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Which Anglican leader will meet the Pope?
By Market-Place
May 30, 2008

DILEMMA: The choice of an Anglican leader to meet with Pope Benedict in Sydney in July is creating a headache for World Youth Day organizers. Almost all Australia's bishops will be out of the country for the Lambeth conference.

Organisers of the World Youth Day event have confirmed the Pope will set time aside during his 'World Youth Day' visit to Sydney to meet with the leaders of Australia's major denominations, but it's far from clear who will represent Australian Anglicans.

Pope Benedict wants to meet with a leader and a youth representative of the Anglican church but because most Anglican bishops will be out of the country on their way to Lambeth or to attend the conservative GAFCON gathering, Catholic organizers are faced with a dilemma.

A spokesman for the Anglican Primate, said Archbishop Phillip Aspinall would have been pleased to meet with the Pope.

However on the day of the ecumenical meeting, 18 July, the archbishop will be on his way to the Lambeth Bishops' conference. Archbishop Aspinall is due to fly out of Australia 1 July.

The Pope's ecumenical gathering will be held in Sydney, but Sydney's Anglican archbishop Peter Jensen will also be out of the country for the GAFCON gathering of conservative leaders.

Inter-faith representatives representing Christian, Jewish and Muslim traditions were on-hand at a Sydney press conference May 28 as details of the ecumenical meeting was announced.

Present for the event were:

* the Revd Tara Curlewis, President of the NSW Ecumenical Council and minister of the Uniting Church

* Rabbi Jeremy Lawrence of the Great Synagogue, Sydney, and

* Mr Mazem Bakhour, Youth Worker from the Lebanese Muslim Association representing Imam Shady Al-Suleiman, Secretary of the

Australian National Imam's Council and Imam of Lakemba Mosque

Pope Benedict will talk and pray with leaders and a youth representative of each denomination on the morning of Friday 18 July.

It's expected around 40 Christians will pray with the Pope in the crypt of St Mary's Cathedral.

A spokesperson for 'World Youth Day' organisers said the invitations to attend the ecumenical meeting would be issued in due course.