Report of the Anglican-Roman Catholic Bishops’ Dialogue on Mixed Marriages

Report of the Anglican-Roman Catholic Bishops’ Dialogue on Mixed Marriages

House of Bishops, February 8-12, 1982

Resolution 2-2-82: “That this House endorses points one to five regarding Anglican/Roman Catholic mixed marriages.” CARRIED

Prologue:

Bishop Valentine reported on the meeting of Anglican/Roman Catholic Bishops. He noted that subjects under discussion were: Mixed Marriages, Church in the North, ARCIC, Christian Festival, Secretariat for Christian Unity, Anglican Centre in Rome, World Council in Churches, “Electronic Evangelism” and a possible visit to Canada by the Pope. Bishop Valentine said that considerable time was spent on the discussion of mixed marriages, and shared the following proposal prepared at the meeting:

A/RC Dialogue Proposal

We suggest that both partners in a proposed marriage between an Anglican and Roman Catholic be apprised of their obligation to provide their children with a Christian baptism and upbringing, and that each be asked to promise to fulfill this obligation by having them baptized and brought up within one of the two communions.

Anglican/Roman Catholic Bishops

1. This meeting urges the Bishops of our respective churches to accept the principle of joint guidelines for couples planning mixed marriages which reflect the growing rapprochment between Anglicans and Roman Catholics.
2. We request the “Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue in Canada” to develop these guidelines for consideration at the next meeting of this group on November 22 and 23, 1982.
3. Bishops are called on to encourage both pastors of such couples to meet together with them as part of preparation for marriage. The content of such sharing would include the couple’s participation in the life of the Church and the Christian nurture of their children.
4. Pastors are asked to submit to their bishops and the “Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue in Canada” in insights or suggestions arising from those joint encounters, to assist in the shaping of the guidelines.
5. It should be noted that those recommendations are made in the light of the ongoing dialogues between Bishops of our churches on both local as well as national levels in Canada.