ARCIC issues text on Mary

Independent Catholic News ^ | 4 February 2004

[Land of the Irish]

The Anglican - Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) met from 28 January - 3 February at the Palisades Retreat Centre, Seattle, under the co-chairmanship of the Most Rev Alexander J Brunett, Archbishop of Seattle, and the Most Rev Peter Carnley, Archbishop of Perth and Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia.

The Commission completed work on the text of the Seattle Statement, "Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ", which it is now submitting to the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and to the Archbishop of Canterbury together with the Anglican Consultative Council.

The publication of "Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ" will bring to completion the second phase of work of ARCIC, which was mandated in 1982 by Pope John Paul II and Archbishop Robert Runcie. In the last twenty years, the Commission has published four agreed statements - Salvation and the Church (1987), The Church as Communion (1991), Life in Christ (1994) and The Gift of Authority (1999). In 1999, the Commission began work on a consideration of the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the life and doctrine of the Church.

The Church's understanding of Mary has been a subject of deep controversy between Anglicans and Roman Catholics. Discussion at Seattle has placed the Roman Catholic dogmas of the Immaculate Conception and Assumption of Mary, and how they may relate to any future restoration of Communion, within the broader context of Scriptural and theological reflection on Mary. Following its established methodology, the Commission has sought to go behind entrenched positions, and to articulate a common approach to the subject under discussion.

The meeting concluded with an ecumenical Celebration of Vespers for the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary (the Presentation of Christ in the Temple) in St James' Cathedral, Seattle.

Bishop Brian Farrell and Canon Gregory Cameron, speaking on behalf of Cardinal Walter Kasper, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and Canon John L Peterson, Secretary General of the Anglican Consultative Council, expressed heartfelt gratitude to current and former members of the Commission for their hard work over a period of twenty years on behalf of the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion. They also expressed the commitment of the Pontifical Council and the Anglican Communion to the ongoing theological dialogue, and looked forward to the establishment of a new Commission in the near future.

The members of ARCIC are:

Anglicans

The Most Rev Peter Carnley (Archbishop of Perth and Primate of Australia, Co-Chair) The Rt Rev John Baycroft Professor Rozanne Elder The Rev Canon Jonathan Gough The Rev Professor Jaci Maraschin The Rev Dr John Muddiman The Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali The Rev Professor Nicholas Sagovsky The Rev Dr Charles Sherlock The Rev Canon Gregory Cameron (Anglican Communion Office, Co-Secretary)

Roman Catholics

The Most Rev Alexander J Brunett (Archbishop of Seattle, Co-Chair) Sister Sara Butler, MSBT The Rev Dr Peter Cross The Rev Dr Adelbert Denaux The Most Rev Brian Farrell LC The Rt Rev Malcolm McMahon OP The Rev Professor Charles Morerod OP The Rev Professor Liam Walsh OP The Rev Canon Donald Bolen (Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Co-Secretary)

Source: ACN

© Independent Catholic News 2004

[Maeve]

Beautifully said.

Should you find yourself ready to leave the Episcopalians and ready to enter the Catholic Church, do remember Pope John Paul II 's Pastoral Provision for Episcopalians seeking union with the Roman Catholic Church.

[Maeve]

Someone wrote something about Irish temper, and I am not going to get deep into that per se. But when you let your Irish temper ARISE be tempered and fashioned by praying the Rosary [and studying Canon Law (courtesy of NYer)] it is possible to frighten successive liberal nuns out of your parish and to encourage priests who love novelties to change their ways and put the TABERNACLE back where it belongs.

Irish temper is in fact a special gift given by God to the Irish, knowing that at a crucial time it would be necessary for Moms in their parishes to take up this Gift together with the graces of Our Lady's rosary so that , parish by parish, we would be able, in honor of St. Brigid, to beat back the darkness and, in honor of St. Patrick, to drive out the snakes from our parishes.

[TradicalRC]

I am aware that there is a strong Marion sub-group within the Catholic church and that many are pushing for the title of co-redemptrix. However, that title has Not been granted to her by the church of Rome.

Jesus is the way the Truth and the life.

[TradicalRC]

They like their drink too, from what I hear.

[Catholicguy]

Good grief. The Rosary has NEVER been part of any Mass at any time EVER

[Catholicguy]

LOL

[tiki]

Amen to that!

[harbingr]

'It seems to me that few on this thread have an understanding of the theological implications of the dogma that God somehow cleansed Mary of all of her sins and made her immaculate from the moment of her birth. If God could do that with her, then He could do that with someone else....Roman Catholic Mariology, as it is understood by Protestants and as it is commonly presented... presents some very serious theological problems for Protestants.'

Maybe St. Louis De Montfort's writings can help (they Did for Pope JPII)...

'The Spirituality of St. Louis Marie De Montfort'

and...

'Mary's Role in Salvation History - According to St. Louis Mary Grignion de Montfort'... Rev. Patrick Gaffney, S.M.M.

[harbingr]

also meant for...

[tiki]

That's exactly what I was thinking. There are none so blind as those who will not see. We have statues of the Holy Family, and a huge painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe so there are reminders of Mary throughout the church and the Mass. She is spoken of regularly in homilies. I really don't know where they went to Chuch before they went to the SSPX so I can't say that it wasn't they say but I don't see how it could have been.

[AAABEST]

Good grief. The Rosary has NEVER been part of any Mass at any time EVER

[trad_anglican]

just trying to give a little reflection from all of us non-Anglo-Catholic sorts!:-)

I happen to agree with you on this one. It's not that I find them bad, it's just that they are traditions that were not included in the "canon of christianity" and ought not to be required of believers. Were it not for these, transubstantiation for the same reason, and the notion that protecting the Church from the gates of hell means the Church can never err which leads to the idea of papal infallability, I could be pretty comfortable crossing the Tiber.

Perhaps that's more than you (or anyone else on these boards) care to know, but there it is nonetheless.

[trad_anglican]

These talks through the commission can only serve to weaken our centuries held beliefs on the Virgin Mother, unless the Anglicans were to capitulate their doctrine on such.

Thanks very much for your elucidation and charitable tone. The above sentence is where we'll have to agree (in charity)to disagree. To say that a belief has been held by the Church for a very long time even though subscription to it is not required of the faithful is not a watering down of the belief itself, in my opinion. Personally, I don't think it honors Mary to "raise" these beliefs to the doctrinal level.

I can empathize with your struggles to maintain and preserve the faith that you were born into and obviously love. I have taken a similar road as yours since leaving the Episcopal Church in 1978 for the "continuing" Anglican Church.

[AAABEST]

Thanks very much for your elucidation and charitable tone.

Well now you have me striving, as you can "out-charitable" me any day of the week!

Mary is mysterious and difficult to rationalize, I would never blame another for not "getting it". That said she really is amazing and can lead people to incredible love. This needs to be shown to as many who will listen.

One very tangible aspect of her blessed presence is that millions of people every day the world over are reciting her praises in communion, bringing the human family together in peace - like a huge "family" for lack of a better term. This is extraordinary grace in itself, the benefits for us incalculable.

Your point is very well taken though. In the very least you've given me food for though. Thank you.

[Unam Sanctam]

Actually, ARCIC is winding down, since the Anglicans seem to be intent on abandoning Christian truth on morality faster than anything. I think the Holy Father is wise to choose the Eastern Orthodox as the preferred ecumenical partners, as we have the most in common with them.

[leoxiii]

I think the real headline here should read: "ARCIC Continues to Flog Dead Horse."

In a related story, a Newquay resident who has made a virtual career of attempting to pole vault across the Channel believes that dogged persistence will invariably pay off.

Trevor Mathews, 43, notes optimistically that he's only failed 1,746 times so far -- with one near miss of 239.92 km -- but he attributes those less-than-successful outings to "not trying hard enough."

[TheRevEN]

**Please** Please please do **NOT** say, "THE Anglicans." It is SOME -- by far only the tiniest of minorities within the Anglican Communion who are abandoning Faith and morals. There are 77 million Anglicans worldwide with most living in Africa. There are African Anglican Christians giving their lives for the Gospel of Jesus Christ even as I write this. There are large numbers of Anglican Christians even within ECUSA who are fighting and putting everything they have on the line to defend the Faith.

Anglicans everywhere are truly Faithful Christians. So please do not tar us with the brushes held in the hands of the minority within our churches who are trying to persecute the rest of us in order to drag the church away from the Truth. That is really adding insult to injury.

Blessings to you anyway. EN+

[rogator]

"you and we are facing a common Enemy who seeks to degrade our witness before the world by any means possible. "

Well spoken. This enemy has made serious divisive inroads not only between but within both of our denominations.

[rogator]

"Why in the world would anybody recite the Rosary at Mass?"

To distract their minds from the banal, irreveverent and sometimes heretical OCP songs being sung by the "music group".
I have seen several folks doing this during Mass.