I am unsure of the provenance of this report, but it was sent to me by a friend who is usually on top of things. This is the first news I've heard on the subject since last spring. The report is appearing at other blogs, too.

Traditional Anglican Bishops Endorse Effort to Seek Inter-Communion with the Roman Catholic Church

September 23, 2005

The Archbishop of the Traditional Anglican Communion and primate of the largest conservative Anglican Church in the world has received an endorsement from the U.S. and Central American Church bodies meeting in Portland, Maine this week to begin developing a plan for intercommunion and unity with Rome. The Most Reverend John Hepworth, the Primate of the Traditional Anglican Communion, attended the meeting of the General Synod of the Anglican Church in America during the week of September 20-24. The Church bodies gave him an endorsement of his efforts to re-establish formal unity with the Holy See in Rome.

He has led efforts on behalf of the Church to re-establish unity with the Roman Catholic Church with whom he has had discussions for the last several years. He has also made an effort to establish communion with European Lutherans seeking similar common ground with Rome. "We have no doctrinal differences with Rome which would keep us from being in full communion with each other," said the Archbishop in a recent interview. "The climate is brewing for the Traditional Anglican Communion to be the 27th ecclesial group accepted into communion with Rome and the first church touched by the Reformation to do so. "My broad vision is to see the end of the Reformation of the 16th century. Archbishop Hepworth said if Christians truly believe in the notion of an undivided Church, they ought to discover what it takes to find unity with both East and West and "be liberated from everything that stops it."

The General Synod of the Anglican Church in America, including the Bishop of Central America, endorsed the efforts of the Primate today in a strong vote of support. The worldwide Traditional Anglican Communion will now begin the preparation of a formal unity plan to present to the Vatican next year outlining how intercommunion may be accomplished. The two churches have similar theological beliefs. The American Church was the last of the jurisdictions to endorse the efforts of the Primate due to timing of their National Synod. The Traditional Anglican Communion has members in 44 countries around the world.

Hat tip to my good friend "Peter Rabbi."