The sixty-sixth meeting of the Anglican-Roman Catholic Theological Consultation in the United States (ARC-USA) took place at the Washington Retreat House in Washington, DC, on October 26 and 27.  It was co-chaired by Bishop Thomas Breidenthal of the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio and Bishop Ronald P. Herzog of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Alexandria, Louisiana.  This is the third meeting of a round of the dialogue that is focusing its work on the theme, “Ecclesiology and Moral Discernment: Common Ground and Divergences."

At the beginning of the meeting, the members of the Consultation set aside some time to discuss the Vatican’s announcement on October 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.”  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. 

Because the Apostolic Constitution establishing these new ordinariates has not yet been published, the members thought it was premature to comment in detail.  They look forward to receiving the document and will no doubt consider it at their next meeting. In the meantime, the members were encouraged by the firm statements by Roman Catholic and Anglican leaders that the official dialogue between our churches will continue.

“Most everyone seemed clear that there were negative as well as some positive aspects to the Vatican’s initiative,” said Episcopal ecumenical officer, Bishop Christopher Epting, “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 US Conference of Catholic Bishops. That’s the official ecumenical dialogue, and that's what's important.”

The first of two themes examined at this session was immigration reform.  Jesuit Father Thomas Rausch 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.”  Bishop Thomas 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 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.   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.”                                                                                                                                                    

During the course of the meeting the members prayed the Roman Catholic and Anglican Liturgy of the Hours together, and celebrated the Eucharist in both traditions, with the members participating to the extent allowed by the discipline of their respective churches.  On October 27 they toured the John Paul II Cultural Center.  On the evening of the same day Bishop Breidenthal hosted a festive dinner in honor of Bishop Christopher Epting, who will be retiring as ecumenical officer of The Episcopal Church in December.  The members of the dialogue were deeply grateful to Bishop Epting for his nine years of service to the dialogue, and wished him every blessing as he takes up a new ministry in Iowa. 

In addition to the co-chair, Catholic members of the dialogue are Msgr. David A. Bohr, Rector of St. Peter's Cathedral in Scranton, Pennsylvania; Father Charles Caccavale of the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington, New York; M. Therese Lysaught, Ph.D., Department of Theology of Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Theresa Notare, Ph.D., of the USCCB's Secretariat for Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth; Jesuit Father Thomas P. Rausch, Ph.D., Department of Theological Studies of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles; and Paulist Father Ronald G. Roberson, Ph.D., Associate Director of the USCCB's Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs and staff to the dialogue.

Representatives of The Episcopal Church, in addition to Bishop Breidenthal, include the Dr. Ellen Wondra, Professor of Theology and Ethics at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary; the Rev. Matthew S. C. Olver, Church of the Incarnation in Dallas, Texas; Mary Reath, governor of the Anglican Center in Rome and author of "Rome and Canterbury: The Elusive Search for Unity" (2007); Timothy Sedgwick, Ph.D., Professor of Christian Ethics at Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia; the Rev. Canon. J. Robert Wright, Ph.D, Professor of Church History at the General Theological Seminary in New York, New York; and the Right Reverend Christopher Epting, ecumenical officer of The Episcopal Church and staff to the dialogue.

A complete list of the agreed statements released by the consultation as well as links to earlier press releases can be found on the USCCB website at http://www.usccb.org/seia/anglican.shtml