From 20 to 22 November 2023, officials from the Anglican Communion Office in London, as well as the steering committees of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) and the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission (IARCCUM), visited Rome for their annual round of informal meetings with staff of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity. Along with updates on the work of the two Anglican-Catholic bilateral commissions, the meetings provided an opportunity for informal conversations about current developments and challenges within and between our churches.
The steering committee of ARCIC reviewed and reported on progress on the second part of its current mandate, which is dedicated to the study of moral discernment in the Church, and specifically how Anglicans and Catholics discern ethical teaching. Further drafting work on the commission’s report has been carried out since the commission’s plenary meeting in Larnaca, Cyprus in May 2023, and it is hoped to have a complete draft report for the commission to consider at its next plenary, which will take place in Strasbourg, France, in May 2024.
The steering committee of IARCCUM engaged in detailed planning for its second summit meeting of Catholic and Anglican bishops, which will take place from 22 to 29 January 2024. Beginning in Rome and continuing in Canterbury, the summit will bring together pairs of bishops from 27 countries around the world for shared reflection and prayer in order to encourage joint witness and mission. Bishops will reflect on several themes, including synodality, peace and reconciliation, and the documents of ARCIC, examining challenges and opportunities for common mission in today’s fragmented world.
Participants:
Anglican Communion
Bishop Graham Tomlin, Chair, Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity Faith and Order
Archbishop Ian Ernest, Director, Anglican Centre in Rome
Archbishop Philip Freier, Co-Chair, ARCIC (participated online)
Bishop David Hamid, Co-Chair, IARCCUM
Revd Neil Vigers, Programme Executive, Anglican Communion Office
Dr Christopher Wells, Director for Unity, Faith & Order, Anglican Communion Office
Catholic Church
Bishop Brian Farrell, Secretary, Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity
Archbishop Bernard Longley, Co-Chair, ARCIC
Archbishop Donald Bolen, Co-Chair, IARCCUM
Revd Martin Browne OSB, Official, Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity
