The Holy Father stated, when he published Anglicanorum coetibus, that as 'the successor of Peter, mandated by the Lord Jesus to guarantee the unity of the episcopate and to preside over and safeguard the universal communion of all the Churches, [he] could not fail to make available the means necessary to bring this holy desire to realization'.

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This was in response to groups of Anglicans 'repeatedly and insistently' petitioning 'to be received into full Catholic communion individually as well as corporately'.

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During his address to the Catholic Bishops' of England and Wales at St Mary's College, Oscott, in September 2010, the Holy Father was keen to stress that the Apostolic Constitution "should be seen as a prophetic gesture that can contribute positively to the developing relations between Anglicans and Catholics". 

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He went on to state that "[Anglicanorum coetibus] helps us to set our sights on the ultimate goal of all ecumenical activity: the restoration of full ecclesial communion in the context of which the mutual exchange of gifts from our respective spiritual patrimonies serves as an enrichment to us all".

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In this way, the establishment of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham is clearly intended to serve the wider and unchanging aim of the full visible unity between the Catholic Church and the members of the Anglican Communion.

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