Pope, Anglican leader hold 'cordial' talks

VATICAN CITY — A month after the Vatican announced the creation of a new Anglican rite within the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday held "cordial discussions" with the Most Rev. Rowan Williams, the archbishop of Canterbury and spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion, the Vatican said.

Relations between the churches have been tense since the Vatican announced the new structure, aimed at traditionalist Anglicans uncomfortable with the Anglican Church's ordination of female and gay clergy.

This month, the Vatican issued a document outlining the new structure, which will allow Anglicans to keep elements of their liturgy while joining the Catholic Church but will not change the rules for priestly celibacy.

Williams on Thursday called the new structure "an imaginative pastoral response to the needs of some," but said that it "does not break any fresh ecclesiological ground." He also questioned why the longstanding dialogue between the religions had foundered over the question of female clergy. In their 25-minute meeting, Benedict and Williams asserted "the shared will to continue and to consolidate the ecumenical relationship between Catholics and Anglicans," the Vatican said.