POPE JOHN PAUL WELCOMES ARCHBISHOP CAREY OF CANTERBURY

VATICAN CITY, DEC 4, 1996 (VIS) - Pope John Paul received His Grace George Leonard Carey, archbishop of Canterbury and primate of the Anglican Communion, at 6:30 last evening in his library in the Vatican. This is Archbishop Carey's second visit to the Holy Father and the Church of Rome, following that of 1992.

The Pope welcomed the archbishop and, in recalling their previous visit together in Rome, said "these precious moments have been significant milestones on a journey prompted and guided by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth and witness."

"Through these visits," observed the Holy Father, "and especially through the prayer which accompanies them, we have been reminded again and again that, even in our sad separation, Anglicans and Catholics have not ceased to be brothers and sisters in the one Lord. The task before us is to strengthen that bond, until we reach the full unity that is Christ's will for us. Let us earnestly ask the Holy Spirit to lead us to reconciliation and unity in a single communion of faith, life and mission, to the glory of the Father."

In his greeting to John Paul II, Archbishop Carey, president of the Anglican Communion, congratulated the Pope on the 50th anniversary of his priestly ordination, and added: "We give thanks to God for your ministry."

He remarked that "later this week, we will have the opportunity to discuss more fully those many matters of concern that are shared by Christians both of the Anglican communion and also those who live and pray within the obedience of the Roman Catholic Church."

Referring to the ecumenical movement, the archbishop said: "Here, so soon after my arrival in Rome, it suffices only to reaffirm the absolute commitment both of myself personally and also of the Anglican Communion to the full, visible unity of God's Church, a commitment which lies at the heart of our identity as a Church."

In conclusion, he told Pope John Paul: "We recognize and value your own evident commitment to Christian unity, so amply demonstrated in your many overseas visits, not least of which was to my predecessor Archbishop Robert Runcie during your visit to Great Britain in 1982."
AC/ARCHBISHOP CANTERBURY/CAREY VIS 961204 (350)