October 30, 2009

Immigration reform, the papal encyclical "Veritatis Splendor" and the Vatican's invitation to Anglicans topped the discussion at the 66th meeting of the Anglican-Roman Catholic Theological Consultation in the United States (ARC-USA) Oct. 26-27, according to an Oct. 30 press release.

The meeting was the third such meeting in a round of the dialogue focused on the theme "Ecclesiology and Moral Discernment: Common Ground and Divergences," and was held at the Washington Retreat House in Washington, D.C. Bishop Thomas Breidenthal, of the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio, and Bishop Ronald P. Herzog, of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Alexandria, Louisiana, co-chaired the meeting.

Members of the consultation set aside some time at the beginning of the meeting to discuss the Vatican's announcement on Oct. 20 that "personal ordinariates" would be created for former Anglicans who wish to enter into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church while "preserving elements of the distinctive Anglican spiritual and liturgical patrimony."

According to the release, the members welcomed the Roman Catholic Church's acknowledgement of a substantial overlap in faith and the legitimacy of many Anglican traditions, a recognition that is the fruit of over 40 years of official dialogue between the two churches. And members were encouraged by statements made by Roman Catholic and Anglican leaders that the official dialogue between the two churches will continue, according to the release.

"Most everyone seemed clear that there were negative as well as some positive aspects to the Vatican's initiative," said Bishop Christopher Epting, the Episcopal Church's ecumenical and interfaith officer. "We thought it was important to wait until we've seen the actual text of the constitution before saying much more, but wanted to affirm both churches' decisions to continue formal dialogue – through ARC-USA – with the only recognized province of the Anglican Communion in the United States (the Episcopal Church) and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. That's the official ecumenical dialogue, and that's what's important."

Immigration reform was the first of two themes examined at meeting. The Rev. Thomas Rausch, SJ offered a presentation of the Roman Catholic point of view on this question, focusing on the 2003 document of the Conferences of Catholic Bishops of the United States and Mexico, "Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope." Breidenthal then presented his paper, "Immigration Reform: An Anglican Approach." The members noted a substantial convergence on this issue based on common sources, including the tradition of Roman Catholic social teaching, the release said.

The second theme was an examination of the 1993 encyclical by Pope John Paul II, "Veritatis Splendor," which set forth the fundamental elements of Catholic moral teaching. The contents of the encyclical were summarized by Father Charles Caccavale, who emphasized that the encyclical presents the moral life as deeply connected to the life of faith and to eternal life. Virginia Theological Seminary Professor Timothy Sedgwick offered reflections on the document from an Anglican perspective, pointing out areas of agreement and others that require further exploration, including the encylical's understanding of "intrinsically evil acts." On Oct. 27 they toured the John Paul II Cultural Center, and that evening Breidenthal hosted a dinner in honor of Epting, who will retire in December. The members of the dialogue expressed their gratitude toward Epting for his nine years of service to the dialogue, and wished him every blessing as he takes up a new ministry in Iowa, the release said.

Episcopal News Service