At Westminster Abbey, it was the Pope\u2019s turn to speak first. He chose to recall St Bede the Venerable (always a popular choice for Anglicans) who, he said, \u201cunderstood \u201d\u00a6 the need for creative openness to new developments\u201d\u009d, perhaps an unexpected turn of phrase from this Pope. Dr Williams, in turn, recalled Sts Augustine of Canterbury and Gregory the Great, but also noted that \u201cChristians have very diverse views about the nature of the vocation that belongs to the See of Rome\u201d\u009d He went on to quote John Paul II\u2019s encyclical Ut Unum Sint, saying that \u201cwe must all reflect together\u201d\u009d on how the Petrine ministry may speak to all Christians. A partial agreement here perhaps between these two, but many Anglicans hold dissenting views.<\/p>\n
Only at the very end of the visit did the Pope mention Anglicanorum Coetibus, the apostolic constitution to enable Anglicans to join the Roman Catholic Church through a special structure, and then to his own bishops, not those of the Church of England. In his radio interview, Dr Williams said: \u201cA relatively small number of people in the Church of England have wanted to explore this. I hadn\u2019t ever expected it to be a huge number.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
So, overall, did the Pope surprise Anglicans? Most people I asked said that his remarks were softer in tone than they expected. Does this mean that any fundamental changes are likely? No, but it might mean that dire predictions being made earlier for the future of ecumenical relations were not accurate. A more interesting question might be whether the image of the Church of England among Roman Catholics has been affected by the obvious warmth of feeling that Pope Benedict has displayed on this visit. Yet a concern remains for Anglicans that Rome does not perceive a need for any fundamental rethink of its own position on the divisive issues.<\/p>\n