The Windsor Report and Ecumenical Dialogue

This essay notes points of continuity between Windsor Report's understanding of communion and authority and work of Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission on same topics. In addition, features of process of dialogue are identified-especially respect, detachment, and common prayer-as ways of interaction that are essential for continued relations within Anglican Communion. Finally, author points elements of church's liturgical life that ground those features. While attending a recent meeting of Canadian Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue, I found myself wondering whether a similar meeting might be held some 450 years from now at which people would be trying put back together broken shards of what once was Anglican Communion. If so, among tasks of such a future dialogue would be effort get behind controversies that led break in order evade difficulties, but rather avoid controversial language in which they have often been discussed. Such a dialogue would seek solutions by re-examining our common inheritance, particularly Scriptures.1 While Windsor Report is intended primarily for an Anglican audience, it has significance as well for larger Christian world. issues of authority, of relations between local and universal church, and of nature of communion itself, are not issues for Anglicans alone. As Virginia Report observed, theological reflection on these matters is intended serve not only Anglican Communion but also ecumenical goal of full visible unity.2 To what extent, then, does Windsor Report build on or reflect theological consensus on these issues that Anglicans have achieved with other churches? In this essay, I will focus on Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC), a dialogue that has been going on for close forty years. experience of participation in dialogue can be instructive for way Anglicans carry forward their own conversations today. It must be said at outset, though, that Windsor Report refers Roman Catholic Church in ways that make me wonder if anyone had noticed that dialogue has been taking place at all. Working as I do in a Roman Catholic University, and serving on Canadian Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue, it is embarrassing have account for statement that in Roman Catholic Church, the Pontiff, with support of Curia, enjoys 'supreme, full, immediate and universal ordinary power,' which he can always freely exercise (para. 70).3 This is contrasted with Anglican way in which supreme authority is given to scripture as locus and means of God's word. Another blunt contrast appears in paragraph 42: The Anglican Communion does not have a Pope. . . . Anglican Communion has always declared that its supreme authority is scripture. This contrast ignores, for example, teaching of Vatican II in Dei Verbum (November 18, 1960): Church has always venerated divine Scriptures as she venerated Body of Lord, in so far as she never ceases, particularly in sacred liturgy, partake of bread of life and offer it faithful from one table of Word of God and Body of Christ. She has always regarded, and continues regard Scriptures, taken together with sacred Tradition, as supreme rule of her faith (para. 21). very first ARCIC document on authority asserted, in its 1981 elucidation, that since Scriptures are uniquely inspired witness divine revelation, church's expression of that revelation must be tested by its consonance with Scripture.4 Subsequent documents of ARCIC have never departed from this foundation. Another instance of Windsor Report's careless approach Roman Catholic theology appears in important section on adiaphora (para. …