Unravelling Deadlocks in the Ecumenical Debate: Anglicans and Roman Catholics on the Practice of Doctrinal Authority

Abstract

The practice of doctrinal authority in the Church is one of the most controverted issues in ecumenical dialogue. Any significant agreement on this matter could give prospects for the doctrinal reconciliation among the churches and consequently the possibility for the establishment of full communion. In this article I explore the Anglican-Roman Catholic ecumenical dialogue with the objective of examining the extent to which consensus has been achieved on the subject of doctrinal authority. The main question examined here is whether the exercise of doctrinal authority still remains a dividing factor between the two churches and what needs to be done to address the challenge.