Hundreds of priests and parishioners are expected to take up the Pope’s offer to convert to Roman Catholicism and join a new body for Anglicans who disagree with the ordination of women bishops when it is established next year. Church authorities have insisted that defectors will not be able to retain their parish buildings when they leave the Anglican family.
But today the Church’s most senior official, William Fittall, raised the prospect of a historic compromise.
Mr Fittall, secretary general of the General Synod, said it would be “entirely possible” for those who convert to Roman Catholicism to be allowed to share their former churches with Anglicans who remain in the Church of England.
Speaking ahead of a meeting of the General Synod, the Church's "parliament", later this month, Mr Fittall said: “It would be a matter for the local Anglican bishop concerned whether he was content for that to be the case.”
Church buildings in some areas are already shared with other denominations, such as Baptists and Methodists, he said.
Many Anglican churches were originally built centuries ago as places of worship for Catholics.
In some cases, sharing facilities could allow Roman Catholics to worship in historic English churches for the first time since the Reformation.
The move could also provide necessary financial help for parishes that decide to lease churches to Roman Catholic congregations for a fee. More than 12,000 Anglican churches are listed and many struggle to raise funds for essential maintenance.
Last year, Pope Benedict XVI announced that a new structure, the so-called Anglican Ordinariate, would be set up to cater for traditionalist members of the Church of England who cannot accept the ordination of women bishops.
Anglican converts who join the new structure will enter into full communion with Rome while retaining some of their traditions.
It emerged last month that an entire parish, St Peter’s in Folkestone, and the Bishop of Fulham, the Rt Rev John Broadhurst, would be among the first to join the ordinariate when it is established.
Mr Fittall said he expected most Anglican traditionalists would wait to see whether the Church of England finally approves laws allowing the ordination of women bishops, which would not take place before a vote in 2012.
“There does seem little doubt that some have decided that they will go to the Roman Catholic church and that they will do so soon, probably in the early months of next year as the ordinariate is established,” he said.
“My expectation is that the great majority are going to continue to wait to see how this process works out because the legislation still has a number of stages to go through.
“I have no idea how many will join the ordinariate. That is for each individual bishop, priest and member of the laity to consider,” he said.
“The important thing is that if people go, they are making decisions as individuals. It is not parishes that decide to go to join the ordinariate, it is individuals. It may be all the members of one parochial church council, but then they don’t go as a PCC, they can’t take the institutions, the offices, or the assets of the Church of England with them.”
Mr Fittall, secretary general of the General Synod, said it would be “entirely possible” for those who convert to Roman Catholicism to be allowed to share their former churches with Anglicans who remain in the Church of England.
Speaking ahead of a meeting of the General Synod, the Church's "parliament", later this month, Mr Fittall said: “It would be a matter for the local Anglican bishop concerned whether he was content for that to be the case.”
Church buildings in some areas are already shared with other denominations, such as Baptists and Methodists, he said.
Many Anglican churches were originally built centuries ago as places of worship for Catholics.
In some cases, sharing facilities could allow Roman Catholics to worship in historic English churches for the first time since the Reformation.
The move could also provide necessary financial help for parishes that decide to lease churches to Roman Catholic congregations for a fee. More than 12,000 Anglican churches are listed and many struggle to raise funds for essential maintenance.
Last year, Pope Benedict XVI announced that a new structure, the so-called Anglican Ordinariate, would be set up to cater for traditionalist members of the Church of England who cannot accept the ordination of women bishops.
Anglican converts who join the new structure will enter into full communion with Rome while retaining some of their traditions.
It emerged last month that an entire parish, St Peter’s in Folkestone, and the Bishop of Fulham, the Rt Rev John Broadhurst, would be among the first to join the ordinariate when it is established.
Mr Fittall said he expected most Anglican traditionalists would wait to see whether the Church of England finally approves laws allowing the ordination of women bishops, which would not take place before a vote in 2012.
“There does seem little doubt that some have decided that they will go to the Roman Catholic church and that they will do so soon, probably in the early months of next year as the ordinariate is established,” he said.
“My expectation is that the great majority are going to continue to wait to see how this process works out because the legislation still has a number of stages to go through.
“I have no idea how many will join the ordinariate. That is for each individual bishop, priest and member of the laity to consider,” he said.
“The important thing is that if people go, they are making decisions as individuals. It is not parishes that decide to go to join the ordinariate, it is individuals. It may be all the members of one parochial church council, but then they don’t go as a PCC, they can’t take the institutions, the offices, or the assets of the Church of England with them.”
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