Archbishop of Canterbury and Pope to meet in Rome

5 December 1996 • Persistent link: iarccum.org/?p=5058

Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey and Pope John Paul II converse in the sacristy of St Gregory's Church in Rome (3 Dec. 1996). Photo: Massimo Capodanno/AP

Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey and Pope John Paul II meet in the Apostolic Palace in Rome (3 Dec. 1996)

The Archbishop of Canterbury will pay his first official visit to His Holiness Pope John Paul II in Rome between 3rd – 5th December 1996. He will stay as a guest of the English and Welsh Catholic Hierarchy at the Venerable English College in Rome. During the course of his visit he will have private conversations with His Holiness and other Curial Officials, and he and the Pope will join together in the celebration of Vespers at the Church of San Gregorio al Celio.

In addition, the Archbishop will deliver a lecture under the auspices of the Anglican Centre in Rome and make other visits to the Vatican and Anglican Churches.

On Friday 6th December he will travel to Milan where, as a guest of His Excellency Carlo, Cardinal Martini. He will give an address in the first Vespers of the Festival of St Ambrose which opens the Holy Year of the 1600th Anniversary of the death of St Ambrose, the Patron Saint of Milan.

The Archbishop has met His Holiness Pope John Paul II once before, early in his Archepiscopate. When he was visiting Italy as a guest of the Anglican Church in Italy, the Archbishop met the Pope in May 1992.

The Archbishop will be accompanied by Mrs Carey and the Archbishop of Cape Town (the Most Revd Winston Ngonkulu); the Bishop of Birmingham (the Rt Revd Mark Santer); the Bishop of Gibraltar in Europe (the Rt Revd John Hind); and Bishop Jeffrey Rowthorne, Bishop in charge of the Convocation of American Churches in Europe.

He will also be accompanied by the Revd Canon John Peterson Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, Revd Canon Dr Richard Marsh, the Archbishop’s Secretary for Ecumenical Affairs and Ms Lesley Perry, the Archbishop’s Press Secretary. The party will be joined in Rome by the Revd Canon Bruce Ruddock, the Director of the Anglican Centre and the Archbishop’s Counsellor for Vatican Affairs.

Canon Jim Rosenthal, Director of Communications, Anglican Communion will be travelling to Rome as photographer.