Anglican Evensong To Be Celebrated For First Time Ever In Vatican

The evensong will be celebrated at the altar of the chair of St Peter in St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican next month.

For the first time ever Anglican evensong will be celebrated at St Peter's Basilica, the heart of the Catholic church.

The Archpriest of St Peter's gave permission for the unique event, due on March 13, in a recent meeting with Archbishop David Moxon, director of the Anglican Centre in Rome. The gesture comes on the 500^th year of Martin Luther nailing his 95 theses to the Cathedral door in Wittenburg, sparking the Protestant reformation.

 The move "reflects the deepening bonds of affection and trust between the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church," a statement from the Anglican Center read.

Last year Pope Francis and the Archbishop of Canterbury celebrated Vespers together at the Basilica of San Gregorio al Celio in Rome.

On top of that 19 pairs of Anglican and Catholic bishops from dioceses across the world were sent out in joint mission, in a symbolic act of unity.
The event marked 50 years since the Anglican Center was set up in Rome to improve ecclesiastical relations.
The invite for evensong is set for March 13 as it is the nearest date available to the feast of St Gregory the Great, patron of Anglican-Catholic relations. Gregory was the Pope who commissioned St Augustine to evangelist Britain in 595. He went on to become the first Archbishop of Canterbury.

Merton College Choir, Oxford, will provide the music for the evensong.