Cardinal raises hope of unity

By Amanda Dickie
TILE VATICAN'S senior ecumenical official stopped in Oxford last week on his way to the first meeting of Catholic and Anglican bishops in the new millennium.
Cardinal Edward Idris Cassidy, who celebrated a Jubilee Mass at St Peter's College, said he hoped the meeting in Canada would revitalise Anglican and Catholic dialogue.
The cardinal, who heads the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, is co-chairing the meeting, which is due to end tomorrow, with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey. Other delegates include Archbishop Cormac MurphyO'Connor of Westminster, representing England and Wales, and bishops from 12 other countries, During his homily, Cardinal Cassidy focused on the Jubilee as a time of repentance and conversion. Reflecting on the historic doctrinal agreement between Lutherans and Catholics last year, the cardinal said that all Christians are clothed "with the garment of justification".
"We are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit by engaging in good works," he said, adding that all Christians should adhere more faithfully to the spirit of the Gospels.
Editorial Comment — p7