Anglican bishop to step down, join Catholic Church September 4, 2021By Simon Caldwell Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, World News Then Rev. Jonathan Goodall, far right, was among Anglican church officials marking the 50th anniversary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity at the Vatican with then Pope Benedict XVI, Nov. 18, 2010. Others in the photo are, from left, Msgr. Mark Langham of the pontifical council; Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury; and the Rev. David Richardson, director of the Anglican Centre in Rome. (CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano via Reuters) MANCHESTER, England (CNS) — The Anglican bishop of Ebbsfleet stepped down from office after announcing that he will become a Roman Catholic. The resignation of Bishop Jonathan Goodall was announced by Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury in a Sept. 3 statement released by Lambeth Palace. Bishop Goodall is a former ecumenical secretary to a previous archbishop of Canterbury and was ordained in 2013 to serve as a “flying bishop” of a diocese erected to cover traditionalist parishes that would not accept women priests. “I am deeply grateful to Bishop Jonathan for his ministry and many years of faithful service,” Archbishop Welby said. “My prayers are with him and Sarah, both for his future ministry and for the direction in which they are being called in their continuing journey of dedicated service to Christ,” he said. He continued: “With regard to the see of Ebbsfleet, we will be starting a process of consultation with colleagues and others — including the parishes to whom Bishop Jonathan ministers — to determine what the next steps will be.” No details of who will receive Bishop Goodall into the Catholic faith or where his reception will happen have been revealed. His Anglican ministry will end Sept. 8, according to the statement from Lambeth Palace. Bishop Goodall, who is based in Reading, England, declined to be interviewed but said in a Sept. 3 statement that he would step down after eight years in office “in order to be received into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church.” He said that the decision was reached “only after a long period of prayer, which has been among the most testing periods of my life.” “Life in the communion of the Church of England has shaped and nourished my discipleship as a Catholic Christian for many decades,” he said in a statement posted on the website of the Diocese of Ebbsfleet. “This is where I first received — and for half my life have ministered, as priest and bishop — the sacramental grace of Christian life and faith,” he added. “I shall always treasure this and be thankful for it. I trust you all to believe that I have made my decision as a way of saying yes to God’s present call and invitation, and not of saying no to what I have known and experienced in the Church of England, to which I owe such a deep debt.” The bishop’s decision to join the Catholic Church represents the highest-level transfer since Gavin Ashenden, a former royal chaplain to Queen Elizabeth II, became a Catholic at Christmas in 2019. Israel bans dozens of aid groups from Gaza, including Caritas, drawing condemnation ‘Be open to what the Lord has in store for you,’ Pope Leo tells SEEK 2026 attendees New year marks time to usher in era of peace, friendship among all people, pope says Pope Leo mourns tragic New Year fire in ski resort bar; 40 presumed dead God’s plan of salvation is greater than ‘weaponized’ plots underway, pope says Vatican says close to 3 million people saw Pope Leo at the Vatican in 2025 Copyright © 2021 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Print
