Anglicans and Catholics discuss recognition of ministry

26 April 2016 • Persistent link: iarccum.org/?p=2586

Catholic and Anglican theologians have been meeting together near Rome to discuss ordination rites within the two communions, as well as the significant ecumenical implications of Pope Francis‘ recent documentAmoris Laetitia‘.

A meeting of the Malines Conversation group took place from April 17th to 22nd at Rocca di Papa, south of Rome, culminating in an ecumenical evensong celebrated by Archbishop Arthur Roche of the Congregation for Divine Worship.

A communique issued after the encounter said the theologians from seven different countries discussedcontemporary and historic ordination ritesand the developments that have taken place in both communions since Pope Leo XIII declared Anglican orders to benull and void“.

To find out more about the conversation and about prospects for progress in the dialogue, Philippa Hitchen spoke to one of the Catholic participants, Fr Tony Currer of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity.

Fr Tony notes the original Malines group started around 20 years after the publication of Pope Leo XIIIs encyclicalto see how things could be taken forward“. He describes it asa remarkable developmentgiven the position of the Catholic Church which was not involved in the new ecumenical endeavours that were taking shape at the start of the 20th century.

In a similar way today, he says, Anglicans and Catholics are facing major obstacles which requirea lot of exploration in an atmosphere of friendship, honesty and frankness to see where progress might be made“.

Fr Tony recalls that the documents of the Second Vatican Council recognized those elements of the Church which exist beyond the boundaries of the Catholic Church, adding that recent ecumenical efforts have been looking at the implications of that statement in the search for reciprocal recognition of ministry.

Theology needs tocatch upwith gestures

While he notes that such recognition is still not fully possible, he cites many gestures to show a growing respect and recognition of the ministry exercised by Anglican bishops. In particular he recalls the gesture of Pope Paul VI, 50 years ago, of giving his own episcopal ring to the Archbishop of Canterbury Michael Ramsey. Theology, Fr Tony says, “needs to catch upand find thetheological underpinnings to these gestures“.

He addsI think its true to say we dont use the language ofnull and voidany moreas thatsclearly not what is spoken by the gestures, generosity, and warmth which we see time and time again“.