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The Anglican–Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) held a plenary meeting, online, on 5 October. The meeting marked the conclusion of the second phase of the work of ARCIC III, which began in 2019. During the meeting, the members of the Commission approved the final draft of the Agreed Statement for this phase of their work, While They Were Talking and Discussing: Learning to Do Moral Discernment in Communion. An editorial sub-committee has worked since the Commission’s previous plenary meeting, in Melbourne, Australia in October 2025, to complete the Agreed Statement, sharing drafts of their work with the full commission for comment, in advance of circulating the final draft for approval.
The Agreed Statement consists of an Introduction and four chapters.
Introduction ‘While they were talking and discussing’ (Lk 24:15):
The Challenge of Doing Moral Discernment in CommunionChapter 1 ‘Two of them were going to a village called Emmaus’ (Lk 24:13):
The Way Already TravelledChapter 2 ‘The apostles and the elders met together’ (Acts 15:6):
Sharing Moral Discernment in CommunionChapter 3 ‘Their eyes were kept from recognising him’ (Lk 24:16):
Case Studies in Moral Discernment and Ecclesial WoundsChapter 4 ‘You are witnesses of these things’ (Lk 24:48):
Moral Theology for a Synodal Church
The Statement will be published in the coming months with an official Roman Catholic commentary. The document will also be reviewed by the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order, with a view to its eventual commendation for reception at the next meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council, which will take place in India in 2029.
When published, this Agreed Statement will complement the first document published by ARCIC III, Walking Together on the Way: Learning to be the Church – Local, Regional, Universal (2018). With the finalisation of its second Agreed Statement, ARCIC III has now completed its work in response to the mandate it received from the late Pope Benedict XVI and Archbishop Rowan Williams, to study ‘the Church as Communion, local and universal, and how in communion the local and universal Church come to discern right ethical teaching.’
Anglican Communion
Co-Chair
The Most Revd Philip Freier, Archbishop of Melbourne, Anglican Church of Australia
Members
Dr Moeawa Callaghan, Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia
The Revd Dr Isaias Ezequiel Chachine, Anglican Church of Southern Africa
The Revd Dr Stewart Clem, The Episcopal Church (2023-2026)
Canon Dr Paula Gooder, Church of England (2019)
The Rt Revd Garth Minott, Church of the Province of the West Indies
The Most Revd Linda Nicholls, Anglican Church of Canada
The Reverend Dr Alexander Ross, Anglican Church of Australia
The Revd Canon Dr Peter Sedgwick, Church in Wales
Consultant
The Rt Revd Christopher Hill KCVO, Church of England
Co-Secretaries
The Ven. Dr William Adam, Anglican Communion Office (2019–2022)
Canon Dr Christopher Wells, Anglican Communion Office (2022–2026)
Staff
The Revd Neil Vigers, Anglican Communion Office
The Ven. Jonathan Gough
Catholic Church
Co-Chair
The Most Revd Bernard Longley, Archbishop of Birmingham, England
Members
Sister Margaret Atkins OSA, England (2019-2020)
The Revd Albino Barrera OP, USA
The Revd Paul Béré SJ, Italy
The Most Revd Robert Christian OP, USA (2019)†
Prof. Kristin Colberg, USA
Prof. Sigrid Müller, Austria
Prof. Emmanuel Nathan, Australia
The Revd Prof. Vimal Tirimanna CSsR, Sri Lanka
Consultants
Prof. Paul Murray, England
The Revd Anthony Currer, England (2023-2026)
Co-Secretaries
The Revd Anthony Currer, Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity (2019–2022)
The Revd Martin Browne OSB, Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity (2022–2026)
WCC Faith and Order Commission Consultant
Prof. Myriam Wijlens, Germany
