NEW WORKING GROUP TO FURTHER ANGLICAN-CATHOLIC RELATIONS

VATICAN CITY, JAN 25, 2001 (VIS) - A communique published this morning announced that a new high-level working group has been set up by the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church to further relations between the two.

"Comprising prominent Church leaders from a variety of countries, assisted by specialists, the Anglican-Roman Catholic Working Group will have the task of reviewing the relationship between Catholics and Anglicans worldwide, consolidating the results of more than 30 years of ecumenical contact and dialogue, and charting a course for the future.

"The Working Group has been set up as a direct result of a special international meeting of Anglican and Roman Catholic bishops, held in Mississauga, Canada in May 2000. That meeting, chaired by the archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. George Carey, and Cardinal Edward Cassidy, president of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, spent a week in prayer, worship and discussion, and surveying relationships in different parts of the world. In a concluding statement, "Communion in Mission," the bishops spoke of their belief that Anglicans and Catholics share a degree of common faith 'such that greater cooperation and mission is possible than is currently the case'. They called for a new commission to be put in place to help bring this about, suggesting that the preparation of a joint affirmation of faith be at the top of the agenda."

The communique listed the names of both the Anglican and Roman Catholic members and concluded: "Since 1970, the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church have been engaged in theological dialogue through a special commission, ARCIC - The Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission - which continues this work."

...;ANGLICAN-CATHOLIC WORK GROUP;...;...;VIS;20010125;Word: 280;