The papal audience at the Vatican marks the 60th anniversary of the initial formal ecumenical agreement between the Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches.
Pope Leo XIV welcomed the first woman to lead the global Anglican community on Monday, Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally, who recently assumed her position, encouraging unity to enhance evangelisation efforts.
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The Vatican event coincides with the 60th anniversary of the first formal ecumenical declaration between the Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches, signed in 1966 at St. Paul’s Outside the Walls basilica by Archbishop Michael Ramsey and Pope Paul VI.
This visit, described by Mullally as part of a four-day pilgrimage to Rome, represents her first journey abroad since her groundbreaking appointment last month as the first female primate of the Church of England.
Pope Leo XIV referenced the late Pope Francis, who once told Anglican primates that «it would be a scandal if, because of our divisions, we failed to live out our shared calling to make Christ known.»
«Even though our world suffers greatly and needs the peace of Christ, the existing divisions among Christians diminish our ability to effectively convey that peace,» the pope told Mullally and her delegation, according to the Vatican’s published address.
«For the world to truly embrace our message, it is vital that we persist in prayer and take action to eliminate any barriers obstructing the Gospel’s proclamation,» he said, adding that «unity for the sake of more effective evangelisation» has been a consistent focus during his papacy.
The pontiff acknowledged advances between the two churches over «historically divisive matters,» while noting that «new challenges have surfaced in recent decades,» without specifying them.
«Yet, these ongoing issues must not stop us from seizing every chance to jointly proclaim Christ to the world,» Pope Leo XIV stated, referring to his role as leader of the 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide.
Mullally, aged 63, is a former nurse, married with two children.
«In the face of brutal violence, profound divisions, and swift societal shifts, it remains essential to share a hopeful narrative: that each human life holds immeasurable value as precious children of God; that humanity is called to live as siblings,» she declared.
«It is imperative that we collaborate for the common good, always building bridges and never walls; recognising that the poorest among us are closest to God’s heart.»
Opiniones divididas
La designación de Mullally ha generado divisiones en la Comunión Anglicana, cuyos 100 millones de fieles en 165 países están profundamente divididos sobre temas como el papel de la mujer y el tratamiento de las personas LGBTQ+.
En Inglaterra y otros países occidentales, muchos recibieron su nombramiento como un hito histórico en la superación de barreras de género.
No obstante, las iglesias anglicanas más grandes y con mayor crecimiento en África forman parte de un grupo conservador denominado Global Anglican Future Conference (Gafcon), que ha criticado duramente su nombramiento y amenazado con una ruptura definitiva.
Mullally informó al papa, recién regresado de una gira de cuatro países en África, que pronto seguirá sus pasos con una visita prevista a Camerún y Ghana en julio.
«Su peregrinación por África estuvo llena de vida y alegría,» afirmó. «Nos recordó que, a pesar de nuestros sufrimientos, las personas anhelan la vida en plenitud y que numerosas personas trabajan diariamente por esta visión del bien común.»
En el siglo XVI, el rey Enrique VIII rompió con la Iglesia Católica, dando origen a la Iglesia de Inglaterra.
A lo largo de los siglos siguientes, las relaciones entre la iglesia anglicana y el Vaticano han mejorado progresivamente, aunque en 2016 surgieron nuevas fracturas, especialmente respecto a la ordenación de mujeres, que la Iglesia Católica prohíbe.
Las mujeres pueden ser obispas en la Iglesia de Inglaterra desde 2014, aunque el tema continúa siendo polémico.
La visita de Mullally se produce seis meses después de que el rey Carlos III se reuniera con el papa, siendo el primer gobernador supremo de la Iglesia de Inglaterra en rezar junto a un pontífice.
Fuentes adicionales • AP, AFP