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2000-089

Anglican and Roman Catholic bishops continue search for unity
by James Solheim

(ENS) A high-level meeting of 26 Anglican and Roman Catholic 
bishops in a suburb of Toronto concluded May 19 with plans for 
a joint commission to explore next steps in the search for unity.
Archbishop of Canterbury George L. Carey, who co-chaired the 
meeting with Cardinal Edward Cassidy of the Vatican's Pontifical 
Council for Promoting Christian Unity, said that the purpose of the 
commission would be to "stimulate the quest, to raise the expectations" 
in the search for unity. "We felt it was the logical outcome of this meeting," 
added Cassidy, who said that the commission could be "up and running" 
by the end of the year.
None of the participants had any illusions about the difficulty of the
journey together. "We have challenges, serious challenges that we 
have to face," said Cassidy, among them the nature of authority in 
the church and the role of women.
During the closed meeting at a Roman Catholic retreat center in 
Mississauga the bishops from 13 countries took a deeper look at 
the future of the ecumenical dialogue and the issues that still divide 
the two communions. They worshiped together in a small chapel, 
shared meals and conversations. As a symbol of the distance that 
still remains, they were not able to share the Eucharist, however.
"It's true that, at the morning liturgy, we were not able to fully share, 
in the sense we were not able to receive the Eucharist from each other," 
said Cassidy. He pointed out that the "whole ceremony was almost 
identical," that "we have the same actions, the same words, same 
spirit, same tradition."
Healing wounds of the past
Carey said that, during their time together, the bishops were able 
to celebrate those similarities, a common commitment to unity. 
"We'll go back more determined to heal the wounds of the past," 
he said, adding that the conference ends "on a note of mystery. 
And we have to live with the mystery of God and the mystery of 
the church, as well."
Archbishop Michael Peers of the Anglican Church of Canada 
pointed to the dilemma that "in some ways there appears to be 
some real ecumenical growth between the two churches, and in 
other ways things seem to be stalled." He said that the meeting 
was "a kind of pulse-taking, a testing of the ecumenical waters."
Last June the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission 
(ARCIC) issued a statement on authority that explored the possibility 
of papal primacy as "a gift to be offered and received" by all Christian 
churches. In the past Anglicans have urged the Vatican to "reform" the 
papal office in ways that would make it easier for non-Catholics to 
accept the pope as a universal leader.
A pearl of great value
Preaching at an ecumenical prayer service in Toronto's Roman Catholic 
cathedral, Carey said that the absence of unity "distorts truth, wastes 
resources" and "impoverishes worship and discredits the Gospel." He 
said that it was time to transcend a "tangled and sometimes wretched 
history" of killing each other and end the separation.
While relations have improved today Carey said that "we are 
accountable to the degree that we are unwilling to work for resolution 
of the results of past conflicts." For example, some Protestants object 
to dialogue with Roman Catholics. "They fear that Reformation principles 
are being abandoned and Gospel faith is being traduced," Carey said. 
"Polemics lead to hatred and division. Partnership leads to the promise 
of mutual service and eventual union."
Cassidy read a letter from Pope John Paul II in which the pope referred 
to the "particular affection" he had for Carey and said that the unity talks 
were "a quest for a pearl of great value." He expressed a hope that the 
meeting would "bear lasting fruit" and hasten the unity of the two churches.
"For more than 30 years the Anglican Church and the Catholic Church 
have been on a journey toward the restoration of unity," the pope wrote 
in the letter read by Cassidy. Noting that there have been "very positive 
developments" as well as some "new and serious obstacles," the pope 
offered a prayer that the "spiritual bonds" would be "strengthened and 
deepened even further."
Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold, who attended the meeting in his 
capacity of co-chair of ARCIC, agreed that the dialogue had entered 
"a new stage-one that needs to be marked in some public way." One 
of the most important revelations at the meeting, he said, was the 
realization that "if we are on a path to unity together, it will mean more 
face-to-face meetings." 
By the end of the week participants learned to know each other through 
conversations, both formal and informal, and "they developed some 
affection, a desire for the fullest possible level of communion," he said. 
"Anglicanism and Roman Catholicism had a more human face. And they 
knew that pursuing a relationship in greater depth can't be done through 
documents alone. The meeting promoted discovery on many levels," 
Griswold observed. "For example, prayer every morning revealed 
commonalities. For some, the common liturgical tradition was a surprising 
discovery."

--James Solheim is director of the Episcopal Church's Office of 
News and Information.