Pope, Anglican leader agree need for closer ties

By Daniel Flynn

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The archbishop of Canterbury and Pope Benedict agreed the need for closer ties between their churches on Saturday, in their first meeting since last month's surprise Vatican offer to disaffected Anglicans.

Archbishop Rowan Williams had a brief private audience with the pontiff and their discussions reiterated "the shared will to continue and to consolidate the ecumenical relationship between Catholics and Anglicans," a Vatican statement said.

Cordial discussions also "focused on recent events affecting relations between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion," it added.

Some Anglicans have criticised the Pope's overture to alienated members of the Church of England, allowing them to join the Catholic church while maintaining many of their own traditions.

They see the offer as a bid to woo away Anglicans opposed to the ordination of women priests and bishops, something not permitted in the Catholic church.

Several member churches of the 77-million strong Anglican Communion have women bishops -- the Episcopal Church in the Untied States has a female head -- and the Church of England is preparing to ordain them.

Both sides have tried to present the offer as a normal step, but the Vatican's top ecumenical official, Cardinal Walter Kasper, last week revealed Williams had called him in the middle of the night for an explanation when it was announced.

There was no immediate comment from the Anglican side on William's brief private audience with the pontiff, which was billed as a courtesy call by church officials.