The Apostolic Succession of the Episcopate as the basis for an informal theological dialogue between the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches in 1889-96.

Abstract

The first phase of informal dialogue between the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches should be understood as a period of time during which the theological discussion between Catholics and Anglicans took place in a purely private way and revolved around the question of the grace of the Anglican clergy. The time frame of this period is as follows: 1889 г. (date of introduction of Lord Halifax and Abbot Portal) to 1896. (date of publication of the papal bull Apostolicae curae). Through the efforts of two church enthusiasts, Charles Lindley Wood, Lord Halifax, and Abbot Fernand Portal, a vigorous theological debate was initiated, the course of which compelled the Pope to finally determine Rome's position on Anglican clerics. This position, expressed in the Bull Apostolicae Curae, was disappointing for Halifax and Portale, as well as the rest of the proponents of the cause of unification between Catholics and Anglicans. Under the influence of conservative Catholic hierarchs, especially Cardinal Herbert Vaughan, Leo XIII rejected any possibility of recognising the legitimacy of Anglican ordinations. This decision was probably not due to theological or canonical reasons, but to the influence of the ultramontane party on the pope, who wanted the Church of England to join the Catholic Church through its complete "absorption".