Biskop Elliott i Melbourne, Australia, som jeg skrev om i går (se her), hadde da visse innvendinger mot den tradisjonelle latinske messen, men har nå begynt å feire den selv. En av grunnene til hans forandring er at artikkelen jeg da siterte, var skrevet for 6-8 år siden, og nå etter pave Benedikts Summorum Pontificum er situasjonen blitt ganske ny. Dessuten var Elliot i mot en viss type TLM, der presten og ministrantene holdt på med noe for selv oppe ved alteret, mens folket gjorde andre ting – sang salmer vanligvis. Messen han her feiret (les mer om den her) er jo ikke slik; det var en messe der celebrantene, alle hans assistenter, og folkt feiret det hellige messeofferet sammen.
Dette bildet er litt over to år gammelt, og biskop Elliott blir nevnt nå fordi har har blitt utpekt blant de australske, katolske biskopene til å ta imot anglikanerne som nå skal opptas i Kirken – bl.a. fordi Elliott selv vokste opp i Den anglikanske kirke, som prestesønn til og med. Om oppgaven han nå har fått sier han selv:
… the members of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference appointed me their Delegate for the Australian project of establishing “a Personal Ordinariate for Anglicans who wish to enter full communion with the Catholic Church”, to use the words of Pope Benedict’s Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus.
Before I explain what this involves, I should introduce myself. I was born into Anglicanism, in the Anglo-Catholic tradition. My father, Rev. Leslie Llewelyn Elliott, was for some time President of the Australian Church Union. While studying theology at Oxford, in St Stephen’s House, I followed my conscience and was reconciled to “Rome” in 1968. … …
Am I grateful for my Anglican heritage? Yes, I am. Where did I first learn the Catholic Faith? At home, in the vicarage.
Therefore I rejoiced when news of the Ordinariate came from Rome. I have been hoping for something like this for years, having addressed Forward in Faith Australia on the “Roman option” in 2006. As that talk indicates, I never imagined such a generous provision would be made in response to traditional Anglican appeals to Rome.
But what does Pope Benedict’s welcome and offer involve? You have to be clear about this before saying “yes”, “no”, even “maybe”.
The Pastor of the nations is reaching out to give you a special place within the Catholic Church. United in communion, but not absorbed – that sums up the unique and privileged status former Anglicans will enjoy in their Ordinariates. …