Christianity: The Kiss of Peace

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The visit to the Vatican last week by the Most Rev. Michael Ramsey, Anglican Primate of All England, was shadowed by enmities past and lighted by amity present. Apart from a 1960 "courtesy visit" to John XXIII by Ramsey's predecessor, Geoffrey Fisher, no Archbishop of Canterbury had called on a Pope since Archbishop Arundel went to see Boniface IX in 1397, long before Henry VIII broke with Rome. Distrust of the papacy still persists strongly in Britain. Hitchhiking aboard the airliner winging Ramsey to Rome were five unwelcome ministers of Baptist and Presbyterian sects, who on arrival doffed their black jackets to expose white tunics with identical slogans: "Archbishop Ramsey —a traitor to Protestant England."

"Growing in Unity." Pope Paul VI and the 100th Archbishop of Canterbury met in a site suitable to the historicity of the encounter: the Sistine Chapel, where Popes are chosen and, upon death, rest in state. Beneath the fading colors of Michelangelo's vision of the Last Judgment, Paul and Canterbury sat on identical red brocade and gilt chairs. Canterbury addressed the Pope as "Your Holiness, dear brother in Christ," and as his main point said: "It is only as the world sees us Christians growing visibly in unity that it will accept through us the divine message of peace." Paul, replying in Latin, described the meeting as a rebuilding of "a bridge that for centuries had lain fallen between the Church of Rome and Canterbury: a bridge of respect, of esteem and charity." The two men sealed the symbolic reconciliation of the churches by a "kiss of peace"—actually an embrace.

The Anglican bishops and clergy of Canterbury's retinue bowed to kiss the Pope's ring. Somewhat more coolly, the Roman cardinals shook hands with Canterbury and the other Anglicans; only the ecumenical-minded Augustin Cardinal Bea bowed. Then Paul and Canterbury retired to the Pope's private study for a 65-minute private discussion. Next day they met for prayers together at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the (Vatican) Walls.

Courage & Initiative. The concrete consequence of the meeting was the establishment of a joint permanent theological dialogue to study ways to resolve what Canterbury called "the formidable difficulties of doctrine" that separate the two churches: papal supremacy and infallibility, the bodily ascension of Mary into heaven, the refusal of the Roman church to recognize the validity of Anglican holy orders, the insistence by some Roman Catholic priests that converts from the Anglican Church must be rebaptized. Ramsey also said bluntly that his church found Paul's easing of Catholic rules on mixed marriages (TIME, March 25) unsatisfactory to Anglicans—presumably because the Roman church still insists on marriage before a priest and raising children as Catholics.

For Canterbury—whose term has been troubled by the decline of his church's relevance for most Englishmen —the act of calling on Rome demonstrated courage and initiative. Paul summed up the encounter as "one of friendship and a move toward union, if not yet a meeting of perfect unity." As the prelates parted, Paul slipped off his diamond-and-emerald episcopal ring and gave it to Michael Ramsey.