“The Catholic Church cannot recognise Anglican ordinations, as decided by Pope Leo XIII. This applies regardless of whether the person ordained is a man or a woman.”
Cardinal Kurt Koch and the long view of Christian unity - The Tablet
Daniel Beurthe 23 April 2026, The Tablet The phlegmatic Swiss cardinal who has led the Catholic Church’s unity office since 2010 is preparing with cautious optimism for the historic meeting of the first woman Archbishop of Canterbury with Pope Leo XIV Soon after announcing the Second Vatican Council in 1959, Pope John XXIII established the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity. Its initial purpose was twofold: to invite other Christian Churches to send observers to the council, and to prepare documents on ecumenism – an area that would become central to the council’s mission of aggiornamento. Following the promulgation of Unitatis redintegratio in 1964 – a decree that marked a decisive switch in the Catholic Church’s approach to divisions between Christians, from exhorting schismatics to return to Rome to calling for unity among the People of God – and the council’s conclusion the following year, the body was made permanent. Today, as the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, it …