Eurobishop

Last weekend in London, 19 persons from across the Diocese gathered with the Revd Canon William Gulliford, the Diocesan Director of Ordinands, as part of an initial enquiry into possible vocation to Holy Orders in the Church of England. Fr William brought together a team of vocations advisors, as well as other former ordinands of the Diocese, to assist him in guiding the enquirers through this weekend of exploration. The enthusiastic group of enquirers came from Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Turkey, Poland and Italy. Many come from non-Anglican backgrounds, and one of the key questions explored in the weekend was "What has brought me to this point and why am I an Anglican?" Fr William and his team led them through discussions that help to prepare them for the Church's rigorous discernment process. It is a healthy sign that so many in our Diocese are interested in the Sacred Ministry.

An Iraqi family who managed to make the journey safely to Samos.  This report of yet another tragedy off the coast of Greece has just reached me from Max McClellan who is working with the Diocese and with United Society (formerly USPG) in Greece.  This morning 26 Kurdish refugees from Iraq were confirmed to have drowned off the coast of Samos Island in Greece on 28 January as they attempted to cross to Europe from Turkey. 10 of the dead were children; five boys and five girls.  Despite the winter weather and dangerous seas refugees continue to arrive on Greek islands in their thousands. Over 200 people have drowned crossing from Turkey since the beginning of the year. The Anglican Chaplaincy in Greece, with the support of the Diocese in Europe and United Society continue to support a Greek medical organisation “Medical Intervention” on Samos Island. For those who arrive safely by boat to Samos many need medical treatment and Medical Intervention is there to prov...

I have just returned from Marrakesh where I witnessed a momentous gathering. The inspired vision of His Majesty, King Muhammad VI of Morocco, has borne fruit. Under his high patronage, the scholars, muftis, academics and government ministers from Muslim countries around the world have agreed a significant statement, entitled The Marrakesh Declaration . The Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs of the Kingdom of Morocco and the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies based in the UAE, jointly organised the conference, which after 3 days of intense work and exchange of ideas, histories, theological, legal and textual information, has resulted in this remarkable and historic agreement. In recent years the world has seen brutal atrocities inflicted upon religious minorities in predominantly Muslim countries. Many members of minority groups have been victims of murder, enslavement, forced exile, intimidation, starvation, and other affronts to their basic human dignity. The...

  Over 300 Muslim scholars and government representatives from Muslim states are gathering in Marrakesh for a conference on religious minorities in Muslim lands. Some representatives of other faith groups have also been invited, including our Priest-in-Charge of St John's Casablanca, the Revd Canon Dr Medhat Sabry, and myself. The meeting is at the invitation of and is hosted by the Kingdom of Morocco. The matter under discussion is an important one, and commentators have noted that this might be the first time in 1400 years that such an international group has gathered to address it: the thesis that protection of religious minorities is itself deeply rooted in and required by traditional Islamic law. For Christians living in countries such as Pakistan, Syria and Iran this is a vital issue. It is also of importance to other communities such as Yazidis in Iraq or Jews in Yemen. The meeting gets underway tomorrow, 25 January and runs through until Wednesday 27th. The opening keynote...

Max McClellan On 18 - 19 January in Geneva a high-level conference sponsored jointly by the UN and the World Council of Churches (WCC) was held. I sent Mr Max McClellan to represent this diocese. Max has been seconded by Us, (formerly USPG), the mission agency which is partnering with our diocese and offering assistance and advice to our ecumenical efforts in Greece to address refugee concerns. Photo: WCC The conference was an opportunity for the various agencies, organizations and actors, bringing together different humanitarian policy areas on migration and refugee flows, to discern common actions needed to address the refugee crisis. Max reports that there were 36 presentations at the 2 day conference. The presence of the German Minister for the Interior gave the meeting a significant governmental profile. There was strong attendance from UN organizations, particularly UNHCR and UNICEF. Church representation came from countries of origin and first asylum (Middle East Cou...

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...

Primates at Evensong in Canterbury. Photo: Canterbury Cathedral The communiqué and reports from the Primates’ Meeting held in Canterbury last week have been received across the Anglican world in different ways. Some are relieved that there has been no “fundamental departure from the faith and teaching held by the majority of our Provinces on the doctrine of marriage”. Others are deeply disappointed and many, including members of the LGBT community in the Church, are deeply hurt that the Episcopal Church USA has been required by the Primates to remove itself from decision making and representative roles in the Communion for three years, as a consequence of its recent change to permit same-sex marriage. It was my chaplain Deacon Frances Hiller who first remarked “the Diocese in Europe is like the Anglican Communion in miniature”; our 300 congregations are scattered over 1/6 of the earth’s land surface, in 44 of the 165 countries of the Anglican Communion. Our people are not just “B...

Photo: Paul Jeffery, WCC Next Monday and Tuesday in Geneva, some 80 leaders of governments, UN agencies, faith-related as well as non-religious civil society organizations from countries affected by the current refugee crisis in Europe, Middle East, and Africa will meet at a conference hosted by the World Council of Churches (WCC) in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Fund for Population (UNFPA), and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)  to discern how they can proactively influence and shape coordinated collective practical responses. I was invited to participate in this event, but due to previous commitments in Tangier, I am unable to attend. The General Secretary of the WCC, the Revd Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, encouraged me to send a representative. I am pleased to say that our diocese will be represented by Mr Max McClellan, who has been seconded by our partner mission agency Us (formerly USPG) to work with our church in Greece, serving th...

Some marvellous news was received today from the Revd Stephen Murray, the priest-in-charge of St John's Ghent and St George's, Knokke. The congregation in Ghent will, from this coming Sunday, worship at Sint-Elisabeth Church in the Old Beguinage. The Roman Catholic parish which worshipped there officially closed on 20 December 2015 and by agreement the Anglican congregation will become the sole occupant and user of this venerable and listed building. To mark this historic occasion, this Sunday's service will be a joint liturgy of Morning Prayer with representatives of the previous Roman Catholic congregation. The first Anglican Eucharist in this new home for the congregation will be on 24 January. The chapel formerly used by the Anglicans was getting too small for the numbers attending public worship and there was no proper Sunday School facilities. This spacious church will be a fitting spiritual home for the vibrant multi-cultural, growing congregation. Fr Ste...