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Rome not Iker’s plan, after all
by Pat Ashworth
THE Bishop of Fort Worth, the Rt Revd Jack Iker, has publicly stated that the four priests from his diocese who approached the local Roman Catholic bishop with proposals for full communion with Rome were acting independently (News, 15 August). The priests, the Very Revd William Crary, Canon Charles Hough, the Very Revd Christopher Stainbrook, and the Revd Louis Tobola, said that they had Bishop Iker’s “unequivocal support in their action”. They estimated that 59 clergy in the diocese were “willing to pursue an active plan” for communion with the Holy See. In a statement issued on 12 August, Bishop Iker said that “The priests who participated in this meeting with Bishop Vann have my trust and pastoral support. However, in their written and verbal reports, they have spoken only on their own behalf and out of their own concerns and perspective. They have not claimed to act or speak, nor have they been authorized to do so, either on behalf of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth or on my own behalf as their Bishop.” Their discussion, he said, had no bearing on the Diocesan Convention in November, at which a second vote on constitutional changes is to be taken. “There is no proposal under consideration, either publicly or privately, for the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth to become part of the Roman Catholic Church. . . The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth intends to realign with an orthodox Province as a constituent member of the worldwide Anglican Communion.” On 16 August, on the Bishop and Standing Committee’s instructions, the four clerics issued an ad clerum, which states: “The documents and our conversation with Bishop Vann solely ever represented the four priests named. In retrospect, we regret our choice of timing for starting these conversations. We deeply regret the phraseology of the document which has caused hurt and division. We remain fully committed to the goal of this Diocese, as plainly stated by Bishop Iker, to realign with an Orthodox Anglican Province.” Approach to RomeThe Australia-based Primate of the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC), Archbishop John Hepworth, has reported progress in the “move to ever closer communion in Christ with the Holy See”. The TAC is an international association of Continuing Churches, with, it says, more than 400,000 members. A letter from the Prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Levada, via the Apostolic Nuncio in Australia, contains “warmth and encouragement”, Archbishop Hepworth tells member Churches. “This letter should encourage our entire Communion, and those friends who have been assisting us. It should also spur us to renewed prayer for the Holy Father, for Cardinal Levada and his staff . . . and for all our clergy and people as we move to ever closer communion in Christ with the Holy See.” Archbishop Hepworth is to meet the chairman of Forward in Faith International, the Rt Revd John Broadhurst, Bishop of Fulham, in October. |
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