"The plan is not without precedent. The Catholic Church has, in rare instances, allowed married Anglican priests to join under strict conditions. For centuries, the church has included Eastern Rite Catholics, who maintain their own traditions."
The Catholic Church is the Roman Rite; there are several other Rites, which are still Catholic and recognized as part ot the Catholic Church, but allow marriage. I remember reading somewhere that the REAL reason Patrick went to Ireland was to prevent the establishment of yet another ritual - the Irish Ritual - as that could lead to either heresies or at least created problems with existing church dogma.
Anyway, I don't view this so much as a "Counter - Reformation" as a grab for members and assets - not meaning to sound cynical, but as the one Anglican Bishop said "This is just business as usual." And, this has been going on since Martin Luther; a good many of the leaders of the Protestants in the 30 years war were in it because the Catholic Church had a lot of property and wealth, and it was a way to get that for oneself. (Such as Fredrick of Bohemia?)