Eurobishop

One of the long serving priests of this diocese, the Revd Canon Chad Coussmaker, has died. Fr Chad had a distinguished ministry, serving in Istanbul, Sliema, Antwerp and Moscow (where he negotiated the reopening of St Andrew's Church and vicarage after years of communist rule) In retirement he served as an honorary assistant priest in Nice and Vence and undertook several locum assignments. He is survived by his wife Jean. It is with great sadness that so many across our diocese note his death. We thank God for the blessing and inspiration he has brought to so many lives. We pray that Our Lord may reward his faithfulness, and welcome him into the Holy Presence with the Saints and Angels. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.

I am taking some annual leave beginning 8 August. Do not expect many blog posts during this time! My chaplain Deacon Frances Hiller is able to reach me if there are any urgent matters.

As part of its ecumenical vocation, the Anglican Communion engages in official ecumenical dialogues with other Christian world communions. These dialogues are mandated by the Anglican Consultative Council. The Archbishop of Canterbury as Primus Inter Pares  in the Anglican Communion and the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion seek appropriate names from around the Communion to appoint as Anglican members of each dialogue. It is a great honour that one of our own staff and a member of the Diocesan Ministry Team, Director of Reader Ministry the Revd Canon Elaine Labourel, has just been been appointed by the Secretary General in consultation with the Archbishop of Canterbury to serve on the International Reformed-Anglican Dialogue (IRAD). This recognises Elaine's own theological and ecumenical expertise..It also underlines the important part that this diocese plays in being the shop window of Anglicanism for many other Christians in Europe. Of the 165 countries where the

Christopher Gibbs, one time Churchwarden of St Andrew's Tangier, and a key lay leader in the congregation for many years has died in the city he loved just one day before his 80th birthday. He called Tangier a “chimeric place”, presumably as it seems almost like a mythical creature, pieced together from so many cultures, peoples, and influences. A perfect place for the antique collector Christopher to make his home. His funeral was today in St Andrew's and he was buried in the churchyard. Known to many as a friend of rock stars and of many of the world's rich and famous, and even having been attributed with the invention of “swinging London”, Christopher's great love in latter years was the Church of St Andrew. He adored its quiet beauty inspired by Moorish tradition, and was proud that it was a gem which the great Matisse was moved to paint. Christopher loved the people of St Andrew's and had a particular generosity of heart towards the newest parishioner