Sun shines on the latest ecumenical cricket innings in Rome

Oct 27, 2017 by

Last week, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s XI returned to Rome, the scene of their defeat in 2015 at the hands of a Vatican team. Paul Handley went with them.

THE theologians have been missing a trick. High-level ecumenical discussions have their place, but there is one element that breaks down barriers between Churches faster than anything else: fun.

The visit to Rome last week by the Archbishop of Canterbury’s XI, a cricket team made up of English clergy and ordinands, happened to coincide with the celebrations of 50 years of Methodist-Roman Catholic talks, which have run in parallel with the ARCIC discussions.

The celebrations in Rome, blessed by the Pope, pointed to the progress that had been made. None the less, it is hard to imagine unity talks progressing so slowly had sport been involved from the beginning. Pope Francis reminded the members of the International Catholic-Methodist Commission about the Spirit of Pentecost: “We need to remain together, like the disciples awaiting the Spirit, and as brothers and sisters on a shared journey.”

This was the fourth year running when the two teams have walked together, and, despite changes in membership, friendships have blossomed to the extent that the teams now greet each other with the banter normally reserved for teammates.

They first met last week on the rooftop terrace of the residence of the UK Ambassador to the Holy See, Sally Axworthy, who, like her predecessor, has lent diplomatic weight to the Anglican tour (and who now owns a cricket ball signed by Archbishop Welby).

Another host was the former Archbishop of Burundi, the Most Revd Bernard Ntahoturi, who was due to be inaugurated as the new director of the Anglican Centre in Rome yesterday, after the Church Times went to press.

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