Eurobishop

Many people know of the two official instruments of the international dialogue between the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church: ARCIC, (the theological dialogue) and IARCCUM (the episcopal commission on unity and mission, of which I am privileged to serve as the Anglican Co-chairman). Additionally there are many national and regional dialogues (ARCs) and many national and regional periodic gatherings of bishops from both traditions. There is another dimension to our international dialogue which takes its inspiration from a unique initiative in the 1920s, long before Vatican II, and not long after Pope Leo XIII declared in the 1896 Bull Apostolicae Curae that Anglican Orders were "absolutely null and utterly void". I refer to the Malines Conversations. These were held from 1921 to 1926 under the presidency of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Malines-Brussels, Cardinal Mercier. The conversations involved a small group of Church of England and Roman Catholic...

ANZAC Day falls on the 25 April each year. It is a commemoration to honour the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought at Gallipoli against the Ottoman Empire during World War I. The Revd Canon Paul Ormrod from St George's Madrid reported that last Wednesday, possibly the first ever ANZAC day service was held in St George's in the Spanish capital. The event began with a conversation that Fr Paul had with someone who works at the Australian Embassy, who attended an event at St George's to promote the cricket team he plays for in Madrid! The service was well attended with the Australian and New Zealand Ambassadors both making speeches.  The service also included a reading in Turkish and English by the Turkish defence attache. There were four national anthems - Australian, New Zealand (sung in Maori and English), Turkish and Spanish. Following the service, the refreshments included "Gallipoli biscuits"! Fittingly, Fr Paul  was joi...

One of the highlights of the Sacred Three Days I spent with Christ Church Vienna was the Easter Vigil. This liturgy is among the most moving in the Church. It begins dramatically on Holy Saturday evening with the blessing of the new fire, and the lighting of the paschal candle. Thankfully, the rain in Vienna held off until the ceremony of the new fire was completed, and the Deacon, who has the most dangerous job in Holy Week, was able to light the paschal candle without setting himself on fire! The Deacon then processed the paschal candle into the dark Church, symbolising the dark tomb where Christ lay dead. Then with blazing candles held by the assembly, he chanted the ancient Exultet , a magnificent hymn, which with lyric beauty announces the joy and mystery of Easter: "This is the night, when Christ broke the chains of death, and rose triumphant from the grave".  Readings and psalmody helped us meditate on the works of God for his people since the beginning of...

Ecumenical leaders at the interchurch Good Friday service There has been an Anglican priest in Vienna serving the British Ambassador and the British community since the late 17th century. The present building dates from 1877. Today the Church, although still closely affiliated to the British Embassy, serves members from over 25 different countries and is a truly multinational and multicultural community. The chaplain, Canon Patrick Curran, also serves the daughter communities in Klagenfurt, Ljubljana and Zagreb. Fr Patrick is assisted by Fr Mike Waltner, the Assistant Curate, and the Revd Dr Robert Kinney, who assists as parish deacon. One of the parish interns on our Church of England intern scheme (CEMES), Philip Milton, is also on placement at Christ Church. On Good Friday, Christ Church hosted an annual service for English speaking Christians of all traditions in the city. Clergy and lay leaders from the Methodist, Roman Catholic, Community Church, and the Church of Sweden ...