Rome & the World: Former Anglican bishop now Catholic priest

Every day, Aleteia offers a selection of articles written by the international press about the Church and the major issues that concern Catholics around the world. The opinions and views expressed in these articles are not those of the editors.

Friday 16 December 2022
~
1. Retired Anglican bishop who converted to Catholicism to be ordained a priest
2. Social and political issues in the Holy Land: Catholic Churches express concern
3. The Catholic Church in the West is in free fall, here is how it will survive
4. Three scenarios for German Catholicism
5. The Pope receives a graffiti as a birthday gift
~

1Retired Anglican bishop who converted to Catholicism to be ordained a priest

A former Anglican Bishop of Rochester, USA, Michael Nazir-Ali, was received into the Roman Catholic Church last month, said the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham – a structure created in 2011 by Benedict XVI to welcome Anglicans wishing to join the Catholic Church. “With the permission of the Holy See, he will be ordained to the Catholic priesthood for the Ordinariate in due course,” the statement said. Pakistani-born Michael Nazir-Ali, who was ordained in the Church of England in 1974, described his move as “a further step in the ministry of our common Lord and of his people.” Committed to unity for decades, he was a member of the Second International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission (1983 to 2005) and the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission. Explaining his choice to join the Catholic Church, he stressed that “the Anglican desire to adhere to apostolic, patristic and conciliar teaching can now best be maintained in the Ordinariate.” “Provisions there to safeguard legitimate Anglican patrimony are very encouraging and, I believe, that such patrimony in its liturgy, approaches to biblical study, pastoral commitment to the community, methods of moral theology and much else besides has a great deal to offer the wider Church,” he said. Since the Ordinariate’s inception, more than 80 former Anglican priests have joined it. Most now serve as deacons and priests in the Catholic Church. Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury, primate of the Anglican Communion, said that with this decision, Michael Nazir-Ali will continue “to be a blessing to the global church as he joins the ordinariate.”

My Joy Online, English  

2Social and political issues in the Holy Land: Catholic Churches express concern

The Assembly of the Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land, a body that helps coordinate the work between the different Catholic Churches of the Holy Land, has issued a long declaration on the “deterioration of the general social and political situation in the Holy Land.” Terre Sainte magazine explains that former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, winner of the last legislative elections in the country, is about to form a new government which is expected to be “the most right-wing in the country’s history, with future ministers […] who are openly nationalist, colonialist and defenders of a state of Israel that is only for the Jews.” It is within this context that the Catholic bishops and vicars have issued their declaration. While they hope the government will bring “political stability” they are concerned about certain statements, which they see as “very divisive toward the Arab or otherwise non-Jewish community.” The Catholic representatives highlight that “violence in language inevitably, sooner or later, turns into physical violence as well.” In fact they write that they are already “concerned by the violence and lack of security within the Arab community in Israel.” The statement also emphasizes the “urgent” need to focus on education, as “the future of [their] communities depends on how [they] invest in formation and education.” Terre Sainte Magazine explains that there are only 65 Christian schools for 40,000 students and they are subsidized by the Israeli government but have received increasingly less money over the years. Despite the bleak and tense situation that the Catholic Churches of the Holy Land present, they also thank all the individuals, associations and movements of different nationalities and faiths which help “ build friendship and solidarity.” 

Terre Sainte, French  

The Church in the West has become a minority, as few faithful go to Mass regularly, baptize their children, get married and observe the precepts. However that will change, Matteo Matzuzzi believes.

Il Messaggero, Italian

Faced with the indocility of the Catholic Church in Germany, journalist Regina Einig has come up with three scenarios of what the Church in this country could become. 

Die Tagespost, German

Roman street artist Mauro Pallotta, aka Maupal, has given a new artwork to Pope Francis on the occasion of his upcoming birthday. Maupal personally handed the image to the soon to be 86-year-old Pontiff.

Dom Radio, German