Vatican City – Pope Leo XIV and Archbishop Sarah Mullaly of Canterbury engaged in a joint prayer session in a chapel within the Apostolic Palace, marking a pivotal moment in interfaith dialogue. The event, which took place yesterday, April 27, 2026, signifies the latest development in a rapprochement initiated six decades ago, further solidified by a historic common prayer between Pope Prevost and King Charles III in the Sistine Chapel on October 23 of the previous year.
Archbishop Mullaly to the Pope: “Together towards Unity”
This encounter represents the first meeting between the Pope and the first woman elected Archbishop of Canterbury in fourteen centuries. Archbishop Mullaly, who assumed the leadership of the Church of England last year, stated, “In our ecumenical journey, I believe the Holy Spirit invites us to a deeper practice of hospitality, not merely as a form of welcome, but as a form of ministry: the willingness to make space for one another, as created in the image of God and called to grow ever more in His likeness.” She assured the Pope of her prayers as they “walk together towards that unity which is the will of our Lord.”
A Historic Step in Ecumenical Dialogue
The joint prayer of a Pope and a female Archbishop, while not unprecedented given years of ecumenical dialogue, is notable. While female ordination continues to be a point of divergence between the Catholic and Anglican/Protestant worlds-Pope Francis previously reiterated that “that door is closed” in reference to women’s ordination-Pope Bergoglio himself participated in a common ecumenical prayer in Sweden in 2016. On that occasion, Archbishop Antje Jackelén of Uppsala, Primate of the Swedish Lutheran Church, embraced the Pontiff and proclaimed the Gospel in the cathedral. This meeting with the Archbishop of Canterbury is seen as another significant step towards the arduous reconciliation of a schism rooted in distant history.
The Genesis of the Schism and Subsequent Reconciliation Efforts
The historical context of the schism is well-known: King Henry VIII’s divorce from Catherine of Aragon to marry Anne Boleyn in 1533, despite Pope Clement VII’s refusal to annul the first marriage. Pope Clement VII’s subsequent excommunication of Henry VIII led to the King’s promulgation of the Act of Supremacy in 1534, establishing him as the head of the Church of England and severing ties with Rome. A year later, former Chancellor Thomas More, the renowned humanist and author of Utopia, was condemned to death and executed for refusing to sign an oath that would have prohibited obedience to the Pope. Four centuries later, in 1935, More was canonized by Pius XI, and in 1980, his name was included in the Anglican martyrology.
Pope Leo XIV: “A Path Begun on March 23, 1966”
Much has changed since then. Pope Leo XIV, in his address, recalled the beginning of this path towards rapprochement on March 23, 1966. The Anglican Primate Martin Ramsey visited Rome, and the day before, during a private audience, he surprised Paul VI by kneeling before him as a gesture of friendship. The following day, outside the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, Giovanni Battista Montini approached the Anglican Primate, asked him to remove his ring, and placed his own episcopal ring on Ramsey’s finger-an unprecedented gesture that marked a thaw in relations. “In today’s world, we are called to live and preach the Gospel with renewed clarity,” Pope Prevost told the Archbishop of Canterbury. This involves rediscovering common ground on essential matters, transcending existing divisions. “In the face of inhumane violence, deep divisions, and rapid social changes, we must work together for the common good, always building bridges, never walls, and bearing in mind that the poorest among us are closest to the heart of God.”
Source: https://roma.corriere.it/notizie/vaticano-news/26_aprile_27/papa-leone-xiv-prega-nel-palazzo-apostolico-con-l-arcivescova-di-canterbury-scandaloso-se-non-cercassimo-di-superare-le-divergenze-78669839-3888-418e-ac2a-cd956ac6dxlk.shtml
