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    An Open Door
    An Open Door
    An Open Door
    Ebook144 pages1 hour

    An Open Door

    By Mary Reath

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    About this ebook

    Seeking to promote Christian unity, the Anglican Centre in Rome provides a permanent Anglican Communion presence in Rome. Written to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the centre, this book tells the story of the past ten years and looks to the future.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherCanterbury Press
    Release dateNov 11, 2016
    ISBN9781848259379
    An Open Door

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      Book preview

      An Open Door - Mary Reath

      Introduction by Archbishop Justin Welby and Cardinal Kurt Koch

      1

      A Living Presence

      Exploring the Big Questions

      ‘A kairos time to be in Rome.’

      Within a month of arriving at the Anglican Centre in Rome, the new director, Archbishop David Moxon, began work on a major new initiative and an expansion of the Centre’s programs. These changes have energized the ACR and set it on an exciting, even groundbreaking, path.

      As a former primate of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia, the current Anglican co-Chair of the Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC III), and a former governor of the Centre, David arrived in Rome with a full quiver. Furthermore, because he had shepherded the ACR’s strategic planning process, he was clear-eyed about how to get started.

      He arrived on May 10, 2013, and hit the ground running.

      The Global Freedom Network

      ‘A significant part of the first 18 months of my tenure were spent working with other partners, bringing the Global Freedom Network (GFN) to realization,’ David explained when I interviewed him in Rome on February 8, 2016.

      David accompanied Archbishop Justin Welby, recently elected Archbishop of Canterbury, on his first visit to Pope Francis, in May of 2013. Archbishop Justin raised the challenge of human trafficking as an issue for the churches. The pope agreed, having already initiated a conversation about it within the Roman Catholic Church some months before.

      Pope Francis and Archbishop Justin wanted to get a joint project started as quickly as possible. The ACR, worked alongside Andrew Forrest, a generous (Anglican) Australian funder and founder of Walk Free, Bishop Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo, Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, the Australian Ambassador to the Holy See, His Excellency John McCarthy and Antonia Stampalija, the GFN’s dedicated Chief Executive Officer, to make it happen, and made it happen.

      After much negotiation, the Global Freedom Network (GFN) to help eradicate modern slavery, from a faith-base, was established.

      On December 2, 2014, Anglican, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Iraqi Muslim (both Sunni and Shia), Jewish, Hindu, and Buddhist leaders signed a ground breaking Joint Declaration stating that modern slavery is a crime against humanity and must be recognized as such by everyone and all nations. They expressed a common commitment to inspire spiritual and practical action by all the world’s faiths and people of goodwill everywhere to work to eradicate modern slavery.

      ‘It was profoundly moving to see the world’s major faiths represented, and utterly united in this struggle against human trafficking and modern slavery. Each faith leader was so respectful of the others, and sensitive to the heritage and values that the other brought to the table. This was all hosted by Pope Francis, whose welcome and hospitality at the Vatican was deeply appreciated,’ David explained.

      As Bishop Stephen Platten, the Chairman of the Governors of the ACR, clarified, ‘The Global Freedom Network is a great vision and it grounded the ACR in a real human issue with the Vatican. This was a first, and accomplished at a very high level.’

      In the end, the Global Freedom Network is something that the Centre helped to bring to life and then supported its transition into a different kind of faith leaders’ network. This cause was revamped in Rome in 2016, as the Global Sustainability Forum Network (GSN), and Alistair Redfern, Bishop of Derby, UK, represents the Anglican interest. He coordinates and works with Bishop Sanchez Sorondo of the Vatican, Mr. Raza Jaffa, a Muslim representative, and other faith leaders. The original Global Freedom Network continues from its base with Walk Free in Perth, where Antonia Stampalija continues as a valued contributor on the board.

      After this transition, the ACR stepped back. It will continue its significant anti-slavery education and advocacy work through its courses and activities, and will work in liaison with the Rev. Rachel Carnegie of the Anglican Alliance’s anti-slavery network.

      An Associate Director

      The other Centre-changing decision that David made almost right away was to bring on an associate director. Everyone knew that the Centre was too underpowered, and not viable to its stated mission. Prior directors had been clear about this, especially Canon David Richardson, the Centre’s most recent director (2008–13).

      The Revd Marcus Walker began work as the associate director in May of 2014. Marcus is involved in all aspects of life at the ACR. Communication and social media are a key part of his brief.

      Fr Marcus at his computer work station in the seminar room

      Marcus arranged for the observance of the Centre’s patronal festival. This was a first and the chapel was full of supporters on May 26, 2015, for St Augustine’s Day. He also hosted a vigil for the 147 students martyred in Kenya in April 2015. This attracted people from across the denominations and local press coverage.

      Marcus has also done some traveling for the Centre. He was a panelist at a human rights conference in Monaco, on the rights of religious people. He journeyed to Belfast to be the keynote speaker for a mixed audience about Anglican-Catholic ecumenism in an Irish context. He was in the U.S. twice in 2015, once in Florida to represent the ACR at the Consortium of Endowed Parishes meeting in February, and later in the summer he returned to attend the General Convention of the Episcopal Church in Salt Lake City, Utah in July.

      These two changes at the ACR, helping to broker a major Anglican Roman Catholic justice project and bringing on an associate director, mean that the ACR can do what it does best: provide an experienced and creative setting where the big questions can be addressed and broadly discussed, in person and online.

      As David said,

      With two people and good staff we are free to be leaders, networkers, brokers, and teachers. We finally have the capacity to play to our strengths. When you get to the deepest heart of it, the ACR’s work is of a different dimension. It’s totally unlike local pastoral initiatives. It’s a place of exploration, where examining the big questions is the highest level of the job. That’s exactly why I believe in the position.

      As examples: How do we inspire leaders to collaborate on working on the problems of our time? Can Anglicans and Roman Catholics try to increase their common ground in terms of global and local communion and the knotty discernment of right ethical teaching?

      David said,

      Pope Francis is already embodying the great insights of the Society of Jesus, from which he comes, and the transformational love and simplicity of Francis, whose name he bears. This coincides in a remarkable away with Archbishop Justin. They have the same instincts when it comes to mission, to the radical grace of the gospel, and to the need for a grace-full revolution in the church.

      Their relationship helps the churches to move into a new collaborative phase.

      Trip to Lampedusa

      On May 23, 2016, Archbishop David and Father Marcus visited Lampedusa. This is the Italian island in the Mediterranean that is one of the most significant and overwhelmed refugee arrival points in the world. Pope Francis visited there four months after his election. It was a privilege for the Centre to visit, and to be in solidarity with the residents who have shown enormous compassion, to both the living and the dead, as stories of their welcome to every

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