Meeting of pope, archbishop of Canterbury may highlight Anglican rifts

Published: 2006-11-17

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- When the Anglican archbishop of Canterbury meets Pope Benedict XVI, divisions within the Anglican Communion are expected to grab more attention than the barriers to Anglican-Roman Catholic unity posed by the ordination of women bishops and attitudes toward homosexuality. Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury, leader of the Church of England and spiritual head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, will visit Rome Nov. 21-26. He is scheduled to meet privately with Pope Benedict and with Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, as well as with other Vatican officials and with Catholic and Anglican groups in Rome. The Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion continue to make public commitments to joint witness even as new issues appear to make their eventual unity more difficult.

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