A choral evensong was held at the magnificent Chiesa di Sant’Ignazio di Loyola in Rome to mark the commissioning of the Rt Revd Anthony Ball as the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Representative to the Holy See. Bishop Robert attended the service; one of his roles is co-chair of IARCCUM (the Inter-Anglican Roman Catholic Commission on Unity and Mission). 

Bishop Anthony was born in Zimbabwe and lived for many years there and in Malawi. After studies in England and graduating from the University of Durham, he joined the British Diplomatic Service. He had oversea postings in the Middle East and Spain during which time he was ordained as a priest. He later moved to join Archbishop Rowan Williams’ staff at Lambeth Palace, where he variously held responsibility for advising on Anglican Communion, Ecumenical, Inter Religious and International relations. He served as a Canon of Westminster Abbey and in 2021 was consecrated as an Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Egypt. The diocese covers Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Chad and Mauritania.

Bishop Anthony will be based at the Anglican Centre in Rome, as its Director. The Centre was founded in 1966 to be a diplomatic base for the Anglican Communion in Rome. The Centre aims to promote Christian Unity, to be a resource for learning and collaboration and to offer hospitality and connection.

Bishop Anthony was presented to the Archbishop Sarah by two governors of the Centre – Bishop Robert and Canon Margaret Swinson, Chair of the Anglican Consultative Council. An inspiring sermon was delivered by Cardinal Luis Tagle. The two lessons were read by Bishop Robert and Archbishop Flavio Pace, Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity. The service was attended by amongst others, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster and the British Ambassador to the Holy See.

The service was a powerful enactment of Christian Unity and a wonderful beginning to Bishop Anthony formal, representative role.

Since its founding in 1966, the Anglican Centre in Rome has been a permanent Anglican presence in Rome, ensured that the Archbishop of Canterbury has a representative to the Holy See in situ, and welcomed innumerable pilgrims and scholars. The Centre has facilitated the building of mature relationships between the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church and has supported the theological dialogue between the two.  Locally, the Centre works closely with other denominations with international representation here in Rome, especially with the Methodist Ecumenical Office, the Reformed Churches Ecumenical Office and the Legate of the Catholicos of All Armenians, as well as with the representative of the Patriarch of Constantinople.

In this, its 60th anniversary year, the Centre continues to build on past progress and

• promote encounter and Christian unity 
• resource learning and collaboration

• offer hospitality and connection

  This is done from the beautiful Palazzo Doria Pamphilij through a programme of

• Prayer – sustaining a worshipping community offering prayer for unity and reconciliation between the Churches
• Seminars and Courses – offered both in person and online, for laity and clergy
• Hospitality – welcoming visitors from across the globe
• Common Witness – pioneering an ecumenical approach to reconciliation and tackling social injustices.