Pope encourages Anglican -Catholic unity, from The Record, 12/6/01
By CINDY WOODEN
Catholic News Service
Catholics and Anglicans must show the world the faith they share, working together to defend human dignity and to promote peace, Pope John Paul II said.
"In these troubled times the world needs more than ever the common witness of Christians in every area, from the defense of human life and dignity to the promotion of justice and peace," the pope told Catholic and Anglican bishops Nov. 24.
The bishops, members of the new International Anglican Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission, met the pope at the Vatican after meeting in London with Archbishop George C. Carey of Canterbury, head of the Anglican Communion. The Nov. 20-24 meetings marked the first gathering of the commission, which was established to prepare a joint affirmation of faith and to promote cooperative projects.
The statement of faith and the development of common activities are meant to be concrete expressions of the agreements reached in the ongoing international Anglican-Roman Catholic theological dialogue.
The bishops in the working group, the pope said, should find ways not only to consolidate the agreements already reached, "but also to lead us to new depths of communion on the way to that fullness of unity, which is the will of Christ."
The work toward Anglican-Roman Catholic unity has been impaired by the decision of some churches in the worldwide Anglican Communion to ordain women to the priesthood and as bishops, while the Roman Catholic Church insists that only men can be ordained validly.
While Catholics and Anglicans may not see a way around their differences, Pope John Paul said, as faithful Christians they must believe in God's power to surprise.
"We have seen many of these surprises in recent decades," he said. "And when discouragement threatens or new difficulties arise, we need to focus once more upon the Spirit's power to do what seems to us impossible."
The working group is led by Anglican Bishop David Beetle of Highvale, South Africa and byCatholic Archbishop John A. Bathersby of Brisbane, Australia. U.S. members are Catholic Archbishop Alexander J. Brunett of Seattle and Episcopal Bishop Edwin Gulik of Kentucky. A commission statement said the members began "intensive work" on the priority areas of drafting a joint declaration formally expressing the degree of agreement that exists between Anglicans and Roman Catholics and of developing "strategies to translate the degree of spiritual communion that has been achieved into visible and practical outcomes."
Greater cooperation in interfaith relations was one of the possibilities they discussed during a consultation with Michael Fitzgerald secretary of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.
