Anglicans, Roman Catholics ‘committed to dialogue’
The Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue of Canada meeting in May 2013. Back: Raymond Lafontaine, Alexander Laschuk, David Neelands, Catherine Clifford, Kevin Flynn, Front: Bruce Myers, Joseph Mangina, Bishop Don Bolen, Bishop Linda Nicholls, Eileen Conway, Carolyn Chau
The Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue of Canada meeting in May 2013. Back: Raymond Lafontaine, Alexander Laschuk, David Neelands, Catherine Clifford, Kevin Flynn, Front: Bruce Myers, Joseph Mangina, Bishop Don Bolen, Bishop Linda Nicholls, Eileen Conway, Carolyn Chau. Photo credit: ARC-Canada dialogue ~ May 2013

Creation: 7 Jan. 2014 (The date of original creation or publication, if known)

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    Anglicans, Roman Catholics ‘committed to dialogue’ (7 Jan. 2014). https://iarccum.org/doc/234.

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Anglicans, Roman Catholicscommitted to dialogue

Canadian Roman Catholics have expressed the hope that the Anglican Church of Canada would seek input from its ecumenical partners as it continues discussion concerning a resolution to amend the churchs marriage canon to allow samesex marriage.

The marriage canon resolution was discussed at a joint meeting of the AnglicanRoman Catholic BishopsDialogue (ARCB) and the AnglicanRoman Catholic Dialogue of Canada (ARC Canada) held last December. Anglican Bishop Linda Nicholls, ARC Canada cochair, reported on the AnglicanLutheran Joint Assembly held last summer, which included an explanation of the said resolution passed by General Synod.

Nicholls assured her Catholic counterparts that since the resolution states that action taken on the marriage canon must demonstratebroad consultation,” this could be interpreted to include consultation with the churchs ecumenical partners, including the Roman Catholic Church, said Archdeacon Bruce Myers, General Synod coordinator for ecumenical and interfaith relations. who assisted the ARC meeting as staff. [On Jan. 6, the primate of the Anglican Church of Canada appointed Nicholls as a member of the commission on the marriage canon, which will conduct a broad consultation on the proposed change to the marriage canon.)

Catholic members stated that consultations were necessary sinceany decision our church takes regarding our understanding of marriage will have implications for our relationships with other churches,” said Myers.

The resolution (C003) asks CoGS to prepare and present, in 2016, a motion to change the churchs Canon 21 on marriageto allow the marriage of samesex couples in the same ways as oppositesex couples.” It also asks that the motion includea conscience clause so that no members of the clergy, bishop, congregation or diocese should be constrained to participate in our authorize such marriages against the dictates of their conscience.”

At the meeting, Anglican and Catholic bishops also agreed that they could have issued a joint declaration about the controversial Charter of Values and the proposed endoflife care legislation in Quebec. Quebec Anglican and Catholic bishops had issued separate statements about the issues and a joint declaration would have offeredan even stronger Christian witness,” said Myers. It also would have been a good opportunity to put into practice a 2006 international agreed statement between Roman Catholics and Anglicans that invited them both tojoin together in making contributions to public life, giving voice to Christian perspectives on important social questions,” he added.

Before the ARCB meeting, the AnglicanRoman Catholic Dialogue of Canada (ARC) also met separately and continued its work on theCommon Witness Project.” The project came out of a common desire to help provide both churches with resources they can each use as tools for teaching and evangelizationand at the same time, witness to the immense agreement on matters of faith that Anglicans and Roman Catholics share,” said Myers.

Myers said the ARC is trying to produce a series ofshort, accessiblereflections onbig questionsthat people often ask, such asWhy is the world the way it is?” “What is my mission in life?” “Why believe?” andWhy pray?”

Historically, the Anglican Church of Canadas dialogues with the Roman Catholic Church in Canada is its longest ecumenical conversation, said Myers. ARC first met in 1971, and the ARCB in 1975. “Through thick and thin, both churches have remainedand remaincommitted to the dialogues,” he said.

Meetings always include common prayer, including a celebration of the eucharist, which alternates between Anglican and Roman Catholic rites. “Because intercommunion doesnt yet exist between our two churches, dialogue members who cant receive the eucharist from the celebrant come up to receive a blessing instead,” said Myers. Such celebrations remind themjust how much we have in common in terms of the way we worship and how we understand the sacraments,” he said. At the same time, it is a painful reminder of how they still cantgather together around the same eucharistic table to share in the sacrament of unity,” he added. Nonetheless, it offers both sidesan almost visceral impetus to continue our dialogue so that we can remove the remaining obstacles to full communion between our two churches, the outward and visible sign of which will be sharing in the one eucharist.”

The social time component of the meeting is equallyif not more, important,” said Myers. Personal relationships are built over a shared meal, a cup of coffee or a walk. “Its in those encounters that caricatures and stereotypes really start to fall away and you really come to recognize the other as a fellow member of the body of Christ.”