Anglicans who take up the Pope’s offer of an Ordinariate may be allowed to continue worshipping in their Church of England buildings, it emerged this week.

Until now commentators had assumed that groups wanting to join the new structure set up by the Pope would have to abandon their Anglican churches.

But William Fittall, secretary general of the Church of England General Synod, said it would be “entirely possible” for these buildings to be shared between the new members of the Ordinariate and Anglicans.