According to the release, the members welcomed the Roman Catholic Church’s acknowledgement of a substantial overlap in faith and the legitimacy of many Anglican traditions, a recognition that is the fruit of over 40 years of official dialogue between the two churches. And members were encouraged by statements made by Roman Catholic and Anglican leaders that the official dialogue between the two churches will continue, according to the release.<\/p>\n
“Most everyone seemed clear that there were negative as well as some positive aspects to the Vatican\u2019s initiative,” said Bishop Christopher Epting, the Episcopal Church’s ecumenical and interfaith officer. “We thought it was important to wait until we’ve seen the actual text of the constitution before saying much more, but wanted to affirm both churches’ decisions to continue formal dialogue — through ARC-USA — with the only recognized province of the Anglican Communion in the United States (the Episcopal Church) and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. That’s the official ecumenical dialogue, and that’s what’s important.”<\/p>\n