Clare Watkins is an experienced Catholic theologian, teacher and pastoral worker. She has taught at Margaret Beaufort Institute in Cambridge and at Allen Hall, the Westminster diocesan seminary. She has extensive experience of ecumenical dialogue, particularly between Catholics and Methodists. She is Reader in Ecclesiology and Practical Theology at the University of Roehampton.
In her study day, entitled Can Christians agree about Mary?, given at Brentwood Cathedral Hall on 22nd October 2011, Dr Watkins considered the perceived ‘problem’ presented by Mary. Does Mary get in the way of our relationship with Christ? There is a tendency in ecumenical dialogue to steer clear of debating the role of Mary. But a survey of Mary’s presence in Scripture helps us to understand her as a real woman drawn into the life of the Trinity. Dr Watkins stresses the connection between the truths of faith. The teachings about Mary have Christological and ecclesiological connections. Far from being a problem she can be our tutor in faith. Dr Watkins concludes with an evaluation of the dogmas of the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption, showing how these teachings too have been profitably explored in ecumenical contexts.