Here’s the text of the letter Cardinal
Ratzinger sent to the conservative Episcopalians here in Dallas:
I hasten to assure you of my heartfelt prayers for all those taking part
in this convocation. The significance of your meeting is sensed far beyond
Plano, and even in this city from which Saint Augustine of Canterbury was
sent to confirm and strengthen the preaching of Christ’s Gospel in England.
Nor can I fail to recall that barely 120 years later, Saint Boniface brought
that same Christian faith from England to my own forebears in Germany.
The lives of these saints show us how in the Church of Christ there is a
unity in truth and a communion of grace which transcend the borders of any
nation. With this in mind, I pray in particular that God’s will may be done
by all those who seek that unity in the truth, the gift of Christ
himself.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems to me that this has approximately the
same kind of impact as if Colin Powell sent a message of solidarity to a
meeting of the Parti Quebecois gathered to consider splitting their province
from Canada.