POPE TO RECEIVE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY OCTOBER 4

VATICAN CITY, OCT 2, 2003 (VIS) - The Most Rev. Rowan Williams, archbishop of Canterbury and president of the Anglican Communion, arrives this evening in Rome for a three-day visit to the Vatican, including an audience with Pope John Paul on Saturday, October 4. He will be met at Rome's international airport by Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and by other Vatican officials.

The archbishop, who will stay at the Venerable English College, will be accompanied by thirteen people, including his wife, closest collaborators, leaders of the Anglican Communion Office and representatives of the Anglican Communion in Europe. Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, archbishop of Westminster, will arrive in Rome tomorrow to participate in the events surrounding the visit of the archbishop of Canterbury.

On Friday, October 3, according to the schedule released by the Holy See, Archbishop Williams will have talks with Cardinal Kasper and other members of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity as well as talks with Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue. A luncheon will be offered at the Anglican Center at the Doria Pamphili Palace, followed by round table discussions that will include the participation of Catholic representatives. Cardinal Kasper will offer a dinner at the Santa Martha Residence in the Vatican, with other members of the Roman Curia in attendance.

The morning of Saturday, October 4, Archbishop Williams will go to St. Peter's Basilica to pray. At 11 a.m. he will be received in audience by the Holy Father. Following this encounter, he will visit the "scavi" or excavations under St. Peter's and return to the English College for lunch. Saturday afternoon there will be a press conference at the college, vespers at Santa Maria Sopra Minerva and a ceremony for the official installation of the new director of the Anglican Center in Rome. Following a reception in the archbishop's honor, a dinner will be offered by the ambassador of Great Britain to the Holy See, Kathryn Colvin.

The final day of his visit, Sunday, October 5, Archbishop Williams will preside at a Eucharist at All Saints Anglican Church, following which he will have lunch with members of the community. He leaves at 5:20 p.m. for London.

This is Archbishop Williams' first visit to Pope John Paul since he was nominated by Queen Elizabeth as the 104th archbishop of Canterbury on July 23, 2002 and was formally confirmed in a ceremony on December 2, 2002. He was enthroned in the cathedral of Canterbury in February 2003. Cardinal Kasper was present at this ceremony and read a message of best wishes from Pope John Paul.

As noted, the archbishop will visit the Anglican Center in Rome on October. This center was inaugurated in 1966 and since that time its director has been charged with representing the archbishop of Canterbury and the primates of the Anglican Communion to the Holy See. The Vatican communique states that this center "has been over the years a valid and effective instrument in promoting and maintaining close ties between the Holy See and the Anglican primates."

The Anglican-Catholic theological dialogue takes place through two structures: ARCIC (Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission), instituted in 1970, and IARCCUM (International Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission).

ARCIC concentrates its works on controversial theological themes between Catholics and Anglicans and has published documents on the Eucharist, ministry, authority, salvation, the Church, and moral questions. These documents are submitted to both parties for review and debate. The most recent was the 1999 document "The Gift of Authority." A forthcoming ARCIC document will focus on the role of Mary in the life and doctrine of the Church. "According to its mandate," says the communique on Archbishop Williams' visit, "the Commission has considered the dogmas of the Assumption and the Immaculate Conception of Mary in the light of Scripture and of the ancient tradition common to both Anglicans and Catholics.

IARCCUM was instituted during a meeting in Canada in May 2000 and led by Cardinal Edward Cassidy, the then president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the then archbishop of Canterbury. Thirteen primates of Anglican provinces and 13 presidents of Episcopal conferences in the United States participated in this meeting, as did representatives of the Catholic Church. The duty of IARCCUM is to sustain and support the aims of ARCIC. It also looks at the strategies that can translate into visible and practical accomplishments the degree of spiritual communion that has been reached.

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