The Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) will announce the publication of the agreed statement on the "Blessed Virgin Mary", known as the 'Seattle Statement' - on May 16 in Seattle, USA.

The ARCIC is an organisation founded in 1970 following the meeting of Archbishop Michael Ramsey and Pope Paul VI in Rome in 1966. The primary task of its commission is to issue agreed statements on topics that have caused the separation of the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion, such as Eucharist, Ministry and Authority.

The document with the title "Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ" is the fruit of five years of work by international ecumenical delegations of the Roman Catholic and Anglican Communion. The dialogue was sponsored by the Anglican Consultative Council and the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

Ecumenical delegations from the Vatican and Anglican Communion Office will meet on 16th May to officially release the joint statement on the place of Mary in doctrine and Church life.

The statement that was completed during the meeting in February 2004 in Seattle, is not an authoritative declaration of the Roman Catholic Church or Anglican Communion, but is being encouraged to be studied and evaluated by the churches.

The event will be hosted by Seattle Archbishop Alexander J Brunett, Roman Catholic co-chair of ARCIC. Co-chair Archbishop Peter Carnley, Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia will join him for the statement release. Co-secretaries of ARCIC Revd Don Bolen (Vatican) and the Revd Canon Gregory Cameron (Anglican Communion) will also attend.