Week of Prayer in Tangier


St Andrew's Tangier hosted a service for the start of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity on Monday 18 January. Locum priest, Fr Patrick Irwin, led the service which was conducted in three languages, English, French and Spanish. Members of St Andrew's were joined by Christians from the French Protestant Church, and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tangier, including Archbishop Santiago Agrelo Martínez OFM. 

It was good opportunity to meet ecumenical colleagues in St Andrew's. I was there, along with Area Dean, Canon Dr Medhat Sabry, and Fr Simon Stephens, for other meetings that week. 


Church of England presence in Tangier can be dated back to 1661 when a garrison church was established in the city. The present building, consecrated in 1905 and built in Moorish style, is set in a tranquil garden and graveyard in the heart of the city. The congregation today includes many members from sub-Saharan countries. 

Close cooperation between St Andrew's and the Roman Catholic Church is developing, particularly with regard to care for migrants and refugees. 






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