Anglicans and Roman Catholics today released a document which describes the Virgin Mary as one of the primary disciples of Jesus Christ and a model for all Christians to emulate, but which stops short of characterizing her as a savior.

The document, Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ, was developed by the Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC). It is sometimes referred to as the “Seattle Statement,” because it was completed at the Roman Catholic archdiocesan offices in Seattle during February 2004.

The 81-page document addresses two matters of Roman Catholic doctrine that have divided Anglicans and Roman Catholics for nearly five centuries. They are the immaculate conception (that Mary was born free of sin) and her bodily assumption (that when she died her body and soul were conveyed directly to heaven). The Seattle Statement concludes that both are consistent with biblical teachings about hope and grace.

“For Anglicans, that old complaint that these dogmas were not provable by scripture will disappear,” predicted the Most Rev. Peter F. Carnley, retired Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia and the Anglican co-chair of ARCIC.

Evangelicals in the Church of England immediately criticized the conclusion that the immaculate conception and the bodily assumption of Mary were consistent with scripture.

“If Mary has been wholly and completely assumed into heaven and we are able to pray to her, it goes completely against the grain of Jesus Christ being our great high priest who intercedes on our behalf with the Father,” said the Rev. Rod Thomas, a spokesman for the evangelical advocacy group Reform, in an interview with The Times.

The Seattle Statement is the culmination of five years’ work and the final publication in the second phase of an ecumenical dialogue that began with a 1966 meeting between the Most Rev. Michael Ramsey, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Pope Paul VI. It was released in Seattle at a news conference presided over by the two co-chairs, Archbishop Alex J. Burnett, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Seattle and Archbishop Carnley. The ARCIC panel included theologians, clergy, members of religious orders and laity from 10 different countries.

Although not an authoritative declaration by either Rome or Canterbury, the conclusion states that it “significantly deepens and extends” previous agreements between the two churches and it is hoped that a third phase of dialogue will address the two remaining areas of outstanding theological contention: the authority of the pope in making the immaculate conception and the assumption matters of infallible dogma and the proper manner in which the Church should honor the mother of God.

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