Pope Francis has met the Archbishop of Canterbury for the first time during an 'informal' meeting at the Vatican.
The Pontiff appeared to seek unity after the tensions emerged between the two denominations after the Roman Catholic Church decided to set up an ordinariate where Anglicans, unhappy with the Church of England's ordination of female and homosexual clergy, could join the Catholic faith.
Pope Francis thanked Archbishop Justin for his understanding over the issue and went on to emphasise the 'communion of the hearts' between both faiths.
The two leaders also agreed that the fruits of this dialogue and relationship have the potential to empower Christians around the world to demonstrate the love of Christ.
The Archbishop and the Pope went on to acknowledge the need to build an economic system which promotes "the common good" to help those suffering in poverty.
Archbishop Justin said that Christians must reflect "the self-giving love of Christ" by offering love and hospitality to the poor, and "love above all those tossed aside" by present crises around the world.
The Pope said those with the least in society "must not be abandoned to the laws of an economy that seems at times to treat people as mere consumers".
They also agreed on the need for Christians to act as peacemakers around the world, which they acknowledged could only be done if Christians "live and and work together in harmony," the Pope said.
Austen Ivereigh from Catholic Voices spoke to Premier's News Hour about past strains on the relationship between the previous leaders:
The Pope also praised the Archbishop of Canterbury for his stance against gay marriage and urged the Most Revd Justin Welby to continue proclaiming "the sacredness of human life or the importance of the institution of the family built on marriage, a value that you yourself have had occasion to recall recently".
Pope Francis was inaugurated as the leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics on March 19th, following Benedict's abdication, and just two days before Archbishop Justin officially took over from Dr Rowan Williams as head of the 80-million-strong Anglican Communion.
The Archbishop, who was accompanied by his wife Caroline, visited the tomb of St Peter beneath the Basilica before praying at the tomb of Pope John Paul II.
He was also joined by Archbishop Vincent Nichols, as well as Archbishop David Moxon, his representative to the Holy See.
After meeting Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, the Archbishop met the Pope at the Apostolic Palace.
The pair held a private conversation, before giving public addresses and attending a service of midday prayer together.
In his address to the Pope, the Archbishop praised the work of Popes and Archbishops of Canterbury over the past 50 years to bring the Roman Catholic church and the Anglican Communion closer together.
Honouring the custom for Archbishops of Canterbury visiting the Vatican, Archbishop Justin wore the episcopal ring famously given to Archbishop Michael Ramsey by Pope Paul VI in 1966.
The ring, which Archbishop Michael wore until the day he died, is kept at Lambeth Palace and has become a symbol of fraternal love and efforts towards reconciliation between Roman Catholics and Anglicans.
Recalling the words of Pope Paul VI to Archbishop Michael, the Archbishop told Pope Francis: "I am coming to a place where I can feel myself at home".