The heads of the Anglican and Catholic churches in the UK produced their first joint Facebook Live video on Friday afternoon.
It was the Archbishop of Westminster's first venture into the world of live streaming and he joined the Archbishop of Canterbury, who is becoming a veteran. Justin Welby has hosted a number of Facebook Live videos over recent months and his latest clip, a Bible study with evangelism advisor Chris Russell, has nearly a million views.
Friday's stream from Lambeth Palace is an unscripted discussion with Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the most senior Catholic leader in the UK. "Cardinal Vincent and I spend quite a lot of time meeting and we do so quite regularly," Welby said to introduce the discussion. "It seemed a good idea to open it up and share some of our conversation about things that have happened recently and also have the chance to answer any questions that come in."
The pair are clearly friends. They laughed about unruly parishes and the success of Welby's recent week of prayer before Pentecost. Many Catholic parishes joined in the call to pray and Nichols admitted he isn't "quite sure how that happened". Welby suggested it is probably the first time that has happened since the Reformation.
They moved on to discuss their experiences at Pentecost and responded to questions on how Catholics and Anglicans can work together, what their thoughts on charismatic Christianity were and how to support persecuted Christians around the world.
One does not get the impression Welby particularly enjoys live videos. But he certainly appreciates their importance. One hour after the video went live, more than four thousand people had watched it with the number going up all the time.
The number of views as well as the comments and questions alongside the video reflect the intense interest at Lambeth Palace's arrival to the 21<sup>st century. And many expressed their disappointment the discussion had not lasted longer than the 9 minutes, 20 seconds offered.
But given the difficulty of some of the questions asked, perhaps this was wise.
These clips are never going to win awards and Welby is never going to be a top class video presenter. But that is not the point. They offer a relaxed and accessible insight into Welby's agenda that engages many who would otherwise not care.
On top of that the significance of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of Westminster sitting alongside each other, laughing, joking, and discussing their faith should be not underestimated. Not that many years ago their predecessors would not have been on speaking terms. The video was not just symbolic of Welby's increasingly digital PR strategy. It was also symbolic of the focus on reconciliation that has characterised his career. In this video, he is building yet another bridge.
Follow Harry Farley on Twitter @harryfarls.
