The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, is expected to announce the resignations as parishes across the country meet to discuss the Pope’s offer to accommodate disaffected Anglicans within the Roman Catholic Church.

Senior Catholics are finalising plans for a new group for Anglican converts who cannot accept women bishops and a detailed timetable for its formation could be announced as early as next week…

Lambeth Palace is expected to confirm the resignations of the Bishop of Fulham, the Rt Rev John Broadhurst; the Bishop of Richborough, the Rt Rev Keith Newton; the Bishop of Ebbsfleet, the Rt Rev Andrew Burnham; and two retired bishops, the Rt Rev Edwin Barnes, honorary assistant bishop of Winchester, and the Rt Rev David Silk, honorary assistant bishop of Exeter.

The five are said to be “dismayed” at the liberal reforms to the Church in recent decades and intend to join the Ordinariate in pursuit of “unity” with Rome when the new body is established next year.

They will cease pastoral work, which includes the oversight of Anglican parishes that are opposed to women priests, as soon as their resignations are announced, although they will remain officially in post until the end of December.

Sources on both sides expect about 25 groups, each typically containing approximately 20 converts, to follow the path to Rome.

The estimates suggest up to 500 individuals will join the Ordinariate in the first wave, with more expected to follow once it has become established.

[Editor’s note: This article is incomplete. The source for this document was originally published on www.telegraph.co.uk—however, the original URL is no longer available.]