Perspectives on the British Royal Family's visit to the Vatican by Bishop Ball, director of the Anglican Centre in Rome, and Archbishop Pace, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity. It "nurtures our confidence in the path of dialogue and engagement with one another to which our churches remain wholeheartedly committed," as evidenced by the warmth and gestures that came along with it. We continue to hope, as Pope Leo has expressed it, for ‘the re-establishment of full and visible communion.
By Bishop Anthony Ball and Archbishop Flavio Pace Queen Elizabeth I's body was moved to Westminster Abbey in London four years after she died in 1603, where it was reinterred in the same grave as her half-sister, Queen Mary I (Tudor). The two were connected by blood, but their religious beliefs were different. All spiritual and canonical authority over the "ecclesia anglicana" had been transferred from the papacy to the crown by a series of Acts of Parliament signed between 1529 and 1536. The 1534 Act of Supremacy declared their father, King Henry VIII, Supreme Head of the Church. It is remarkable that the Protestant Elizabeth, whose long reign saw the Supremacy consolidated, and the Catholic Queen Mary, whose short reign was marked by such vigorous attempts to reverse the English Supremacy that she became known as "Bloody Mary," are buried together. This Supremacy was briefly repealed during the reign of the Catholic Mary, but it was re-established during the reign of the Protestant Elizabeth. The extraordinary inscription on their joint tomb reads, "Regno consortes et urna hic obdormimus Elizabeth et Maria sorores in spe resurrectionis," which means "Consorts in realm and tomb, here we sleep, Elizabeth and Mary, sisters in hope of resurrection." This powerful sign of longing for the restoration of unity as well as hope in the healing power of the paschal mystery of the Lord Jesus. Unfortunately, in the centuries that followed, relations between Protestants and Catholics in England, as well as between England and Rome, were not characterized by anything like this sense of fraternal affection. Much blood was shed, and there were many martyrs on both sides. They remained at a distance from one another long after the violence had ended. When a small group of Roman Catholic and Anglican scholars began exploring the possibility of corporate reunion in 1921, in what were known as the Malines Conversations, the Catholic bishops of England were not at all enthusiastic. For much of the first half of the 20th century, the Catholic Church kept its distance from the ecumenical movement on a global scale. The first Archbishop of Canterbury to travel to Rome in modern times was Archbishop Geoffrey Fisher, who met with Pope John XXIII in 1960. Photographs were not permitted because of the sensitivity of their meeting. Royal visits to Rome had begun earlier. King Edward VII paid a very private visit to Pope Leo XIII in 1903, defying advice from the government. Although a British legation was established in the Holy See in 1914, full diplomatic relations were not established until 1982. King George V and Queen Mary visited Pope Pius XI in 1923, but the next British royal visit to the Vatican did not take place until 1961, when Queen Elizabeth II visited Pope John XXIII. Since the Reformation, this was a British monarch's first official trip to the Holy See. She then went to see Popes John Paul II and Francis, and she also got Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI when they came to the UK. This gradual warming of relationships between the UK and the Holy See happened at the same time that the Catholic Church and the Church of England became closer to one another. The Second Vatican Council's Decree on Ecumenism stated that "among those in which Catholic traditions and institutions in part continue to exist, the Anglican Communion occupies a special place" when referring to the communions that separated from Rome as a result of the Reformation. A "new stage in the development of fraternal relations, based upon Christian charity, and of sincere efforts to remove the causes of conflict and to re-establish unity" was outlined in Archbishop Michael Ramsey and Pope Paul VI's Common Declaration during their meeting in 1966. The Anglican Centre in Rome was inaugurated shortly afterwards. The decision of the Pope and the Archbishop to establish a theological dialogue led to the founding of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC). Over the past fifty years, ARCIC has published fourteen separate documents. Pope Paul said that he was looking forward to the day when the Roman Catholic Church "can embrace her ever beloved Sister in the one authentic communion of the family of Christ" during the 1970 canonization of forty English and Welsh Reformation martyrs. Religious services were not included in previous royal visits to the Holy See's itinerary. This is a truly historic occasion because King Charles III's visit today includes not only prayer in the Papal Basilica of Saint Paul outside the Walls, but also prayer in the Sistine Chapel with the Pope himself. In a way that is relevant to our time and honors the King's coronation oaths, a bond between the English Crown and Saint Paul's that was severed when our churches split up was restored today is truly historic. With the permission of the Pope and the encouragement of the Archpriest, the brothers of the Benedictine Community at the Basilica of Saint Paul have embraced King Charles and named him a royal confrater of the Basilica. The newly-created seat in the Basilica in which the King is installed today will stand as a visible reminder of this gesture of loving hospitality, the significance of which should not be underestimated. It is a recognition, despite many outstanding theological differences, of the depth of the communion between our two traditions. Significantly, the gift of confraternity was offered. The fact that His Majesty wanted to accept it is significant. It is also significant that leaders of the national churches of England and Scotland are present and participating in the service at Saint Paul's. Unfortunately, neither the embrace in one authentic communion that Pope Paul VI prayed for nor the fulfillment of the hope that the tombs of Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth speak of remains at a distance. Indeed, developments over the years have caused some to wonder if the goal is receding rather than getting closer. Archbishop Justin Welby and Pope Francis addressed this directly in a Common Declaration in 2016: “While, like our predecessors, we ourselves do not yet see solutions to the obstacles before us, we are undeterred. In our trust and joy in the Holy Spirit, we are confident that dialogue and engagement with one another will deepen our understanding and help us to discern the mind of Christ for his Church.” Our confidence in the path of dialogue and engagement with one another, to which our churches remain steadfastly devoted, is bolstered by the warm reception of King Charles at the Vatican today and the gestures that went along with it. We continue to hope, as Pope Leo has expressed it, for “the re-establishment of full and visible communion”.
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