Pope holds historic audeince with first female Archbishop of Canterbury at the Vatican
發佈日期: 2026-04-28 20:45
TVB News
History was made at the Vatican as Pope Leo XIV held an audience with the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally.
This marks the first encounter between the new Pontiff and the #first women to lead the Church of England in its 1,400 year history.
Pope Leo XIV prays and exchanges gifts with Sarah Mullally, Archbishop of Canterbury, during a monumental meeting at the Vatican that brings together the first female leader of the Church of England and the head of the Catholic church for the very first time.
The encounter between Christianity's two most famous religious figures would have been unthinkable just a few years ago, given their division over women's ordination in general and Mullally's appointment in particular.
Both leaders express wishes to continue dialogue to deepen understanding between their churches.
Leo acknowledged that "new problems" in their relationship had been added onto "historically divisive issues."
But he vows to continue the tradition of past popes to try to reunite the churches.
"While much progress has been made on some historically divisive issues, new problems have arisen in recent decades, rendering the pathway to full communion more difficult to discern. I know that the Anglican Communion is also facing many of these same questions at this time. Nevertheless, we must not allow these continuing challenges to prevent us from using every possible opportunity to proclaim Christ to the world together," says the Pope.
Mullally's audience with the Pope is part a four-day trip to Rome and her first foreign visit since she was installed last month. She thanks the Pope and says regardless of her gender, the meeting marks a significant moment in these challenging times.
She also hopes to encourage others to seek peace.
"Both the Pope and I have a deep desire for peace and reconciliation in the world. We are called to be peacemakers and certainly for us that prayerfully seeking to pray for peace, and to be pastors who encourage others to pray for peace," says Mullally.
The Archbishop also told the pontiff he would receive a warm welcome if he were to visit the UK.
