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/b~DI<L 3134 

SERVITE FATHERS 
ASSUMPTION CHURCH 
323 WEST ILLINOIS STREET 
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60610 

An Agreed Statement 

on 

AUTHORITY 
IN THE CHURCH 

Venice 
1976 

ANGLICAN/ROMAN CATHOLIC 
INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION 





An Agreed Statement 

on 

AUTHORITY 
IN THE CHURCH 

VENICE 
1976 

ANGLICAN/ROMAN CATHOLIC 
INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION 

1977 

Publications Office 
UNITED STATES CATHOLIC CONFERENCE 

1312 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W. 
Washington. D.C. 2 0 0 0 5 





Authority in the Church 
PREFACE 

The Malta Report of the Anglican/Roman Catholic Joint Pre-
paratory Commission (1968) outlined the large measure of agree-
ment in faith which exists between the Roman Catholic Church 
and the Churches of the Anglican Communion (Para. 7). It then 
went on to note three specific areas of doctrinal disagreement. 
These were listed in the Report as matter for joint investigation. 
Accordingly the Anglican/Roman Catholic International Com-
mission, proposed by the Report, was recommended to examine 
jointly "the question of intercommunion, and the related mat-
ters of Church and Ministry," and "the question of authority, its 
nature, exercise and implications." 

To our previous Agreed Statements on the Eucharist (Wind-
sor, 1971) and Ministry (Canterbury, 1973) we now add an 
Agreed Statement on Authority in the Church (Venice, 1976). 
The Commission thus submits its work to the authorities who 
appointed it and, with their permission, offers it to our 
Churches. 

The question of authority in the Church has long been recog-
nized as crucial to the growth in unity of the Roman Catholic 
Church and the Churches of the Anglican Communion. It was 
precisely in the problem of papal primacy that our historical 
divisions found their unhappy origin. Hence, however signi-
ficant our consensus on the doctrine of the Eucharist and of the 
Ministry, unresolved questions on the nature and exercise of 
Authority in the Church would hinder the growing experience 
of unity which is the pattern of our present relations. 

The present Statement has, we believe, made a significant 
contribution to the resolution of these questions. Our consensus 
covers a very wide area; though we have not been able to re-
solve some of the difficulties of Anglicans concerning Roman 
Catholic belief relating to the office of the bishop of Rome, 
we hope and trust that our analysis has placed these problems 
in a proper perspective. 

There is much in the document, as in our other documents, 
which presents the ideal of the Church as willed by Christ. 

1 



History shows how the Church has often failed to achieve this 
ideal. An awareness of this distinction between the ideal and 
the actual is important both for the reading of the document 
and for the understanding of the method we have pursued. 

The consensus we have reached, if it is to be accepted by our 
two communities, would have, we insist, important conse-
quences. Common recognition of Roman primacy would bring 
changes not only to the Anglican Communion but also to the 
Roman Catholic Church. On both sides the readiness to learn, 
necessary to the achievement of such a wider koinonia, would 
demand humility and charity. The prospect should be met with 
faith, not fear. Communion with the see of Rome would bring 
to the Churches of the Anglican Communion not only a wider 
koinonia but also a strengthening of the power to realise its 
traditional ideal of diversity in unity. Roman Catholics, on their 
side, would be enriched by the presence of a particular tradi-
tion of spirituality and scholarship, the lack of which has de-
prived the Roman Catholic Church of a precious element in 
the Christian heritage. The Roman Catholic Church has much 
to learn from the Anglican synodical tradition of involving the 
laity in the life and mission of the Church. We are convinced, 
therefore, that our degree of agreement, which argues for 
greater communion between our Churches, can make a pro-
found contribution to the witness of Christianity in our con-
temporary society. 

It is in this light that we would wish to submit our conclu-
sions to our respective authorities, believing that our work, 
indebted, as it is, to many sources outside the Commission as 
well as to its own labours, will be of service not only to our-
selves but to Christians of other traditions in our common quest 
for the unity of Christ's Church. 

H. R. McAdoo, Bishop of Ossory 
Alan C. Clark, Bishop of East Anglia 
Co-Chairmen 

2 



CONTENTS 

INTRODUCTION 
1. The Lordship of Christ 5 

I. CHRISTIAN AUTHORITY 5 
2. The Spirit and the Word 5 
3. The action of the Spirit 5 

II. AUTHORITY IN THE CHURCH 6 
4. The authority of holiness 6 
5. The authority conferred by special gifts 6 
6. The discernment and response of the community .... 7 
7. The inadequacy of human authority 7 

III. AUTHORITY IN THE COMMUNION OF THE CHURCHES 7 
8. Communion among the Churches 7 
9. Conciliarity 8 
10. The emergence of primacy 8 
11. Primatial authority 8 
12. The primacy of Rome 9 

IV. AUTHORITY IN MATTERS OF FAITH 10 
13. Unity in truth 10 
14. The expression of truth 10 
15. The communication of truth 10 
16. Conciliar authority 11 
17. The historical importance of the Roman see 11 
18. Maintenance of the Church in truth 12 

V. CONCILIAR AND PRIMATIAL AUTHORITY 13 
19. Ecumenical councils 13 
20. The exercise of primatial authority 13 
21. Primatial authority and diversity 13 
22. The balance of authority 14 
23. Universal primacy 14 

VI. PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS 14 
24. Problems 14 
25. Prospects 15 

CONCLUSION 16 
26. The next stage 16 

3 





Authority in the Church 

INTRODUCTION 

1. The confession of Christ as Lord is the heart of the 
Christian faith. To him God has given all authority in heaven 
and on earth. As Lord of the Church he bestows the Holy 
Spirit to create a communion of men with God and with one 
another. To bring this koinonia to perfection is God's eternal 
purpose. The Church exists to serve the fulfillment of this pur-
pose when God will be all in all. 

I. CHRISTIAN AUTHORITY 

2. Through the gift of the Spirit the apostolic community 
came to recognize in the words and deeds of Jesus the saving 
activity of God and their mission to proclaim to all men the 
good news of salvation. Therefore they preached Jesus through 
whom God has spoken finally to men. Assisted by the Holy 
Spirit they transmitted what they had heard and seen of the 
life and words of Jesus and their interpretation of his redemp-
tive work. Consequently the inspired documents in which this 
is related came to be accepted by the Church as a normative 
record of the authentic foundation of the faith. To these the 
Church has recourse for the inspiration of its life and mission; 
to these the Church refers its teaching and practice. Through 
these written words the authority of the Word of God is con-
veyed. Entrusted with these documents, the Christian commu-
nity is enabled by the Holy Spirit to live out the gospel and so 
to be led into all truth. It is therefore given the capacity to 
assess its faith and life and to speak to the world in the name 
of Christ. Shared commitment and belief create a common 
mind in determining how the Gospel should be interpreted 
and obeyed. By reference to this common faith each person 
tests the truth of his own belief. 

3. The Spirit of the risen Lord, who indwells the Christian 
community, continues to maintain the people of God in obedi-
ence to the Father's will. He safeguards their faithfulness to the 
revelation of Jesus Christ and equips them for their mission in 
the world. By this action of the Holy Spirit the authority of the 
Lord is active in the Church. Through incorporation into Christ 

5 



and obedience to him Christians are made open to one another 
and assume mutual obligations. Since the Lordship of Christ is 
universal, the community also bears a responsibility towards all 
mankind, which demands participation in all that promotes the 
good of society and responsiveness to every form of human 
need. The common life in the body of Christ equips the com-
munity and each of its members with what they need to fulfill 
this responsibility: they are enabled so to live that the authority 
of Christ will be mediated through them. This is Christian au-
thority: when Christians so act and speak, men perceive the 
authoritative word of Christ. 

II. AUTHORITY IN THE CHURCH 

4. The Church is a community which consciously seeks to 
submit to Jesus Christ. By sharing in the life of the Spirit all find 
within the koinonia the means to be faithful to the revelation 
of their Lord. Some respond more fully to his call; by the inner 
quality of their life they win a respect which allows them to 
speak in Christ's name with authority. 

5. The Holy Spirit also gives to some individuals and com-
munities special gifts for the benefit of the Church, which en-
title them to speak and be heeded (e.g. Eph. 4:11,12; I Cor. 
12:4-11). 

Among these gifts of the Spirit for the edification of the 
Church is the episcope of the ordained ministry. There are some 
whom the Holy Spirit commissions through ordination for 
service to the whole community. They exercise their authority 
in fulfilling ministerial functions related to "the apostles' doc-
trine, the fellowship, the breaking of bread and the prayers" 
(Acts 2:42). This pastoral authority belongs primarily to the 
bishop, who is responsible for preserving and promoting the 
integrity of the koinonia in order to further the Church's re-
sponse to the Lordship of Christ and its commitment to mis-
sion. Since the bishop has general oversight of the community, 
he can require the compliance necessary to maintain faith and 
charity in its daily life. He does not, however, act alone. All 
those who have ministerial authority must recognize their 
mutual responsibility and interdependence. This service of the 
Church, officially entrusted only to ordained ministers, is in-
trinsic to the Church's structure according to the mandate given 

6 



by Christ and recognized by the community. This is yet another 
form of authority. 

6. The perception of Cod's will for his Church does not 
belong only to the ordained ministry but is shared by all its 
members. All who live faithfully within the koinonia may become 
sensitive to the leading of the Spirit and be brought towards a 
deeper understanding of the gospel and of its implications in 
diverse cultures and changing situations. Ordained ministers 
commissioned to discern these insights and give authoritative 
expression to them, are part of the community, sharing its quest 
for understanding the Gospel in obedience to Christ and recep-
tive to the needs and concerns of all. 

The community, for its part, must respond to and assess the 
insights and teaching of the ordained ministers. Through this 
continuing process of discernment and response, in which the 
faith is expressed and the Gospel is pastorally applied, the Holy 
Spirit declares the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the 
faithful may live freely under the discipline of the Gospel. 

7. It is by such means as these that the Holy Spirit keeps the 
Church under the Lordship of Christ, who, taking full account 
of human weakness, has promised never to abandon his peo-
ple. The authorities in the Church cannot adequately reflect 
Christ's authority because they are still subject to the limita-
tions and sinfulness of human nature. Awareness of this inade-
quacy is a continual summons to reform. 

III. AUTHORITY IN THE COMMUNIOIN OF THE CHURCHES 

8. The koinonia is realized not only in the local Christian 
communities, but also in the communion of these communities 
with one another. The unity of local communities under one 
bishop constitutes what is commonly meant in our two com-
munions by 'a local church', though the expression is some-
times used in other ways. Each local church is rooted in the 
witness of the apostles and entrusted with the apostolic mission. 
Faithful to the Gospel, celebrating the one eucharist and dedi-
cated to the service of the same Lord, it is the Church of Christ. 
In spite of diversities each local church recognizes its own 
essential features in the others and its true identity with them. 
The authoritative action and proclamation of the people of God 
to the world therefore are not simply the responsibilities of 

7 



each church acting separately, but of all the local churches 
together. The spiritual gifts of one may be an inspiration to the 
others. Since each bishop must ensure that the local commu-
nity is distinctively Christian he has to make it aware of the 
universal communion of which it is part. The bishop expresses 
this unity of his church with the others: this is symbolised by 
the participation of several bishops in his ordination. 

9. Ever since the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) the churches 
have realised the need to express and strengthen the koinonia 
by coming together to discuss matters of mutual concern and 
to meet contemporary challenges. Such gatherings may be 
either regional or world-wide. Through such meetings the 
Church, determined to be obedient to Christ and faithful to its 
vocation, formulates its rule of faith and orders its life. In all 
these councils, whether of bishops only, or of bishops, clergy 
and laity, decisions are authoritative when they express the 
common faith and mind of the Church. The decisions of what 
has traditionally been called an "ecumenical council" are bind-
ing upon the whole Church; those of a regional council or synod 
bind only the churches it represents. Such decrees are to be 
received by the local churches as expressing the mind of the 
Church. This exercise of authority, far from being an imposition, 
is designed to strengthen the life and mission of the local 
churches and of their members. 

10. Early in the history of the Church a function of over-
sight of the other bishops of their regions was assigned to 
bishops of prominent sees. Concern to keep the churches 
faithful to the will of Christ was among the considerations 
which contributed to this development. This practice has con-
tinued to the present day. This form of episcope is a service 
to the Church carried out in co-responsibility with all the 
bishops of the region; for every bishop receives at ordination 
both responsibility for his local church and the obligation to 
maintain it in living awareness and practical service of the other 
churches. The Church of Cod is found in each of them and in 
their koinonia. 

11. The purpose of koinonia is the realization of the will of 
Christ: "Father, keep them in thy name, which thou hast given 
me, that they may be one, even as we are one . . . so that the 
world may believe that thou hast sent me" (John 17: 11, 21). 

8 



The bishop of a principal see should seek the fulfillment of this 
will of Christ in the churches of his region. It is his duty to assist 
the bishops to promote in their churches right teaching, holi-
ness of life, brotherly unity and the Church's mission to the 
world. When he perceives a serious deficiency in the life or 
mission of one of the churches he is bound, if necessary, to call 
the local bishop's attention to it and to offer assistance. There 
will also be occasions when he has to assist other bishops to 
reach a common mind with regard to their shared needs and 
difficulties. Sharing together and active mutual concern are 
indispensable to the churches' effective witness to Christ. 

12. It is within the context of this historical development 
that the see of Rome, whose prominence was associated with 
the death there of Peter and Paul, eventually became the prin-
cipal centre in matters concerning the Church universal. 

The importance of the bishop of Rome among his brother 
bishops, as explained by analogy with the position of Peter 
among the apostles, was interpreted as Christ's will for his 
Church. 

On the basis of this analogy the First Vatican Council affirmed 
that this service was necessary to the unity of the whole Church. 
Far from overriding the authority of the bishops in their own 
dioceses, this service was explicitly intended to support them in 
their ministry of oversight. The Second Vatican Council placed 
this service in the wider context of the shared responsibility of 
all the bishops. The teaching of these councils shows that com-
munion with the bishop of Rome does not imply submission to 
an authority which would stifle the distinctive features of the 
local churches. The purpose of this episcopal function of the 
bishop of Rome is to promote Christian fellowship in faithful-
ness to the teaching of the apostles. 

The theological interpretation of this primacy and the admin-
istrative structures through which it has been exercised have 
varied considerably through the centuries. Neither theory nor 
practice, however, has ever fully reflected these ideals. Some-
times functions assumed by the see of Rome were not necessarily 
linked to the primacy: sometimes the conduct of the occupant 
of this see has been unworthy of his office: sometimes the image 
of this office has been obscured by interpretations placed upon 
it: and sometimes external pressures have made its proper 

9 



exercise almost impossible. Yet the primacy, rightly understood, 
implies that the bishop of Rome exercises his oversight in order 
to guard and promote the faithfulness of all the churches to 
Christ and one another. Communion with him is intended as a 
safeguard of the catholicity of each local church, and as a sign 
of the communion of all the churches. 

IV. AUTHORITY IN MATTERS OF FAITH 

13. A local church cannot be truly faithful to Christ if it 
does not desire to foster universal communion, the embodi-
ment of that unity for which Christ prayed. This communion is 
founded on faith in Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God, 
crucified, risen, ascended and now living through his Spirit in 
the Church. Every local church must therefore ever seek a 
deeper understanding and clearer expression of this common 
faith, both of which are threatened when churches are isolated 
by division. 

14. The Church's purpose in its proclamation is to lead 
mankind to accept God's saving work in Christ, an acceptance 
which not only requires intellectual assent but also demands 
the response of the whole person. In order to clarify and trans-
mit what is believed and to build up and safeguard the 
Christian life, the Church has found the formulation of creeds, 
conciliar definitions, and other statements of belief indispen-
sable. But these are always instrumental to the truth which they 
are intended to convey. 

15. The Church's life and work are shaped by its historical 
origins, by its subsequent experience and by its endeavour to 
make the relevance of the Gospel plain to every generation. 
Through reflection upon the Word, through the proclamation of 
the Gospel, through baptism, through worship, especially the 
eucharist, the people of God are moved to the living remem-
brance of Jesus Christ and of the experience and witness of the 
apostolic community. This remembrance supports and guides 
them in their search for language which will effectively commu-
nicate the meaning of the Gospel. 

All generations and cultures must be helped to understand 
that the good news of salvation is also for them. It is not enough 
for the Church simply to repeat the original apostolic words. It 
has also prophetically to translate them in order that the hearers 

10 



in their situation may understand and respond to them. All such 
restatement must be consonant with the apostolic witness re-
corded in the Scriptures; for in this witness the preaching and 
teaching of ministers, and statements of local and universal 
councils, have to find their ground and consistency. Although 
these clarifications are conditioned by the circumstances which 
prompted them, some of their perceptions may be of lasting 
value. In this process the Church itself may come to see more 
clearly the implications of the Gospel. This is why the Church 
has endorsed certain formulas as authentic expressions of its 
witness, whose significance transcends the setting in which they 
were first formulated. This is not to claim that these formulas 
are the only possible, or even the most exact, way of expressing 
the faith, or that they can never be improved. Even when a 
doctrinal definition is regarded by the Christian community as 
part of its permanent teaching, this does not exclude subse-
quent restatement. Although the categories of thought and the 
mode of expression may be superseded, restatement always 
builds upon, and does not contradict, the truth intended by the 
original definition. 

16. Local councils held from the second century determined 
the limits of the New Testament, and gave to the Church a 
canon which has remained normative. The action of a council 
in making such a decision on so momentous a matter implies 
an assurance that the Lord himself is present when his people 
assemble "in his name," (Matt. 18:20) and that a council may 
say, "it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us" (Acts 
15:28). The conciliar mode of authority exercised in the matter 
of the canon has also been applied to questions of discipline 
and of fundamental doctrine. When decisions (as at Nicaea in 
325) affect the entire Church and deal with controverted matters 
which have been widely and seriously debated, it is important 
to establish criteria for the recognition and reception of con-
ciliar definitions and disciplinary decisions. A substantial part 
in the process of reception is played by the subject matter of 
the definitions and by the response of the faithful. This process 
is often gradual, as the decisions come to be seen in perspective 
through the Spirit's continuing guidance of the whole Church. 

17. Among the complex historical factors which contributed 
to the recognition of conciliar decisions considerable weight 

11 



attached to their confirmation by the principal sees, and in 
particular by the see of Rome. At an early period other local 
churches actively sought the support and approbation of the 
church in Rome; and in course of time the agreement of the 
Roman see was regarded as necessary to the general accept-
ance of synodal decisions in major matters of more than re-
gional concern, and also, eventually, to their canonical validity. 
By their agreement or disagreement the local church of Rome 
and its bishop fulfilled their responsibility towards other local 
churches and their bishops for maintaining the whole Church 
in the truth. In addition the bishop of Rome was also led to 
intervene in controversies relating to matters of faith—in most 
cases in response to appeals made to him, but sometimes on 
his own initiative. 

18. In its mission to proclaim and safeguard the Gospel the 
Church has the obligation and the competence to make decla-
rations in matters of faith. This mission involves the whole 
people of God, among whom some may rediscover or perceive 
more clearly than others certain aspects of the saving truth. At 
times there result conflict and debate. Customs, accepted posi-
tions, beliefs, formulations and practices, as well as innovations 
and re-interpretations, may be shown to be inadequate, mis-
taken or even inconsistent with the Gospel. When conflict 
endangers unity or threatens to distort the Gospel the Church 
must have effective means for resolving it. 

In both our traditions the appeal to Scripture, to the creeds, 
to the Fathers and to the definitions of the councils of the early 
Church is regarded as basic and normative.1 But the bishops 
have a special responsibility for promoting truth and discerning 
error, and the interaction of bishop and people in its exercise 
is a safeguard of Christian life and fidelity. The teaching of the 
faith and the ordering of life in the Christian community require 
a daily exercise of this responsibility; but there is no guarantee 
that those who have an everyday responsibility will—any more 
than other members—invariably be free from errors of judg-
ment, will never tolerate abuses and will never distort the truth. 
Yet, in Christian hope, we are confident that such failures can-
not destroy the Church's ability to proclaim the Gospel and to 
show forth the Christian life; for we believe that Christ will not 
desert his Church and that the Holy Spirit will lead it into all 

12 



truth. That is why the Church, in spite of its failures, can be 
described as indefectible. 

V. CONCILIAR AND PRIMATIAL AUTHORITY 

19. In times of crisis or when fundamental matters of faith 
are in question, the Church can make judgments, consonant 
with Scripture, which are authoritative. When the Church meets 
in ecumenical council its decisions on fundamental matters of 
faith exclude what is erroneous. Through the Holy Spirit the 
Church commits itself to these judgments, recognizing that, 
being faithful to Scripture and consistent with Tradition, they 
are by the same Spirit protected from error. They do not add 
to the truth but, although not exhaustive, they clarify the 
Church's understanding of it. In discharging this responsibil-
ity bishops share in a special gift of Christ to his Church. What-
ever further clarification or interpretation may be propounded 
by the Church, the truth expressed will always be confessed. 
This binding authority does not belong to every conciliar de-
cree, but only to those which formulate the central truths of 
salvation. This authority is ascribed in both our traditions to 
decisions of the ecumenical councils of the first centuries.2 

20. The bishops are collectively responsible for defending 
and interpreting the apostolic faith. The primacy accorded to a 
bishop implies that, after consulting his fellow bishops, he may 
speak in their name and express their mind. The recognition 
of his position by the faithful creates an expectation that on 
occasion he will take an initiative in speaking for the Church. 
Primatial statements are only one way by which the Holy Spirit 
keeps the people of Cod faithful to the truth of the gospel. 

21. If primacy is to be a genuine expression of episcope it 
will foster the koinonia by helping the bishops in their task of 
apostolic leadership both in their local church and in the Church 
universal. Primacy fulfills its purpose by helping the churches 
to listen to one another, to grow in love and unity, and to 
strive together towards the fullness of Christian life and witness; 
it respects and promotes Christian freedom and spontaneity; 
it does not seek uniformity where diversity is legitimate, or 
centralise administration to the detriment of local churches. 

13 



A primate exercises his ministry not in isolation but in col-
legial association with his brother bishops. His intervention in 
the affairs of a local church should not be made in such a way 
as to usurp the responsibility of its bishop. 

22. Although primacy and conciliarity are complimentary 
elements of episcope it has often happened that one has been 
emphasized at the expense of the other, even to the point of 
serious imbalance. When churches have been separated from 
one another, this danger has been increased. The koinonia of 
the churches requires that a proper balance be preserved be-
tween the two with the responsible participation of the whole 
people of God. 

23. If Cod's will for the unity in love and truth of the whole 
Christian community is to be fulfilled, this general pattern of 
the complementary primatial and conciliar aspects of episcope 
serving the koinonia of the churches needs to be realized at 
the universal level. The only see which makes any claim to 
universal primacy and which has exercised and still exercises 
such episcope is the see of Rome, the city where Peter and Paul 
died. 

It seems appropriate that in any future union a universal 
primacy such as has been described should be held by that see. 

VI. PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS 

24. What we have written here amounts to a consensus on 
authority in the Church and, in particular, on the basic prin-
ciples of primacy. This consensus is of fundamental importance. 
While it does not wholly resolve alf the problems associated 
with papal primacy, it provides us with a solid basis for con-
fronting them. It is when we move from these basic principles 
to particular claims of papal primacy and to its exercise that 
problems arise, the gravity of which will be variously judged. 

(a) Claims on behalf of the Roman see as commonly pre-
sented in the past have put a greater weight on the Petrine 
texts (Matt. 16:18, 19; Luke 22:31, 32; John 21: 15-17) than 
they are generally thought to be able to bear. However, many 
Roman Catholic scholars do not now feel it necessary to stand 
by former exegesis of these texts in every respect. 

14 



(b) The First Vatican Council of 1870 uses the language of 
'divine right' of the successors of Peter. This language has no 
clear interpretation in modern Roman Catholic theology. If it 
is understood as affirming that the universal primacy of the 
bishop of Rome is part of God's design for the universal 
koinonia then it need not be a matter of disagreement. But if 
it were further implied that as long as a church is not in com-
munion with the bishop of Rome, it is regarded by the Roman 
Catholic church as less than fully a church, a difficulty would 
remain: for some this difficulty would be removed by simply 
restoring communion, but to others the implication would 
itself be an obstacle to entering into communion with Rome. 

(c) Anglicans find grave difficulty in the affirmation that the 
pope can be infallible in his teaching. It must, however, be 
borne in mind that the doctrine of infallibility5» is hedged round 
by very rigorous conditions laid down at the First Vatican 
Council. These conditions preclude the idea that the pope is 
an inspired oracle communicating fresh revelation, or that he 
can speak independently of his fellow bishops and the Church, 
or on matters not concerning faith or morals. For the Roman 
Catholic Church the pope's dogmatic definitions, which, ful-
filling the criteria of infallibility, are preserved from error, do 
no more but no less than express the mind of the Church on 
issues concerning the divine revelation. Even so, special diffi-
culties are created by the recent Marian dogmas, because 
Anglicans doubt the appropriateness, or even the possibility, 
of defining them as essential to the faith of believers. 

(d) The claim that the pope possesses universal immediate 
jurisdiction, the limits of which are not clearly specified, is a 
.source of anxiety to Anglicans who fear that the way is thus 
open to its illegitimate or uncontrolled use. Nevertheless, the 
First Vatican Council intended that the papal primacy should be 
exercised only to maintain and never to erode the structures 
of the local churches. The Roman Catholic Church is today 
seeking to replace the juridical outlook of the nineteenth cen-
tury by a more pastoral understanding of authority in the 
Church. 

25. In spite of the difficulties just mentioned, we believe 
that this Statement on Authority in the Church represents a 

15 



significant convergence with far-reaching consequences. For 
a considerable period theologians in our two traditions, with-
out compromising their respective allegiances, have worked on 
common problems with the same methods. In the process 
they have come to see old problems in new horizons and have 
experienced a theological convergence which has often taken 
them by surprise. 

In our three Agreed Statements we have endeavoured to get 
behind the opposed and entrenched positions of past contro-
versies. We have tried to re-assess what are the real issues to 
be resolved. We have often deliberately avoided the vocabu-
lary of past polemics, not with any intention of evading the 
real difficulties that provoked them, but because the emotive 
associations of such language have often obscured the truth. 
For the future relations between our churches the doctrinal 
convergence which we have experienced offers hope that re-
maining difficulties can be resolved. 

CONCLUSION 
26. The Malta Report of 1968 envisaged the coming to-
gether of the Roman Catholic Church and the Churches of the 
Anglican Communion in terms of "unity by stages". We have 
reached agreements on the doctrines of the Eucharist, Ministry, 
and, apart from the qualifications of para. 24, Authority. Doc-
trinal agreements reached by theological commissions cannot, 
however, by themselves achieve the goal of Christian unity. 
Accordingly, we submit our Statements to our respective auth-
orities to consider whether or not they are judged to express 
on these central subjects a unity at the level of faith which not 
only justifies but requires action to bring about a closer shar-
ing between our two Communions in life, worship and mission. 

NOTES 
iThis is emphasized in the Anglican tradition. Cf. the Lambeth Conferences 

of 1948 and 1968. 
2Since our historical divisions, the Roman Catholic Church has continued 

the practice of holding general councils of its bishops, some of which 
it has designated as ecumenical. The Churches of the Anglican Communion 
have developed other forms of conciliarity. 

•^'Infallibility' is a technical term which does not bear precisely the same 
meaning as the word does in common usage. Its theological sense is seen 
in paragraphs 15 and 19 above. 

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