Report on
'International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission'
(IARCCUM)
1. The ecumenical journey may be long and difficult, as the Holy,
Father suggests in his Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio ineunte (n.
12), but progress is ongoing, and new initiatives carry with them new
hope. One such new initiative in Anglican-Catholic relations was the
formation this past year of a new international "Working
Group", which will be known as the International Anglican-Roman
Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission (IARCCUM).
Set up by the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian
Unity and the Anglican Communion, the new Commission is intended to
complement the work of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International
Commission (ARCIC) which has been and remains the official instrument
for Anglican-Catholic theological dialogue. The majority of the members
of the new Commission are bishops, and their task will involve reviewing
the relationship between Catholics and Anglicans worldwide,
consolidating the results of more than thirty years of ecumenical
contact and dialogue, and charting a course for the future.
The new commission has its origins in the 1996 Common Declaration of
Pope John Paul II and Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. George Carey. With
obstacles relating to the ordination of women blocking the clear way
forward, the Common Declaration suggested that "it may be opportune
at this stage in our journey to consult further about how the
relationship between the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church is
to progress." The further consultation called for led to last
year's International Meeting of Anglican and Catholic Bishops in
Mississauga, Canada, where it was affirmed that despite obstacles, the
partial communion we share "is even now a rich and, life-giving,
multifaceted communion" (from the Mississauga meeting's concluding
statement, Communion in Mission, n. 5). It was this
meeting's recommendation that a new international commission be
established.
The IARCCUM Commission held its first meeting in London and Rome from
20-24 November 2001, under the chairmanship of Bishop David Beetge,
Anglican Bishop of the Highveld, South Africa, and Archbishop John
Bathersby, Catholic Archbishop of Brisbane, Australia. Conversations
with the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Carey and Pope John Paul II were
the chief focus of the inaugural meeting.
In London, Archbishop Carey shared his vision for the work of the new
Commission, and assured the members of the Commission of his prayerful
support for their work. He stressed the importance of building on the
foundations of ARCIC and all previous work which has fostered Anglican–Roman
Catholic relations. In a message which he sent with the new Commission
to the Holy Father, he articulated his hope that IARCCUM would enable us
to "put into practice the mutual commitment and common
life that is already ours." His message also stressed the great
importance of our joint courageous witness to the truth of God's
call in these troubled times.
In receiving the Commission in a private audience three days later,
Pope John Paul observed that as an international group of Bishops, they
were "especially well qualified to consider the next practical
steps which might be taken not only to consolidate the gains already
made, but also to lead us to new depths of communion on the way to that
fullness of unity which is the will of Christ." Like Archbishop
Carey, he too emphasized that today "the world needs more than ever
the common witness of Christians in every area, from the defence of
human life and dignity to the promotion of justice and peace."
The IARCCUM Commission will begin its work with sub-committees taking
up the three following tasks: exploring the possibility of preparing a
joint declaration which would formally express the degree of agreement
that exists between Anglicans and Catholics; studying ways in which the
Commission could guide and promote the study and reception of the agreed
statements of ARCIC within the Anglican Communion and the Catholic
Church; and searching for strategies to translate the degree of
spiritual communion that has been achieved into visible and practical
outcomes. Commission members are proceeding with the conviction that by
allowing a spirit of dialogue and cooperation to pervade our relations,
Anglicans and Catholics will be offering the world a powerful example of
a Spirit-led way of overcoming differences. Our Christian history
testifies that we have not always given this example in the past, but
the opportunity to do so at all levels of our relationship in the
present presents itself with urgency.
2. Meanwhile, the work, of ARCIC continued this past year with
ongoing dialogue about the role of Mary in the life and doctrine of the
Church. Special attention was paid to the role of Mary in the New
Testament and in the life of the early church, as well as in Reformation
authors. This has prepared the foundations for the dialogue's
forthcoming work on the dogmatic definitions of the Immaculate
Conception and the Assumption. The ARCIC Commission hopes in
approximately two years time to be able to reach an agreed statement on
Mary, which would then be submitted to Anglican and Catholic authorities
for their consideration and evaluation. There are high hopes that the
Commission's work on this subject will make an ecumenical contribution
of importance even beyond the parameters of Anglican-Catholic dialogue.
ARCIC members felt very profoundly the absence of Fr Jean-Marie
Tillard O.P., who had died since the Commission's previous meeting. Fr.
Tillard, of the Canadian Province of Dominicans, was the only present
member of ARCIC who had served on the Commission since its inception
in 1970. The members recalled with deep appreciation and affection, by
informal conversation and liturgical commemoration, the immense
contribution of Fr Tillard to the work and life of the Commission, and
to Anglican-Catholic relations in general.
3. For the third successive year, Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Carey
paid a visit to the Holy Father (June 2001). He has met with the Pope on
five occasions during his 10½ years
as the President of the Anglican Communion, more than any of his
predecessors. Archbishop Carey's recent announcement that he will be
retiring later this year will invite grateful reflection over the coming
months on the many ways in which Anglican-Catholic relations have grown
and deepened, despite obstacles, during his years of leadership as
Archbishop of Canterbury.
Of related interest, Archbishop Carey recently appointed Bishop
Garrard as the new Director of the Anglican Centre. The Centre's
director is the representative to the Holy See of the Archbishop of
Canterbury and all the Anglican Primates. As a place of study,
hospitality and prayer, the Anglican Centre exists to encourage and
strengthen ecumenical relations, especially the relationship between the
Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church.
4. We cannot do better to conclude this brief overview of
Anglican-Catholic relations than to cite a powerful invitation to hope
from Pope John Paul's address to the new IARCCUM Commission, carrying
with it a message of encouragement to all who work for Christian unity:
"I am certain that the new Working Group will feel sustained by the
hope that comes from being led by the Risen One and the inexhaustible
power of his Spirit, always capable of new surprises' (Novo Millennio
ineunte, n.12). We have seen many of these surprises in
recent decades; and when discouragement threatens or new difficulties
arise, we need to focus once more upon the Spirit's power to do what
seems to us impossible. At times of apparent pause we must wait for the
Holy Spirit to do what we ourselves cannot do!"
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