Eurobishop

During the Great Vigil of Easter, undaunted by the sub-zero temperatures (but blankets were provided for those who wished), the congregation of St Peter and St Sigfrid's Church in Stockholm gathered outside the Church for the lighting of the new fire, and then processed in to the warm Church behind the paschal candle held high by the Chaplain, the Revd Nick Howe. 11 candidates were confirmed during the service. Christ is risen!   Posted with Blogsy

19 clergy and readers from Italy, Malta, Monaco and Switzerland came to St Mark's, Florence, for a Chrism Mass on Tuesday. During the celebration the ordination vows of the deacons, priests and bishop were reaffirmed, together with the promises made by Readers, and the oils used by the Church throughout the coming year were blessed. The sermon was preached by the Revd Canon Simon Godfrey, Chancellor of St Paul's Pro-Cathedral in Malta. Fr Simon drew on some images from the Holy Week poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins to remind the sacred ministers of what is at the heart of their calling. The service was marked by a deep unity and communion among the clergy. Priests from the US Episcopal Church serving in Italy were present, as were priests from the Old Catholic tradition. (The Archdeacon of Italy and Malta, the Venerable Jonathan Boardman is working with the small Old Catholic communities in Florence and in Rome / Perugia which were once under the Old Catholic Bishop of Swit...

One might argue that the Church of England congregation in Biarritz has a history that is one of the longest of our communities on the continent of Europe.  That is, if one includes the centuries prior to the reformation when services were taken for English troops by English priests at nearby Bayonne. This region of SW France became part of the Kingdom of England following the marriage of Henry II to Eleanor of Aquitaine. Bayonne itself remained in English hands from 1152 until 1451. The coat of arms of England can still be seen in the Cathedral in Bayonne. In more modern times Church of England services were restablished in Bayonne in 1853 and later transferred to Biarritz in 1854 where they have remained ever since. A first church building ended up being too small, and in 1878 a large Church, St Andrew's, with seating for 630 people was dedicated by the then Bishop of London. St Andrew's had many famous visitors over the years including Queen Victoria. After WWII t...

Some of the Orthodox guests at the Old Palace in Canterbury Over 120 official representatives came from other faiths, other Churches and Churches in Communion with the Church of England to attend the inauguration of the ministry of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. One of the largest groups of ecumenical guests were 16 Metropolitans and Bishops representing the Orthodox Churches. I was the Bishop-Host for the Orthodox for the three days of their stay in Canterbury. I was ably assisted by 4 of our own diocesan clergy who are the Archbishop of Canterbury's Apokrisiarioi (personal representatives) to the Churches in Greece, Russia, Romania and Serbia, Frs Malcolm Bradshaw, Simon Stephens, Patrick Irwin and Robin Fox. So this Diocese in Europe was key to the ecumenical hospitality offered by the Church of England on this historic occasion. The ecumenical guests had an opportunity to greet the new Archbishop personally on Friday morning at the Old Palace. Metropolit...

Last Tuesday I had the privilege of being invited to the Inauguration of the Petrine Ministry of the Bishop of Rome, Pope Francis, as the Anglican Co-Chairman of IARCCUM, the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission. The Anglican delegation was headed by the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, who represented the Archbishop of Canterbury. Significantly, for the first time in over 1000 years, the Patriarch of Constantinople attended the inauguration in person. The Roman Catholic Church is very hospitable to her ecumenical guests, and we were seated close to the altar in St Peter's Square. I was struck by the simple dignity of the ceremony. Pope Francis was vested in a very plain chasuble and mitre which he used regularly in Buenos Aires. I couldn't help but notice the contrast to the vestments of the cardinals. He was given the two symbols of his office. The first was the Papal Pallium, a band of cloth with red crosses worn over the...

Bishop Geoffrey, the Bishop of Gibraltar in Europe, announced today that he will retire and leave office on 8 November 2013. He will bid farewell to the diocese formally at the Friends of the Diocese service on 23 October in London, and later on 1 November, All Saints Day, in the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Gibraltar. Bishop Geoffrey's full retirement announcement can be read   here .  We wish Bishop Geoffrey well as he prepares for his final months in office.  The diocese will soon be entering a time of transition. The Diocesan Secretary, Mr Adrian Mumford, has indicated that the process for finding a new Bishop of Gibraltar in Europe is quite similar to that in English diocese  The Archbishop's Secretary for Appointments, Caroline Boddington, guides the process. As it is not a Crown Appointment the final decision is made, not by the Prime Minister's Office, but by three bishops who act jointly: the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bishop of London ...

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Archbishop Justin Welby, has offered his warmest welcome to Pope Francis on his election. The Archbishop's full statement reads: “We wish Pope Francis every blessing in the enormous responsibilities that he has assumed on behalf of Roman Catholics around the world. His election is also of great significance to Christians everywhere, not least among Anglicans. We have long since recognized—and often reaffirmed—that our churches hold a special place for one another. I look forward to meeting Pope Francis, and to walking and working together to build on the consistent legacy of our predecessors. May the love of Christ unite us, and intensify our service in a genuine and fruitful ecumenism that can be a blessing for the Body of Christ throughout the world. Pope Francis is well known as a compassionate pastor of real stature who has served the poor in Latin America, and whose simplicity and holiness of life is remarkable. He is an evange...

Christ Church, the historic Anglican congregation in Lille, quite apart from its own considerable parish programme, offers hospitality to a growing community of Old Catholics in the Nord region of France. France is not one of the traditional homelands of Old Catholicism (unlike the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the Czech Republic) and the isolated communities, such as the one which meets in Lille, come under the oversight of the Archbishop of Utrecht Joris Vercammen. The Old Catholics in France value very highly their communion with Anglicans. The Revd Canon Debbie Flach gives her support to Père René Varenne and his faithful, who gather in Christ Church Lille once a month for a Eucharist (in French). The average congregation is about 120 people. During my recent visit to Christ Church, I was invited to preside at the Old Catholic Mass and to speak about the relation of full communion which exists between the Old Catholic Churches of the Union of Utrecht a...

On Thursday 7 March over 80 personal assistants and secretaries of bishops of the Church of England gathered at Lambeth Palace for a development day. I was invited, along with one of my brother bishops, Alan Winton of Thetford, to be a speaker and a participant in what was termed a "grill-a-bishop" session. Someone did a calculation: in the Great Hall at Lambeth Palace there was a total of 439 years of experience in being an assistant to a bishop. Not surprising that the discussion and questions were lively and stimulating. The collective wisdom of these servants of the Church was only matched by their enormous patience in working for very difficult people. The grilling was not too hot! We were joined by Mr Ben Yallop who is the Private Secretary to the President of the Queen's Bench Division. There were remarkable parallels between his job of supporting one of the most senior judges in England and Wales and that of a bishop's assistant or secretary. And not...

Ecumenical cooperation continues to grow in Greece between Orthodox and Anglicans. Recently, 'Apostoli', the administrative centre for the Greek Orthodox Church, approached the Anglican Chaplaincy in Athens and enquired as to whether it would be able to provide free English lessons for Greek children of families on very low incomes. Some of the children have received lessons at language schools but loss in family income because of the economic crisis has meant that they had to be withdrawn. Volunteers from the Anglican Church of St Paul offered assistance - one a trained teacher. On Wednesday 5 March the first lesson was given as pictured above. Lessons are provided twice weekly at the administrative centre. This is one of several projects in Athens where the Orthodox Church and the Anglican Church are working together, particularly during this time of economic hardship in Greece.