ESBVM

The Executive of the ESBVM notes the publication on November 9th 2009 of the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus which provides a means by which groups of Anglicans may enter into the communion of the Catholic Church while preserving those aspects of the Anglican tradition that are compatible with the teaching of the Catholic Church. In respecting the conscience of those who freely wish to take up this offer of the Holy See the ESBVM remains committed to the wider unity that all Christians involved in the ecumenical movement continue to seek. The Executive will place this matter for further discussion on the agenda of the January 2010 meeting of the ESBVM Council.

ESBVM does not comment upon the internal life of particular churches and ecclesial communities, and notes that this Apostolic Constitution is similarly published not as a commentary on difficulties within the Anglican Communion in recent times but as a pastoral response by the Holy See to requests from bishops and groups of the Anglican tradition over a number of years.

Conscious that the Anglican tradition originated in England, known across the centuries as ‘Our Lady’s Dowry’, it is the sincere prayer of ESBVM that under the patronage of Our Lady, and building upon the work of many, including the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) and International Anglican Roman Catholic Commission for Unity & Mission (IARCCUM), the response by groups of Anglicans to Anglicanorum coetibus will make a significant contribution to the reconciliation of all Christians in one flock with one shepherd, that ‘they may all be one’.

The UK launch in the Jerusalem Chamber of Westminster Abbey on 19th May 2005 of the 60 page ARCIC document entitled ‘Mary, Grace & Hope in Christ’ is seen by many as a a considerable achievement in advancing the understanding of the positions on the Blessed Virgin Mary by Anglicans and Catholics worldwide. It is not at this stage an authoritative statement but is meant for wider discussion by both communions. With nearly a third of the text devoted to Mary’s place in the Bible, the document concludes that “It is impossible to be faithful to Scripture without giving due attention to the person of Mary”. The document is a recognition of the importance of her place in life and Liturgy. It also addresses the issue of the Marian dogmas of the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption in such a way that makes a clear distinction between the content of the dogmas versus the authority by which they were defined, thereby opening up the possibility between the communions of agreement on the issue.

Members of ARCIC, Bishop Malcolm McMahon OP, and The Rev’d Dr Nicholas Sagovsky both spoke at the launch, which was attended by invited guests including the Hon. General Secretary of the Ecumenical Society of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Fr.Bill McLoughlin OSM, seen with them in the Jersualem Chamber in the photograph above.

Professor Sagovsky had given a paper at the Chester International ESBVM Congress in 2002 while working on ARCIC and acknowledged the contribution of the ESBVM to this important area of ecumenism in which it has been working over the past 37 years.