Eurobishop

Chancellor David Wright (on the right) On Sunday 24 September, the Revd Prebendary David Wright became the Chancellor of St Paul’s Pro Cathedral in Valletta, Malta, and Chaplain of the Anglican Church in Malta and Gozo. The Cathedral was packed as parishioners gathered to welcome their new priest. It was a joyful ecumenical occasion with significant Roman Catholic presence at the service, including His Grace Charles Scicluna, the Archbishop of Malta.  Archbishop Scicluna giving the blessing at the end of the installation mass The President of the Republic, and High Commissioners and Ambassadors from the UK, Australia, and Ireland were also present, underlining the significant role of the Pro Cathedral and the Chancellor’s ministry in Malta, even though Anglicans are a minority. 

Good Friday at St Paul's The Diocese in Europe is blessed with three cathedrals:  The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Gibraltar, Holy Trinity Pro-Cathedral in Brussels, and St Paul's Pro-Cathedral in Valletta, Malta. It was a joy to be at one of them, St Paul's, for the sacred Triduum, leading the congregation through the mystery of the passion of Our Lord, and then sharing in their festive mass of the Resurrection on Easter Day at which parishioners also attended from the daughter congregation of Our Lady and St George, on the island of Gozo.  St Paul's is the southernmost cathedral in the Church of England, with its spire (now under renovation) an iconic feature of the skyline of this Mediterranean island. Fund-raising continues for the spire restoration. Donations can be made here: https://www.stpaulspromalta.org/restoration/donate/  

St George's Madrid The Chrism Mass is a key moment each year when the unity of those engaged in public ministry is manifested and renewed, and when the sacred oils of baptism, the sick and chrism are blessed for distribution across the diocese.  St James the Apostle refers to anointing the sick with oil, and the prayer of blessing asks that the Lord may free those anointed from pain and illness and made well again in body, mind and soul.  In blessing the oil of the catechumens we pray that those anointed in preparation for their baptism will be given a deeper understanding of the gospel and strength for the challenge of Christian living.  The sacred chrism, a mixture of olive oil and fragrant and aromatic essences, is blessed by the bishop and priests together, and is used after baptisms, at confirmations and ordinations, as a sign of the outpouring of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  A translation of an ancient (sixth century) hymn O Redemptor sume carmen  is sun...

  There has been a Church of England presence in Venice since 1604, when the Revd William Bedell arrived in the city as part of the embassy of Queen Elizabeth I to the Doge. Over 400 years later, St George's offers a welcome to residents and to the many visitors who come to the city. It continues to be a congregation with people from many parts of the world, with an extraordinary range of gifts and talents. On Sunday 19 February, I licensed the Very Revd Lucinda Laird as the new chaplain of St George's (with Christ Church Trieste, too.) Mother Lucinda comes to us from the US Episcopal Church where she served in many places, as well as latterly as the Dean of the American Cathedral in Paris. I believe she is the first woman to serve as our priest in Venice. We welcome her most warmly to the Church of England Diocese in Europe. It was a significant ecumenical occasion as well. Lucinda has already been personally welcomed by the Patriarch of Venice who invited her to preach in St ...

Every time I pay a pastoral visit to St Anthony Abbot Church in Padova, I come away inspired and deeply moved by the infectious and joyful faith of the community. My most recent visit in October was no exception. The priest, Fr Amos Osaromkpe, leads his people forward, following the COVID difficulties, to rebuild the life of the chaplaincy.  Lay commitment and discipleship in the parish goes from strength to strength, evidenced by many new members of the Mothers’ Union whom I admitted during the (3 1/2 hour!) Sunday liturgy. I was assisted in this very happy task of admission by Mrs Tonie Chandler, the Diocesan President of the MU.  Many young people were confirmed and committed themselves to be active followers of Our Lord. During the eucharist, as they gathered around the waters of baptism, they solemnly reminded themselves of that most important moment in their lives, when they became joined to Christ Our Saviour.  It was a blessing to be able to celebrate all this, an...

St George’s Taormina, which has to be located in one of the most dramatically beautiful settings in the diocese, celebrated the centenary of their building on 14 October. The festive eucharist on the occasion was according to the Book of Common Prayer, the rite that would have been used 100 years ago.  Taormina has been a favoured destination for British visitors since the 19th century when writers, actors, poets and film stars on the Grand Tour descended on this town, perched under Mount Etna, overlooking the Mediterranean. Visitors continue today in great numbers and swell the congregation of regulars. St George’s is thus a meeting place for so many from around the world.  Civic and ecumenical guests, as well as parishioners, visitors, clergy who have served St George’s, and neighbouring Anglicans from Palermo and Randazzo helped to fill the Church on the joyful occasion. I was assisted at the mass by the Archdeacon of Italy and Malta, David Waller. The locum priest, Fr Shaw...

It has been a while due to COVID, but this week some of the the clergy of the Italian deanery were able at long last to meet and to enjoy a meal together as colleagues. The Revd Jules Cave Bergquist is the Area Dean and convoked a clergy chapter in Rome to have some time to share together and to hear from an invited guest, Don Giuliano Savina, the Director of the National Office for Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue for the Italian Bishops' Conference. After the conviviality of the chapter, some serious work followed: the Annual General Meeting of the Association of the Church of England in Italy (ACDI), the first such assembly since the final signing of the treaty between the Church of England and the Italian Republic which grants us some significant rights in Italy. The meeting was hosted in the Anglican Centre in Rome and the clergy were joined by the lay representatives to conduct the essential business of this important body in the life of our diocese. Tribute was paid to ...

  A joyous and happy Easter from Holy Cross, Palermo. Cristo è risorto!    Христос Воскрес! For the spirit of joy and hope of Easter to fill our hearts and our lives, for peace in the world, for peace in Ukraine during this time of war, for an end to all persecution, violence and aggression, we pray to the Lord.

At the end of the Solemn Liturgy of Good Friday at Holy Cross, Palermo, Fr James Hadley, the Chaplain and I were invited to a prayer vigil for peace in Ukraine. Local clergy, civic dignitaries, carabinieri and military officials were in attendance. I was very moved to be asked, after the introductions, to lead the assembled crowd in prayer (in English) for peace.   The Good Friday procession which had been taking place for the past several hours ended up joining the vigil, which enabled special prayers to be offered to Our Lady of Sorrows to intercede for those suffering in Ukraine. It was a slightly livelier ending to Good Friday than I normally experience, but an emotional and significant one. Hear the cries of your people, O God. May peace and justice become a reality for the people of Ukraine and for all the world.       

Don Felice, assistant at Ognissanti, and Fr Rob preaching together 5 years ago, a bishop paid a visit to a parish and encouraged them in their life and mission. Not an unusual thing to happen, except it was the Bishop of Rome visiting the Church of England parish of All Saints in Rome !  At that time All Saints entered into a twinning partnership with the Roman Catholic parish of Ognissanti Appia Nuova in Rome. Together, inspired by Pope Francis’s visit and his ecumenical encouragement, the two parishes covenanted together to share the love of Christ in the city through common projects. One of these is a weekly provision of food to the homeless at Ostiense train station.  As the Anglican Co-Chairman of the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission (IARCCUM), established by the highest authorities of our two communions to translate the theological agreement and spiritual communion achieved through our dialogue into visible and practical outcomes, I...

Not only is Holy Cross Church, Palermo, one of the architectural beauties in our diocese, it is also a place of active ecumenical and interfaith engagement. Excellent relations are maintained with the Roman Catholics, Waldensians and Orthodox, as well as with representatives of Muslim and Jewish communities.  On 7 November, I believe that ecumenical history may have been made when the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Palermo, Corrado Lorefice, preached the sermon at the installation of the new Chaplain of Holy Cross, the Revd Dr James Hadley. Certainly this is a first in this diocese and in the Church of England itself it may well be unprecedented for a Roman Catholic Archbishop to take such a significant role in the installation of an Anglican parish priest!  Many other local clergy were present for the mass, including the Orthodox Archimandrite for Southern Italy, representing Metropolitan Policarpo of Italy. The depth of ecumenical commitment was further demonstrated when Monsi...