Thanks to Fr Philip...

His post on 'Five Hard Truths' provided the back-bone to my homily this Sunday. As Advent draws near and we remember the Holy Souls during this month of November, he gives a very fitting reflection.

Anglicanorum Coetibus

The Holy See has issued the Apostolic Constitution which sets up new structures enabling Anglicans to enter into full communion with Rome. My brief reading of it suggests that they're essentially getting mini-dioceses - personal Ordinariates - giving them quite an amount of autonomy to preserve their Anglican heritage.

IV. A Personal Ordinariate is entrusted to the pastoral care of an Ordinary appointed by the Roman Pontiff.

V. The power (potestas) of the Ordinary is:

a. ordinary: connected by the law itself to the office entrusted to him by the Roman Pontiff, for both the internal forum and external forum;

b. vicarious: exercised in the name of the Roman Pontiff;

c. personal: exercised over all who belong to the Ordinariate;

This power is to be exercised jointly with that of the local Diocesan Bishop, in those cases provided for in the Complementary Norms.

Interesting... and one wonders if this is a possible structure which could be used to reconcile the SSPX?