Pope Francis has conveyed his good wishes and prayers for a successful and inspiring day in the UK aimed at promoting unity between the Catholic and Anglican Churches and ecumenical dialogue.
A special message, delivered on behalf of the Holy Father by his nuncio to Great Britain, Archbishop Antonio Mennini, said the Pontiff is praying for the success of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham’s forthcoming “Called to be One” exploration day, reported Vatican Radio Friday.
On September 6, the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham is holding the exploration day aimed at making the Ordinariate more widely known and its purpose increasingly understood, as well as reaching those “whom God may be calling to join it.”
Groups across the country will stage an event on the day. Msgr. Keith Newton, the leader of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, said each event will be different. “It may be Choral Evensong followed by refreshments and a presentation about the Ordinariate or it might be a debate or a talk,” he said. But he stressed “all the events will focus on the vision for Christian unity at the heart of the Ordinariate.”
The U.K. ordinariate, like other ordinariates established in other parts of the globe, is a spiritual home for former Anglicans who desire full communion with the Catholic Church while retaining their Anglican patrimony. They were established in 2009 by Benedict XVI.
Archbishop Mennini conveyed that the Pope “cordially imparts his Apostolic Blessing upon all those persons who are participating in this significant event and working in any way for the promotion and presentation of the Catholic Faith and the Gospel in Great Britain”.
His blessing on the exploration day, and Archbishop Mennini’s words of support for it, follow a statement of welcome for the initiative from Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols.
The archbishop said the ordinariate “both enriches the Catholic Church with Catholic aspects of the beautiful heritage and culture of Anglican patrimony and advances the cause of unity which must be the ultimate aim of all ecumenical activity.” (D.C.L.)
