A celebration of the Eucharist in Canterbury Cathedral, mother church of the Anglican
Communion. A meeting with leaders of the Alpha course, one of the most vibrant expressions
of contemporary Christianity. Evensong in Westminster Abbey, where British monarchs
have been crowned since the 11th century.And an encounter with young Anglican
seminarians preparing for ministry in many different parts of the world. These were
some of the highlights of a fact finding visit to England earlier this month by the
Vatican’s top ecumenist, Cardinal Kurt Koch who heads the Pontifical Council for Promoting
Christian Unity. On his return to the Vatican, the Cardinal told me he was particularly
moved by the celebration in Canterbury Cathedral, once the most sacred pilgrimage
sites in northern Europe.
Listen:
"This was
for me a very beautiful experience to see this great cathedral and to participate
in the worship of the Anglican Church – it’s very near to our liturgy ….
I
think with the Church of England we have many common roots because the reformation
in the Anglican church was not a movement of the people, it was a decisions of the
government and many Anglican people have preserved their Catholic roots and in this
sense its very necessary to deepen his human heritage we have and to find new unity
between our churches....