Traditional Anglican Communion

Coat of Arms of the Traditional Anglican Communion.

The Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) is an international communion of churches in the continuing Anglican movement independent of the Anglican Communion and the Archbishop of Canterbury. The TAC upholds the theological doctrines of the Affirmation of St. Louis and an Anglo-Catholic interpretation of the Thirty-Nine Articles.^{[citation needed]} Each of the respective jurisdictions utilizes a designated Book of Common Prayer deemed free of innovation. Most parishioners of these churches would be described as being traditional Anglo-Catholics in their theology and liturgical practice. Some parishes use the Anglican Missal in their liturgies. The TAC is guided by a college of bishops from across the communion and headed by an elected primate .

The TAC was formed in 1991. Archbishop Louis Falk was its first primate. He was succeeded in 2002 by Archbishop John Hepworth of the Anglican Catholic Church in Australia.

The TAC churches have been formed outside of the Anglican Communion churches over a number of different issues. The principal issue has been the ordination of women. Other issues include liturgical revisions, the acceptance of homosexuality and the importance of tradition.

The most common quoted membership numbers, from the TAC itself, is 400,000.

Overtures to the Holy See

In October 2007 the bishops of TAC formally expressed the desire to enter into full unity with the See of Rome without losing core Anglican distinctives and declared their adherence to the doctrines expressed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. In a statement authorised by Archbishop Hepworth on 16 October 2007:

The College of Bishops of the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) met in Plenary Session in Portsmouth, England, in the first week of October 2007 and unanimously agreed to the text of a letter to the See of Rome seeking full, corporate, sacramental union. The Primate of the TAC agreed that no member of the College would give interviews until the Holy See has considered the letter and responded.

The Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith stated, on 5 July 2008, that it was giving serious consideration to the prospect of corporate union with groups of Anglicans, observing that "the situation within the Anglican Communion in general has become markedly more complex". The Traditional Anglican Communion does not hold membership in the Anglican Communion.

On 29 October 2009 the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith announced Pope Benedict XVI's intention to create a new type of ecclesiastical structure, called a personal ordinariate, for unspecified groups of Anglicans entering into full communion with the see of Rome.

The press release envisaged that some married Anglican clergy who join the Roman Catholic Church may be ordained again as Catholic priests but not as bishops: "Historical and ecumenical reasons preclude the ordination of married men as bishops in both the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. The Constitution therefore stipulates that the Ordinary can be either a priest or an unmarried bishop."   On 4 November 2009, Pope Benedict signed the apostolic constitution, Anglicanorum Coetibus, which was released on 9 November 2009.

On 3 March 2010, in Orlando, Florida, the eight members of the House of Bishops of the Anglican Church in America — the United States branch of the TAC — voted unanimously to formally ask the Vatican to be accepted as a personal ordinariate.On 17 March 2010, leaders of the Canadian branch of the TAC (the Anglican Catholic Church of Canada) decided to do the same. The TAC member churches in the United Kingdom and Australia also petitioned for the formation of respective ordinariates.

Subsequently, all but one of the diocesan bishops of the Anglican Church in America announced that the ACA would not be joining the Roman Catholic Church, even if an offer were extended by the See of Rome.

Member churches

At present the Traditional Anglican Communion consists of 15 member churches:

Africa:

• Anglican Church in Southern Africa - Traditional Rite
• Church of Umzi Wase Tiyopia
• Continuing Anglican Communion in Zambia

Americas:

• Anglican Church in America
• Anglican Catholic Church of Canada
• Missionary Diocese of Central America
• Missionary Diocese of Puerto Rico

Asia:

• Anglican Church of India

http://www.anglicanchurchofindia.com/

• Orthodox Church of Pakistan
• Nippon Kirisuto Sei Ko Kai
• Church Missionary Society

Europe:

• Traditional Anglican Church (England)
• Church of Ireland - Traditional Rite

Oceania:

• Anglican Catholic Church in Australia
• Church of Torres Strait

External links

• Traditional Anglican Communion website