The first principle of the Ordinariate is then about Christian unity. St. Basil the Great, the Church’s greatest ecumenist, literally expended his life on the work of building bridges between orthodox brethren who shared a common faith, but who had become separated from one another in a Church badly fragmented by heresy and controversy. He taught that the work of Christian unity requires deliberate and ceaseless effort...St. Basil often talked with yearning about the archaia agape, the ancient love of the apostolic community, so rarely seen in the Church of his day. This love, he taught, is a visible sign that the Holy Spirit is indeed present and active, and it is absolutely essential for the health of the Church.

- Msgr. Jeffrey Steenson, Homily on the Occasion of his Formal Institution as Ordinary

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Queen Elizabeth announces appointment of Catholic as next Archbishop of Canterbury


In a daring move that has completely surprised news watchers and experts, Buckingham Palace revealed today the Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, in consultation with His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, has appointed as the next Archbishop of Canterbury, the Catholic bishop of Foligno, Italy, Gualtiero Sigismondi.
















Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II


The Foligno diocese, in the Umbria region of Italy, is home to the restored Benedictine abbey of Norcia, where St. Benedict, founder of the world-wide Benedictine order of monks had his abbey.
In the released statement, Her Majesty writes, "In a dark time almost 1400 years ago, the sons of St. Benedict came to this island and helped restore the light of Christ that had been nearly extinguished after invasions and wars. It is my hope that His Grace, Bishop Sigismondi, with his intimate experience of Benedictine life and his dedication to Christian tradition will similarly renew the light of Christ in our land."








His Grace, Bishop Gualtiero Sigismondi




The incumbent Archbishop of Canterbury, His Grace Rowan Williams, who announced his retirement at the end of this year so that he may take up an academic appointment at Cambridge University, is said to be delighted with the choice. "As is well known, I have always felt that the Anglo-Catholic view is the purest strain of churchmanship in the Church of England, and this bodes well for the unity of the whole Christian Church. I have full confidence in Her Majesty's selection, and look forward to greeting Bishop Sigismondi when he visits during the special June bank holiday when we will celebrate Her Majesty's diamond jubilee.













His Grace, Archbishop Rowan Williams


Fr. Federico Lombardi, the Vatican Press Secretary, released a statement that said that His Holiness was pleased that this appointment would go forward, adding that this would serve to draw the two churches closer, accelerating the process begun since the 2009 publication of Anglicanorum Coetibus.










His Holiness, Benedict XVI with
press secretary Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J.

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