Last month, Pope Leo XIV held a historic meeting at the Vatican with Dame Sarah Mullally, the first female Archbishop of Canterbury, during her first foreign visit since she was installed at the end of March.
Archbishop Mullally described her travel as a “pilgrimage to Rome,” which included visits to the main pontifical basilicas, where she prayed at the tombs of Saints Peter and Paul. After their meeting in the pope’s library, the two prayed together in the Chapel of Urban VIII inside the Apostolic Palace.
Pope Leo is following the example of Pope Francis in meeting with female bishops and archbishops. Pope Francis met in 2015 with Archbishop Antje Jackelén, the first woman to lead the Lutheran Church of Sweden. In 2024, he met with Anglican Bishop Jo Bailey Wells in a private meeting of his cardinal advisers to discuss the role of women in the Catholic Church.
While not avoiding the difficulties that Archbishop Mullally’s election and enthronement poses to not only the Catholic Church but many in the Anglican Communion, Pope Leo said, “While much progress has been made on some historically divisive issues, new problems have arisen in recent decades, rendering the pathway to full communion more difficult to discern. I know that the Anglican Communion is also facing many of these same questions at this time. Nevertheless, we must not allow these continuing challenges to prevent us from using every possible opportunity to proclaim Christ to the world.”
Anglican commentary from Lambeth Palace (the official residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury) said that her pilgrimage to Rome was designed “to strengthen Anglican-Roman Catholic relations through prayer, personal encounter and formal theological dialogue. It aims to deepen bonds of communion, affirm a shared witness, and encourage ongoing collaboration at both global and local levels.”
This encounter between the Roman Catholic and Anglican Communion leaders follows another historic meeting at the Vatican. On Oct. 23, 2025, Pope Leo welcomed King Charles III and Queen Camilla to the Vatican. They prayed together in the Sistine Chapel. King Charles serves as the ceremonial leader of the Church of England, and for the first time since the Reformation, both a pope and the king of England prayed together.
This year also marks the 60th anniversary of the formal Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue, marking six decades of growing friendship and ecumenical efforts since the historic 1966 meeting between Pope Saint Paul VI and Archbishop of Canterbury Michael Ramsey. A ceremony to mark this important anniversary took place March 26, the day after the installation of Archbishop Mullally in Canterbury Cathedral. At this ceremony, Pope Leo sent Cardinal Kurt Koch, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, to deliver his message to Archbishop Mullally, confirming the Catholic Church’s continued commitment to “dialogue in truth and love.” Archbishop Mullally wore the pastoral ring given by Pope Saint Paul VI to Archbishop Ramsey, symbolizing the continuity of the relationship.
At the 1966 meeting between Pope Saint Paul VI and Archbishop Ramsey, a Common Declaration was released that initiated formal relations and led to the creation of the Anglican Centre in Rome. This dialogue has produced, among other things, the work of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) and the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission (IARCCUM), which works toward reconciling theological differences and promoting mission together.
Father Joseph D. Wallace is diocesan director of Ecumenical and Inter-religious Affairs and pastor of Christ the Redeemer Parish, Atco.
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