Video: Archbishop of Canterbury preaches at Rome’s Episcopal church

Posted Mar 11, 2012

[Episcopal News Service] Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams delivers a sermon March 11 at St. Paul’s Within the Walls, an Episcopal Church parish and the first non-Roman Catholic church to be built inside the walls of Rome. The St. Paul’s congregation was joined by members of All Saints Anglican Church in Rome, a parish in the Church of England’s Diocese in Europe, for the service.

On March 10, Williams and Pope Benedict XVI prayed together during an ecumenical vespers service at San Gregorio Magna al Celio in Rome to mark the 1000th anniversary of the founding of Italy’s Camaldoli monastic community. The service was attended by many Anglicans and Episcopalians, including Bishop Pierre Whalon of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe and the Rev. Austin Rios, rector of St. Paul’s Within the Walls.

Tags

Comments (6)

  1. Catherine Windsor says:
    March 11, 2012 at 7:16 pm

    Did we make him take off his mitre to process and recess???

  2. Bruce Rienstra says:
    March 11, 2012 at 8:57 pm

    “… attended by many Anglicans and Episcopalians…” this seems to suggest that Episcopalians are different from Anglicans… wrong, Episcopalians ARE Anglicans (I certainly am!)

    1. Al Duran says:
      March 12, 2012 at 1:35 am

      “… attended by many Anglicans and Episcopalians…” True, Anglicans and Episcopalians, same Christian denomination, different customs, views, contexts and realities!

  3. Leonardo Ricardo says:
    March 12, 2012 at 3:14 pm

    St. Paul’s is gorgeous. I’ve spent many hours there while visiting Rome (mostly on work trips)…it´s especially hospitable with side doors open and one can FREELY move around…they offer space for 12 Step recovery meetings in the crypt (I always thought this was especially amusing when considering the already daunting visits of new comers, new to recovery and feeling pretty dead already)…the church has beautiful/elaborate mosaics outside and inside– with the famous suggestion that we ¨may all be one¨…good location, good advice I think for the Archbishop of Canterbury at this very moment as he strives for the divisive Anglican Covenant to be approved at each diocese synod of The Church of England…truly there can be NO coming together with anyone else (what a fanciful distraction) until we become united in our commitment to honor ONE another, ALL one anothers, at the Anglican Communion/Body of Christ. It´s good Rowan Williams visited St. Paul’s, let us hope he read the message on the wall!

  4. Joyce Ann Edmondson says:
    March 13, 2012 at 9:58 am

    Christ prayed that all would be one, as the Father and He are one.
    So many times interpretations of Christ’s words are used to serve our own purposes. For example, we are told that Christ dismissed or rejected his mother and brothers; yet his words were inclusive. When we do the will of God (as his mother did) we are his mothers and sisters and brothers. He did not reject her, but invited us to be like her – the body of Christ is one, no matter who tries to divide it. We need to have a new mind and eyes to see this.

    Peace be with you.

  5. Rev. Prof. H. R. Bronk says:
    March 13, 2012 at 4:59 pm

    What a splendid sermon! If you skipped it, tune in. And what a pleasure to see the Archbishop standing in an Episcopal pulpit in the city of Rome! (I have viewed the congregation from that same place and it is wonderfully diverse and international.) His reference to Episcopalians and Church of England folk as fellow Anglicans should help to correct those who erroneously refer only to Church of England people as Anglicans as though the rest of us were something else–Anglicans and Episcopalians! It is as poor a use of the English language as would be the expression, “Apples and fruit.” The Archbishop’s choice of the Episcopal church in Rome as a place for all of us Anglicans to be together was as exemplary as it was refreshing.

Comments are closed.