Bishop Anthony Burton of the diocese of Saskatchewan has been appointed co-chair of the Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue of Canada.
Established in 1971, the dialogue gathers theologians twice a year for three days of prayer and theological reflection. Its members exchange information on behalf of their churches and forge friendships across denominational boundaries.
The dialogue, which has addressed many pastoral concerns between the two churches, hopes to complete its response to the most recent Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) document, Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ (2006).
In the past, the dialogue developed common Canadian guidelines for the pastoral care of interchurch marriages, and guidelines for the transfer of clergy from one communion to another in Canada.
The Roman Catholic co-chair of the dialogue is Bishop Francois Lapierre, of St. Hyacinthe, Que.
The other members of the dialogue are Anglicans Ann Cruickshank, Rev. Kevin Flynn, Canon David Neelands, Capt. Rev. Michelle Staples, Joe Mangina and Canon Alyson Barnett-Cowan, and Roman Catholics Cathy Clifford, Rev. Luis Melo, Susan Brown, Rev. Gilles Routhier, Rev. Jacques Faucher, and Janet Somerville.