THE Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) concluded a week-long meeting in Rio de Janeiro earlier this month.

It was the third meeting of the latest phase of the discussions, ARCIC III, to examine the concept of Church as communion, and the related issue of how to alight on right ethical teaching.

The Commission, which comprises Anglican and Roman Catholic theologians, is co-chaired by the Bishop of Guildford, the Rt Revd Christopher Hill, and the RC Archbishop of Birmingham, the Most Revd Bernard Longley.

A communiqué issued on Tuesday by the Anglican Communion Office said that it had been "the first time in its 40-year history that ARCIC has met in Latin America - and, indeed, in the southern hemisphere".

The members of the Commission "engaged in theological analysis and shared reflection on the nature of the Church and those structures which contribute to discernment and decision-making. Time was spent considering some case studies of ethical issues which members had prepared, and analysing the ways in which the two Communions have come to their present teaching on these matters."

During the meeting, members of the Commission shared a meal with local Anglican and Roman Catholic leaders, including the Bishop of Rio de Janeiro, the Rt Revd Filadelfo Oliveira. They also visited the Cidade de Deus (City of God), one of the many favelas that surround Rio de Janeiro.