Wikileaks: British ambassador worried by Pope's outreach to Anglicans

December 13, 2010

American diplomats believed that Pope Benedict XVI was thinking of Anglicans in the US and Australia as well as Great Britain when he extended an invitation to Anglicans in Anglicanorum Coetibus, according to documents revealed by Wikileaks.

The US diplomatic communications show that the Pope’s gesture was opposed by Anglican leaders. The British government also was concerned about the move, and the British ambassador reportedly warned against angry—even possibly violent—reactions against Catholics if Pope Benedict went through with his plans.

The Wikileaks documents—in this as in other cases—show that American (and in this case also British) diplomatic personnel had a limited understanding of Vatican policies.

 

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Further information:

• Papal bid for Aussie Anglicans (Sydney Morning Herald)
• Britain's Catholic ambassador to the Vatican talked alarmist nonsense about the Pope's offer to Anglicans, WikiLeaks reveals (Daily Telegraph)