At the grandly symbolic site of England's Canterbury Cathedral, the mother see of the worldwide Anglican Communion, Pope John Paul II in 1982 joined Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie in launching a bold venture. Following 16 years of ecumenical talks, the two church leaders inaugurated a second round of negotiations to examine whether Roman Catholicism and Anglicanism could come to recognize each other's priests and bishops. Such recognition would end 4 1/2 centuries of separation between two major wings of Christianity and pave the way for reunion.
Since 1982 the joint panel of theological negotiators has reached a deft compromise on...