On Jan. 25, Pope Francis said that the Catholic Church was open to accepting a common date for Easter “that everyone wants.” While the pope’s call may seem groundbreaking, it actually goes back to the Second Vatican Council.
Archbishop Welby, who resigned last week in response to the charges that he had failed to report sexual abuse, had a rapport with Pope Francis that went far beyond dutiful ecumenism.
The cry for peace and unity at the synod’s ecumenical vigil struck me as particularly moving at a time of war that has exacerbated the fractures between the three “People of the Book”—Christians, Jews and Muslims.
The Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity released a study document on the role of the bishop of Rome and how that role is viewed by other Christian churches.