Updated Friday evening and Sunday lunchtime
Now that today’s meeting has taken place, the archbishop’s website reports that Archbishop Justin meets Pope Francis in Rome.
In their first meeting, Archbishop Justin and Pope Francis both spoke this morning of the bonds of “friendship” and “love” between the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion.
The two leaders agreed that the fruits of this dialogue and relationship have the potential to empower Christians around the world to demonstrate the love of Christ.
The Archbishop and the Pope agreed on the need to build an economic system which promotes “the common good” to help those suffering in poverty.
Archbishop Justin said that Christians must reflect “the self-giving love of Christ” by offering love and hospitality to the poor, and “love above all those tossed aside” by present crises around the world.
The Pope said those with the least in society “must not be abandoned to the laws of an economy that seems at times to treat people as mere consumers”.
They also agreed on the need for Christians to act as peacemakers around the world, which they acknowledged could only be done if Christians “live and and work together in harmony,” the Pope said…
The article includes the texts of the addresses that the two men gave in public after their private conversation.
Ed Thornton of the Church Times writes that Archbishop Welby and Pope Francis speak up for the poor at first meeting
The Telegraph reports that Pope Francis tells Archbishop of Canterbury to stand firm on traditional family values.
Martha Linden writes for The Independent that Pope Francis meets Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby in Rome.
BBC News has Archbishop of Canterbury and Pope meet for first time.
The Washington Press carries this piece from Associated Press Pope meets Archbishop of Canterbury, seeks to promote marriage as UK heads to gay marriage.
Catherine Hornby of Reuters writes Pope Francis and new Anglican leader meet, note differences. The Huffington Post carries the same article under the headline Pope And Archbishop Of Canterbury Meet, Note Differences On Women Ordination, Gay Rights and adds a gallery of photographs.
Updates
Lizzie Davies of The Guardian, who is in Rome, writes that Pope and archbishop of Canterbury find common ground at talks in Rome.
Gerard O’Connell of Vatican Insider writes that Pope Francis and Archbishop of Canterbury have very friendly and successful first meeting.
Let’s see, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Roman Catholic Pope hold a discussion, seek common ground … and praise those who assist the poor.
Things must be more dire than I thought.
“Significantly, though, Francis didn’t specify that marriage should be based on a union between a man and woman, which is how Benedict XVI and John Paul II routinely defined it in a way that made clear their opposition to same-sex marriage.”
Hmmm: baby steps? Mercifully hear us, O Lord…
Again “defence of traditional marriage” is a code word for attack on same sex marriage. As we all know traditional marriage going back thousands of years also included polygamy. It is a mystery to me , why the Pope does not distinguish between Christian sacramental marriage and marriage as a creation ordinance. What a strange ally, the Holy Father takes on. An Anglican Archbishop who is a firm believer in divorce, re-marriage and contraception. He is comfortable in having a future supreme Governor who is married to a divorced woman. Indeed he will probablly crown him. Doctor Welby will express… Read more »
‘…equally at one in our condemnation of homophobic behavior and our sense that the essential dignity of the human being is where you start.”
‘Words, words, words’
‘Show me’ sang Eliza Doolittle
What a great pity that on his first visit Archbishop Welby agrees with the Pope in opposing gay marriage. In this way they both show how out of touch they are with society and how far from early Christianity which ‘turned the word upside down!’
“What a great pity that on his first visit Archbishop Welby agrees with the Pope in opposing gay marriage.”
The Catholic Church does not believe that Welby’s ordination is valid. So why do Anglicans persist in doing business with an organisation that denies Anglican priests’ very validity?