Press Releases03 May 24

Primates meet with Pope Francis

Archbishop John McDowell yesterday morning (Thursday, 2nd May) met Pope Francis in an audience with colleagues as part of the 2024 Anglican Primates Meeting in Rome.  Archbishop John had previously met Pope Francis at a Vatican City conference in October 2017 on the theme of ‘(Re)Thinking Europe – a Christian Contribution to the Future of the European Project’.

This was the Anglican Primates’ first gathering in Rome – a meeting that had been scheduled to happen in the city in 2020 but was postponed due to the Covid–19 pandemic.  Over the course of the week, the Primates prayed and studied the Bible together, and reflected together on the mission and witness of the Church in the world.

A pilgrimage in the city included visits to St Peter’s Basilica and the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, Tre Fontane, Santa Maria in Trastevere, and the Community of Sant’Egidio.  The Primates were hosted by Archbishop Ian Ernest, the Director of the Anglican Centre in Rome.

Further information about the Anglican Primates Meeting can be found here on the Anglican Communion website.  More information on the work of the Anglican Centre in Rome is available on its website: www.anglicancentreinrome.org