Episcopal News Service March 2, 2007
Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue to continue with ARC-USA meeting in Washington
By Matthew Davies
[ENS] The Anglican-Roman Catholic Consultation in the United States (ARC-USA) will convene for its 62nd meeting March 8-11 at St. Paul's College in Washington, D.C., to discuss recent developments in the Anglican Communion, consider a draft response to the 2004 "Seattle Document" of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC), "Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ," (http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/angl-com m-docs/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_20050516_mary-grace-hope-christ_en.html) and work to prepare a pastoral guide for Spanish-speaking Christians.
Bishop Christopher Epting, ecumenical officer for the Episcopal Church, observed that the ARC-USA dialogue is one of the Episcopal Church's oldest and most productive ecumenical dialogues.
"In conjunction with the international Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission, we have made enormous progress in understanding and mutual discovery, even given serious issues still to be resolved," Epting said, noting that a summary of both the agreements and continued areas of disagreement can be seen in "Growing Together in Unity and Mission," the new document from the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission on Unity and Mission, soon to be released for congregational study.
"At our March 8-11 meeting we will be concluding some ongoing work, reflecting on two more papers on "Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ" from ARCIC, and making plans for some re-structuring in the next formal round of dialogue," he said.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website notes that ARC-USA is one of the first and most fruitful dialogues of the Catholic Bishops' Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs (BCEIA).
"In many ways, ARC-USA has served as a model for ecumenical relations in the United States," it states. "Further, since its establishment in 1965, the Consultation has addressed and made headway in theological issues that have long divided Catholics from other Christians such as Church authority, the Eucharist, and women's ordination."
Full story:
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_83052_ENG_HTM.htm
-- Matthew Davies is international correspondent for the Episcopal News Service.
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