Breaking News?

Fr Z has posted this about carefully timed press conferences in Rome and, it seems, according to Damian Thompson, also in London:

"There will be a briefing tomorrow. Featured is the topic of relations of the Holy See with "Anglicans".
The main speakers will be the Prefect of the Congregation for Doctrine of the Faith, His Eminence Card. Levada and the fomer Sotto-Segretario of the same CDF, now Secretary of the Cong. for Divine Worship H.E. Augustine DiNoia, OP.
This all makes sense if…if… this is to announce that there will be a reunion of Traditional Anglicans with the Catholic Church. This would be in the bailiwick of the CDF. And Archbp. DiNoia would have been involved when he was at the CDF.
However, a group of Traditional Anglicans would also no doubt have the Anglican Use for their liturgy, and therefore having the English speaking Secretary who had been at the CDF, rather than the Spanish speaking Prefect of the CDW makes perfect sense.
So… I suspect this is about the reunion of the so-called Traditional Anglicans."
Fr Z


"And this, from the Archbishop of Canterbury’s office:

PRESS CONFERENCE INVITATION

(not for publication)

You are invited to a press conference with Archbishop Vincent Nichols (Archbishop of Westminster) and Archbishop Rowan Williams (Archbishop of Canterbury) on Tuesday 20 October at 1000. The press conference will take place at 39 Eccleston Square, London SW1V 1BX.

(Yes, I know it says “not for publication”, but it wasn’t me they invited, so tough.)

I cannot believe that the two press conferences are not directly related."

Damian Thompson


There is a great deal of excitement and speculation in the blogosphere about the meaning of this. There's nothing new about excitement and speculation; we've been here many times before. However, it may be a big deal (something which will be significant in the long term) in terms of the relationship between traditional Anglicans worldwide and Rome, or it may not, but something does seem to be in the air.
We haven't long to wait (and pray) before we find out.