VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — Pope Francis hosted leaders from the Anglican Communion at the Vatican Thursday, and while speaking about the “controversial” role of the papacy, the Pontiff raised the possibility of a new “understanding” that could result from ecumenical relations and the Synod on Synodality.
On the morning of May 2, members of the Anglican Communion Primates’ meeting met with Pope Francis at the Vatican, in what the Anglicans described as the “highlight” of their 5-day gathering in Rome.
The Pontiff’s speech to the Anglicans held a revolutionary possibility: namely, a decision by Francis, effected by the Synod on Synodality, to use the papacy itself as an ecumenical bargaining tool, in a manner which could – at least on paper – appear to undermine the authority wielded by the Pope.
Anglican Primates in Rome
The Primates’ gathering drew Anglican leaders from across the globe to Rome for the first time. There they held a series of meetings, made visits to Catholic shrines across the city, and also met with Pope Francis and Cardinal Mario Grech – the general secretary of the Synod of Bishops. Their high-level gathering was billed to aid “unity” amongst the various Anglican bodies throughout the world, although, as noted below, such “unity” is a serious point of contention given the dissent in the Anglican body over same-sex blessings.
Addressing the assembled Primates, Francis thanked the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby for his continued collaboration with the Pope and his “fraternal cooperation on behalf of the Gospel.”
“The Lord calls each of us to be a builder of unity and, even if we are not yet one, our imperfect communion must not prevent us from walking together,” stated Francis, echoing themes he has used in the not infrequent ecumenical gatherings he attends alongside Welby.
Francis also gave an honorable mention to the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC), which has – he stated – “made great efforts to overcome various obstacles that stand in the way of unity.”
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This has been effected, said Francis, by the acknowledgement that “the communion already shared is grounded in faith in God our Father, in our Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Spirit; our common baptism into Christ; our sharing of the Holy Scriptures, of the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds; the Chalcedonian definition and the teaching of the Fathers; our common Christian inheritance for many centuries.”
The Papacy: a ‘controversial and divisive issue’
Most notable in the Pope’s speech was the description he gave of his own office. Thanking the Anglican Primates for meeting in Rome, Francis declared, “I realize that the role of the Bishop of Rome is still a controversial and divisive issue among Christians.”
Continuing, Francis appeared to suggest that a new understanding of the Papacy could be developed which would prove more acceptable to Anglicans, given the Anglican opposition to papal primacy.
He quoted from Pope Gregory the Great’s description of the Pope as “servant of the servants of God,” and John Paul II’s own statement in his ecumenical encyclical Ut Unum Sint, in which the Polish pope said: “his designation is the best possible safeguard against the risk of separating power (and in particular the primacy) from ministry. Such a separation would contradict the very meaning of power according to the Gospel: ‘I am among you as one who serves’.”
Hinting at possible changes of understanding to the papacy, Francis stated that “for this reason, it is necessary to engage in ‘a patient and fraternal dialogue on this subject, a dialogue in which, leaving useless controversies behind,’ strives to understand how the Petrine ministry can develops as a service of love for all.”
He praised the work of the ARCIC group, noting that “positive results have been achieved in the various ecumenical dialogues on the question of primacy as a ‘gift to be shared.’”
Synod on Synodality to rewrite the Papacy?
Not content with committing to a “dialogue” on the papacy, Francis stated that he hoped the multi-year Synod on Synodality would lead to “a better understanding of the role of the Bishop of Rome.”
The Synod is due to conclude this October, with the second month-long gathering of bishops, priests, laity and ecumenical representatives all taking part in the Vatican’s meeting. While the ecumenical representatives do not have voting powers, they participate in the rest of the month’s activities.
Among the 2023 Synod meeting was an Anglican prelate, and Francis expressed his happiness in anticipating “further ecumenical participation in the session to be held this autumn.”
“I pray that a better understanding of the role of the Bishop of Rome will be among the fruits of the Synod,” he said. “The Synthesis Report at the end of the first session called for a deeper study of the link between synodality and primacy at various levels: local, regional and universal.”
He also pointed to the work of the ARCIC group as a “helpful resource” in the desired new understanding of the papacy.
Indeed, both the Catholic-Anglican ecumenical work groups and the Synod on Synodality were also highlighted by the Anglican Primates themselves during a May 2 press conference about their week in Rome. Responding to this correspondent’s inquiry about what a new understanding of the papacy might look like in practice, the Anglican primate of the Church of Canada, Linda Nicholls, said that the “question is being addressed through the work of the Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission.”
“There certainly has been conversation about the Petrine Ministry in the work of ARCIC 2 in the gift of authority. That has been received by some and not by others,” she added.
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Nicholls stated that the question of the papacy “continues to be wrestled with, partly because it’s challenging to separate the practice of a particular person in the seat of the Bishop of Rome from the overall iconic nature of the Petrine Ministry within the whole of the Christian community because of its historical significance.”
She also queried if “a renewed Petrine Ministry might be something that would help to draw together the unity of the church, and I mean the whole church,” implying both Catholics and Anglicans.
The issue “is still very live in ecumenical circles,” she added.
Papal alliance with Anglicans
Anglicans, particularly those of the Church of England, have enjoyed a notably closer relationship with the Holy See in recent years, as especially evidenced by the close friendship between Francis and Justin Welby. Recent events in just the last 18 months include
- Welby joining Francis on an ecumenical “pilgrimage of peace” to South Sudan in February 2023.
- Francis giving a relic of the True Cross to King Charles III – head of the Church of England – to mark his coronation.
- Francis inviting Welby to take a place of honor at the ecumenical prayer vigil held on the eve of the Synod on Synodality last October.
- Francis giving direct permission for Welby to offer an Anglican eucharist service in a Catholic basilica in Rome this January.
- Francis and Welby commissioning pairs of Anglican and Catholic prelates in Rome in January, on the second such occasion.
Francis regularly remarks on how he and Welby have a similar duty and experience since they both began their respective roles in spring 2013.
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Indeed, increasingly it appears that Francis is one of Welby’s more loyal supporters – to the extent that he is prepared to somehow manipulate the understanding of the papacy to achieve further union – while many in the Anglican communion internationally have turned their back on the Anglican churchman.
In April 2023, Anglican bishops throughout the world declared their communion with the Anglican Church of England to be “broken” over the latter’s support of same-sex “marriage” and its official approval of a liturgical rite of blessing for same-sex unions. The statement was issued by 1,300 delegates, representing an estimated 85% of the world’s Anglicans.
Such disunity was a key feature of the May 2 press conference, with journalists linked to the Anglican community pressing for details about how many primates refused to attend the gathering in a protest of conscience.
While Welby’s term as Archbishop of Canterbury is soon to end, Pope Francis appears set to continue a potentially revolutionary understanding of the papal office through the dual means of ecumenical working groups and the Synod on Synodality.
With the Synod’s already clear focus on “listening,” rather than on hierarchical teaching and structure, along with a new-found prominence given to lay voices and roles in governance, a potential revolution in the concept of the papacy is not unlikely to emerge from the October 2024 Synod meetings.