Madam, - Mrs Mary Stewart (May 25th) alludes to "the Church of Ireland's outright rejection" of the agreed statement Mary - Grace and Hope in Christ, recently produced by the Anglican/Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC). Earlier this month the church's general synod considered a lengthy and learned response to the agreed statement, which states clearly that it contains much to welcome and "goes a long way towards portraying Mary as more of a bridge than a barrier between our two communions".
Highly selective quotation from this response is no substitute for reading the whole thing.
Here in Cork, the Christian Study Centre at St Fin Barre's Cathedral ran a six-week course of lectures during Lent with a view to helping people appreciate the great significance of ARCIC's agreed statement. As recently as March 29th the cathedral welcomed a large and appreciative audience who came to hear the Roman Catholic co-secretary of ARCIC, Canon Don Bolen from Vatican City, elucidate the theological method underlying the document's treatment of Mary.
As someone who has devoted considerable energy to raising awareness of the value of the document on Mary, I find Mrs Stewart's opinion hurtful as well as inaccurate. The Church of Ireland has a track record of debating and responding creatively to ARCIC documents which is widely praised in the Anglican Communion. Our commitment to the process goes back to the days when a distinguished predecessor of mine, Henry McAdoo, was the Anglican co-chair of the first ARCIC.
The Church of Ireland is not without its flaws, but to accuse it of outright rejection of any ARCIC material is utterly unjust.
- Yours, etc,
MICHAEL BURROWS, Dean of St Fin Barre's Cathedral, Cork.