The archbishop of Canterbury, ahead of a private meeting with Benedict XVI, acknowledged that the Anglican Communion is going through an “unprecedentedly difficult time.”
Archbishop Rowan Williams told Vatican Radio before his encounter with the Pope today that he was expecting “a fairly informal and low-key meeting.”
Williams added: “I hope to bring him up to date on our plans about the Lambeth conference, perhaps to discuss with him a little what’s going to be happening at the [Christian-Muslim] conference this week at Palazzola and just touch base with him about China, the initiatives we’re involved in with regard to the churches in China.”
The Anglican leader is in Rome this week for the 7th Building Bridges seminar with Christian and Muslim scholars, scheduled for Tuesday through Thursday.
And he explained some of the initiatives regarding China: “We’ve been trying to build relationships with scholars of religious studies in China. We brought a group over a little while ago to meet some British theologians and that was very constructive; so it’s really a question of keeping the door open for something more than polite exchanges but more real theological dialogue.”
And all in 20 minutes! Given the ABC’s convoluted style in communication, I’d give one topic a half iteration………at best.