The two men met recently at St. Anastasia to shoot a two-hour documentary in which the pastors sat across from each other and talked frankly about religious issues they share. Titled "Common Ground," the documentary was produced on DVD by Kensington's multimedia staff.

As cameras began to roll on their dialogue, Andrews lightened the mood by telling Riccardo with a chuckle, "I don't know if this is true of Catholics, but among Protestants, probably half of them will be hoping I'm going to stick it to you as we talk. Would that be true of Catholics?"

Riccardo replied with a grin, "Yeah, I think they're praying I'll show you up."

Then, Andrews said, "Well, I'm sure there's an equal or greater number hoping we'll become friends."

That's exactly what happened as the dialogue unfolded. The men found so much common ground in their approaches to Christianity that, at 7 p.m. on May 21, Riccardo will be welcomed onto the giant stage at Kensington and will help Andrews debunk any bogus religious references they find in the movie version of "The Da Vinci Code." The movie will be released May 19.

So far, the "Common Ground" documentary has been distributed to members at Kensington and St. Anastasia, but copies will be sold to the public on May 21, probably at a price around $10, Andrews said. (The live "Da Vinci" talk will be free.)

One of the thorny issues the two pastors discuss in their documentary is the evangelical style of asking people if they have "a personal relationship with Jesus Christ."

Riccardo said that for Catholics the Eucharist is an intensely personal experience of Jesus, even though Catholics often are put off by Protestants who use that phrase.

"Yeah, that 'personal relationship' phrase has become almost a stumbling block for us as Protestants. It becomes almost a rote saying," Andrews said. The real issue for both Catholics and Protestants is whether a person's faith is a vital part of daily life, he said.

Last week, as they prepared for the "Da Vinci" event, the pastors met again to reflect on what they've learned.

Deep disagreements remain between Christian denominations, Andrews said, but, "I think any Protestant who really listens to what Father Riccardo is saying will see that he's got what I'd call a strong heart for Jesus."

Riccardo said, "And I think that our talks are clearing away a lot of the old cobwebs in the space between us. It's important just to acknowledge that our people are brothers and sisters in Christ."

The truth is that, even before the two pastors met, they were aware that at least a handful of members in each congregation attend both churches.

"Those people who are going back and forth already understand that Christians shouldn't be ripping each other apart," Andrews said. Then he turned to the priest and said, "John, we both know that we're not going to be fighting each other in heaven. That's why it just doesn't make sense to be fighting down here."