Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission meets in Larnaca

A plenary meeting of the third phase of the Anglican-Catholic dialogue commission, ARCIC (Anglican‒Roman Catholic International Commission), took place from 7‒15 May 2023 in Larnaca, Cyprus. All members of the commission, together with expert consultors and staff members from both the Anglican Communion Office in London and the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity in Rome, were present for the meeting. The Commission’s work for the week was focused on the second part of its mandate – to examine how the Church local, regional and universal discerns right ethical teaching.

A major part of the week’s work was devoted to work on two case studies about moral issues – one where Catholics and Anglicans reached broadly the same teaching, and one where they did not. Adopting a ‘Receptive Ecumenism’ approach, the Commission worked on identifying how each communion can learn from the experience of the other. The Commission also welcomed Metropolitan Vasilios of Constantia-Ammochostos, Co-President of the World Council of Churches, to one of its sessions. His Eminence shared with them about Orthodox approaches to moral discernment.

Over the course of the week, members met with various representatives of the local churches. They joined the Dean and congregation of St Paul’s Anglican Cathedral in Nicosia for Sunday worship on 14 May. Afterwards, they were received at his residence by the Orthodox Archbishop of Cyprus, and were later greeted also by the Latin Patriarchal Vicar for Cyprus.

A communiqué was issued at the conclusion of the plenary.

The last ARCIC meeting was held in Rome from 7-15 May 2020. The Commission will next meet in May 2024.