The
relationships between the Catholic Church and the Church of England
are historically characterized by ups and downs.
First
and foremost I'd like to describe briefly the historical formation of
the Church of England for having a better comprehension of it.
Until
the Kingdom of Henry VIII England was one of the most Catholic nation
in the world but with the schism in 1534 the Church of England became
independent from Rome and the Papacy.
The
king’s decision made a turning point in the history of Great
Britain. According to the Elizabethan Settlement the Church of
England (in Latin term Anglicana Ecclesia, term also used before the
schism) is both Catholic and Reformed.
It
is divided in two main dioceses: York in the north and Canterbury in
the South.
So,
in the Church’s structure there are two primates: the Archbishop of
Canterbury for the southern province of England, and the Archbishop
of York, for the northern province.
The
archbishop of Canterbury is also the Primate of all England. The
Church is essentially pluralistic and inside of it we can find
different groups as the Anglo Catholics, the Reformed and the
Evangelicals, all of them with different doctrinal point of view.
Along
the centuries the diplomatic relations between the Holy See (the
central government of the Church recognized as a sovereign entity
with its ambassador called “Apostolic Nunzio”) and the UK were
not symmetrical and easy oriented: many times they were broken and
re-established from different sovereigns and Popes.
Diplomatic
links between London and the Vatican Rome were first established in
1479 but were interrupted during the English Reformation in the 16th
century.
Formal
diplomatic ties between the UK and the Holy See were restored in 1914
and raised to ambassadorial level in 1982.
After
the conclusion of Vatican Council II the common relationships
between the two Churches were about theological dialogue for a
engagement in prayers, testimony and mission.
About
political issues we can affirm that a matter of tension was
the situation of Ireland during the British sovereignty period
because of the influence of Roman Catholic clergy on the island.
Instead
the relationship of Dublin with Rome has always been strong ,
faithful and loyal because the majority of Irish population is still
catholic. Many Bishops and Cardinals in Rome are from Ireland too.
Another
serious problem in Vatican British relations was the question of
Ulster during the late 60’: the Vatican expressed that the conflict
in the Northern Ireland which was opposing Catholics and Protestants,
could have been faced and resolved speedily, respecting the positions
of Catholic citizens for a just solution and a long peace period.
An
important aspect of diplomatic issues are the travels of Heads of
States.
Before
becoming the Queen of England, Princess Elizabeth visited the Vatican
during the pontificate of Pope Pius XII, while her second visit to
the Vatican was during a state visit to the Italian Republic in 1962
under the pontificate of Pope John XXIII.
The
first Pope went to England for a Papal Visit was Benedict XVI in
order of a State visit in 2010.
In
December 2014 the UK and Vatican celebrated the centenary of
re-established common diplomatic relations with a solemn Mass in the
Basilica St Paul’s outside the Walls in city of Rome. In that
occasion many important authorities were presents: for the Vatican
Cardinal Parolin , Secretary of State, for the UK
Baroness
Anelay, Britain's minister of state at the Foreign & Commonwealth
Office, and the British ambassador to the Holy See, Nigel Baker.
In
this official ceremony Cardinal Parolin says it’s a very important
anniversary because it’s important to dialogue and have channels of
communication to deal together with the problems of the world today.
On
the possibility of Pope Francis could make a visit to Britain, the
cardinal said that the Pope has many journeys already planned, and so
for the moment there’s nothing fixed for Great Britain. At the same
time he also remembered the good experience of former Pope Benedict
during his latest visit in 2010 in UK , hoping a future trip of Pope
Bergoglio.
SOURCES:
http://www.wantedinrome.com/news/2003573/uk-celebrates-100-years-of-diplomatic-relations-with-vatican.
No comments:
Post a Comment