Anglican-Roman Catholic Consultation Celebrates Special Relationship
Episcopal News Service. October 3, 2000 [2000-153A]
(ENS) At its 50th meeting in September, the Anglican-Roman Catholic Consultation in the United States (ARC-USA) celebrated and reaffirmed the special relationship between the two churches, especially as expressed in the Second Vatican Council and the Lambeth Conferences.
Bishop John Snyder, of Jacksonville, the Roman Catholic co-chair of the dialogue, said in a homily during choral evensong at the Washington National Cathedral that "our collaboration has provided me with a rare view of the richness and variety of the church's life, a glimpse of the passion for ecclesial union for which we strive and... a source of great hope, comfort and joy." He highlighted the substantial agreements that have been achieved during an official dialogue that spans 35 years. He also recognized the obstacles that remain on the road to the full visible unity of the church.
Participants in the dialogue also rejoiced in a meeting last May of Anglican and Roman Catholic bishops from 13 countries near Toronto, convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. A statement emerging from that meeting declared that "a sense of mutual interdependence in the Body of Christ has been reached" and that "we have moved much closer to the goal of full visible communion than we had at first dared to believe." That meeting established a new Joint Unity Commission to promote efforts for unity. ARC-USA expressed its hope that the commission would be established as soon as possible and that it would consider preparation of a joint statement on the apostolic faith professed by both Anglicans and Roman Catholics.
In looking back over 50 years, members of the dialogue noted signs and symbols of encouragement along the way -- including Pope Paul VI's reference to the Anglican Communion as "ever-beloved sister" and the symbolic presentation of his own episcopal ring to Archbishop of Canterbury Michael Ramsey. "We also recall the invitation of Archbishop Robert Runcie to John Paul 11 to join him in leading worship in Canterbury Cathedral and Archbishop George Carey's participation at the side of the Pope in the opening of the Holy Door, inaugurating this Jubilee year," said a statement following the meeting in Washington, DC.