Self-Sacrifice

I feel that incoming Anglicans and all Catholics owe a debt of gratitude to Abp John Hepworth of the T.A.C., who has been working for corporate reunion for years, and is even now going about doing good, visiting all parts of the T.A.C. throughout the world and encouraging them all to accept this offer of the Holy Father's embrace.

But it is an example of self-sacrifice, one of which he himself is well aware and which he has publicly stated he will accept if such be necessary, laying aside his mitre and even his collar: for as the Complementary Norms to Anglicanorum coetibus makes clear (Art. 6, §2.):

Those who have been previously ordained in the Catholic Church and subsequently have become Anglicans, may not exercise sacred ministry in the Ordinariate. Anglican clergy who are in irregular marriage situations may not be accepted for Holy Orders in the Ordinariate.

For it is known to all that Hepworth (born 1944) was brought up a Catholic, and was ordained a Catholic priest (in 1968), prior to joining the Anglican Church of Australia (in 1976), acting as an Anglican priest (a valid one, for once!), then leaving those liberalizing women-ordainers to join the Anglican Catholic Church in Australia (in 1992), being consecrated a continuing Anglican bishop (in 1996), and has been Primate of the T.A.C. since 2002.

Furthermore, since leaving the Catholic Church, he has married more than once - but in charity one assumes that, because of his leaving the Church still a priest unlaicised, his contracting of matrimony thereafter may have been invalid, and so, all things being equal, his present marital situation may be regularized in a spirit of true orthodox pastoral concern.

However, Article 11 of the Complementary Norms must surely apply to Hepworth as well:

§1. A married former Anglican Bishop is eligible to be appointed Ordinary. In such a case he is to be ordained a priest in the Catholic Church and then exercises pastoral and sacramental ministry within the Ordinariate with full jurisdictional authority.

§2. A former Anglican Bishop who belongs to the Ordinariate may be called upon to assist the Ordinary in the administration of the Ordinariate.

§3. A former Anglican Bishop who belongs to the Ordinariate may be invited to participate in the meetings of the Bishops’ Conference of the respective territory, with the equivalent status of a retired bishop.

§4. A former Anglican Bishop who belongs to the Ordinariate and who has not been ordained as a bishop in the Catholic Church, may request permission from the Holy See to use the insignia of the episcopal office.

Now section 1 cannot apply, since he is already a Catholic priest and Art. 6, §2. above would instead apply, precluding him exercising the sacred ministry; but certainly he could "assist the Ordinary in... administration" (Art. 11, §2), and, as a former Anglican bishop be invited, as if a retired bishop, to participate in the local Bishops' Conference (§3) - he could even request and receive permission to use the insignia of the episcopal office (§4).

Any canonists out there? Time will tell in any case.