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The Margaret O'Gara Ecumenical Dialogue Collection
La collection de dialogues œcuméniques Margaret O'Gara
Online resource centre for Canadian bilateral ecumenical dialogues
Centre de ressources pour les dialogues œcuméniques bilatéraux canadiens
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Anglican-Roman Catholic Bishops

Agreed statements & reports

Pour les titres français, cliquez ici
  1. Report of the Anglican-Roman Catholic Bishops’ Dialogue on Mixed Marriages (Feb. 1982)
  2. Pastoral Guidelines for Interchurch Marriages between Anglicans and Roman Catholics in Canada (1987)
  3. Directives pastorales pour les mariages inter-Églises entre anglicans et catholiques au Canada (1987)
  4. Pastoral Guidelines for Churches in the Case of Clergy Moving from One Communion to the Other (1991)
  5. Orientations Pastorales sur le Changement d'Allégeance des Membres du Clergé (1991)
  6. Message from the ARC Bishops’ Dialogue of Canada to the Clergy and People of the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches of Canada (1994)
  7. Summary of Pastoral Practice: When Anglicans and Roman Catholics are at the Eucharist Together (Nov. 30, 2007)
  8. Aperçu des pratiques pastorales : Lorsque anglicans et catholiques se retrouvent ensemble à l'euchariste (Nov. 30, 2007)

Additional resources

Pour les titres français, cliquez ici
  1. Highlights of the meeting of the 2006 ARC-Canada Bishops’ Dialogue (Nov. 24, 2006)
  2. Highlights of the meeting of the 2007 ARC-Canada Bishops’ Dialogue (Nov. 30, 2007)
  3. Communiqué: Anglican-Catholic Dialogues Discuss Marriage, Physician-assisted Suicide (Nov. 2014)

In Canada, Anglican and Roman Catholic and Eastern Rite Catholic bishops have met, usually annually, since 1975. The meeting is an occasion for prayer, worship, Bible study, and discussion of issues of mutual concern. The bishops’ meetings are often informed by, and contribute to, an Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue composed of theologians, pastors, laity and bishops which meets more frequently.

Au Canada, les évêques anglicans, catholiques romains et catholiques de l’Est se sont rencontrés, chaque année, depuis 1975. La réunion est l’occasion de prier, d’adorer, d’étudier la Bible et de discuter de questions d’intérêt commun. Les réunions des évêques sont souvent éclairées et contribuent à un dialogue anglican-catholique composé de théologiens, de pasteurs, de laïcs et d’évêques qui se réunit plus fréquemment.

A first meeting of Canadian Anglican and Roman Catholic bishops took place in Toronto in 1975, “to bring together representatives of the two hierarchies that they may discuss theological and pastoral questions, deepen their understanding of one another, and communicate their experience to the brothers in the episcopacy, and to their churches.”

Subsequent meetings took place in 1977 and 1978, after which it was agreed “that a national group of bishops meet yearly to be informed of work in the theological area, to consider ways of disseminating information throughout the churches, and to consult each other on common issues.” The Anglican-Roman Catholic Bishop’s Dialogue of Canada (ARCB) has been meeting annually ever since.

ARCB’s work in the past has included the crafting of guidelines in response to specific pastoral situations. These include Pastoral Guidelines for Interchurch Marriages Between Anglicans and Roman Catholics (1987), Pastoral Guidelines for Churches in the Case of Clergy moving from One Communion to the Other (1991), and When Anglicans and Roman Catholics are at the Eucharist Together (2006, revised 2007).

The establishment of the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission (IARCCUM) in 2001 has further clarified the role of episcopal dialogues such as ARCB as bodies primarily aimed and helping give practical and tangible expression to remarkable level of theological agreement reached between our two communions over four decades of formal dialogue. The document issued by IARCCUM in 2007, Growing Together in Unity and Mission, is “a call to action, based upon an honest appraisal of what has been achieved in our dialogue. Despite our present ‘imperfect communion,’ there is, we feel, enough common ground to take seriously how we work together.” To that end, Growing Together in Unity and Mission offers more than two dozen practical suggestions on how Anglicans and Roman Catholics can—and ought to—be working more cooperatively, especially in the areas of:

One Canadian example of the kind of practical outworking envisioned by Growing Together in Unity and Mission can be found in southern Saskatchewan. In 2011 the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Regina and the Anglican Diocese of Qu’Appelle entered into a covenant making “a new stage in jointly building up the body of Christ in our dioceses.” The covenant, signed by the two diocesan bishops, commits and encourages Anglicans and Roman Catholics in and around Regina to live into the unity they share through nearly 20 practical initiatives.