups of Anglicans in England and Wales who
will be received into the Catholic Church together with their pastors at
Easter."
They will also "accompany the clergy preparing for ordination to the Catholic priesthood around Pentecost."
In
a message published for Saturday's ordination, Cardinal William Levada,
prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, stated, "I
urge you all to assist the new ordinary in the unique mission which has
been entrusted to him not only with your prayers but also with every
practical support."
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