Last month, fifty bishops from both the Anglican and Catholic churches set out on a week of pilgrimage in Rome and Canterbury, England. It aligned with the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and included an ecumenical prayer service presided over by Pope Francis.
Now, the interreligious bishops have released a joint statement entitled “Our Common Witness, Calling, and Commitment” that reiterates their desire to grow in unity and work together on global issues.
The document opens with:
After four centuries of conflict and separation, the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion have now been on a walk towards reconciliation for almost six decades. Attimes the path has been bumpy, but the Holy Spirit has been at work, and our churches have persevered in a dialogue which has been extraordinarily fruitful.
The fifty bishops are a part of the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission (IARCCUM) and represent twenty-seven countries around the world.
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