An awful lot of ink has already been spilled on the first statement from phase three of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (Arcic). Walking Together on the Way: Learning to be the Church – Local, Regional, Universal is a groundbreaking document that fully deserves this degree of attention, as much for its radically different approach and refreshing tone as for any direct conclusions or concrete steps that it anticipates.

Arcic began its work in the late-1960s as a result, as much as anything, of the genuinely good relationship between the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael Ramsey, and Pope Paul VI. Phase Three began in 2011, charged to reflect on the idea of communion and apply it to the challenging issue of discerning right ethical teaching.