The Catholic Archbishop of Westminster has expressed solidarity with Pope Leo’s calls for peace, saying he will continue to work with the Archbishop of Canterbury and other Christian leaders to reiterate that message.
Most Rev Richard Moth said it was important for the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales to “add our voice to the Holy Father's already strong call for peace and reconciliation across the world”, having issued a statement after their spring plenary session.
Archbishop Richard told Premier Christian News that he shares “a real concern for the common good” with Most Rev Sarah Mullally, with the pair having “spoken about those opportunities to work together” in promoting peace going forward.
The Archbishops are presidents of Churches Together England, with Archbishop Richard having accompanied Archbishop Sarah on her visit to Pope Leo.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, he said: “The wonderful thing to see there was the openness of the conversation, and that desire to continue the conversation and build a relationship that, for the Archbishops of Canterbury, goes back to the 1960s.”
“There was very clear recognition on the part of the Holy Father, and in what Archbishop Sarah had to say, of the obstacles and the differences that there are, and the obstacles that need to be gotten over in terms of work to the unity for which Christ prayed. All those things were acknowledged, but also the importance of being able to speak together.
“So to be able to be present and part of that conversation, it was a very important thing. I was very pleased to be able to do it," Archbishop Richard added.
Archbishop Sarah met privately with Pope Leo before reciting prayers together in the Chapel of Urban VIII. The Pope said progress had been made in drawing the Catholic Church and Church of England together, but lamented that “new problems have arisen in recent decades”. He added that these differences should not “prevent us from using every possible opportunity to proclaim Christ to the world together”.
Among the gifts offered by Archbishop Sarah to the Pope was a jar of honey from the Lambeth Palace Garden beehives, although Archbishop Richard told Premier he wasn’t able to try the honey as it was past breakfast time. “Perhaps the Holy Father enjoyed it with his toast the next morning”, he quipped.