Pope Prays With Archbishop Of Canterbury Sarah Mullally In Historic Encounter, Vows Dialogue

VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV prayed Monday successful nan Vatican pinch nan Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, and vowed to support moving to flooded differences “no matter really intractable they whitethorn appear,” successful a historical gathering pinch nan first female leader of nan Church of England and belief leader of nan world Anglican Communion.

The brushwood betwixt Christianity’s 2 astir celebrated belief figures would person been unthinkable conscionable a fewer years ago, fixed nan divisions betwixt their 2 churches complete women’s ordination successful wide and Mullally’s assignment successful particular.

Leo acknowledged that “new problems” successful their narration had been added onto “historically divisive issues.” But he nevertheless vowed to proceed nan contented of past popes to proceed to effort to reunite nan churches.

Anglicans divided from Rome successful 1534, erstwhile English King Henry VIII was refused a matrimony annulment. Despite a general theological speech that began successful nan 1960s, large differences remain, particularly complete nan Church of England’s determination to ordain women. The Roman Catholic Church reserves nan priesthood for men.

Leo quoted nan precocious Pope Francis arsenic telling Anglican primates that “it would beryllium a ungraded if, owed to our divisions, we did not fulfil our communal vocation to make Christ known.”

“For my part, I adhd that it would besides beryllium a ungraded if we did not proceed to activity towards overcoming our differences, nary matter really intractable they whitethorn appear,” Leo said.

Mullally, whose assignment has divided nan already divided Anglican Communion, arrived an hr early to meet pinch Leo. She thanked him for welcoming her connected her first overseas sojourn since she was installed past month.

After gathering successful Leo’s library, nan 2 past prayed together successful nan Urban VIII Chapel wrong nan Apostolic Palace for what nan Vatican said was a “moment of prayer.” Mullally’s agency said Leo presided but that they some “said nan grace together.” The Vatican released photos and video of nan gathering and prayer, some of which were closed to nan press.

In her remarks to Leo, Mullally said some of them were called to preach nan Gospel pinch “renewed clarity.”

“In nan look of inhuman violence, heavy division, and accelerated societal change, we must support telling a much hopeful story: that each quality life has infinite worth because we are precious children of God; that nan quality family is called to unrecorded arsenic sisters and brothers,” she said. “We must truthful activity together for nan communal bully — ever building bridges, ne'er walls; that nan poorest among america are closest to nan bosom of God.”

A visit to Rome amid challenges

Mullally is connected what she has called a four-day visit to Rome that has included visits to nan main pontifical basilicas, wherever she has prayed astatine nan tombs of Saints Peter and Paul and met pinch apical Vatican officials.

Lambeth Palace says her sojourn is designed “to fortify Anglican–Roman Catholic relations done prayer, individual encounter, and general theological dialogue. It intends to deepen bonds of communion, affirm a shared witness, and promote ongoing collaboration astatine some world and section levels.”

The first female Anglican priests were ordained successful 1994, its first female bishop successful 2015, and now Mullally arsenic nan first archbishop of Canterbury.

Leo and Mullally person already exchanged greetings, pinch Leo congratulating her connected her installation past period but acknowledging she was taking complete astatine a “challenging” clip and that differences still disagreement nan Anglican and Catholic churches.

He nevertheless vowed to proceed dialogue, and successful October Leo welcomed King Charles III and Queen Camilla to nan Vatican, wherever they prayed successful nan Sistine Chapel. Charles is nan titular caput of nan Church of England.

That event, Oct. 25, marked nan first clip since nan Reformation that nan heads of nan 2 Christian churches had prayed together.

This twelvemonth marks nan 60th day of nan first general ecumenical connection betwixt nan Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches, signed successful 1966 astatine St. Paul’s Outside nan Walls basilica by Archbishop Michael Ramsey and Pope Paul VI.

Mullally for her portion has expressed solidarity pinch Leo’s bid message, aft nan American-born pope was harshly criticized by President Donald Trump for his calls for bid successful Iran.

Popes past person met pinch female Christian bishops and archbishops: Francis met successful 2015 pinch Archbishop Antje Jackelén, nan first female to lead nan Lutheran Church of Sweden. Francis besides invited nan female Anglican bishop, Jo Bailey Wells, into a backstage gathering of his cardinal advisers successful 2024 to talk nan domiciled of women successful nan Catholic Church.

An historical gathering that follows nan king’s visit

George Gross, an master connected theology and nan monarchy astatine King’s College London, said Monday’s gathering was historic, peculiarly fixed nan Vatican doesn’t admit nan female priesthood.

“If we were to spell backmost respective 100 years, it’s unthinkable,” he said. “It’s nan truth that nan pope is consenting to meet, but successful itself it besides shows nan difference, nan gap.”

Gross said nan dream was intelligibly an effort to show nan 2 churches united, particularly successful confronting nan world conflicts and projecting a connection of unity. Such optics, he said, were successful continuity pinch nan sojourn to nan Vatican successful October by nan king.

“It’s a doubling down of togetherness,” he said.

An assignment that divides nan Anglican communion

Mullallay’s assignment though has divided nan Anglican Communion, whose 100 cardinal members successful 165 countries are profoundly divided complete issues specified arsenic nan domiciled of women and nan curen of LGBTQ+ people. Many successful England and different Western countries hailed her assignment arsenic a historical breaking of a stained-glass ceiling.

But nan communion’s largest and fastest-growing churches successful Africa beryllium to a blimpish group called nan Global Anglican Future Conference, aliases Gafcon, which has sharply criticized her assignment and threatened a last break. In nan U.S., nan blimpish Anglican Church successful North America formed successful a break from nan much wide U.S. and Canadian Episcopal churches and has signed onto nan Gafcon connection opposing Mullally’s appointment.

Mullallay told Leo, who has conscionable returned from a four-nation African voyage, that she would soon beryllium pursuing successful his footsteps pinch a sojourn to Cameroon and Ghana successful July.

“Your visit to Africa was afloat of life and joy,” she said. “It reminded america that contempt our sufferings, group agelong for life successful each its fullness, and countless group are moving each time for this imagination of nan communal good.”

Winfield writes for nan Associated Press.