“First of all I thought it was a very happy visit”, says Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’ Conor, Archbishop emeritus of Westminster, commenting on Thursday’s informal visit by Queen Elizabeth II to Pope Francis.
Speaking to Emer McCarthy, the Cardinal – who is a former president of The Anglican—Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) – highlighted the importance of the visit for the ecumenical journey between the Catholic Church and Anglican Communion.
The replica of the indult for the feast of St. Edward the Confessor “showed great thought” on the Pope’s part according to Card. Murphy O’Connor. “It is a sign of a time when there was no break and both Anglican’s and Catholics honor this great king”.
The visit “cements the ongoing relationship between the Catholic Church and Anglican Communion and I often say that its’ a long road, but the real unity we do share is very important. Particularly in England that’s going to be in terms of a common Christian witness in the face of an increasingly secularized society”
