Pope’s cathedral ‘regrets’ Anglican ceremony on main altar

ROME — The pope’s cathedral in Rome, St. John Lateran Basilica, acknowledged Thursday that an Anglican bishop and 50 priests celebrated an Anglican service on the main altar and blamed the “unfortunate” incident on a miscommunication.

A statement from the office of the archpriest of the basilica expressed “profound regret” and said the Anglican celebration Tuesday in the Catholic basilica violated canonical norms. As the seat of the pope in his capacity of bishop of Rome, St. John Lateran ranks highest among the four Vatican basilicas in Rome.