LONDON (AP) _ The Vatican’s offer to help Anglicans, including married priests, become Roman Catholics is likely to impact both churches.
Pope Benedict’s invitation appeared to be a bid to capitalize on sharp divisions within the Anglican community over the acceptability of women clergy and openly gay priests.
Anglican Bishop John Broadhurst, who heads the traditionalist group Forward in Faith, predicts that roughly 1,000 Church of England clergy will now seek to join the Roman Catholic Church.
Meanwhile, some Catholics believe an influx of married Anglican priests may lead to the acceptance of married Catholic priests. Others say Catholic seminarians who wish to marry may now join Catholicism’s Anglican branch to take advantage of the new situation.