Lambeth and the Vatican

The connections between Lambeth Palace and the Vatican have grown stronger in recent years, not least because of the role of the Director of the Anglican Centre in Rome. As the Archbishop of Canterbury's personal representative to the Holy See, the Director is a permanent presence in Rome, enabling contact to be continuous between Vatican officials and the Anglican Communion and its primate, the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Personal relations

Much of the progress made is due to the personal connections between recent popes and archbishops. During the papacy of Pope Benedict XVI, Rowan Williams held the position of Archbishop of Canterbury and the two shared many intellectual interests. As Archbishop, Rowan made several visits to Rome. But it was Benedict XVI's visit to the UK in 2010 that made history: it was the first state visit by a pope to the United Kingdom. Among its highlights was evensong at Westminster Abbey, presided over by Archbishop Williams and Pope Benedict, with a large number of Vatican officials also attending. The two church leaders prayed together at the tomb of St Edward the Confessor.

Archbishop Justin Welby and Pope Francis developed a strong bond and their time in office broadly overlapped. Archbishop Justin was installed as Archbishop of Canterbury at Canterbury Cathedral just days after the installation of Pope Francis at St Peter's Basilica in Rome in March 2013.

Anglican Communion Office

The Anglican Communion Office is the main support body for the Anglican Communion across the globe. The Communion is served by four "instruments of communion" — all of which are provided for in some way administratively by the Anglican Communion Office. These are:

• The Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Revd and Rt Hon Sarah Mullally DBE: the Anglican Communion Office liaises closely with her office at Lambeth Palace.
• The Primates' Meeting: the Primates from around the Communion meet regularly, chaired by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
• The Anglican Consultative Council: this body was established in 1968 and meets every three years to develop Anglican policies. It advises, reviews and implements Anglican matters. The Anglican Communion Office acts as its permanent secretariat.
• The Lambeth Conference: the one gathering every 10 years of the Communion bishops.

The office is led by the Communion's Secretary General, Bishop Anthony Poggo, and a team of specialists in issues such as mission, ecumenism, gender justice and theological education.

It supports the institutional life of the Communion and serves over 40 provinces in 165 countries by:

• Providing the administrative support for Communion meetings and implementing their decisions
• Nurturing relations and learning among the churches of the Communion to facilitate their growth through intentional discipleship and the living out of our shared Five Marks of Mission
• Enabling the Communion to have a distinctive voice in dialogues with other Christian traditions, discussions with other faiths and engagement with United Nations bodies
• Building partnerships internationally to work for justice, peace and sustainable development and give a voice to the voiceless and the oppressed.

In all this, it seeks to honour and glorify Jesus Christ as Lord.

Given the office's keen interest in and commitment to ecumenism, there are strong links with the Anglican Centre in Rome.

The Anglican Communion Office is based at St Andrew's House in London. While much of the Communion's work is conducted in English, other languages, especially in Africa, are used and the Communion Office offers its news service in Spanish, Portuguese, and French to reflect this.

Partners in Rome

Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity

The Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity was originally founded in 1966 after the Second Vatican Council and focuses on developing dialogue and collaboration with other churches and world communions. It is the chief body within the Vatican that deals with ecumenical matters and is the Vatican organisation with which the Anglican Centre and Lambeth are in closest contact.

Centro Pro Unione

Centro Pro Unione was founded by the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement, an order of Franciscans long associated with ecumenism. The Friars were first founded in 1898 as a congregation within the Episcopal Church and in 1909 were received as a whole body into the Roman Catholic Church. The Friars of the Atonement were the first organisation to support the Octave of Christian Unity, held each year from 18–25 January. The Centre, based in Piazza Navona, hosts conferences and other events focused on ecumenism.

The Lay Centre

The Lay Centre was founded in 1986 as a Catholic centre in Rome but is dedicated to formation of the laity and promotion of the lay vocation across the Churches. It works to encourage Christian unity and understanding and initiates dialogues. At its heart is a resident community of students and teachers. It runs courses on theology, spirituality and biblical studies.

All Saints

An Anglican congregation has been worshipping together in Rome since 1816. For over 120 years it has gathered at All Saints on Via del Babuino. The congregation includes local Romans, businesspeople, diplomats and international students, as well as tourists and pilgrims. All Saints is part of the Church of England's Diocese in Europe.