All roads lead to Rome

Across the centuries there has been a continuous stream of converts to the Roman Catholic Church from those of previous commitment in other churches. It is a process often described by the phrase "going over to Rome". There are organisations and charities created to assist those making the journey. Testimonies abound to encourage others.

Today the Archbishop of Canterbury travels to Rome to participate in the celebrations marking the fortieth birthday of the Anglican Centre in Rome and during his stay he will have public and private meetings with His Holiness the Pope. These celebrations and meetings will take place in the context of what has been described as "an ecumenical winter" due to events in the Church of England and the Anglican Communion completely at odds with the hopes of 4o years ago and the tremendously positive achievements of ARCIC - Anglican/Roman Catholic International Commission - in recent years.

In 1966, soon after the ending of the Second Vatican Council, Archbishop Michael Ramsey went to Rome to meet Pope Paul VI. At a historic meeting, Paul VI gave Archbishop Ramsey his papal ring - an unscheduled and impromptu action, which sealed the very close relationship between these two saintly Christian leaders. A fruit of that friendship was the establishment of the Anglican Centre in Rome, founded to promote better understanding of Anglican faith and life at the heart of the Roman Catholic Church. For 40 years it has been responsible for the maintenance and encouragement of official and unofficial dialogue between the two churches, as well as being a Centre for the study of ecumenical theology.

If it were not for spanners thrown into the works by Anglicans the unity vehicle on which Rome and Canterbury were travelling hopefully could have been much further down the line leading to the ultimate destination of a post Reformation reconciliation. Sadly the Anglican section of the train seems to have been shunted into a siding. "The unity Christ wills, in the way and time he wills" must continue to be our prayer.

Today in the church calendar is "the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary". It commemorates the presentation of the child Mary, in the Temple at Jerusalem, when she was three. It is a feast which was first kept in the Eigth Century although earlier, on 21st November 543, there was the dedication of the Church of Our Lady near the Temple in Jerusalem. The feast symbolises the consecration of Mary's life to the Lord and the opening prayer of the feast prays "Eternal Father, we honour the holiness and glory of the Virgin Mary. May her prayers bring us the fullness of Your life and love." Many Christians believe that Mary is a great obstacle on the road to unity between Catholic and Reformed churches. On the contrary, I believe her example and prayers, are a real cause for continued hope and expectancy to those of us who want to see the unity train pick up speed again and travel on to the destination at the end of the line.

My own unity journey is about to take a new step forward at the coming Advent. As a result of local difficulties with developments in the Dulverton Chapel I plan to start attending Mass in the local Catholic church on a Saturday night and make my Sunday communion early at Anglican chapel or parish church. My ordaining Bishop was John Moorman of Ripon who was the official Anglican representative at the Vatican Council proceedings. My only sabbatical from parish life was spent with a Jesuit community in North Wales. I have been with Catholic diocesan pilgrimages to Lourdes a number of times. My current place of retreat and spiritual direction is at a Catholic centre. My daily Bible reading notes are Catholic sourced and I enjoy the fellowship of a local Catholic "Emmaeus Group". All this, I find, enables me to grow ever more deep in Christian faith and experience.