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Episcopal and Roman Catholic Bishops Take Ecumenical Pilgrimage to England and Rome

Episcopal News Service. November 21, 1994 [94183]

In spite of what many observers regard as a deep chill in relationships between their two churches, a band of eight Episcopal and Roman Catholic bishops returned from an ecumenical pilgrimage to London/Canterbury and Rome deeply encouraged by the reception they received from the top leaders of both churches.

"While some pessimistic voices speak of a cooling of the dialogue, we have experienced at every step of our journey a fresh urgency to face the pain of our continuing division with honesty and determination," the bishops said in a November 9 statement released in Rome at the end of their pilgrimage (see full text in Newsfeatures section).

"From the archbishop of Canterbury and the Pope, from the real experience of local groups and congregations, to theologians who have invested their lives in these dialogues, we have been encouraged to deepen, rather than diminish, our effort," their statement said. While admitting that a pilgrimage is often an "arduous journey," the bishops expressed determination to "press on, even when the path seems uncertain and our energy falters." Pointing to 30 years of dialogue as the basis for some "dramatic changes in our relationship," the bishops said that they are "convinced that the task of stripping away misunderstandings and prejudices must continue."

"We were looking for some dramatic way to demonstrate the importance of continuing the dialogue," said Bishop Frank Griswold of Chicago, co-chair of the dialogue in the United States. He said that the idea for the pilgrimage came during a conversation a few years ago between Presiding Bishop Edmond Browning and Archbishop William Keeler of Baltimore, president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Encouraging words

Although the decision by many Anglican churches to ordain women to the priesthood has clouded the relationship, the bishops were offered many encouraging words in their intense, week-long pilgrimage. Fueled by enthusiasm and upheld by the prayers of the people back home, the bishops waded into the heart of both churches and engaged the top ecumenical leaders in open and frank dialogue.

"I'm not as pessimistic as others because I think our dialogue has given us a theological base from which greater unity will emerge," Bishop Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, Roman Catholic co-chair of the dialogue in Great Britain, told the group during a session at Westminster Cathedral in London. "We can't be discouraged by the continuing obstacles. I'm certain it is God's will that we continue.... We are already in an entirely new age" in our relationship, he said.

The group was welcomed at a worship service at the London offices of the Anglican Consultative Council by Secretary General Sam van Culin and the staff. The Rev. Donald Anderson, ecumenical officer for the ACC, reminded the group that the journey itself may be more rewarding than reaching a destination -- and that pilgrims must share both the pleasures and the trials of the journey. He said that the ACC is involved in five international dialogues, all with the same aim of seeking full, visible unity.

Tangible sign of hope

In welcoming the group to Eucharist at Canterbury Cathedral, Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey said, "You are the latest in a continuing stream of Christian pilgrims -- but you represent a most encouraging symbol of the partial communion we already share. Despite difficulties, we have made great strides together in theological agreement." He reminded the congregation that his predecessor, Robert Runcie, had greeted and prayed with Pope John Paul II at the cathedral. "May our pilgrimage towards unity continue and your presence with us today is a tangible sign of hope."

"Our ecumenical formation needs to raise up a generation sustained by the faith that shines forth from these dialogues we have carried out together," Bishop John Snyder, Roman Catholic bishop of St. Augustine (Florida) said to Carey in opening a two-hour conversation in the Old Palace at Canterbury. He stressed the need for cooperation to make a common witness to the Gospel and to share ministries of compassion.

"We sometimes find it easier to speak together on issues of justice, peace and the environment than on issues touching sexuality, abortion, euthanasia and homosexuality," Snyder said in his prepared text. "The polarized atmosphere of our public policy debates intensifies our perception of differences, often obscuring our common faith in Christ and his ethical message."

Mission and service to the world are key imperatives of the Gospel, agreed Carey, saying that he often wondered whether God actually saw Anglicans and Roman Catholics as two different churches. He noted the tremendous strides made since the Second Vatican Council in the mid-60s and said that the change in climate made it possible to say "blunt, strong things because the relationship can bear it."

Pope defines ecumenical hope

In a private audience with the pope at the Vatican, Bishop Griswold said in a prepared statement that "we come before you to bear witness both to what has been accomplished in revealing the unity which already exists between our two churches and to what remains to be done." He pointed to the covenants on the local level and the ecumenical work of dioceses as signs of strength. Combined with "ministries of service and witness," he said that they provide a "foretaste of the unity we seek."

One-fourth of the domestic dioceses of the Episcopal Church are involved in covenant relationships with the local Roman Catholic diocese. These covenants often include other churches, especially the Lutherans.

In response, the pope said that "we can all be encouraged at the progress already made," pointing to the "cooperation in Christian witness and in service" of the two churches in the United States. "At the same time we are painfully aware of the further obstacles along the way. We should neither be surprised nor held back by the difficulties involved." He added that ecumenical hope "is grounded in the very strength of the things which unite us in spite of our differences. Anglican and Catholics already share a deep faith in the mysteries of our Redeemer's life, death and resurrection," calling them the "wellspring of our lives in the church."

A search for understanding

Cardinal Edward Cassidy, head of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, later told the group that dialogues must be based on a spirit of love and a genuine search for understanding. He suggested that both parties in a dialogue must enter as deeply as possible into the thinking and understanding of the partner without denying one's own identity. Each must seek to appreciate "the richness of the partner," but he warned that "there are things good will and charity won't change because they are matters of faith."

Cassidy said that Anglicans had always enjoyed a "special relationship" with the Roman Catholic Church and that is why they were so upset about the decision to ordain women to the priesthood.

"If you are really in dialogue you must expect to be changed," said Bishop Pierre Duprey, secretary of the council and a long-time participant in dialogues. "Dialogue may lead us to a solution that we cannot now see." But he said that the Roman Catholic Church cannot risk going against what it considers to be the will of God. "We have no authority to change," even though Roman Catholics are trying to understand how others reach different conclusions.

At an evening worship service at St. Paul's within-the-walls, one of the Anglican parishes in Rome, Bishop Edward Lee called attention to the church's bronze doors, commissioned to commemorate the visit of Archbishop of Canterbury Geoffrey Fisher to Pope John XXIII, an important milestone on the pilgrimage to unity. And he underscored the impatient question of Archbishop Donald Coggan who wondered why the two churches needed to wait to share the eucharistic meal. While waiting to share the Eucharist, Lee said, we "should not let go of each other... In our aggressive patience, even testy patience, we should not lose hope."

Painful sign of remaining obstacles

As they shared prayers, meals and deeply personal conversation, the bishops also ran up against the stark reality of painful obstacles on the road to unity -- they couldn't share the Eucharist. "We ate and drank together all along the way but when it came to the most meaningful meal of all, we had to stand alone," observed the Rev. David Perry who joined the pilgrimage as the newly appointed ecumenical officer of the Episcopal Church. "What would happen to our relationship if our church leaders, and our local churches, actually lived together in the way that these pilgrims did on this trip?" he asked. The power and impetus for unity will come as we act out our agreements in daily life, he added.

"Walls don't fall down by themselves," Perry contended as he noted that the pilgrimage coincided with the fifth anniversary of the destruction of the Berlin Wall. "They need a strong push, from people working together. But this pilgrimage was a clear and visible sign that barriers can crumble and that historic hatreds and divisions can be healed."

Participating bishops on the pilgrimage were:
  • Bishop Alexander Brunett, Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena (Montana )
  • Bishop Joseph Gossman, Roman Catholic Diocese of Raleigh (North Carolina)
  • Bishop Frank Griswold III, Episcopal Diocese of Chicago
  • Bishop Edward Lee, Jr., Episcopal Diocese of Western Michigan
  • Bishop Robert Shahan, Episcopal Diocese of Arizona
  • Bishop John Snyder, Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Augustine (Florida)
  • Bishop Frank Terry, Episcopal Diocese of Spokane (Washington)
  • Bishop Franklin Turner, Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania
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