Pope to Anglican leader Mullally: let us overcome “our differences”.”

- Junno Arocho Esteves (OSV News)

In his address to Archbishop Mullally during his visit to the Vatican on April 27, the Pope acknowledged that while much progress has been made on “historically divisive issues, new problems have arisen in recent decades” that have made the “ecumenical journey” more difficult. 

However, he added, “it would be a scandal if we did not continue to work to overcome our differences, however irreconcilable they may seem.”.

Chapel of Urban VIII, XVII century

According to a statement from her office, Archbishop Mullally joined the Pope for midday prayer in the 17th century Urban VIII chapel located in the Apostolic Palace.

In welcoming the Archbishop to the Vatican, Pope Leo XIII noted that while “our suffering world greatly needs the peace of Christ, divisions among Christians weaken our ability to be effective bearers of that peace.”.  

“If the world is to welcome our preaching with sincerity, we must, therefore, be constant in our prayers and efforts to remove any obstacle that impedes the proclamation of the Gospel,” the Pope said. 

“This emphasis on the need for unity for a more fruitful evangelization has been a recurring theme in my ministry; indeed, it is reflected in the motto I chose when I was ordained bishop: ‘In Illo uno unum,’ ‘In the One - who is Christ - we are one.»".

‘Let us embark on a journey together in friendship and dialogue’.’

While the ecumenical path of communion is complicated, Pope Leo XIV affirmed that the Catholic Church and the Church of England continue to “walk together the path of friendship and dialogue.”.

He also prayed that the Holy Spirit, “whom the Lord infused into the disciples the night after his resurrection, may guide our steps as we prayerfully and humbly seek the unity that is the Lord's will for all his disciples.”.

“Your Grace, as I thank you for your visit today, I pray that the same Holy Spirit will always remain with you, making you fruitful in the service to which you have been called,” the Pope said.

In her message to Pope Leo, published by his office, Archbishop Mullally expressed her gratitude to him for speaking out “about the many injustices in our world,” especially during his recent apostolic trip to Africa.

Mullally: ‘This vision of the common good.»

“The world needed this message at this time; thank you,” he said. “It reminded us that, despite our sufferings, people yearn for a full life, and so many, many people work every day for this vision of the common good.”.

The Archbishop of Canterbury noted that, in the ecumenical journey undertaken by Catholics and Anglicans, the Holy Spirit invites us to a deeper practice of hospitality, not simply as a welcome, but as a form of ministry.

It is about “the willingness to give each other space as beings created in the image of God and called to grow more fully into his likeness,” he said. “We already receive from one another gifts that we cannot generate alone: depth in prayer, courage in witness, perseverance in suffering and faithfulness in service. In this our common witness is strengthened.”.

Recalling the visit of King Charles and Queen Camilla to the Vatican

Remembering the visit of King Charles III and Queen Camilla to the Vatican In October, Anglican leader Mullally said the British monarch “appreciated his recent visit” and assured Pope Leo of “a warm welcome from the Church of England if he honors the United Kingdom with a visit.”.

Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury by King Charles in October, Sarah Mullally is the first woman to lead the Church of England “in its 1,400-year history,” as reported by the Diocese of Canterbury .

Anglicans claim 1,400 years of history because they identify the Church of England not as a new entity created during the Reformation of the 16th century, but as the continuation of the church established in England by a Catholic saint, St. Augustine of Canterbury, in the year 597 AD.

Archbishop Mullally's meeting with Pope Leo XIII was part of a four-day pilgrimage to Rome that, according to her office, aims to “strengthen Anglican-Roman Catholic relations through prayer, personal encounter and formal theological dialogue.”.

In the context of the historic 1966 meeting

“The Archbishop of Canterbury's visit is part of the long-standing ecumenical relationship between the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church, which has its roots in the historic 1966 meeting between Archbishop Michael Ramsey and Pope Paul VI,” reported the Anglican Communion News Service. 

The pilgrimage began on April 26 with a visit to St. Peter's Basilica and the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome to pray at the tombs of the apostles. In a tweet posted on X, Archbishop Mullally asked for prayers “for the unity of his disciples and of all the people of God.”.

“Our world is deeply wounded by war, division and fear, and longs for the peace, justice, reconciliation and hope found only in Jesus Christ. We are called to proclaim and live this Gospel together, for the sake of the world that God so loves,” he wrote. 

In the afternoon, after her meeting with Pope Leo XIV, Archbishop Mullally would preside at vespers in the church of St. Ignatius of Loyola, with Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, as preacher.

According to the Archbishop's office, Archbishop Mullally will appoint Anglican Bishop Anthony Ball, director of the Anglican Center in Rome, as her representative to the Holy See.

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Junno Arocho Esteves is an international correspondent for OSV News. Follow him on X @jae_journalist.