“No one is naïve; this is not an easy pilgrim road,” said Mary Reath of Princeton, N.J., summing up six days in Rome with 11 fellow Episcopalians in pursuit of a means toward developing closer relations with the Roman Catholic Church .
The group visited the Anglican Centre in Rome and met with its director, Bishop John Flack; received a briefing at the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity at the Vatican; toured St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican gardens; and participated in a discussion on the nature of the ecumenical movement.
In lectures and cafes, group members discussed progress made toward ending the divisions in Christianity in general and in the Anglican/Episcopalian and Roman Catholic churches in particular.
“The Vatican listens carefully to Anglican/Episcopal voices,” Reath said. “Perhaps the election of a man [Pope Benedict XVI] who as a cardinal symbolized the work toward doctrinal precision will usher in a new time, one that can make use of the doctrinal agreement that has been accomplished and move the discussion to the larger world of the whole church.”
Bishop John Howard of the Diocese of Florida said he experienced a strong desire by the Vatican to remain in dialogue, not just with the Anglican Communion, but with the Episcopal Church.
He told his diocesan convention in May that the Rev. Don Bolin, priest in charge of Anglican relations, said that Vatican officials believe the covenant approved at the last Episcopal House of Bishops meeting “showed that we desired to remain a part of the Anglican Communion and that we were willing to work hard and to sacrifice in order to remain at the table with them…”
Bishop Christopher Epting, the presiding bishop’s deputy for ecumenical relations, said next year’s pilgrimage is scheduled for April 20-25.
