ANGLICAN co-chair of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC), Archbishop Peter Carnley of Perth, is hopeful the leadership of Pope Benedict XVI will advance unity.
‘The presence of such a distinguished theologian will help sharpen the dialogue between Anglicans and the Roman Catholic Church,’ Archbishop Carnley said.
President of the Lutheran Church of Australia, Rev Michael Semmler, wondered if the new Pope would ‘see his role, besides meeting the demands of his own Church, as also challenging the world of Protestantism?’
‘As God’s gift to the Roman Catholic Church we can pray that he will be willing to listen to other Christians as well as sharing his wisdom and scholarship,’ he said.
Moderator of the Uniting Church in Queensland, Rev Allan Kuchler, said: ‘He seems like a leader who is going to bring a sense of strong leadership in a very spiritual way to the life of the Church’.
