Mass Conversions and Liturgical Pluralism: A Path to Christian Reunification?

Wednesday, January 4, 2012, 9:00 AM

Matthew Cantirino
First Things

On January 1, Pope Benedict XVI formally announced the creation of a new personal orindariate for Anglican groups in the United States wishing to convert to Catholicism. The Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter, which is “juridically equivalent to a diocese,” will bring both lay and clerical members of the Anglican church into full communion with the Bishop of Rome while permitting them a large degree of control over liturgical matters (especially allowing the retention of the Book of Common Prayer, the language of certain rites, and married priests).

Though this is only the second such ordinariate, following the creation of one for England and Wales in January 2011, media reports indicate that further ordinariates are under consideration for Canada, Australia, and other English-speaking nations.

The expected proliferation of these exceptional cases is remarkable for several reasons. First, their growth represents a new tack in evangelization that is simultaneously more accommodating of converts and more aggressive in outreach to them. It also indicates a deepened seriousness on the part of the Vatican to pursue Christian reunification, a project which has been of particular interest to Benedict XVI’s thought and papacy.

But perhaps the most intriguing facet of this project is the (re)newed Catholic willingness to accept entire groups of converts and allow them to retain significant hallmarks of their Christian traditions, even when these traditions are somewhat alien (though not in opposition to) what has traditionally characterized Latin-rite Catholicism. the rest