BBC Radio 4 2016-10-05

Good morning. Later today in Rome nineteen pairs of Anglican and Roman Catholic bishops from around the world will be commissioned to work together in joint mission. Nothing of this sort has ever happened before. The Pope and the Archbishop of Canterbury will preside over the service in the monastery church of St Gregorio. The setting is symbolic. It was the prior of that community, Augustine, who was sent by the Pope on a mission to the English in 597 and became the first Archbishop of Canterbury.

It’s characteristic of Pope Francis and Justin Welby to want to do something practical to promote Anglican/Roman Catholic relationships. Already they’ve engaged in joint initiatives related to modern slavery and refugees. It’s likely Hurricane Matthew’s impact on Haiti and the Caribbean will see all the Churches working together to rebuild the affected communities. It’s not that theological dialogue isn’t important. But we all know how we make deep friendships with work colleagues. Unity isn’t always negotiated. Sometimes it’s discovered.

Fifty years ago Pope Paul VI and Archbishop Michael Ramsey met in Rome. 1966 was a landmark year. Chairman Mao proclaimed a cultural revolution in China and England won the World Cup – it was truly a different age. Save for an unofficial and low key meeting in 1960 no Pope and Archbishop of Canterbury had met since the Reformation. A Commission from both Churches was set up to examine the most divisive doctrinal issues, and a lot has been achieved. Most Christians, though, have never sought to agree on everything before seeking to be of common service to the world. There’s no requirement for doctrinal unity before wounds are soothed, brows are mopped or rooms are swept. Working with a common purpose is a symbol of unity in itself.

Symbols matter to us more than we sometimes imagine. I recall a lady who’d just celebrated her golden wedding anniversary but was very distressed. Within days she had lost her wedding ring. Her finger had become thinner with age and the ring simply slipped off. It wasn’t worth much but it was invaluable to her as a sign of her marriage.

Fifty years ago Pope Paul took off his papal ring and gave it to Archbishop Michael Ramsey. In 1896 a previous pope had said Anglican orders were invalid. But this gift of the Pope’s ring suggested Anglicanism was, to use Pope Paul’s words at the time, a sister church. Justin Welby will wear that ring today. In a world full of fractures – religious, political and social – today’s events do not deny difference but are a welcome reminder that some deep divisions can be healed.