THE
P RTAL
December 2015
Page 3
Portal Comment
Pope Francis names first Bishop for the
Ordinariate of the Chair of St Peter
T
he Portal welcomes the news that Pope Francis
has named The Revd Monsignor Steven J Lopes
to be the first bishop of the Personal Ordinariate of
the Chair of St Peter. Mgr Jeffrey N Steenson, the
leader of the Ordinariate since 2012, introduced the
Bishop-elect at a news conference on 24th November.
With this appointment, Pope Francis affirms and
amplifies Pope Benedict’s vision for Christian unity,
in which diverse expressions of one faith are joined
together in the Church. By naming Bishop-elect
Lopes, the Pope has confirmed that the Ordinariate is
a permanent, enduring part of the Catholic Church,
like any other diocese - one that is now given a bishop
so that it may deepen its contribution to the life of the
Church and the world.
Bishop Lopes’ appointment came just five days
before the Ordinariate began using Divine Worship:
The Missal, a new book of liturgical texts for the
celebration of Mass in the Personal Ordinariates
around the globe. The texts are approved by the
Vatican for use beginning the first Sunday of Advent,
November 29, 2015. Bishop-elect Lopes was directly
involved in developing these texts for worship; since
2011, he has served as the executive coordinator of
the Vatican commission, Anglicanae Traditiones,
which produced the new texts.
The new missal is a milestone in the life of the
Ordinariate, since the Ordinariate’s mission is
particularly expressed through the reverence and
beauty of its worship, which shares H