Anglican-Roman Catholic Consultation Continues Discussion of Authority
Episcopal News Service. December 2, 2002 [2002-271-5]
At its mid-September meeting, the official theological consultation in the United States between Roman Catholics and Anglicans concluded an in-depth discussion of 'The Gift of Authority,' the third major agreed statement on authority in the church released by the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission. The statement suggests 11 points on which agreement has been deepened or extended, naming a number of specific issues related to authority facing the two churches and recommending ways for them to make more visible the communion they already share.
The Anglican-Roman Catholic Consultation in the United States (ARC-USA) began a paragraph by paragraph review of 'The Gift of Authority' at its March meeting and members spent a day at their September meeting summarizing their views and making plans for a draft response by the Rev. Robert Imbelli and Dr. William Franklin to be discussed at its meeting next March.
ARC-USA is also conducting its own study and in 1999 released an 'Agreed Report on the Local/Universal Church,' taking a look at how authority is used in the independent provinces of the Anglican Communion and the role of episcopal conferences in the Roman Catholic Church.
Two members of the consultation, the Rev. Ruth Meyers and Professor Joanne Pierce, are drafting a study guide on the agreements on Eucharist and ministry that have already been received by the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.