In the next few days a series of events in Rome will highlight recent developments in the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion worldwide. The most symbolic and encouraging of these will be the meeting between Pope Francis and Archbishop Justin Welby and the commissioning of 19 pairs of Anglican and Catholic bishops from across the world. Alongside this, the Gregorian University will host a symposium on Anglican-Catholic relations in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the Anglican Centre in Rome.
Despite the fresh challenges that have emerged in recent years, the commitment of our two communions to pray and work for the unity that our Lord wills for us is greater than ever. The obstacles to unity that we have encountered have made us aware that the road ahead is a long one – much longer than those who initiated our dialogue nearly 50 years ago might have expected.
But fresh challenges have also brought a sharper focus to our dialogue and a determination to find ever more creative ways of witnessing to what we hold in common.
One of those creative ways of witnessing is the commissioning of pairs of bishops from 19 different parts of the world where Anglican-Catholic cooperation is already well established or where it can be developed and strengthened. The mandate that they will receive from Pope Francis and Archbishop Welby will authorise and equip them to promote a wider range of opportunities for parishes and dioceses, pastors, Religious and Church leaders to work and witness together locally and nationally.
Among the bishops to be commissioned are the Anglican Bishop of Truro, the Rt Rev Tim Thornton, and the Catholic Bishop of Plymouth, Bishop Mark O’Toole. Apart from encouraging our ongoing national dialogue (the English Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue, known as English Arc), they will also be keen to foster some practical forms of cooperation among our bishops, especially following the national meeting of Anglican and Catholic bishops due to take place in Birmingham next January.
When Pope Francis and Archbishop Justin meet on October 5 they will encourage the work of Iarccum (the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission) and Arcic (the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission) – the two complementary bodies that seek to carry forward our joint commitment to work and witness together in mission and service (Iarccum) and pursue the theological dialogue that seeks agreement about our ecclesial identity and mission (Arcic).
Arcic is now in the third phase of its work, responding to a new mandate received in 2010, which falls into three parts. I am co-chairman of Arcic and my Anglican counterpart is Archbishop David Moxon, director of the Anglican Centre in Rome. We have been asked first to gather together the five agreed statements of our predecessors in Arcic II, with a narrative that describes their genesis and purpose as well as their reception to date within both communions.
Then, drawing on the existing corpus of all Arcic’s agreed statements, we are mandated to study the nature and mission of the Church as communion, local and universal. Finally, we have been asked to consider how, as local and universal communion, the Church comes to discern right ethical teaching.
Arcic has now completed the first of these tasks. It is our intention to present to Archbishop Welby and the Holy Father a single volume of the agreed statements of Arcic II at some point during the coming days in Rome, so that the formal process of reception by the Anglican provinces and the Magisterium of the Catholic Church can begin.
We have to be realistic about the challenges this may pose. It cannot be taken for granted that the pattern of response within our two communions to the agreed statements of Arcic 20 or 30 years ago will still reflect the status of their reception today.
It is possible that some of the authoritative bodies and representatives responsible for receiving Arcic’s work today will not share the understanding and judgment of their predecessors.
The story of the past 50 years of ecumenical dialogue, joint work and witness echoes the pattern of many friendships. As a friendship develops and deepens it often leads beyond the discoveries about each other towards unexpected discoveries about ourselves. The better we come to know our friends and are known by them, the more clearly we see the truth about who we are, reflected back through our encounters with one another. We can gain a deeper understanding of our identity and mission as the Catholic Church through our ecumenical friendships and dialogues, as well as through our commitment to work and witness as much as possible together.
By the very fact of their meeting, Pope Francis and Archbishop Welby will give fresh energy and a renewed sense of hope to the work of Iarccum and Arcic in sustaining the face-to-face character of dialogue, together with the side-by-side ecumenism of joint social outreach, mission and witness.
As the Anglican Centre in Rome celebrates its Golden Jubilee, may the growing friendship in Christ between the Archbishop and the Holy Father encourage Anglicans and Catholics to respond anew to the prayer of our Lord that they may all be one.
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