Our podcast today focuses on Christian unity as Bishop Mark O'Toole, Catholic Bishop of Plymouth, joins his Anglican regional counterpart the Rt Revd Tim Thornton, Bishop of Truro, in Canterbury for the first leg of what could be termed a pilgrimage of dialogue from Canterbury to Rome.
The two men are part of a 36-strong gathering of Catholic and Anglican bishops, representing 19 different countries where Anglicans and Catholics live side by side in significant numbers.
The bishops arrive in Canterbury for the first leg of their meeting on 30 September. They will be staying at the Lodge in Canterbury Cathedral, will take part in the liturgical life of the Cathedral, and will make a pilgrim visit to the shrine of St Thomas à Becket, where Pope John Paul II and Archbishop Robert Runcie prayed together.
The bishops will then travel to Rome on 3 October and will make a pilgrimage to the tombs of the apostles, Ss Peter and Paul, and will participate in the vespers celebrated by Pope Francis and Archbishop Justin Welby at San Gregorio al Celio on 5 October, to mark the 50th anniversary of the historic meeting between Pope Paul VI and Archbishop Michael Ramsey.
At these vespers it is anticipated that the bishops will be mandated by Pope Francis and Archbishop Welby, in their ecumenical mission. On the same day the bishops will also attend an academic symposium at the Gregorian University.
