Ecumenism in the wake of Anglicanorum Coetibus PAUL D. MURRAY


Hands across the Tiber


During his visit to Britain, Pope Benedict XVI said that his invitation to Anglicans corporately to join the Catholic Church could contribute positively to relations between the two Churches. Here, a leading ecumenist assesses what needs to happen if the Pope’s wish is to be fulfilled


relationship. As the Archbishop of Canterbury’s representative to the Holy See, Canon David Richardson, puts it: “The Pope’s visit, assessed on the basis of body language alone, seems to give the lie to the widely held and reported view that the gulf between the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church has become a yawning chasm” (Church Times, 2 October 2010).


P


ope Benedict’s visit to Britain last September was without precedent in the range and depth of its ecu- menical symbolism and maturity of


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tion. They range from the Queen’s gracious reception of the Pope at Holyroodhouse, through the warm fraternal visit to Lambeth Palace, to the remarkable events of the cele- bration of evening prayer at Westminster Abbey, and the strong ecumenical presence at Mass in Westminster Cathedral in places of honour. Even the Newman beatification celebrations, a potential point of ecumenical sensitivity, were further blessed by a visible Anglican presence. There were some missed opportunities: it was disappointing that the Anglican bishops attending the beatification were not accorded visible seats of honour; more focused atten- tion might have been given to the Free Churches; alongside St Thomas More and the Tyburn Martyrs, mention could well also have been made of the many Protestant martyrs. But none of this detracts from the huge achievements. The Pope’s speeches were significant, rep- resenting his most extended body of ecumenical teaching to date. Appreciation was shown for the Edinburgh 1910 Missionary Conference, the birth of the modern ecumeni- cal movement, and thanks expressed for the “remarkable progress” thus far. There was both clear acknowledgement of “the difficulties that the ecumenical path has encountered” (in his speech at Lambeth) and strong reaffirmation of the “ultimate goal” being “the restoration of full ecclesial com- munion” (at St Mary’s College, Oscott). For all they contribute, ecumenism of life and mission are never enough. Recognising that “what we sharein Christ is greater than what continues to divide us” (Westminster Abbey), the Pope spoke significantly of a continuing “common journey”, implying that all parties, Catholicism included, yet have distance to travel, grow and learn.


It is against all of this that we need to situate


the Pope’s closing words to the Catholic bishops requesting they “be generous in implementing the apostolic constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus” (AC) and comment- ing: “This should be seen as a prophetic gesture that can contribute positively to the developing relations between Anglicans and Catholics. It helps us to set our sights on the


14 | THE TABLET | 1 January 2011


ultimate goal of all ecumenical activity: the restoration of full ecclesial communion in the context of which the mutual exchange of gifts from our respective spiritual patrimonies serves as an enrichment to all.” How might a “generous” implementation


of ACbe seen as a “prophetic gesture”? When AC was announced, Anglicans were assured that it is simply a specific pastoral response to particular groups of people in particular circumstances, not an alternative solution to Anglican-Catholic relations to the Anglican- Roman Catholic International Commission (Arcic) process. It leaves unresolved the out- standing issues between the traditions and does not, as such, as Archbishop Williams commented, break any ecclesiological fresh ground. But does this new reference to ACas “prophetic” suggest it does indeed have wider significance for Rome? Some are hearing an incipient default to a pre-Vatican II ecu- menism “of return” – “You come in”-ism. We can, however, be sure this is not the case. Quite apart from the fact that it would


contra dict both all else Pope Benedict had to say about ecumenism and the entire body of Catholic ecumenical teaching since Vatican II – an unthinkable prospect for this Pope so concerned with the continuity of Catholic teaching – the logic of the text itself works against this interpretation. It regards the implementation of ACas a “prophetic gesture” contributing “positively to the developing relations between Anglicans and Catholics” (emphasis added) whereas any encourage- ment of an ecumenism of return would take Anglican-Catholic relations backwards. It is significant that, throughout the visit, Newman’s particular way was never promoted as exemplary for Anglicans in general. With this, all serious commentators and


key Arcic members are agreed that while AC may only have been possible on account of the growth in Catholic understanding of


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