The pontiff addressed \u201cnew problems\u201d facing Catholic-Anglican dialogue in his meeting with Archbishop Sarah Mullally, the first woman to serve as spiritual head of the Anglican Communion.<\/p>\n
Pope Leo XIV met with the archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, at the Vatican on Monday. Mullally\u02bcs first official visit to Rome as the spiritual leader of the Church of England comes amid strained ecumenical relations and division among Anglicans.<\/p>\n
Mullally\u2019s delegation for her April 25\u201328 visit included representatives from the Anglican Communion and the recently appointed Catholic archbishop of Westminster, Richard Moth.<\/p>\n
A more difficult path to full communion<\/p>\n
In his address to Mullally and her delegation on April 27, Leo said ecumenical dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion has recently become more challenging.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile much progress has been made on some historically divisive issues, new problems have arisen in recent decades, rendering the pathway to full communion more difficult to discern,\u201d Leo said. \u201cI know that the Anglican Communion is also facing many of these same questions at this time. Nevertheless, we must not allow these continuing challenges to prevent us from using every possible opportunity to proclaim Christ to the world together.\u201d<\/p>\n
The pope added that it would be \u201ca scandal if we did not continue to work towards overcoming our differences, no matter how intractable they may appear.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beyond Catholic-Anglican dialogue, Mullally\u02bcs election has further caused significant theological and ecumenical divides within the Anglican Communion, particularly regarding the ordination of women and sexuality.<\/p>\n
Pope Leo has affirmed the Catholic Church\u2019s teaching\u00a0on a male-only priesthood. In the Anglican Communion, notable splits have arisen over the ordination of Mullally as a female bishop, particularly among the\u00a0Global Anglican Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (GAFCON) and other conservative branches of Anglicanism. In March, GAFCON announced its break with the See of Canterbury.<\/p>\n
In 2023, the General Synod of the Church of England controversially voted to approve the blessing of same-sex couples in civil marriages, another point of division among Anglicans.<\/p>\n
Hospitality despite differences<\/p>\n
Pope Leo XIV and Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally pray the Liturgy of the Hours together in the Urban VIII Chapel of the Apostolic Palace on April 27, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media<\/p>\n
After their meeting, the pope and the archbishop recited daytime prayer, part of the Liturgy of the Hours, together in the Chapel of Urban VIII in the Apostolic Palace.<\/p>\n
In her address to the pontiff, Mullally thanked him for the opportunity to pray together and encouraged mutual hospitality despite differences.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn our ecumenical journey, I believe the Holy Spirit is inviting us into a deeper practice of hospitality, not simply as welcome, but as a form of ministry,\u201d Mullally said. \u201cAs I begin this ministry, I hope to be a shepherd who loves and cares for the Church, who encourages hospitality despite our differences, who speaks prophetically into our present reality, and who proclaims Christian hope with the confidence that the Gospel of Jesus Christ remains good news for our world today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over the weekend, Mullally also visited the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls and St. Peter\u2019s Basilica. On Monday evening, she will preside over choral evensong at the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola, during which she will commission Bishop Anthony Ball as the archbishop of Canterbury\u2019s official representative to the Holy See.<\/p>\n
Denne artikel blev oprindeligt udgivet af EWTN News English.<\/p>\n