DIALOGUE ON UNITY

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31018, 25 March 1966, Page 13

DIALOGUE ON UNITY

Pope And Primate Agree On Move (N.Z.P.A. Reuter—Copyright) ROME, March 24. Pope Paul and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Michael Ramsey, today announced they intended to inaugurate a serious dialogue between the. Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion with the aim of leading to unity.

They announced this in a common declaration at the end of a three-day visit by the Archbishop, marking a reconciliation between the two churches after four centuries of discord.

This dialogue should include not only theological matters but also practical difficulties felt on either side, they said.

They were both aware that serious obstacles stood in the way of a restoration of complete communion of faith and sacramental life.

Nevertheless, the declaration said, “they are of one mind in their determination to promote responsible contacts between their Communions in all those spheres of church life where collaboration is likely to lead to a greater understanding and a deeper charity, and to strive in common to find solutions for all the great problems that face those who believe in Christ in the world of today” Through such collaboration, the two hoped that the prayer of Christ for unity among His disciples . might be brought nearer to fulfilment. Unity has been the dominant theme of the historic encounter between the Pope and the Primate. The declaration was read at the end of a common act of worship by both church leaders in the Basilica of St. Paul’s Without the Walls. Yesterday’s symbolic kiss of peace between Pope Paul and the Archbishop of Canterbury was seen by British newspapers today as a significant moment in the drive towards Christian unity. The meeting of the two church leaders in the Sistine Chapel won massive coverage in nearly every paper, some devoting up to a page in photographs and accounts of the dramatic ceremony.