Previous News Items

• Which Anglican leader will meet the Pope?
• Anglicans get used to women bishops
• Richardson takes up Anglican post in Rome
• Burma junta's delays set to add to death-toll
• LETTERS: May 2008 ... Readers react to a newspaper's closure
• OPINION: Two new appointments that challenge assumptions

Show all news items

Richardson takes up Anglican post in Rome
By From ACNS & Vatican reports
May 12, 2008

MEETING: Pope Benedict meets with the new Director of the Anglican Centre in Rome, former Melbourne dean, Fr David Richardson. PHOTO: ACNS/ Jim Rosenthal

Former dean of Melbourne's St Paul Cathedral has started work as the new director of the Anglican centre in Rome.

Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, joined with the president of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, Cardinal Walter Kasper for an ecumenical service in Rome May 8 as the new director was installed at the Anglican Centre.

Earlier in the week, the Archbishop of Canterbury had introduced David Richardson to Pope Benedict during a private audience.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, described his private meeting with the Pope in the Vatican as 'friendly and informal'.

They spent almost half an hour in the Pope's study discussing matters of common interest.

"It was a friendly and informal meeting in which we discussed a number of ecumenical issues, some of the Pope's impressions from his American visit and common issues in Christian Muslim dialogue."

The latest meeting was the second private encounter between the two leaders.

Dr Williams was in Rome to convene the 7th Building Bridges Seminar (a gathering of Christians and Muslims) and to attend the installation of the Revd David Richardson as Director of the Anglican Centre in Rome and as the Archbishop's Representative to the Holy See.

Dr Williams told Vatican Radio that the work of the Centre had been instrumental in maintaining strong links between the two churches.

"Because of the work of the previous couple of directors, especially Bishop John Flack, tremendously deep foundations have been laid of personal trust and confidence," Rowan Williams said.

"In terms of ease of access and honesty of discussion, I think we're in a very good phase of that relationship and I'm absolutely confident that the new director will be building on that".