Benedict very interested in Anglo-Catholics

Even before his inaugural mass, Pope Benedict XVI has met with Traditional Anglican Communion representatives about a possible Anglican rite church in communion with the Vatican.

That this is one of his first items of business and that, as cardinal, he strongly supported forming an Anglican Rite Catholic church is very interesting indeed. As the Good Professor Tighe commented:

This report is to be taken with the *utmost* seriousness. I know from several persons (on both the Catholic and the Anglican sides) that when these conversations between the Vatican and the TAC began in 1995, they were “sidelined” by “professional ecumenists” in Rome because of the damage that they would do to Rome/Canterbury relations. When an attempt was made to restart them, they encountered similar problems. Two cardinals in particular did a great deal to overcome this roadblock, and both of them have indicated their strong support for an “Anglican-Rite Catholic Church” in communion with Rome. One of these cardinals is now pope and depending on the length of his pontificate, the other cardinal may well be pope after him.

I’m not interested in becoming Catholic myself (for reasons I might spell out some time), but there are any number of Anglo-Catholics for whom unity with Rome would be the fulfillment of ardent desires.

And it just might be Benedict’s desire as well.

Stay tuned.