Cardinal John Dew, the Archbishop of Welllington, says Anglicans and Catholics around New Zealand enjoy a supportive, affirming relationship at all levels, “from bishops to priests, to diocesan staff, to organisations to parishes and communities.”
He said the relationship was “akin to an extended family.”
Dew and Bishop Ross Bay, the Anglican bishop of Auckland have been representing New Zealand at meeting with Pope Francis, and Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.
Bay said “The relationship we have is both liturgical and pastoral and extends to the work we do in civil society.”
“We share our joys, sorrows and concerns for both our respective communities and wider society.”
“This gathering is another historical and significant step in the relationship both at home in New Zealand and globally,” he said.
Pairs of bishops from 19 different regions where Anglicans and Catholics live side by side in significant numbers were at the meeting.
They gathered on 30 September in Canterbury. On October 3 they moved to the Vatican.
The purpose of the meeting was to discover new ways for Roman Catholics and Anglicans to give greater witness to their common faith, and particularly how they can collaborate in mission to the world.
Pope Francis and Archbishop Welby commissioned the 36 bishops to take part in united mission in their local areas.
The commissioning and sending took place during Vespers led jointly by Pope Francis and Archbishop Welby, at the Church of Saint Gregory on the Caelian Hill in Rome.
This is the church from where Pope Gregory sent Augustine to evangelise the Anglo-Saxon people.
The service was one of the highlights of an ecumenical summit organised by Iarccum to mark the 50th anniversary of the meeting between Pope Paul VI and Archbishop Michael Ramsey in 1966.
That meeting was the first such public meeting between a Pope and an Archbishop of Canterbury since the Reformation.
Subsequently, Pope John Paul II with Archbishop Robert Runcie, and later with Archbishop George Carey.
Pope Benedict XVI and Archbishop Rowan Williams prayed together in the Church of Saint Gregory.
Source
- Supplied
- anglicannews.org
- Image: Supplied