The Association for Promoting the Unity of Christendom (A.P.U.C.) was founded on 8 September 1857, by fourteen people including Roman Catholic priests Father Lockhart and Fr. Collins; the rest were Anglicans, with one exception, a Russo-Greek priest. Cardinal Wiseman gave it his blessing and A.W. Pugin was an early member. It was one of a number of initiatives in the spirit of the Oxford Movement that owed its motivation to the work of ecumenist Ambrose Philipps de Lisle (1809-78), and an important forerunner of the Order of Corporate Reunion (O.C.R.)

The only obligation incumbent on members of the A.P.U.C., who might be Catholics, Anglicans, or Greeks, was to pray to God for the unity of the baptised body. At first the association progressed rapidly. Philipps de Lisle wrote to Lord John Manners and said, “We soon counted among our ranks many Catholic Bishops and Archbishops and Dignitaries of all descriptions from Cardinals downwards; the Patriarch of Constantinople and other great Eastern prelates, the Primate of the Russian Church … I do not think any Anglican Bishops joined us, but a large number of clergy of the second order” – that is to say, presbyters. He gave the number of members as nine thousand. The formation of this association was, however, regarded with distrust by Cardinal Manning and a good number of other influential Catholics, who also took exception to Philipps de Lisle’s treatise On the Future Unity of Christendom. The matter was referred to Rome by Cardinal Manning and was finally settled by a papal rescript addressed Ad omnes episcopos Angliæ, dated 16 September 1864, which condemned the association and directed the bishops to take steps to prevent Catholics from joining it.

As might be expected, this was a great blow to Phillips de Lisle, who considered that “the authorities had been deceived by a false relation of facts”. He however withdrew his name from the A.P.U.C. “under protest, as an act of submission to the Holy See”. The ground on which the association was condemned was that it subverted the Divine constitution of the Church, inasmuch as its aim rested on the supposition that the true Church consists partly of the Catholic Church in communion with Rome, “partly also of the Photian Schism and the Anglican heresy, to which equally with the Roman Church belong the one Lord, the one faith and one baptism”. Philipps de Lisle’s own pamphlet was not censured, but the condemnation of the A.P.U.C. was regarded by him then as the death-blow of his hopes for the reunion of Christendom during his own lifetime.

There was no organizational connection between the A.P.U.C. and the Order of Corporate Reunion, which was founded in 1874, except that some people who had been members of the A.P.U.C. subsequently became members of the O.C.R. Certainly the aims and mission of the two bodies were identical. Ambrose Philipps de Lisle was a friend and supporter of the O.C.R.’s first Rector Pro-Provincial of Canterbury, Archbishop Frederick George Lee, and worked with Lee to organize the initial publication of its aims. It is also quite possible that it was Philipps de Lisle who worked with the Archbishop of Milan to arrange the consecrations of the first bishops of the Order.

On 12 January 1876 Philipps de Lisle wrote to Cardinal Manning concerning the Order, “I hear from various quarters – all more or less good and reliable sources – the actual number of whom Presbyter Anglicanus as the deputed mouthpiece variously estimated as from 500 to 1,000 of the clergy and from 50,000 to 100,000 of the laity. Be this as it may, if the snowball is favoured by the Holy See, it will gather round it even millions – all who care for Christianity in our very dear old England! – and of one thing I am perfectly certain, that WE with our countless encumbrances and our frightful burden of abuses from one end of the Earth to the other, shall never win England or any other nation again, but shall continue to lose every day more and more of the few that remain to us. But behold the Lord send us an offer of new Life, which may be the germ of moral regeneration for the whole earth under the fostering care of the Holy See.”

In a letter published in “Reunion” Magazine of 1877 (p. 355) Ambrose Philipps de Lisle wrote again of the O.C.R., “I hail the meeting of the first Synod of the new Ecclesiastical organization as one of the most important steps that has been taken since the era of the Reformation. I shall commend it to the prayers of our chaplain in the celebration of the most Holy Mysteries in our chapel tomorrow, and most heartily do I pray that God will pour out His Blessing upon the Synod, and guide it by His Holy and Life-long Spirit, so that it may become a great instrument towards promoting the Reunion of Christendom, and thus paving the way for the full development of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ over the whole world. The hearts of all good men seem now more and more turned towards Rome, and the healing of our deplorable divisions; but we have all sinned and we must all humble ourselves before God, and implore His mercy and assistance. The Holy Sacrifice will also be celebrated for this intention tomorrow in the Church of St Bernard’s Abbey.”

It may therefore be seen that Philipps de Lisle, as a faithful Roman Catholic, saw nothing objectionable in membership of the O.C.R. and was only too happy to support its aims and mission. Unlike the A.P.U.C., the O.C.R. was not to be the subject of condemnation by the Holy See, although in the event it attracted only limited support in Anglican quarters. It continues its work today with both Catholic and Anglican members who support its objective of ecumenical understanding and the achievement of unity in matters of faith and practice.

It is perhaps surprising to see that some former adherents to the false representations of Michael Kline (see notice here) have recently taken it upon themselves to re-found the A.P.U.C. This is a curious act, since they have no organizational descent or authority from the original Association, and can hardly be expected to achieve much ecumenically from re-establishing a body that Catholics are prohibited from joining.

The Abbey-Principality of San Luigi affirms its commitment to peace and its rejection of armed conflict. It notes the recent letter of Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa OFM, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, and reproduces its text below, commending it to all who adhere to the Abbey-Principality and its dependent institutions.

Letter of the Patriarch

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
May the Lord give you peace!

We are going through one of the most difficult and painful periods in our recent times and history. For over two weeks now, we have been inundated with images of horrors, which have reawakened ancient traumas, opened new wounds, and made pain, frustration, and anger explode within all of us. Much seems to speak of death and endless hatred. So many “whys” overlap in our minds, adding to our sense of bewilderment.

The whole world views this Holy Land of ours as a place that is a constant cause of wars and divisions. That is precisely why it was good that a few days ago, the whole world joined us with a day of prayer and fasting for peace. It was a beautiful view of the Holy Land and an important moment of unity with our Church. And that view is still there. Next Oct. 27, the pope has called for a second day of prayer and fasting, so that our intercession may continue. It will be a day that we will celebrate with conviction. It is perhaps the main thing we Christians can do at this time: pray, do penance, intercede. For this, we thank the Holy Father from the bottom of our hearts.

In all this uproar where the deafening noise of the bombs is mixed with the many voices of sorrow and the many conflicting feelings, I feel the need to share with you a word that has its origin in the Gospel of Jesus. That is the starting point which we set out from, and return to, time and time again: a word from the Gospel to help us live this tragic moment by uniting our feelings with those of Jesus.

Looking to Jesus, of course, does not mean feeling exempt from the duty to speak, to denounce, to call out, as well as to console and encourage. As we heard in last Sunday’s Gospel, it is necessary to render “to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God” (Mt 22:21). Looking to God, we therefore want, first of all, to render to Caesar what is his.

My conscience and moral duty require me to state clearly that what happened on Oct. 7 in southern Israel is in no way permissible and we cannot but condemn it. There is no reason for such an atrocity. Yes, we have a duty to state this and to denounce it. The use of violence is not compatible with the Gospel, and it does not lead to peace. The life of every human person has equal dignity before God, who created us all in his image.

The same conscience, however, with a great burden on my heart, leads me to state with equal clarity today that this new cycle of violence has brought to Gaza over 5,000 deaths, including many women and children, tens of thousands of wounded, neighborhoods razed to the ground, lack of medicine, lack of water and of basic necessities for over 2 million people. These are tragedies that cannot be understood and which we have a duty to denounce and condemn unreservedly. The continuous heavy bombardment that has been pounding Gaza for days will only cause more death and destruction and will only increase hatred and resentment. It will not solve any problem but rather create new ones. It is time to stop this war, this senseless violence.

It is only by ending decades of occupation and its tragic consequences, as well as giving a clear and secure national perspective to the Palestinian people that a serious peace process can begin. Unless this problem is solved at its root, there will never be the stability we all hope for. The tragedy of these days must lead us all, religious, political, civil society, international community, to a more serious commitment in this regard than what has been done so far. This is the only way to avoid other tragedies like the one we are experiencing now. We owe it to the many victims of these days and to those of years past. We do not have the right to leave this task to others.

Yet, I cannot live this extremely painful time without looking upward, without looking to Christ, without the faith that enlightens my view and yours on what we are experiencing, without turning our thoughts to God. We need a Word to accompany us, to comfort and encourage us. We need it like the air we breathe.

“I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have tribulations, but take courage, I have conquered the world” (Jn 16:33).

We find ourselves on the eve of Jesus’ passion. He addresses these words to his disciples, who will shortly be tossed about, as if in a storm, before his death. They will panic, scatter, and flee, like sheep without a shepherd.

Yet, this last word of Jesus is an encouragement. He does not say that he shall win, but that he has already won. Even in the turmoil to come, the disciples will be able to have peace. This is not a matter of theoretical irenic peace, nor of resignation to the fact that the world is evil, and we can do nothing to change it. Instead it is about having the assurance that precisely within all this evil, Jesus has already won. Despite the evil ravaging the world, Jesus has achieved a victory and established a new reality, a new order, which after the resurrection will be assumed by the disciples who were reborn in the Spirit.

It was on the cross that Jesus won: not with weapons, not with political power, not by great means, nor by imposing himself. The peace he speaks of has nothing to do with victory over others. He won the world by loving it. It is true that a new reality and a new order begin on the cross. The order and the reality of the one who gives his life out of love. With the Resurrection and the gift of the Spirit, that reality and that order belong to his disciples. To us. God’s answer to the question of why the righteous suffer is not an explanation but a Presence. It is Christ on the cross.

It is on this that we stake our faith today. Jesus in that verse rightly speaks of courage. Such peace, such love, require great courage.

To have the courage of love and peace here, today, means not allowing hatred, revenge, anger, and pain to occupy all the space of our hearts, of our speech, of our thinking. It means making a personal commitment to justice, being able to affirm and denounce the painful truth of injustice and evil that surrounds us, without letting it pollute our relationships. It means being committed, being convinced that it is still worthwhile to do all we can for peace, justice, equality, and reconciliation. Our speech must not be about death and closed doors. On the contrary, our words must be creative, life-giving; they must give perspective and open horizons.

It takes courage to be able to demand justice without spreading hatred. It takes courage to ask for mercy, to reject oppression, to promote equality without demanding uniformity, while remaining free. It takes courage today, even in our diocese and our communities, to maintain unity, to feel united to one another, even in the diversity of our opinions, sensitivities, and visions.

I want, and we want, to be part of this new order inaugurated by Christ. We want to ask God for that courage. We want to be victorious over the world, taking upon ourselves that same cross, which is also ours, made of pain and love, of truth and fear, of injustice and gift, of cries and forgiveness.

I pray for us all, and in particular for the small community of Gaza, which is suffering most of all. In particular, our thoughts go out to the 18 brothers and sisters who perished recently and to their families whom we know personally. Their pain is great, and yet with every passing day, I realize that they are at peace. They are scared, shaken, upset, but with peace in their hearts. We are all with them, in prayer and concrete solidarity, thanking them for their beautiful witness.

Finally, let us pray for all innocent victims. The suffering of the innocent before God has a precious and redemptive value because it is united with the redemptive suffering of Christ. May their suffering bring peace ever closer!

We are approaching the solemnity of the Queen of Palestine, the patroness of our diocese. The shrine was erected during another time of war, and was chosen as a special place to pray for peace. In these days we will once again reconsecrate our Church and our land to the Queen of Palestine! I ask all churches around the world to join the Holy Father and to join us in prayer, and in the search for justice and peace.

We will not be able to gather all together this year, because the situation does not allow it. But I am sure that the whole diocese will be united on that day in prayer and in solidarity for peace, not worldly peace, but the peace which Christ gives us.

With sincere prayers for all, 

+Pierbattista Card. Pizzaballa 
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem

Source: https://www.lpj.org/cached_uploads/download/2023/10/24/1-1318-2023-en-1-1698133294.pdf