Talks On Christian Unity This Week

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29367, 21 November 1960, Page 15

Talks On Christian Unity This Week

(Rec. 10 p.m.) LONDON, November 20. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Geoffrey Fisher, will leave on Tuesday on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, which will be followed by important meetings with the Pope and the Patriarch of Constantinople.

History will be made because the three leaders are disposed towards Christian unity on a world scale.

The significance of the journey to Turkey is that his All-Holiness Athenagoras I, Ecumenical Patriarch of the Orthodox Church, could help to lessen the deep gulf between the Church of England and the Church of Rome, with which Henry VIII broke 400 years ago.

The Patriarch is also anxious that the Orthodox churches should play a full part in the World Council of Churches in which Dr. Fisher has such a prominent role and of which his immediate predecessor. Dr. William Temple, was one of the founders. But before any of the Orthodox churches will have talks with the Anglicans—or with the Roman Catholics—they must have the consent of their Patriarch. Seven months ago. the Patriarch said he had told the Pope that Orthodox churches would not attend a Roman Catholic Ecumenical Council unless the Anglican Church was also represented. Pope John, very mistakenlv described by some at the time of his election in October. 1958. as an “interim Pope.” disposed of such speculation by announcing the convocation of his Ecumenical

Council (likely to be held in 1962) with the aim of leading all the Christian churches back to unity with Rome.

This was followed in September by the setting up of a secretariat to establish greater unity between Roman Catholics and other Christian churches.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has described the setting up of the Roman Cattiolic secretariat as "full of Godly promise.” He will now go to meet the Patriarch of Constantinople, who has said “only in paradise can one live alone.”

After that comes the visit to Pope John, who, according to one of his archbishops in England, has “expressed a great affection for the Anglicans.” An Archbishop of Canterbury has not been to Rome since 1397 Officially it is described as ”a visit of courtesy.” Anglicans, like Roman Catholics. well understand that some of the differences between the two churches are fundamental: that the talks must be “in brotherhood” for closer collaboration in good works.

On the eve of the Archbishop’s 10-day air trip, the most frequently heard comment among Anglicans is: “Wonderful, but we must not expect too much.”