Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally praises Pope Leo after private Vatican meeting

The archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, has praised Pope Leo for speaking “powerfully about the many injustices” in the world. The remark was seen as an apparent reference to the pope becoming more outspoken in recent weeks, particularly in his criticism of the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Mullally, who in March became the first woman to lead the Anglican church, arrived in Rome on Saturday for a visit aimed at reinforcing relations with the Vatican. On Monday she held a private meeting with Leo, the first US-born leader of the Catholic church, at the Apostolic Palace, the pope’s official residence.

The meeting took place against a backdrop of public tension. Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump criticised Leo over his comments on the war in Iran. In a lengthy social media post, Trump accused the pope of being “weak on crime and terrible on foreign policy” and said he should “focus on being a great pope, not a politician.” Leo had returned on Friday from a 10-day tour of Africa, during which he continued to speak out against war and injustice.

Mullally said: “Your Holiness, you have spoken powerfully about the many injustices in our world today, but you have spoken even more powerfully about hope. Your pilgrimage to Africa was full of life and joy. The world needed this message at this time – thank you.” She said the trip “reminded us that despite our sufferings, people long for life in all its fullness and countless people are working each day for this vision of the common good.” She acknowledged “inhuman violence, deep division and rapid societal change” in the world and said “we must keep telling a more hopeful story.” Earlier in the month, she had said she stood alongside Leo in his “courageous call for a kingdom of peace.”

The two leaders head churches that split acrimoniously in 1534 and began to reconcile in earnest in the 1960s. In October, King Charles became the first reigning British monarch to pray publicly with a pope since Henry VIII broke with Catholicism over the Vatican’s refusal to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Charles and Leo prayed together in the Sistine Chapel during the king’s state visit, an event that symbolised further reconciliation between the two churches.

Significant differences remain. The Church of England ordains women, while the Catholic church reserves the priesthood for men. Mullally, who said she was a nurse before being ordained, described that earlier work as an experience “that continues to shape my ministry.” She said she hoped to be “a shepherd … who encourages hospitality despite our differences.” The late Pope Francis had increased the role of women in Vatican governance during his 12-year papacy, including by appointing women to senior positions and giving them voting rights in synods, but he said women should never become priests.

On Monday Leo vowed to keep working toward overcoming the differences between the two churches, saying that “the divisions among Christians weakens our capacity to be effective bearers of peace.” He has not signalled any move to change Catholic doctrine to allow the ordination of women. Living in shared hope for unity among believers, as Christ prayed for them (John 17:21), remains the stated aim of both leaders’ outreach.

Marco Politi, a Vatican journalist and author, said: “The cordial nature of the meeting and Mullally’s support for Leo’s position on the US-Israeli war on Iran cannot hide a historical fact. That is that the Catholic church is now the only Christian community in the west that denies women access to its highest office.”

Source: Read the original report