Archbishop Of Canterbury Visits Lutheran Convention
Episcopal News Service. September 4, 1986 [86187]
MILWAUKEE (DPS, Sept. 4) -- Ecumenical advances frequently come with small but highly symbolic steps, and 3,600 people attending the opening worship service of the Lutheran Church in America convention here Aug. 25 witnessed such an event.
Archbishop Robert A. K. Runcie of Canterbury, the leader of 64 million Anglicans worldwide, received Communion from LCA Bishop James R. Crumley, Jr. during a two-hour service at the Milwaukee Auditorium.
Runcie, in turn, gave the consecrated bread and wine -- symbols of the body and blood of Jesus Christ -- to Crumley. He also read the Gospel and briefly addressed the congregation.
Other Episcopalians among the ecumenical visitors in the crowd listening to strongly encouraging words from the Archbishop included Presiding Bishop Edmond L. Browning, the Rt. Rev. John M. Allin, former Presiding Bishop, and the Rt. Rev. Roger White, bishop of Milwaukee.
Using the Lutheran liturgy, which parallels structure of the Anglican Eucharist, the service was resplendent with the ceremonial symbols of both traditions. The Anglican bishops were vested in copes and miters, and Crumley's red chasuble was matched by the red stoles of the 30 LCA bishops who, along with the same number of lay persons, assisted in the distribution of Communion.
The intercessory prayers following Crumley's sermon were delivered in seven languages including Mohawk, Latvian, Swahili, Swedish, German, Spanish and Lao.
Runcie said the service was a sign of reconciliation between churches of various traditions and countries. "We can no longer live in geographical isolation, and we dare not live in denominational separation," he said. Browning, who also participated in the service, praised Runcie for "raising the sense of family within the Anglican Communion to new heights."
Runcie, displaying his usual good humor, referred to Browning as a "brother primate," which he described as a "slightly zoological term" that might not be commonly understood in the LCA assembly.
The participation of Runcie and Browning served as a highly visible reminder to the Lutherans of the 1982 convention vote of three Lutheran churches for an "interim eucharistic sharing" arrangement with the Episcopal Church.
The next day, in a major address to the convention, Runcie said that Lutherans and Anglicans share a "largely common apostolic tradition" and, despise different theological emphases, such as the interpretation of the role and nature of the episcopate, "have never denied one another the name 'church"'. Reminding his hearers that it was often historical events rather than theological disputes which divided Christian churches, the Archbishop added that from the earliest days of the 16th Century Reformation, Lutherans and Anglicans benefitted from each other's theological developments, and he expressed the hope that sharing of faith and history would bring the two churches closer and also allow for broader discussions with the Roman Catholic Church.
While in this country, Runcie visited Nashotah House Seminary to receive an honorary Doctor of Canon Law degree. At a dinner following the ceremony, the Archbishop of Canterbury spoke to nearly 400 people gathered from the neighboring dioceses on his role as primate. A special presentation from the Oneida Tribe of northern Wisconsin, object of one of the earliest Episcopal missionary efforts in the U.S., was made to Runcie. He accepted the gifts, emphasizing that this was yet another "vivid example of the great diversity of this Communion."
Runcie and his wife, Rosalind, spent several weeks in the States on holiday prior to the Lutheran Convention. Their stops included a visit with Janice Rusack, wife or the late Bishop of Los Angeles; lunch with the Bishop Coadjutor of Chicago, Frank T. Griswold, and his wife, Phoebe; an official meeting with clergy from the Korean Church, meeting in San Francisco; and a visit to Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Wearing a coat and tie and standing in the line at Independence Hall, Runcie was engaged in conversation by a man in front of him, who said, "With that accent, you must be from England." The Archbishop replied, "I am." The man asked, "Did you see the royal wedding?," to which His Grace replied, "I had a very good view of the royal wedding!" The man concluded, "You English sure know how to do things well."