Anglicans and Catholics continue Malines Conversations in Canterbury
(Vatican Radio) A group of Anglican and Catholic ecumenical experts have concluded
an international meeting in the English city of Canterbury, focusing on relations
between the two Churches in light of the theme 'Memory, Identity and Difference'. The
Malines Conversations Group was led by its two co-patrons, the retired Catholic Archbishop
of Malines-Bruxelles, Cardinal Godfried Danneels and the former Anglican Archbishop
of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams.The name of the group refers back to a series of
informal discussions that took place between Anglicans and Catholics in the 1920s
under the auspices of Belgian Cardinal Mercier.
This second encounter in
the current series of conversations, which took place from March 30th to April 3rd,
continued a discussion of liturgical and sacramental theology within the two traditions.
Participants made a pilgrimage to the tomb of St Thomas a Becket in Canterbury Cathedral
and to the shrine of St Edward the Confessor in Westminster Abbey. They also met with
Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the archbishop of Westminster, and with the current leader
of the Anglican Communion, Archbishop Justin Welby.
Below please
find the full text of the Communiqué from the Malines Conversations Group
An
international group of eight Anglican and eight Catholic theologians representing
nine countries and four Anglican provinces, met from March 30 to April 3 in Canterbury.
Called “The Malines Conversations Group,” participants continued their deliberations
on various aspects of Anglican-Catholic liturgical and sacramental theology which
they had begun last year at the Benedictine Monastery of Chevetogne in Belgium. Like
the original Malines Conversations of the 1920s hosted by the then Archbishop of Malines-Bruxelles
Cardinal Mercier, this is an informal dialogue and not officially sponsored by the
Anglican and Catholic Churches, though it has been organized in consultation with
and has received the blessing of both the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of
Christian Unity and Lambeth Palace.
This year, the group was joined by
its co-patrons, retired Archbishop of Malines-Bruxelles Cardinal Godfried Danneels,
and former Archbishop of Canterbury The Rt Revd and Rt Hon The Lord Williams of Oystermouth,
each of whom made presentations. Participants were received at Lambeth Palace by
Archbishop Justin Welby together with the Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Vincent
Nichols. In their joint presentation, the two Archbishops stressed the importance
of this theological dialogue, working in collaboration with ARCIC III (the Anglican
and Roman Catholic International Commission) and IARRCUM (the International Anglican-Roman
Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission). Indeed, Cardinal Nichols and Archbishop
Welby spoke of the ways in which this group can serve as a theological resource –
a “laboratory” -- both for the work of ARCIC and IARRCUM. The Malines Conversations
Group includes five members of ARCIC including one of its co-chairs, and two members
of the IARRCUM coordinating committee including one of its co-chairs.
This
year’s conversations explored contemporary Anglican-Roman Catholic relations notably
through the lens of “Memory, Identity, and Difference,” beginning with a consideration
of the theme of the original Malines Conversations, “United, not Absorbed.” Other
topics included liturgy as dangerous memory; the ethics of liturgy; the spiritual
renewal of our Churches; the changing face of Anglicanism and Roman Catholicism; memory,
tradition, and the Church’s future.” At the House of Lords, participants were received
by a Roman Catholic peer, Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield, who addressed the group on
the subject of faith and culture in Great Britain.
At Lambeth Palace, the
Archbishop of Canterbury stressed the importance of pilgrimage in our ecumenical relations
– a poignant concept as members chose this year’s venue precisely to make an ecumenical
pilgrimage to Canterbury to visit the tomb of St.Thomas a Becket, and to Westminster
Abbey to reverence the tomb of St. Edward the Confessor. At both Canterbury Cathedral
and Westminster Abbey, the Malines Conversations Group joined those communities for
Evensong. The group was also hosted at dinner in the Jerusalem Chamber of Westminster
Abbey by its Dean, The Very Reverend John Hall, and then on the following evening
in Canterbury at the Deanery, hosted by the Dean, The Very Reverend Robert Willis.
The
Group’s Steering Committee is chaired by The Revd. Dr. Thomas Pott, O.S.B. of the
Monastery of Chevetogne, along with The Revd. Dr. James Hawkey of Westminster Abbey,
and the Revd. Dr. Keith Pecklers, S.J. of the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome.
A third meeting is scheduled for March, 2015.
Anglican Participants:
The
Revd. Dr. Jennifer Cooper, College of the Resurrection, Mirfield, UK Bishop Jonathan
Goodall, Ebbsfleet, UK. The Revd. Dr. James Hawkey, Westminster Abbey, London,
UK The Revd. Dr. Simon Jones, Chaplain of Merton College, Oxford, UK The Revd.
Dr. Jeremy Morris, Dean of King’s College, Cambridge, UK Archbishop David Moxon,
co-Chair of ARCIC III, Archbishop of Canterbury’s Representative to the Holy See and
Director of the Anglican Centre, Rome, Italy The Revd. Dr. Michael Nai-Chiu Poon,
member of ARCIC III, Singapore Canon David Richardson, Melbourne, Australia Canon
Dr. Nicholas Sagovsky, member of ARCIC III, London, UK
Catholic Participants:
Bishop
Donald Bolen, Co-Chair of IARRCUM, Saskatoon, Canada The Revd. Anthony Currer,
Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, Vatican City Dr. Joris Geldhof, Catholic
University of Leuven, Belgium Dr. Maryana Hnyp, Catholic University of Leuven,
Belgium Dr. Paul Murray, Centre for Catholic Studies at Durham University, Durham,
UK The Revd. Dr. Keith Pecklers, S.J., Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, Italy The
Revd. Dr. Thomas Pott, O.S.B., Monastery of Chevetogne; Ateneo Sant’Anselmo, Rome,
Italy The Revd. Cyrille Vael, O.S.B., Monastery of Chevetogne.