Dialogue Document
A Call to Reconciliation: A Joint Document from the Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue
The Christian call to reconciliation arises with particular urgency amid the deep divisions that shape the contemporary world within churches, between religious communities, and across societies. A Call to Reconciliation, a joint document of the Anglican–Roman Catholic USA Dialogue, released at the beginning of Lent 2026 and published here below, offers a timely theological and pastoral reflection on reconciliation as a central dimension of Christian faith and witness. The decision to release this document at the start of the Lenten season underscores its core conviction: that reconciliation, rooted in repentance, conversion, and hope, stands at the heart of the Church’s life, particularly during this season of preparation for the Paschal Mystery
Developed over several years of sustained dialogue, A Call to Reconciliation explores reconciliation in Holy Scripture and Christian tradition and applies this vision to some of the most pressing challenges of our time. Through the interrelated themes of recognition, repair, and restoration, the document examines reconciliation not only between churches, but also in interreligious relationships, racial injustice, and humanity’s relationship with creation. It thus invites Episcopalians and Catholics, and all people of good will, to embrace reconciliation as both a spiritual discipline and a shared public responsibility , reflecting on how shared theological discernment and common witness can contribute to healing fractured relationships in the wider world.
The Anglican–Roman Catholic USA Dialogue is sponsored jointly by the Episcopal Church and the Bishops’ Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. While not a statement of either Church’s Magisterium, this agreed text is offered as a resource for pastors, scholars, and communities seeking to live more faithfully into Christ’s ministry of reconciliation in a rime of profound division.