“Anglican Use of the Roman Rite”?: The Unity of the Liturgy in the Diversity of Its Rites and Forms

Abstract

“Anglican Use of the Roman Rite”? The Unity of the Liturgy in the Diversity of Its Rites and Forms Hans-Jürgen Feulner The internationally known German liturgist Balthasar Fischer († 2001) was rather far-sighted and somewhat euphoric, when, already in 1981, in connection with article 4 of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, he mentioned the ecumenical dimension of the liturgy: Nowhere does reunification any longer mean—and also not in the West—the adoption of the Roman liturgy and of specifically Catholic piety. Today one can very well imagine how the magnificent liturgy celebrated by our Anglican brothers, with some minute changes, could become a ritus legitime agnitus [lawfully acknowledged rite]; an English liturgical family among the liturgical families of the Catholic Church. With all the spiritual riches that have been amassed here in 400 years, she would join her wagon to the train of Catholic liturgies.1 On June 15, 2012, a decree of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) created the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross2 —the third Personal Ordinariate to date. This 1 Balthasar Fischer, “Liturgie oder Liturgien?”, in Trierer Theologische Zeitschrift 90 (1981) 265–275, here 273–274 (translation from German; emphasis added and my explanation of the Latin expression). Here the term “liturgical families” more probably means “rites.” 2 Holy See Press Office, “Erezione di Ordinariato Personale di Our Lady of the Southern Cross e nomina del primo Ordinario”, in Daily Bulletin (June 15, 2012): http://www.news.va/en/news/73782 (accessed 10/12/2012); Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, “Decree of Erection of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross” (June 15, 2012; Prot.N. 150/2012), in Acta Apostolicae Sedis (AAS) 104 (2012) 599–603 (Latin and English texts). See also Steve Cavanaugh, Antiphon 17.1 (2013): 31-72 32 HANS-JÜRGEN FEULNER was accomplished with the agreement of the Australian Bishops’ Conference and in accordance with the guidelines of the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus3 (with Complementary Norms4 ) issued on November 4, 2009 by Pope Benedict XVI. The Australian Personal Ordinariate is a diocese-like institution of the Roman Catholic Church (juridically similar to a Military Ordinariate5 ). The same is also true of the already established Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham,6 created on January 15, 2011 for England and Wales, and of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter,7 created on January 1, 2012 for the United States “Anglican Ordinariate Erected; Fr Harry Entwistle named Ordinary”, in The Anglican Use of the Roman Rite: http://anglicanusenews.blogspot. co.at/2012/06/australian-ordinariate-erected-fr-harry.html (last modified 6/15/2012, accessed 10/12/2012). 3 Latin Text: Benedict XVI, Constitutio Apostolica “Anglicanorum Coetibus qua Personales Ordinariatus pro Anglicanis conduntur qui plenam communionem cum Catholica Ecclesia ineunt”, in AAS 101 (2009) 985–990; English text on the website of the Holy See, www.vatican.va. See also Gianfranco Ghirlanda, “The Significance of the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus,” in L’Osservatore Romano: Weekly Edition in English (18 November 2009) 8. 4 Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, “Complementary Norms for the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus”, in AAS 101 (2009) 991–996; English text in L’Osservatore Romano: Weekly Edition in English (11 November 2009) 4; http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/ congregations/cfaith/documents/ rc_con_cfaith_doc_20091104_normeanglicanorum -coetibus_en.html (accessed 10/13/2012). 5 See John Paul II, Constitutio Apostolica “Spirituali militium curae ” (April 21, 1986), in AAS 78 (1986) 481–486. English text: http://www.milarch.org/atf/cf/%7B1AF42501-01D5-4EF8-BA484450AC27EF98 %7D/priests’%20manual%20appendix.pdf (pp. 12–15; accessed 10/13/2012). 6 Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, “Decree of Erection of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham” (January 15, 2011; Prot.N. 217/08), in AAS 103 (2011) 129–133 (English and Latin texts). See also http://www.ordinariate.org.uk/document.doc?id=12 (accessed 10/13/2012). 7 Holy See Press Office, “Erezione di Ordinariato Personale di Chair of St. Peter e nomina del primo Ordinario”, in Daily Bulletin (January 1, 2012): http://press.catholica.va/news_services/bulletin/news/28616...