I have had an unforgettable time in the last five years. My term of office has included being present at the Funeral of Pope John Paul II and the Inauguration of Pope Benedict XVI. Those were amazing events, forever enshrined in my memory. I have had the opportunity to engage with Popes and Cardinals and Archbishops, with ambassadors and senior politicians ”“ and even more importantly with ordinary Roman people, at all levels. I have had the enormous privilege of being “centre-stage” in the ecumenical engagement of Anglicans with Roman Catholics.
Along with Monsignor Don Bolen, my opposite number in the Vatican, I have masterminded four visits to the Vatican by the present Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, the current head of the world-wide Anglican church. I have watched with hope as the friendship between Pope Benedict and Archbishop Rowan Williams has grown warmer with each visit. They speak personally and gently with one another in both German and English. It is a revelation. Reunion between Anglicans and Catholics may still be a long way off, but over the years we have made deep friendships with one another, even at the top of the pyramid. And deep friendships keep the ecumenical journey alive, and assure its continuance into the future.
“And deep friendships keep the ecumenical journey alive, and assure its continuance into the future”.
I’m not sure this is really the way “ecumenism” works.
A lovely piece; thanks for posting it. Having lived in Rome for a very short time, I resonated with his love of the City and his delight in the beauties of the Italian language.
Re #1
Antonio,
You are correct in your misgivings. It’s not the way ecumenism works. The Pope of Rome also receives delegations of Buddhists and Mohammedans. I think the odds of communion with the AC are about the same. The so called ecumenical dialogue between Rome and Canterbury is now little more than the morticians make up on a corpse.
Personally I prefer honesty. The Russian Church broke off all contacts with TEC after VGR. I think that is the correct approach.
To see friendship as the hope of ecumenical progress is a very Anglican way of looking at it. That’s a compliment, but dealing with the Catholics (and Orthodox, AO?), you hit the wall because good fellowship must be subsumed to not only a search for a common Truth (capital T), but actually finding it. Sometimes that means finding a common statement of a truth we both hold, but sometimes it’s more than that.
Actually, personal contacts and knowledge of each other do facilitate ecumenism. Nos. 3 & 4 – Do you hope for negative results?
Rob,
As I stated in my 3 above, I think the correct response to TEC/ECUSA was that of the Russian Orthodox Church which terminated all ecumenical discussions. To have dialogue there must be on some level a commonality of faith. I do not believe such exists between TEC and the Orthodox Church. When a church which purports to be Christian preaches the normalcy and virtue of sin anything less than an unambiguous repudiation is scandalous.
Having been a friend of John Flack when he was an Archdeacon and Chair of our Diocesan Board of Mission whilst I was diocesan evangelism adviser I know that this is a very John Flack piece. Typically he returns to parish ministry. He was highly regarded in Ripponden and Brighouse in this area years ago.
A man of rich faith he was certainly a formidable cricketer. A big guy physically and spiritually.
I still expect that the discussions with portions of the AC will eventually be moved from the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity to the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.
Look, there’s nothing wrong with meeting folks to figure out where you hold some common ground. Meeting with people, “receiving delegations” of Buddhists and Muslims, doesn’t imply that you agree with everything they say. It does imply a desire to coexist.
As a convert to the Anglican branch of the Body of Christ, I revere the “39 articles”. I believe the Anglican Church is the closest to the Church as it was during the first 150 years after the resurrection our Lord. In my opinion, the orthodox Anglican Church is on the brink of participating in a great revival. The Eastern Church is wonderful at teaching, but they do little to full fill The Great Commission. The Evangelical Protestant Church is wonderful at spreading the gospel, but they leave the new converts to fend for themselves. The orthodox Anglican Church offers the best of both worlds. We have bishops and priests with evangelical fervor, and we have the parish churches and schools in which the new converts can both worship and learn. Praise G_d, and may He bless the orthodox Bishops and priests who are participating in the purification of the Church.
Regarding #10, are any here familiar with or have any knowledge and experience with the Orthodox Anglican Church/Orthodox Anglican Communion? Why is it that they seem not to have allied with any of the other Continuing Church groups?
Here is a link for the Orthodox Anglican Church: http://eoc.orthodoxanglican.net/
Quest, thanks but I know the link well. I’m looking for further insights who are actually in the movement of have personal knowledge or experience of it’s charism, ethos, strengths and weaknesses. Thanks though!