18th Colloquium of Anglican and Roman Catholic Canon Lawyers

May 29, 2018

The eighteenth Colloquium of Anglican and Roman Catholic Canon Lawyers met 27–28 May 2018 at Jesus College, Oxford, to discuss the topic ‘Canon Law in Action.’

On the Anglican team, papers were contributed by Sion Hughes Carew (Church of England Legal Office), the Revd Russell Dewhurst (Church of England), the Revd Stephen Farrell (Church of Ireland), Charlotte Wright (Cardiff Law School, Church in Wales), and the Ven Dr Jane Steen (Church of England), whose paper was presented in her absence by Professor Norman Doe (Cardiff Law School, Church in Wales).

The Roman Catholic papers were contributed by the Revd Dr Luke Beckett OSB (Ampleforth Abbey), the Revd Dr James Campbell SJ (Campion Hall, Oxford University), the Revd Andrew Cole (Diocese of Nottingham), Dr Helen Costigane SHCJ (St Mary’s University, London), and the Revd Dr Robert Ombres OP (Blackfriars, Oxford University).

Also in attendance at the Colloquium were ELS chairman the Worshipful Professor Mark Hill and the Revd Stephen Coleman (Church of England).

The papers compared the sources, structures, purposes, subjects, enforcement, and relaxation of canon law in the two communions. Lively and interesting discussion ensued after each pair of papers and, as always, the Colloquium papers will be edited and published by Professor Doe.

The members of the Colloquium are most grateful to Jesus College for their hospitality during the Colloquium.

The Colloquium was established in Rome in 1999, and was an initiative of the Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum), the Centre for Law and Religion at Cardiff University, and Duquesne Law School, Pittsburgh, USA. Since then the aim of the Colloquium has been to contribute to greater ecumenical understanding between Anglicans and Roman Catholics from the perspective of canon law as a form of applied ecclesiology. The Colloquium explores ways in which the respective laws of each communion either facilitate or inhibit unity.