Side by side: The Pope and the Archbishop of Canterbury to pray together...

A Vatican expert on Catholic-Anglican relations says the sight of the Pope praying side by side with the Archbishop of Canterbury in Westminster Abbey will be a powerful symbol of shared faith in Britain today.
Msgr Mark Langham, from the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, notes that, unlike the trip of his predecessor in 1982, Pope Benedict’s visit to the United Kingdom is at the invitation of the Queen and the government. In general terms therefore, the head of the Roman Catholic Church is bringing a message of the contribution that faith can make to British society.
At a specifically ecumenical level, the Pope will meet the Archbishop of Canterbury several times, providing opportunities for both personal and public declarations of the intent of both Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches to continue their journey towards full and visible union.

“I think the meeting at Westminster Abbey will be very powerful indeed. As in 1982, the Pope and the Archbishop of Canterbury will pray together, side by side, at the shrine of a saint recognised by both communities and this will be a powerful symbol of the shared traditions and shared qualities of both faiths. That meeting will also give a religious dimension to the theme of the visit as a whole – that faith has a contribution to make to our British society - and what he’s really saying at Westminster Abbey is that we make that contribution together, Catholics, Anglicans and members of other traditions as well.”

Msgr Langham also welcomes the focus on Cardinal Newman at the heart of the Pope’s visit to Britain. “He moved from being prominent Anglican theologian and clergyman to Roman Catholic and cardinal” thus creating “a link and a bridge between the two communions”. He says Newman and his companions had a very important role in reviving the Catholic wing of the Church of England, shaping the way it is today and in many ways helping the dialogue of recent decades to take place.

Listen to the interview: