The meeting between Pope Benedict and the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams had been billed as something of a showdown.
After all, it was the first since the Pope’s invitation to disgruntled Anglicans to convert to Catholicism.
Many Anglicans had spoken openly of their concern not only that the invitation was being made, but also about the way it was handled.
It came, earlier this month, just as the Church of England was trying to find ways of keeping those traditionalists on its Catholic wing inside the fold.
The CoE reiterates its disdain for those in the fold repeatedly and this makes WHO look bad?
Well the new is out for their “momentous” 20-minute meeting, and Archbishop Rowan received a nifty new cross as a gift.
This from Associated Press: [blockquote] In the interview after the papal audience with Vatican Radio, Williams acknowledged the handling of the Vatican move put Anglicans “in an awkward position for a time. Not the contents so much, as some of the messages that were given out. So I needed to share with the pope some of those concerns and I think they were expressed and heard in a very friendly spirit.” [/blockquote] He also said of the Holy Father that “a very strong statement came out.” Here is where the missing fly on the wall would have been instructive.