ARCIC II to Meet in U.S. in August
Episcopal News Service. May 16, 1985 [85106]
WASHINGTON (DPS, May 16) - The Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC II) will hold its first meeting at Graymoor, Garrison, N.Y, Aug. 27 -Sept. 5.
The ARCIC II co-chairs are the Most Rev. Cormac Murphy-O'Connor of Arundel and Brighton, England and the Rt. Rev. Mark Santer of Kensington, London, England. They head a group of twelve Roman Catholic and twelve Anglican theologians and other church leaders.
United States members are: Bishop Raymond W. Lessard of Savannah; Bishop Arthur A. Vogel of West Missouri; and Professor J. Robert Wright of the General Theological Seminary, New York City.
ARCIC II was called into being by the 1982 "Common Declaration" of Pope John Paul II and Archbishop Robert Runcie of Canterbury to examine "the outstanding doctrinal differences which still separate us, with a view towards their eventual resolution; to study all that hinders the mutual recognition of the ministries of our Communions; and to recommend what practical steps will be necessary when, on the basis of our unity in faith, we are able to proceed to the restoration of full communion."
The Graymoor meeting will continue discussion of "Church and Salvation," which includes the Reformation issue of justification by faith. Another major topic will be "Growth in Reconciliation," which takes up planning of future stages of unity, including mutual recognition of ministries.
United States church leaders will join ARCIC II for an evening meeting, headed by Bishop James Malone of Youngstown, Ohio, the president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, and the Most Rev. John M. Allin, Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church.
The dialogue will also take advantage of its American meeting place to spend some time with representatives of the Anglican-Roman Catholic Consultation (ARC) in the United States, some other theologians, and a representative of the diocesan ecumenical officers of each church.
ARCIC has chosen to meet in the United States where the Roman Catholic and Episcopal Churches have been in dialogue for many years and where local cooperation is common. The location of the meeting is also significant, for Graymoor, headquarters of the Roman Catholic Society of the Atonenent (Franciscan) has long been active in the ecumenical movement.
The order was founded in the early 20th century, by a former Episcopal priest, Fr. Paul Wattson, who was devoted -- both before and after the change -- to corporate reunion and who continued to believe to his dying day that Anglican orders were valid.
The other members of the dialogue are: (Anglican) Henry Chadwick, Regius Professor of Divinity, Cambridge University; Julian Charley, rector of St. Peter's, Everton, England; J. A. Baycroft, archdeacon of Ottawa, Canada; Bishop Donald Cameron of Sydney, Australia; Kortright Davis, vise-principal, Coddington College, Barbados; Bishop David Gitari of Mount Kenya East; Oliver O'Donovan, Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology, Oxford University; John Pobee, Professor of Religious Studies, University of Ghana; Mary Tanner, study secretary, Board for Mission and Unity of the General Synod of the Church of England; (Roman Catholic) Pierre Duprey of the Vatican Secretariat forPromoting Christian Unity; Jean Tillard, Dominican Faculty of Theology, Ottawa; Edward Yarnold of Campion Hall, Oxford; A. Adappur, Lumen Institute, Cochin, India; J. Akpunomou, rector of the Major Seminary, Enugu, Nigeria; Bishop Brian Ashby of Christchurch, New Zealand; M. Cecily Boulding, Lecturer in Systematic Theology, Ushaw College, Durham, England; Brendan Sloan, Lecturer in Moral Theology, Allen Hall, London and John Thornhill, Aquinas Academy, Sydney, Australia.