Anglican Communion News Service

The House of Bishops of the Church of Ireland, meeting in Dublin, in considering the publication of the Declaration of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Dominus Iesus on the "unicity and salvific universality of Jesus Christ and the Church" has issued the following preliminary response:

We are concerned and disappointed that the tenor of Section 17 of the Declaration Dominus Iesus appears to represent a retreat from much of the ecumenical progress that has been experienced by many communities throughout Ireland. As Bishops of a Church that has sought to play a full and active part in efforts to increase understanding and improve relations between Churches in Ireland, we have written to the Episcopal Conference of the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland seeking urgent clarification of their views on how Dominus Iesus affects the Irish situation.