On the day of his inauguration, Pope Leo XIV made time to meet with ecumenical and interfaith partners, emphasizing both the 1,700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed and his commitment to dialogue. He received representatives of these dialogues in the Apostolic Palace in the morning of May 18.
“My election has taken place during the year of the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea,” the Pope said. “That Council represents a milestone in the formulation of the Creed shared by all churches and ecclesial communities. While we are on the journey to re-establishing full communion among all Christians, we recognize that this unity can only be unity in faith. As Bishop of Rome, I consider one of my priorities to be that of seeking the re-establishment of full and visible communion among all those who profess the same faith in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
He added: “Our common path can and must also be understood in the broad sense of involving everyone, in the spirit of human fraternity that I mentioned above. Now is the time for dialogue and building bridges. I am therefore pleased and grateful for the presence of representatives of other religious traditions, who share the search for God and his will, which is always and only the will of love and life for men and women and for all creatures.
“To all of you, representatives of other religious traditions, I express my gratitude for your participation in this meeting and for your contribution to peace. In a world wounded by violence and conflict, each of the communities represented here brings its own contribution of wisdom, compassion and commitment to the good of humanity and the preservation of our common home. I am convinced that if we are in agreement, and free from ideological and political conditioning, we can be effective in saying ‘no’ to war and ‘yes’ to peace, ‘no’ to the arms race and ‘yes’ to disarmament, ‘no’ to an economy that impoverishes peoples and the Earth and ‘yes’ to integral development.”
The Most Rev. Leonard Dawea, Bishop of Temotu and Primate of the Anglican Church of Melanesia, led a 13-member Anglican delegation to the celebration of the Pope’s new ministry.
“It’s great to be in Rome for the inauguration of Pope Leo, an American born and Peruvian citizen as well,” said Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe in interviews with delegation members by Anglican Communion News Service. “We’re so proud to be a part of this, that he has his roots in the United States, and, more importantly, that he shared his charisms all around the world, particularly with the poor and the marginalized. …We’re just thrilled that the Anglican delegation can be here to be a part of this and witness to unity in the church and across the world.”
“It’s such an honor and a blessing to be here at the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV,” said Kathleen Snow, worldwide president of Mothers’ Union. “What gives me hope and inspiration is the fact that here with the Anglican delegation, we’re walking alongside our Roman Catholic sisters and brothers and supporting the work that they all do in building the bridges. As Pope Leo mentioned himself, it’s such an inspiration, and it gives me a feeling of hope that we are all together, walking this road, this journey together that Christ has meant for us to be in unity.”
Three weeks after the funeral of Pope Francis, “the Church of Rome is once again welcoming numerous guests from other churches and communities,” said Father Martin Browne, OSB, of the the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity. “The circumstances are of course much happier—the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV—but the great expression of ecumenical solidarity that we are experiencing is equally moving. The significance of the presence of our fellow Christians also has a deeper meaning. It is a recognition of the particular significance of the Bishop of Rome as a servant of communion for all the churches—of the Pope’s call to be, as Pope Gregory the Great put it—the ‘servant of the servants of God.’”
These were the 13 members of the Anglican delegation:
- The Rt. Rev. Anthony Ball, Director of the Anglican Centre in Rome and the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Representative to the Holy See;
- the Most Rev. and Rt. Hon. Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York and Primate of England;
- the Most Rev. Leonard Dawea, Bishop of Temotu and Primate of the Anglican Church of Melanesia; participant in IARCCUM (the International Anglican Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission); and a member of the Primates’ Standing Committee;
- the Rt Rev. Mark Edington, Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe.
- the Rt Rev. Robert Innes, Diocese in Europe [Church of England];
- the Most Rev. Thabo Makgoba, Archbishop of Cape Town and Metropolitan of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa;
- the Most Rev. John McDowell, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland and a member of the Primates’ Standing Committee;
- the Rt. Rev. Anthony Poggo, Secretary General of the Anglican Communion;
- the Most Rev. Sean Rowe, Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church;
- Kathleen Snow, Worldwide President of Mothers’ Union;
- Canon Maggie Swinson, Chair of the Anglican Consultative Council;
- the Rt. Rev. Graham Tomlin, Chair of the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith, and Order, and Director of the Centre for Cultural Witness in the Church of England;
- Canon Dr. Christopher Wells, Director of Unity, Faith, and Order in the Anglican Communion.
Douglas LeBlanc is the Associate Editor for Book Reviews and writes about Christianity and culture. He and his wife, Monica, attend St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Henrico, Virginia.
