The pope and the archbishop of Canterbury renew the ecumenical journey adopted by the two Churches, following the path set in 1966 by Paul VI and Michael Ramsey. For Leo, “it would also be a scandal if we did not continue to work towards overcoming our differences”. Both share a commitment to peace, dialogue, and Christian witness in a world marked by divisions and violence.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) – “Dear sister”, said Leo XIV in his address to Sarah Mullally, Archbishop of Canterbury, on the occasion of her installation on 25 March 2026. "Dear brother in Christ," the primate said in her address to the pontiff during this morning’s Vatican audience, another step on the shared path the Catholic and Anglican Churches undertook with Pope John Paul VI and Archbishop Michael Ramsey in 1966.

This tradition continues today that as a “pleased” Roman Pontiff met the first female Primate of the Anglican Church. The ordination of women remains one of the most sensitive issues in the dialogue between Catholics and Anglicans, but the words of the pope and the primate read at today's meeting reveal a genuine desire to look beyond the differences.

The great issues of our time are the starting point, most notably the "divisions" among Christian communities that "weaken" the ability to bring "peace," said Leo XIV; in fact, “we must not allow these continuing challenges to prevent us from using every possible opportunity to proclaim Christ to the world together,” he added.

For her part, Archbishop Mullally said that, “we must therefore work together for the common good – always building bridges, never walls”. The 63-year-old experienced as a "pilgrim" on a "journey" from Canterbury to Rome this important meeting with Leo XIV, her first visit abroad since taking office.

Born in 1962 in Woking, she worked for more than 30 years as an oncology nurse, becoming chief nursing officer for England at the age of 37.

Ordained in 2001, she became a bishop in 2015, and her appointment as archbishop was confirmed in January 2026.

Her predecessor, Justin Welby, 70, resigned in November 2024, following a report on the serious failures in the handling of sexual abuse within the Church of England.

The Most Reverend Richard Moth, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, also attended Mullally's audience.

“Your presence”, said the Anglican Primate, reminds us that “the ecumenical pilgrimage is always one we undertake together – as a fellowship of Christians seeking the unity for which Christ prayed.”

For the archbishop, we must “fix our eyes”, together, on the "vision of Jesus Christ," stressing how “the poorest among us are closest to the heart of God; and that the forces of death are overcome by the risen life of Christ.”

She also highlighted the “hope” often invoked by Pope Leo XIV, particularly during his apostolic journey to Africa.

“In the face of inhuman violence, deep division, and rapid societal change, we must keep telling a more hopeful story: that every human life has infinite value because we are precious children of God; that the human family is called to live as sisters and brothers,” she said.

In his address, the pontiff also spoke of a “suffering world [that] greatly needs the peace of Christ”. For this reason, it is important to “remove any stumbling blocks that hinder the proclamation of the Gospel.”

Leo also mentioned that his papal motto, In Illo uno unum, requires “unity for the sake of a more fruitful evangelization”, reiterating the words Pope Francis pronounced in his Address to the Primates of the Anglican Communion on 2 May 2024: “‘it would be a scandal if, due to our divisions, we did not fulfil our common vocation to make Christ known’.”

“For my part,” the pontiff added, “it would also be a scandal if we did not continue to work towards overcoming our differences, no matter how intractable they may appear.”

To this end, Archbishop Mullally suggested the adoption, in the ecumenical journey, of the practice of “hospitality, not simply as welcome, but as a form of ministry,” that is “a willingness to make space for one another as those created in the image of God and called to grow more fully into his likeness.”

“Already,” she noted, “we receive from one another gifts we cannot generate alone: depth in prayer, courage in witness, perseverance in suffering, and faithfulness in service. In these, our common witness is strengthened.”

As mentioned, today's meeting follows in the footsteps of Paul VI and Michael Ramsey 60 years ago. Pope Leo XIV described that moment as a “memorable encounter”. “Since then, the Archbishops of Canterbury and Bishops of Rome have continued to meet to pray together,” he said.

The primate and the pontiff also shared a moment of prayer in the Chapel of Urban VIII in the Vatican Apostolic Palace.

The archbishop is in Rome on a four-day visit, which includes prayers at the tombs of Saints Peter and Paul in their respective papal basilicas.

It was in the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls that the Joint Declaration between Catholics and Anglicans was signed in 1966. This agreement led to the establishment of the important Anglican Centre in Rome.

Yesterday, Archbishop Mullally led the celebration at the Anglican Church of All Saints, followed by visits to Saint John Lateran and Saint Mary Major.

Tonight, she will preside over the evening service at the Church of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, during which she will install Bishop Anthony Ball, director of the Anglican Centre in Rome, as Canterbury's representative to the Holy See. Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelisation, will deliver the homily.

The pilgrimage ends tomorrow with visits to the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center and the projects of the Community of Sant'Egidio.

• vatican
• church of england
• pope leo xiv
• primate sarah mullally
• ecumenism