Pope Francis to make historic visit to Anglican church in Rome

The Anglican church of All Saints in Rome will be ‘twinned’ with the Catholic parish of Ognissanti, in the south of the city, to mark Pope Francis’s visit to the Church of England community scheduled to take place on Sunday.

The Pope’s historic visit is part of the celebrations for the 200th anniversary of the first Church of England Eucharist, which took place at the All Saints church on October 27, 1816. Francis will be the first pontiff to visit an Anglican church in the Diocese of Rome, Vatican Radio reports.

The parish of Ognissanti is home to the titular church of Cardinal Walter Kasper. In recent years, members of the parish have worked with All Saints worshippers to help the homeless and the two communities have attended each other’s liturgical celebrations.

On the weekend, the Vatican confirmed the Pope’s visit to the Anglican community which will involve a Choral Evensong service and the blessing of a specially commissioned icon. The Holy Father will also give a homily and answer questions from the congregation.

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