Anglican-Old Catholic International Coordinating Council meeting

Břevnov Monastery

The Anglican-Old Catholic International Coordinating Council has recently concluded its meetings, which were held at the Břevnov Monastery in Prague. This was the final meeting of the Council's present mandate and much of the work was focussed on preparing the final report to the Anglican Consultative Council and the (Old Catholic) International Bishops' Conference. The AOCICC is the official instrument serving the communion between Old Catholic Churches of the Union of Utrecht and the Churches of the Anglican Communion which was brought about in 1931 through the Bonn Agreement.

At the closing Mass in the Old Catholic Cathedral (in sub-zero temperature), Mrs Jennifer Knudsen, a member of the Council from the Chaplaincy of St Boniface Bonn with All Saints Cologne, and a Reader in Training in this diocese, read a lesson. 

Jennifer Knudsen

Of course, being Prague, the monastery produces its own beer!

Below is the official communiqué:

____________________________________________________________________________

The Anglican–Old Catholic International Coordinating Council

Internationaler Anglikanisch/Altkatholischer Koordinierungsrat

(AOCICC)

Communiqué 2019

AOCICC with Cardinal Duka and Bishopp Malý

Prague, 19 January 2019


The Anglican–Old Catholic International Coordinating Council (AOCICC) met in the central European capital city of Prague, Czech Republic, from 16 to 19 January 2019. The meeting was hosted by the Union of Utrecht. This was the seventh and final meeting of the Council under its current mandate (2013–2019).


The work of this meeting centred on:

• finalising the Report of the Anglican–Old Catholic International Coordinating Council 2013–2019 to the Anglican Consultative Council and the International Bishops’ Conference;
• the importance of and progress made in Safeguarding in both Communions;
• formulating recommendations for the next mandate of the AOCICC.

The Council was invited to the Archbishop’s Palace for a meeting with Cardinal Dominik Duka OP, Archbishop of Prague, and Auxiliary Bishop Václav Malý. The members were grateful for the opportunity to learn about the challenges facing the Czech Churches throughout the 20th century and to the present day. Worshipping together has always been integral to the life of the Council. Alongside the (Anglican and Old Catholic) Daily Office the Council celebrated the Eucharist in the Old Catholic tradition at the Old Catholic Cathedral of St Lawrence in Prague, at the invitation of the Dean the Revd ThDr. Petr Jan Vinš. The Council thanks him, his bishop, the Rt Revd PhDr Pavel Benedikt Stránský, and the Bishop’s Office for organising and hosting the meeting.

For further information, please contact the Revd Neil Vigers (neil.vigers@anglicancommunion.org) or the Revd Lars Simpson (lars.simpson@christkath-zuerich.ch).

Websites: www.utrechterunion.org and www.anglicancommunion.org



Members of the Council:


Anglicans


The Right Revd Michael Burrows, Co-Chair
The Revd Jennifer Adams-Massmann (not present)
The Right Revd David Hamid
Ms Jennifer Knudsen
The Revd Tony Litwinski
The Revd Canon Dr John Gibaut, Anglican Communion Office (not present)
The Revd Neil Vigers, Co-Secretary, Anglican Communion Office
Ms Lucy Cowpland, Administrator for Communications & Unity, Faith, and Order, Anglican Communion Office


Old Catholics


The Right Revd Dr Dirk Jan Schoon, Co-Chair
The Revd Professor Dr Angela Berlis
The Revd ThDr. Petr Jan Vinš
The Revd Lars Simpson, Co-Secretary