Sad and yet grateful:  my two initial responses to the news that an informal arrangement of many years has now been formalised by the Church of Rome. Sad for the loss of good conservative (mainly anglo-catholic) priests and their families from the Anglican Church. Note: sadly this will also weaken the conservative cause within the Anglican Church. Yet, given some great differences that have developed over recent years in the Anglican Church I am grateful to the Roman Catholic Church for giving these conservative anglo-catholic priests a ‘home’.

Today’s announcement of the Apostolic Constitution is a response by Pope Benedict XVI to a number of requests over the past few years to the Holy See from groups of Anglicans who wish to enter into full visible communion with the Roman Catholic Church, and are willing to declare that they share a common Catholic faith and accept the Petrine ministry as willed by Christ for his Church.

Pope Benedict XVI has approved, within the Apostolic Constitution, a canonical structure that provides for Personal Ordinariates, which will allow former Anglicans to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of distinctive Anglican spiritual patrimony.

Full Joint Anglican – Roman Catholic statement at ACNS

A more polemical comment from Times Online – Vatican moves to poach traditional Anglicans

Also The Telegraph – Pope’s decree leaves Archbishop’s hopes in ruins

Also Telegraph.co.uk – Archbishop of Canterbury criticises Rome for springing this announcement on him