Pope Francis Visits Anglican Church for the First Time
Pope Francis on Sunday became the first pontiff to visit All Saints Anglican Church in the heart of Rome for the parish's 200th anniversary. He used the historic occasion in which he presided over an evensong service to press for greater closeness between Anglicans and Catholics.
"As Catholics and Anglicans, we are humbly grateful that, after centuries of mutual mistrust, we are now able to recognize that the fruitful grace of Christ is at work also in others. Today we can be encouraged by our gathering," he said in his homily wherein he batted for more joint activities between the two religions.
"For the first time, a Bishop of Rome is visiting your community," he went on, as reported by Crux, adding that "progress on our journey towards full communion may seem slow and uncertain," but "today we can be encouraged by our gathering."
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The Church of England broke away from the Roman Catholic Church in 1534 when King Henry VIII was denied a marriage annulment and since then, the Anglicans have not recognized the pope as their spiritual leader. While Pope Francis' predecessors have set foot on Westminster Abbey and Canterbury Cathedral in London, he is the first to visit an Anglican church in his own diocese.
During the visit, the pope also blessed an image of Christ the Savior which was commissioned for the anniversary. The occasion was actually the 200th anniversary of the first Church of England service in Rome on October 27, 1816. The building itself was built more than 50 years later.
During a question and answer portion at the same occasion, Pope Francis spoke of another activity that would draw the Catholic and Anglican churches together. Vatican Radio revealed this to be his planned visit to South Sudan with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.
