LONDON, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- The Archbishop of Canterbury plans an official visit to the Vatican in an effort to revive unity discussions between Anglicans and Roman Catholics.
Rowan Williams plans to be in Rome from Nov. 22 to Nov. 26. In addition to private discussions between Williams and Pope Benedict XVI, the two leaders will pray together publicly, The Telegraph reported.
The meeting was timed to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the historic meeting between Pope Paul VI and Archbishop Michael Ramsey. It was the first time the leader of the Church of England had met the pope since Henry VIII broke from Rome.
Williams last visited the Vatican in 2003 for discussions with Pope John Paul II.
The prospect of unity between Anglicans and Catholics is probably more distant now than it was 40 years ago, The Telegraph said.
The acceptance of women as priests in some Anglican churches, the installation of a woman as head of the Episcopal Church in the United States and the consecration of a gay bishop in the United States have all driven additional wedges between the churches.
