Eurobishop

The following news was released yesterday, 26 December, a wonderful gift from Her Majesty to Archbishop Rowan: The Queen has been pleased to confer a Peerage of the United Kingdom for Life on the Most Reverend and Right Honourable Dr Rowan Williams Lord Archbishop of Canterbury upon his retirement from the See of Canterbury. Rowan Williams will be created a Baron for Life by the style and title of Baron Williams of Oystermouth in the City and County of Swansea.

Carol Services have been in full swing across the Diocese. The traditional format of lessons and carols is a unique English tradition at this time of year, and proves to be very popular not only with English-speaking expatriates on the Continent, but also with our ecumenical partners and friends. Recently in the Anglican Congregation in Caen in Normandy, about 150 people filled the Chapel of the Sisters of La  Miséricorde where our normal Sunday service are held. Several clergy who celebrate the eucharist there regularly for our Anglican congregation, Fr Matthew Harrison (St George’s Paris) and Frs John Hughes and Robert Lloyd-Richards, joined in the service, as well as Fr Pavy who represented the Roman Catholic Bishop of Caen, Mgr Jean-Claude Boulanger, and the RC chaplain of the community of the Sisters of La Miséricorde . The excellent music for the service was provided by the choir of St George's Paris. Choir of St George's Paris in Caen The website for t

Vicar General Ren é Giuliano (left) and Archbishop Bernard Barsi (right) 2012 has been a year to celebrate with our Roman Catholic partners the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council. I myself have been kept busy giving papers at ecumenical events in France and Spain throughout the year, presenting an Anglican perspective on the ecumenical significance of the Council.  From 30th November to 1 December, Monaco also hosted an Ecumenical Colloquium "Vatican II: A Council for the World". I was asked to participate in an ecumenical round table at the event, which was hosted by the Archbishop of Monaco, Mgr Bernard Barsi.

WCC / CEC Solidarity Delegation to Athens On 19th and 20th November, there was an official solidarity visit by a high level delegation from the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Conference of European Churches (CEC) to Athens. Our Anglican Chaplain in Athens, the Revd Canon Malcolm Bradshaw was part of the local team of Church leaders who were on hand to greet the delegation and to explain what was happening in Greece.  The international delegation was headed by the Revd Dr Olav  Fykse Tveit General Secretary of the WCC and the CEC General Secretary the Revd Dr Guy Liagre and also included Dame Dr Mary Tanner from the Church of England, and a WCC President.  Church in the Street Programme: Fr Malcolm Bradshaw (grey shirt), Dr Olav Fykse Tveit to his right, Dame Mary Tanner to his left. The delegation visited the ‘Church in the Street’ programme in Athens.Bishop Gabriel Papanicolaou of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese invited Fr Malcolm to explain to the delegation the

Archdeacon LLoyd with Bishop Lise-Lotte The Bishop of Helsingør, the Rt Revd Lise-Lotte Rebel was the ecumenical guest at the Service of Nine Lessons and Carols recently held at St Alban's Copenhagen and gave the blessing at the end of the service. St Alban's has an historic link with Helsingør as the first English congregation in Denmark started in 1793 in that town. Bishop Lise-Lotte was the first woman bishop in the Lutheran Church of Denmark, and has served as a bishop since 1995. While the Church of England is still seeking to find a suitable measure to enable the consecration of women as bishops, it should not be forgotten that many Church of England congregations in the Nordic countries already have experience of life within dioceses of churches in communion, whose bishops are women. Commenting on this, Archdeacon Jonathan LLoyd, Chaplain at St Alban's and Archdeacon of Germany and Northern Europe said, "The Danish Church is taking a keen interest in t

Ecumenical activity is a central feature of our Chaplaincy of the Aquitaine, as it is, indeed, across the diocese. Anglicans in this region of France, recalling that Jesus prayed for his disciples to be one (John 17:11), make working good relationships with Christians of other denominations a matter of priority. The chaplain of Aquitaine, the Revd Paul Vrolijk, (at the lectern above) reported recently on just some of the ecumenical encounters of the last 2 months: an October 11 meeting with Roman Catholic and Protestant clergy, followed by a Eucharist in Agen Cathedral to mark the 50th anniversary of Vatican II  an ecumenical service in Ste Foy la Grande with Roman Catholic and Protestant clergy for the regional meeting of ACAT,  Action des Chrétiens pour l'Abolition de la Torture  (photo above)  A service on 21 November when Anglicans were able to welcome Mgr Hubert Herbreteau, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Agen in Dondas (photo below).  Anglicans in the Aquitaine ar

Looking for ideas for Christmas? Here are eight new works which would be welcome stocking stuffers, or some meaty reading for the post Christmas break! God læselyst! For the reviews, click the  read more  button.

Parish Reader Frank Megginson and Fr Walter Raymond assist at the Confirmation  "God has called you by name and made you his own" . These profound words spoken to each candidate just before  the anointing and laying on of hands in the Apostolic Rite of Confirmation, remind each person of God's love and care for them.  At a recent service of Confirmation in St Paul's Monaco thirteen candidates were confirmed, including two from nearby parishes of St Raphael and Menton. I was assisted by the Chaplain of St Paul's, the Revd Walter Raymond OGS, and one of the Parish Readers, Mr Frank Megginson. At the end of the service of Confirmation each candidate receives a lit candle which they carry out with them into the world to signify their role as members of the Church to bear Christ's light to all they meet. St Paul's has a very active and attractive website here . (Photos courtesy of St Paul's Church). 

Canon Adrian Mumford, Diocesan Secretary, with Bishop Griselda Delgado of Cuba  At least a couple of times on each parish visit people ask where I am based and I say, "in that great European capital city called London!" Some are surprised to learn that the bishops of this diocese do not live in Gibraltar. (Bishop Geoffrey lives in Sussex). There are a number of reasons why I keep my office in London. For one, it is by far the best transportation hub in Europe. But another vitally important reason which may not be well known is this: my office and the adjoining Diocesan Office host a large number of visitors each week. Some just want to say hello; some want to find out about the Diocese; some want to have some conversations about matters of mutual interest. Very often archbishops and bishops, ecumenical partners, diplomats and other international visitors, perhaps on their way to or return from Lambeth Palace (5 minutes away) or to Church House add on a visit to the Dioc

Volunteers from St Paul's Church Monaco Kermesse , an initiative by a former Chaplain of St Paul's Monaco in 1970 has now grown to be one of the key charity events each year in the Principality. Other founding members 42 years ago were the British Association of Monaco and the St Vincent de Paul Society. Kermesse is held just before Advent and is a large gathering now coordinated by Anglican, Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and Reformed Churches of Monaco, along with the British Association, bringing together hundreds of volunteer workers. The lively and popular event is a combination of Christmas bazaar, jumble sale, international food court and ecumenical fellowship gathering. This year's Kermesse held on Saturday 1 December raised over €66,000 for the Churches' charities. St Paul's Monaco continues to play a major role and our own parish volunteers are very much in evidence. In the photo below, the Pasteur of the Eglise  Reformée  (left) meets with Fr Wal

The 2012 Partnership for World Mission Conference was held from 5 – 7 November in Swanwick. Diocesan Link Officers from across the Church of England came together with representatives of Mission Agencies for three days of worship, discussion and sharing. The context for the conference was the publication of World-Shaped Mission, the report from the World Mission and Anglican Communion Panel which was debated and passed by General Synod in July 2012. World-Shaped Mission advocates the need for deeper mutuality in our world church relationships through understanding mission as hospitality, and for a deepening awareness of our identity in the Body of Christ which crosses cultures and human boundaries. There were three keynote speakers from the global Church: The Revd Canon Grace Kaiso, General Secretary of the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa Revd Dr Evie Vernon, Director of the Selly Oak Centre for Mission Studies Revd Dr Peniel Rajkumar, Tutor at the United T

On the Feast of Christ the King, 25 November, the 400 th Anniversary celebrations of St Thomas Becket Church in Hamburg drew to a festive conclusion. There were several confirmations as well as a baptism and a reception into the Church of England – an exciting way to mark the entrance into the next 400 years of life of this vibrant parish, as these new committed disciples carried the light of Christ into the world, symbolising the call of the whole people of the parish to bear witness to Christ’s love in Hamburg. The Archdeacon of Germany and Northern Europe, the Venerable Jonathan LLoyd, joined St Thomas's own chaplain, the Revd Matthew Jones to help celebrate this significant milestone.   As the eucharist ended I commissioned the parishioners with their new “mission statement” which the congregation had prepared as a description of their parish and as a guide for their life together in the future: “A welcoming, active and inclusive church, growing in our relationship

Archbishop Rowan Williams and the Governors of the Anglican Centre in Rome last night announced their appointment of the Most Reverend David Moxon as the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Representative to the Holy See and Director of the Anglican Centre in Rome.  Archbishop David Moxon is currently the Bishop of Waikato, Senior Bishop of the New Zealand Dioceses, and an Archbishop of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa , New Zealand and Polynesia .  He succeeds the Very Revd Canon David Richardson , previously Dean of Melbourne and of Adelaide ( Australia ). Canon Richardson will retire at Easter, and Archbishop Moxon will take up his appointment in the early summer.  He will remain co-chairman of ARCIC, the Anglican –Roman Catholic International Commission. He is married to Tureiti. They have four adult children. Archbishop Rowan Williams in congratulating Archbishop David on his appointment said: “I am personally delighted that Archbishop David Moxon has agreed to take up

The Revds Tom Barnfather and Knut Kaldestad The Porvoo and Meissen ecumenical agreements are alive and well across our diocese. One example of our close cooperation is on the island of Lanzarote where our own priest, Fr Tom Barnfather, and the priest of the Norwegian Church and the pastors of German Protestant Church meet regularly for prayer, mutual support, consultation and fellowship. The Porvoo Agreement brings the Anglican Churches of Britain and Ireland into communion with the Nordic and Baltic Lutheran Churches (except in Latvia) and the Meissen Agreement permits mutual Eucharistic hospitality between the Church of England and the EKD, (German Protestant Church) . On a recent pastoral visit to Lanzarote I was able to have some conversation with the Norwegian and German pastors who told me about their own ministry, which is quite similar to the work of our priests in Spain.  Like the Church of England in Europe, the Norwegian and German churches provide spiritual ho

The Diocesan Advent Appeal 2012 is to support two areas within our diocese helping refugees.  Syrian Refugees in Turkey Turkey: Syrian refugees This tragedy is a result of the civil war and violence in Syria. Caritas Turkey and the Jesuit Refugee Service are both helping support the refugees with food coupons, hygiene items, medical assistance, blankets and other items to survive the winter. The Syrian refugees out of the camps are not able to enter the state's assistance system and most of the time are left on their own. As they are foreigners with no work permit they have a difficulty to make their own living. Their psychological trauma increases with a situation of uncertainty about official procedures. It is important for them to feel the support from international community as much as possible in these days of displacement due to the violence in their homeland. This project was recommended by the Church of the Resurrection, Istanbul, our Turkish-speaking congregati

Even while emotions and reactions were very raw following the failure of the women bishops' measure in General Synod, our own members of General Synod were able to enjoy a more relaxed and joyful moment in the Diocesan Office on 21 November when we celebrated Deacon Frances Hiller's 10th anniversary as my chaplain. In the photo above, the General Synod members the Revd Canon Dr Gary Wilton and the Revd Canon Debbie Flach congratulate Frances (on the right, purple socks!) for managing to tolerate working for me for a decade. Frances is not only a vital support for my ministry, but is a key contact, friend and advisor to so many of our clergy, readers and lay officials across the diocese.

The Revd Mary Styles (All Saints Rome) and the Revd Maurice Ryan (St Mary's Didim) “Breaking Open the Word of God – Preaching in Today’s Church” was the title of a recent residential session of our diocesan post-ordination training programme (or IME 4-7 as is the official title) for clergy recently ordained and  recently received into the communion of the Church of England.  This particular session was held from 16 - 19 November at George Bell House in Chichester and focussed on the art of preaching and provided an opportunity to deepen knowledge of the principles of homiletics and to develop further preaching skills.  In the course of the four days the programme dealt with different aspects of preaching. I gave a lecture on the principles of Anglican homiletics today, entitled  “Godly, wholesome and necessary for these times". Deacon Frances Hiller led a session on  “Preaching and Personality”. Canon William Gulliford led the curates in an  exploration of  “Rhetoric –

On Thursday, 22 November, in the Ermita Corazón de Maria in Dénia, the Anglican Parish of The Holy Spirit, Costa Blanca, had a joyful double celebration: The Revd John Richardson was licensed as Chaplain-Team Vicar, and the Senior Chaplain, the Revd Peter Edwards was collated as a Canon of the diocese. Fr Richardson (left) arrives in the diocese from the Parish of the Risen Lord in Preston, Lancashire. Canon Edwards (right) will have the stall of St James in Holy Trinity Cathedral in Gibraltar. The Area Dean, the Revd Hugh Broad (centre), presided at the liturgy, with over 80 people In attendance, including a number of ecumenical guests.

Following on the failure of the proposed legislation to enable the consecration of women as bishops to gain necessary approval in the final consideration vote in the General Synod, Bishop Geoffrey and I have sent the following letter to the women clergy of our diocese:  21 November 2012 To the women clergy of the Diocese in Europe     Dear Sisters As a result of the vote in the General Synod yesterday, there is deep sadness and disappointment felt by so many in our Church, and bewilderment in the world we are called to serve. For both of us, yesterday’s pattern of voting raises questions about the processes of the General Synod in considering this kind of legislation. We know from the results of the diocesan synods across the Church, including our own, that the Church of England does want women bishops. The size of the majority which voted in favour of the legislation at the General Synod yesterday confirmed this. However, as we know, the hurdle to attain 2/3 of the votes in each house

There are four congregations in the Anglican parish of St Laurence Lanzarote. Earlier this year the parishioners welcomed their new priest-in-charge, the Revd Tom Barnfather. Already the fruit of Fr Tom's ministry is being experienced as confirmations were celebrated on Sunday 11 November. A significant part of the confirmation rite is when the candidates gather at the baptismal font to renew, along with the members of the congregation, their vows of baptism. The candidates then cross themselves with the baptismal water to remind themselves of that moment they were joined to Christ in baptism. The Reader in Lanzarote, David Dowdell (blue scarf) assists me at the font in the Church of Our Lady of Carmen, in Puerto del Carmen, one of the local Roman Catholic Churches in Lanzarote which we use for our services. At the Sunday morning service, I also admitted Fr Tom Barnfather as a member of the Mothers' Union (yes, men can join!) and welcomed his wife Rosie who transferred her memb

Bishop David, Bishop Francesc, the Revd Anne Jenkins, Mr John Copestake The Diocese of Girona in which our new Anglican Parish of Costa Brava is situated takes its ecumenical vocation most seriously. The Bishop of Girona, Mons. Francesc Pardo i Artigas, has an active ecumenical officer, Father Joan Busquets, who states clearly that the divisions among Christians must be overcome as they are 1) contrary to the will of the Lord, 2) a scandal to the world, and 3) cause of difficulty in our work of evangelization in these secular times. In this ecumenical spirit, on 27 October Bishop Francesc hosted a fruitful meeting with our new priest-in-charge of Costa Brava, the Revd Anne Jenkins, the parish Reader Mr John Copestake, Fr Joan and myself,  at his Episcopal Residence. John has built very fruitful ecumenical inks in Costa Brava and the Bishop was keen to meet our priest Anne who is the first resident Anglican priest in the area. It was a very warm and engaging meeting. Bisho

Today Downing Street announced formally what the press had already been proclaiming for a couple of days, that the Queen has approved the nomination of the Right Revd Justin Welby, the Bishop of Durham, as the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury. I am very pleased to hear of this appointment. It is excellent news for this Diocese in Europe as Bishop Justin already knows us rather well. Before his ordination he lived and worked in Paris and was an active member of the Council of St Michael's Church there. He retains a keen interest in French culture and life. Archbishop Elect Justin Welby at Gibraltar Synod 2011 More recently, in 2011 while he was still Dean of Liverpool, he was a keynote speaker at the Synod of the Archdeaconry of Gibraltar and led reflections on " Growing Together: Conflict and Growth" which were very well received, and showed a deep wisdom in matters to do with congregational life and conflict in communities. Many delegates to the synod sp

The 15th meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC-15) has been in session in Auckland New Zealand from 27 October until 7 November. Each member Province/Church of the Communion has from 1 to 3 members on the ACC, depending on the population of the Church. In addition to the 3 members representing the Church of England, the Diocese in Europe has, for the first time, a co-opted member to represent the Europe region. That member is the Revd Canon Ulla Monberg, our Director of Training. The Anglican Communion Office  points out that Anglicans are present in over 165 countries of the world. But 45 of those countries are in our own Diocese in Europe, where our over 300 congregations serve Anglicans and other Christians from Iceland to Russia. So it is very good news for the Diocese that we have our own representation, thus giving a profile to our life and ministry in this international instrument of the Anglican Communion.   Canon Monberg has been busy at the meeting, whic

On Sunday 4 November the Dean of Gibraltar, the Very Revd Dr John Paddock installed the Reverend Canon Professor Robin Gill as Canon Theologian of the Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe, in the Stall of John Keble in Holy Trinity Cathedral. Canon Gill (photo above, signing the declaration to accompany his installation) was the Michael Ramsey Professor of Modern Theology at the University of Kent for 20 years. In 2011 he assumed the position of Professor of Applied Theology at the University. He has served on advisory groups on both theology and medical ethics for the Archbishop of Canterbury. I first had the privilege of meeting Canon Gill when he was theological consultant to the bishops at the Lambeth Conference 1998. I was on the staff of the Anglican Communion at that time. There are now two Canon Theologians of the Diocese. Canon Gill joins the Revd Canon Dr Jack McDonald, the Priest-in-Charge of Saints Mary and Martha, Leuven, Belgium.

Last week I presided at the first confirmation service in St Stephen's Madremanya, the centre of the Costa Brava Anglican parish. This relatively new parish in the diocese also hosted some candidates from St George's Barcelona. who came with their priest, the Revd Andrew Tweedy. The priest-in-charge of Costa Brava, the Revd Anne Jenkins, was only licensed a month ago, and is hoping for a "normal" Sunday soon! Among the candidates from Barcelona was Lydia Lau whose parents, the Revd Drs Timothy and Theresa Lau, are both priests from the Diocese of Melbourne Australia, and both teachers at the International Chinese Biblical Seminary in Europe, which is located in Barcelona. Dr Timothy Lau is in fact the Principal of the Seminary. Many of the Chinese Christian community came to support Lydia.  Its hard to get more international than that: an Australian priest from a Chinese seminary at a Church of England confirmation service in an ancient parish Church in

The Revd Dr Juris Calitis (above left) , our priest at St Saviour's Anglican Church, Riga, has completed a long, special and historic task. As a theologian at the University of Latvia he coordinated an academic team of 22 theologians and translators over the last 17 years to prepare a new translation of The Holy Bible in the Latvian language. Working from the original Greek and Aramaic, the scholars have produced the first such translation in modern Latvian.  The last Latvian Bible was translated over 300 years ago. The new translation was launched at an ecumenical service on 13 October at Riga Cathedral, and all 3000 copies sold on the first day of publication. Archdeacon Jonathan LLoyd (above right) was at St Saviour's Church Riga last month to congratulate Dr Calitis on behalf of The Diocese. The Archdeacon said, "This is an incredible task and Dr Calitis and his colleagues are to be warmly congratulated on such a major achievement. The new Bible in modern L