In a press conference following his ordination as a Catholic priest, a
former Anglican bishop explained the “step of faith” he was taking as
the first leader of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham.
Father Keith Newton revealed that as the leader of the newly created
ecclesiastical unit for Anglicans entering the Catholic Church, he now
has no income at all.
The new ordinariate also needs to begin raising
funds for staff, buildings, offices, and other practical necessities.
The other former Anglican bishops who were ordained along with Father
Newton are seeking employment as chaplains or in similar posts, he said.
Despite these urgent practical needs, Father Newton was upbeat about the
future of the Anglican ordinariate, saying that he hoped it would be
“an evangelistic tool.”
He said that the bid to welcome Anglicans into
the Catholic Church should be seen as “part of the Pope’s vision for the
evangelization of Europe.”
Although he was a bishop in the Church of England, the new ordinary told
reporters: “It’s quite clear I am not a bishop.”
As head of the
ordinariate, he said, he holds some special authority over that
ecclesiastical unit, however.
He likened his authority to that of an
abbot in a monastery.
Answering a question of protocol, he said that he
was happy to be addressed as “Father.”
The Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, like any diocese in
the universal Church, will be responsible for raising its own sources of
support.
The newly appointed ordinary indicated that he was beginning
that process immediately.
SIC: CC/INT'L