London, England, Jan 17, 2017 / 06:01 am
Ahead of the Church of England's General Synod, the Archbishop of Canterbury may be preparing a statement expected to call for repentance for the violence of the English Reformation.
"As the Church of England prepares to celebrate the Reformation, it should also repent of the violence and brutality it sometimes committed in God's name," commented Rev. Andrew Atherstone, a member of the Anglican synod.
Atherstone said that aspects of the Reformation are "deeply embedded in our national psyche," and was the historical context for the attempted invasion of the Spanish Armada and the Gunpowder Plot, when Catholic would-be revolutionary Guy Fawkes attempted to blow up Parliament.
The U.K. newspaper the Daily Mail, citing unnamed sources, said the joint statement by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Anglican Archbishop of York John Sentamu is expected to recognize the "lasting damage" of the Reformation, while also welcoming improved relations between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion.