Meetings Limn Work Of Anglican/Roman Panel
Episcopal News Service. April 19, 1984 [84080]
HOUSTON, (DPS, April 19) -- A continuing effort to explain the work of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission was focussed here in February in a three-day meeting for 200 members of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Galveston-Houston. Intended primarily for the laity, it resulted from the very positive response to a similar meeting held last year for 50 of the clergy from those dioceses.
Speakers at the Texas meeting were Commission members the Rt. Rev. Arthur Vogel, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas and the only American Episcopalian on the Commission, and the Rev. George H. Tavard, a French Roman Catholic priest and seminary professor. Vogel had also spoken to last year's meeting.
The first Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission had nine members appointed by Pope Paul VI and then-Archbishop of Canterbury Michael Ramsey. It met annually for twelve years, beginning in 1970, and produced a report published as ARCIC: The Final Report.
This report, which is available from Forward Movement Publications, detailed agreements reached by the Commission members on the issues of the Eucharist, the nature of ministry and Holy Orders, and authority. The Episcopal Church has already approved the Commission's statements on the first two, both of which are seen as describing the present state of faith in the two denominations.
The third statement, on the exercising of authority (including that of the Pope), differs from the first two in that it describes not where the Episcopal and Roman Catholic Churches are now, but rather a prospective model into which they can grow. That statement on authority is to be presented to next year's General Convention for approval. The judgement on the report of the Anglican Communion as a whole will be given at the next Lambeth Conference in 1988. It is hoped that a similar judgement from the Roman Catholic Church will have been made by then.
As part of the evaluation process, Vogel and other Commission members have been travelling around, sharing their work with local Episcopal/Roman Catholic groups. In Texas, Vogel and Tavard gave presentations on the three areas of agreement from the Final Report. These were followed by small group discussions, with issues from these being brought back to plenary sessions. Major concerns were raised, but no attempt was made to achieve consensus.
Even without consensus, Vogel believes these meetings are important in creating a climate in which that can occur. "Ecumenism is not the second mile, it is the first mile," he says. "We are less than we could be as long as we stay divided from others". He also points out that the Final Report is really only a beginning. A second Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission has been named, this time with 12 members and an increased Third World representation. The new Commission will examine the role of the Church in salvation (the meaning of salvation by grace alone) and ways to achieve mutual recognition of Holy Orders. Vogel is one of six -- three from each denomination -- to have been reappointed.