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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, JUNE 4, 1982
PAGE 7
It was a dramatic service and one which could get the "on again, off again"
faltering movement for church unity back on course.
According to one
source, more was probably achieved through this service than years of
laborious study and reports by the theological scholars representing the
Catholic, the Anglicans and the other Protestant bodies. The London news
paper, THE STANDARD, commented about the Pope's trip and specifically this
service at the Canterbury Cathedral this way: "A small step for a Pope, but
a giant step for the unity of Christendom."
This service was the main reason, many experts agree, why the Pope was
determined to continue with his trip to Britain even though there was a
great deal of opposition initially from the leaders of the church in Latin
America who felt that by going to Britain he would be showing sides with
Britain in the conflict with Argentina. If his trip had been cancelled and
this ecumenical service at Canterbury Cathedral not held, most experts
believe that the goal of church unity would have been set back very seri
ously.
Archbishop Doctor Robert Runcie, Primate of All England and leader of the
worldwide Anglican Communion, was the Pope's host for this ecumenical func
tion.
In his introductory address, Archbishop. Runeie said this:
"Our
unity is not in the past only, but also in the future. We have a common
vision which also breaks up the lazy prejudices and easy assumptions of the
present.
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The Pope took as his text in his homily (he gave the main message of the
service) Christ's prayer for His disciples "that they may all be one" which
he said resounded "in a special way today in this hallowed cathedral."
Canterbury Cathedral goes back many, many years and was the first cathedral
of the medieval church in England and has since been the leading cathedral
of the breakaway church of England.
The Pope appealed to those present, as well as the millions watching on
television, to accept the commitment "of praying and working for reconcil
iation and ecclesiastical unity." He told the massive congregation present
in the cathedral that church unity "transcends all political divisions and
frontiers." He further told the Anglicans in the congregation that they
were "my dear brothers and sisters of the Anglican Communion of whom I love
and long for. How happy I am to be able to speak directly to you today in
this great cathedral. The building itself is an eloquent witness, both to
our long years of common inheritance and the sad years of division that
followed�" The Pope said that his visit to the Cathedral was a day "that
centuries and generations have awaited."
After the service a Common Declaration was signed by the Pope and the Arch
bishop of Canterbury which declared, "We commit ourselves anew to the task
of working for unity with firm faith, renewed hope and ever deeper love."
This was a clear indication that the dialogue started by the Anglican-Roman
Catholic International Commission would continue. This ecumenical service
did not contain a common Eucharist (the joint sharing of the bread and
wine). That type of service would still have to be further down the road.
The only ritual that was performed, if one could call it that, was a repeat
on the part of the Archbishop and the Pope of their so-called baptismal
vows, implying that they were joint followers of Christ.
The Anglicans hope to act as a "bridge" between the Catholic church and the
independent denomination Protestants. The Anglicans are themselves divided