Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission

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The Anglican - Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) is an organization which seeks to make ecumenical progress between the Catholic Church and Anglican Communion. The sponsors are the Anglican Consultative Council and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (formerly the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity).

Contents 1 Controversy 2 Joint Preparatory Commission -- 1967-68 3 ARCIC I, First Phase: 1970-1981 4 ARCIC II, Second Phase: 1983- 5 Notes and References

[edit] Controversy

ARCIC seeks to identify common ground between the two communions. Ecumenical relations have become strained due to the ordination of women within the Anglican Communion and, in more recent years, Anglican controversies over homosexuality.

This has met with some hostile reaction from traditionalist Roman Catholics.^[1][2] Although ARCIC had just completed the major document on Marian theology in 2003, Pope John Paul II suspended official talks between the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion due to the consecration of Gene Robinson, a gay man in a non-celibate relationship, as a bishop in the Episcopal Church in the United States.^[3]

[edit] Joint Preparatory Commission -- 1967-68

In 1967 there were three meetings, a preparatory meeting in Italy^[4], a meeting on the place of scripture in England^[5] and culminating in a meeting in Malta^[6] culminating in the Malta Report.^[7]

[edit] ARCIC I, First Phase: 1970-1981

The first phase of ARCIC was held under the aegis of the Most Reverend Henry McAdoo (Anglican Archbishop of Dublin) and the the Right Reverend Alan Clark (Roman Catholic Bishop of East Anglia). The co-secretaries were Anglicans Colin Davey^[8] and Christopher Hill^[9] and the Roman Catholic Monsignor William A. Purdy.

In 1970 and 1971 there were a number of meetings on eucharistic doctrine^[10][11][12], ending with an agreed statement.^[13] An elucidation was issued in 1979.^[14]

In 1972^[15] there was a meeting on the subject of ordination paving the way for an agreed statement^[16] from Canterbury.^[17] An elucidation was issued in 1979.^[18]

In the mid 1970s a number of meetings were held on the issue of authority^[19][20] culminating in a statement^[21] made at Venice.^[22] Further discussions on the subject of authority were held in 1977^[23], 1979^[24] and 1980^[25] with elucidations^[26] and a further statement^[27] issued at Windsor in 1981 with the final statement.

A final statement for "ARCIC I" was issued in 1981 at Windsor.^[28] There were responses from both the Lambeth Conference^[29] and the Catholic Church.^[30] Further clarifications on the Eucharist and Ministry were issued in 1993.^[31]

[edit] ARCIC II, Second Phase: 1983-

In the second phase the Co-Chairs were the Anglican bishops Mark Santer^[32], Frank Griswold^[33] and Peter Carnley^[34] and the Roman Catholic bishops Cormac Murphy O'Connor^[35] and Alexander Joseph Brunett.^[36] A number of Anglican^[37] and Roman Catholic^[38] clerics served as co-secretaries.

The topics covered by ARCIC II included the doctrine of salvation^{[39][40][41][42]}, communion,^{[43][44][45][46][47][48][49]} teaching authority,^{[50][51][52][53][54] [21]} and the role of Mary the mother of God.^{[55][56][57][58][59][60]}

In 2007 the commission issued Growing Together in Unity and Mission which stated that “The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the ministry of the Bishop of Rome [the Pope] as universal primate is in accordance with Christ’s will for the Church and an essential element of maintaining it in unity and truth.[1]”. Not only that but the document goes on to say that “We urge Anglicans and Roman Catholics to explore together how the ministry of the Bishop of Rome might be offered and received in order to assist our Communions to grow towards full, ecclesial communion.”

[edit] Notes and References