The eighth Colloquium of Anglican and Roman Catholic Canon Lawyers took place in Rome on 17–20 April 2007. The academic sessions were held at the Pontifical Gregorian University, and at the Venerable English College. Following the discussions on ordained ministry that occupied the sixth and seventh Colloquia, the focus this year was on clerical formation. The participants at the 2007 Colloquium included: Professor Norman Doe, Canon Gregory Cameron, Chancellor Mark Hill, and Anthony Jeremy from the Anglican Communion, along with the Reverend Gareth Powell, from the Methodist Church; and Professor Michael Hilbert SJ, Professor James Conn SJ, Fr Robert Ombres OP, Fr Aidan McGrath OFM, and Fr Andrew Cole. Canon Cameron was able to inform the Colloquium of recent developments with regard to a proposed ‘Anglican Covenant’, which provoked lively discussion.

The Colloquium proper began on the morning of 18 April, when the participants attended the General Audience with Pope Benedict XVI. Thanks to the good offices of Gregory Cameron and his contacts in the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, the party had front row places at the Audience and were able to greet the Holy Father in person. Norman Doe introduced everyone and gave the Pope a thorough explanation of what the meeting was about. It was evident that Pope Benedict listened intently and he stressed the importance of the meeting and its theme. Following the audience, the group was entertained to lunch by His Excellency, Mr Francis Campbell, Her Majesty's Ambassador to the Holy See. The ambassador expressed considerable interest in the ongoing work of the Colloquium and spoke with encouragement to each of the participants.

During the academic sessions on Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 April, six formal papers were exchanged and discussed. From the Anglican perspective these included: ‘Theological education in the Anglican Communion: global policy and its canonical dimensions’ (Norman Doe); ‘Clerical formation: canonical provision in Churches of the Anglican Communion’ (Anthony Jeremy); and ‘The law of the Church of England on the clerical formation’ (Mark Hill). The Roman Catholic perspective was voiced in ‘Universal norms on priestly formation in the Latin Church’ (Andrew Cole); ‘Pastores dabo vobis: the apostolic exhortation of Pope John Paul II – presentation of its contents and purpose’ (Aidan McGrath); ‘Particular law on priestly formation: Scotland, Ireland, USA’ (James Conn).

In the afternoon session at the Venerable English College, the Colloquium took the form of a round-table presentation and discussion of particular legislation. Three of the Roman Catholic members of the Colloquium presented the particular law of their respective religious institutes, concerning preparation for sacred ministry in the Dominicans, the Franciscans and the Jesuits. Gareth Powell also provided an insight into ministerial formation in the Methodist Churches.

As a result of the insights gained from a discussion of the formal papers and the information shared during the round-table presentation, the following points were agreed:

1. i. The church has a responsibility to provide for clerical formation;

2. ii. In Anglicanism, clerical formation is in the keeping of each church, which generally has little particular law on the matter, although global policy to effect common standards throughout the Communion is a recent development. In the Roman Catholic Church, clerical formation is regulated by universal law, supplemented by particular norms (national, diocesan and inter-diocesan), as well as by proper laws with respect to institutes of religious life;

3. iii. Clerical formation is necessary to assure the quality of ministry, which is a means by which all the faithful receive the spiritual benefits of the church;

4. iv. The essential end of clerical formation is to equip ordination candidates for a life of holiness, sacramental ministry, preaching and pastoral care;

5. v. The two communions share a concern to ensure that clerics are duly grounded in the doctrine and discipline of the church;

6. vi. Clerical formation is continuing and lifelong;

7. vii. Clerical formation should include training in canonical matters relevant to the exercise of ordained ministry;

8. viii. Both communions acknowledge the possibility of conflict between canonical arrangements for clerical formation and civil law, such as in relation to confidentiality, discrimination, psychological assessment and employment;

9. ix. Ecumenical collaboration as to aspects of clerical formation is desirable and growing in practice;

10. x. The respective polities of the two communions on marriage and celibacy affect the shape of clerical formation and instruction in seminaries.

None of the conclusions appear to be earth-shatteringly new, but they have been drawn on the basis of serious study and reflection of the fundamental canonical framework for the formation of sacred ministers in both the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.