The Roman Catholic Co-Chair of the Third Anglican/Roman Catholic
International Commission (ARCIC III) has expressed his personal view
that, seeing how in 1993 certain relaxations were made in the Vatican's
rules on eucharistic sharing, further relaxation is possible.
Speaking last week to the Gazette editor following a joint
session of the National Advisers' Committee on Ecumenism of the Irish
(Roman Catholic) Episcopal Conference and representatives of the Church
of Ireland's Commission for Christian Unity and Dialogue, at St
Patrick's College, Maynooth, the Most Revd Bernard Longley - Roman
Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham and ARCIC III Co-Chair -referred to
the changes in "specified circumstances" set out in the 1993 Ecumenism
Directory.
He commented, "Given that that represents a change, and a very
significant shift away from the impossibility to the limited
possibility, then I could imagine and foresee one of the fruits of our
ecumenical engagement as moving towards a deeper understanding of
communion and a deeper sharing, a deeper communion between our Churches
which perhaps would lead to reconsideration of some of the
circumstances."
Asked if he felt healing on the issue would indeed come, the
Archbishop said, "I know that that will be the case", and described the
"pain" of division at the Eucharist as "a spur" towards resolving the
issue.
However, he also pointed to how, over the past several decades,
"further challenges - obstacles, if you like - in the way of that have
been placed before us and they also have their part to play in what
holds us back from sharing the Eucharist together". He instanced
differences over the recognition of Orders.
Affirming that a further relaxation in the Vatican's regulations
"could happen", the Archbishop added, however, that he "wouldn't like to
predict the rate or the pace of change towards that".
Archbishop Longley said that the coming together of members within
ARCIC III was itself "an experience of communion", adding, "Because of
the balance, I think, of pastors, Church leaders and theologians in
their various fields, there is a real respect for the gifts of each
other and there has been a real sense in which we've been able to
exchange those gifts and receive from one another."