Dame Sarah Mullally, the first woman to lead the Church of England as Archbishop of Canterbury, met Pope Leo at the Apostolic Palace on Monday in a historic encounter aimed at bridging divisions between the Anglican and Catholic churches. The meeting, which lasted about an hour, was described by both sides as cordial and constructive.
During the meeting, Dame Sarah invited Pope Leo to visit the UK, telling him he would receive a 'warm welcome' from the Church of England, according to major media reports. She also mentioned that King Charles III had 'valued his recent visit' after they prayed together in October, a meeting that marked the first time a British monarch had prayed at a public service with the head of the Catholic Church since the Reformation.
We also know that the ecumenical journey has not always been smooth. Despite much progress, our immediate predecessors, Pope Francis and Archbishop Justin Welby, acknowledged frankly that new circumstances have presented new disagreements among us.
Pope Leo, who is the first American-born man to lead the Catholic Church, has been outspoken on global issues. Earlier this month, he warned that the world is being 'ravaged by a handful of tyrants' and criticised the cost of war during a visit to Cameroon, according to major media reports. His comments drew sharp criticism from US President Donald Trump, who accused the Pope of being 'weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy'. Pope Leo also voiced concerns over Trump's threat that 'a whole civilisation will die' if Iran did not agree to US demands, and said he would continue to 'speak out loudly against war' and promote peace, as reported by major media.
The meeting comes at a time of significant challenges in Anglican-Catholic relations. Pope Leo called for Anglicans and Catholics to work to overcome differences, acknowledging that 'new circumstances have presented new disagreements' between the two churches, according to Pope Leo. The Catholic Church does not allow women to be ordained priests, while the Church of England first ordained women priests in 1994. Dame Sarah's appointment has split the Anglican Communion, which has 100 million members in 165 countries. The conservative group Global Anglican Future Conference (Gafcon) has sharply criticised her appointment and threatened a final break. Pope Leo congratulated Mullally on her appointment but acknowledged it was a 'challenging' time, according to Pope Leo.
Pope Leo recently returned from a trip to Africa where he visited four nations, according to major media reports. It remains unclear whether he will accept the invitation to visit the UK.