ROME -- "Serious obstacles" continue to divide Roman Catholics and Anglicans, Pope Benedict XVI and the archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev. Rowan Williams, said Thursday after meeting at the Vatican.
But the two men, separated less by belief than by history and issues such as gay priests and female bishops, pledged to work together on problems such as poverty, the environment and finding peace in the Middle East, the birthplace of Christ.
Williams, the leader of more than 70 million people who belong to the Anglican Communion, including American Episcopalians, visited Rome for the 40th anniversary of closer ties with the Roman Catholic Church. The occasion commemorated the meeting between Pope Paul VI and Archbishop Arthur Michael Ramsey that was intended to establish a more formal unity between the churches. It was the first formal meeting between the churches since they split under Henry VIII nearly 500 years ago.
While they have made much progress in theology and day-to-day ties, the churches remain deeply divided on some major issues.
"Recent developments, especially concerning the ordained ministry and certain oral teachings, have affected not only internal relations within the Anglican Communion but also relations between the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church," Benedict said Thursday.
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As with Eastern Orthodox believers, with whom Benedict has sought closer ties, Anglicans worry about how much power the pope would hold over them if the churches were more formally joined. Catholics are concerned about female and gay priests and bishops. The Anglican Church has approved naming women as bishops. On Nov. 4, Katharine Jefferts Schori formally took office as presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, the first woman to hold that office.
