Eurobishop

Today the Church remembers the Martyrs of Uganda, young Africans, of Anglican and Roman Catholic background who were put to death by the Ugandan King Mwanga, who despised people of religious faith.  At this time across the United States of America and even here in London, demonstrations continue protesting the murder of another black man, George Floyd, in Minneapolis. As we know he was mercilessly pinned down by the knee of a white police officer, begging to be able to breathe, until he died. Other police officers looked on.  While the world searches for a cure and a vaccine against coronavirus - how we need still to find a cure and a vaccine for the racism that is still so pervasive in our societies.  We Christians believe in the equality  of all peoples  and value the richness that comes with racial and ethnic diversity. Racism is a sin; as such we must oppose it in all its forms.  The Archbishops of Canterbury and York issued this statement con...

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 ...

All Saints Church in Rome welcomed the Archbishop of Canterbury on Sunday to preside and preach at the Sunday Eucharist. The Archbishop was in Rome that weekend for an official visit to Pope Francis. Among those in his entourage who joined All Saints for the service were Archbishop Sir David Moxon (Director of the Anglican Centre in Rome), Bishop Nigel Stock (Bishop at Lambeth), Bishop Stephen Platten (Chairman of the Governors of the Anglican Centre in Rome), Canon Alyson Barnett Cowan (Director of Ecumenical Affairs for the Anglican Communion) and myself. Members from the daughter congregation of St Mary at the Cross, Macerata, were also present and their choir performed a piece from Nigeria during the offertory. The clergy and members of (American) Episcopal Congregation of St Paul's-within-the-walls joined with All Saints for this special occasion, making for a packed church. This was Archbishop Welby's first visit to All Saints and the Venerable Jonathan Boardman...

For the first time in their history, people drawn from the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion have joined forces to combat modern slavery and human-trafficking. Pope Francis and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby have personally given their backing to the newly-formed Global Freedom Network. The agreement to help eradicate an injustice affecting up to 29 million people was co-signed today, March 17th by the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Representative to the Holy See, Archbishop Sir David Moxon, the Chancellor of the Pontifical Academies of Science and Social Science, Bishop Sanchez Sorondo, the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, Egypt, Dr Mahmoud Azab and Mr Andrew Forrest, the founder of the large international philanthropic anti-slavery organisation from Perth, Western Australia “Walk Free”.  The network has the resources it needs to carry out a five year plan. Archbishop Moxon has been closely involved in the negotiations which have brought about this landmark in chur...

At the main Eucharist at the November sessions of General Synod, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby was ably assisted by none other than Deacon Frances Hiller, my chaplain. Deacon Frances is quite used to telling a bishop what to do in the liturgy. After all, that's one of the main jobs of deacons! I wonder if she was as directive with the Archbishop? At any rate it was very good to see one of our clergy assisting His Grace in this way.

Some of the Orthodox guests at the Old Palace in Canterbury Over 120 official representatives came from other faiths, other Churches and Churches in Communion with the Church of England to attend the inauguration of the ministry of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. One of the largest groups of ecumenical guests were 16 Metropolitans and Bishops representing the Orthodox Churches. I was the Bishop-Host for the Orthodox for the three days of their stay in Canterbury. I was ably assisted by 4 of our own diocesan clergy who are the Archbishop of Canterbury's Apokrisiarioi (personal representatives) to the Churches in Greece, Russia, Romania and Serbia, Frs Malcolm Bradshaw, Simon Stephens, Patrick Irwin and Robin Fox. So this Diocese in Europe was key to the ecumenical hospitality offered by the Church of England on this historic occasion. The ecumenical guests had an opportunity to greet the new Archbishop personally on Friday morning at the Old Palace. Metropolit...

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Archbishop Justin Welby, has offered his warmest welcome to Pope Francis on his election. The Archbishop's full statement reads: “We wish Pope Francis every blessing in the enormous responsibilities that he has assumed on behalf of Roman Catholics around the world. His election is also of great significance to Christians everywhere, not least among Anglicans. We have long since recognized—and often reaffirmed—that our churches hold a special place for one another. I look forward to meeting Pope Francis, and to walking and working together to build on the consistent legacy of our predecessors. May the love of Christ unite us, and intensify our service in a genuine and fruitful ecumenism that can be a blessing for the Body of Christ throughout the world. Pope Francis is well known as a compassionate pastor of real stature who has served the poor in Latin America, and whose simplicity and holiness of life is remarkable. He is an evange...

Today is the last day of work for His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. At 8 pm Rome time the See of Rome becomes vacant. Last Sunday I had the honour of representing Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby at a Mass of Thanksgiving for the ministry of Pope Benedict at which the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols, presided. Other ecumenical guests came from the Orthodox, Armenian and United Reformed Churches as well as Churches Together in Britain and Ireland and Churches Together in England. We were able to convey to Archbishop Nicols the assurance of our prayers for the Roman Catholic Church at this momentous time. In his homily, Archbishop Nichols said that now is the time to pray for the discussions and decisions of the Conclave, and to thank God for the blessings of the pontificate of Pope Benedict, and to pray that God will bless and preserve him. The Archbishop ended the service in the packed cathedral with this prayer:  Almighty ever-livin...

The following news was released yesterday, 26 December, a wonderful gift from Her Majesty to Archbishop Rowan: The Queen has been pleased to confer a Peerage of the United Kingdom for Life on the Most Reverend and Right Honourable Dr Rowan Williams Lord Archbishop of Canterbury upon his retirement from the See of Canterbury. Rowan Williams will be created a Baron for Life by the style and title of Baron Williams of Oystermouth in the City and County of Swansea.

Archbishop Rowan Williams and the Governors of the Anglican Centre in Rome last night announced their appointment of the Most Reverend David Moxon as the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Representative to the Holy See and Director of the Anglican Centre in Rome.  Archbishop David Moxon is currently the Bishop of Waikato, Senior Bishop of the New Zealand Dioceses, and an Archbishop of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa , New Zealand and Polynesia .  He succeeds the Very Revd Canon David Richardson , previously Dean of Melbourne and of Adelaide ( Australia ). Canon Richardson will retire at Easter, and Archbishop Moxon will take up his appointment in the early summer.  He will remain co-chairman of ARCIC, the Anglican –Roman Catholic International Commission. He is married to Tureiti. They have four adult children. Archbishop Rowan Williams in congratulating Archbishop David on his appointment said: “I am personally delighted that Archbishop David Moxon has agre...

Today Downing Street announced formally what the press had already been proclaiming for a couple of days, that the Queen has approved the nomination of the Right Revd Justin Welby, the Bishop of Durham, as the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury. I am very pleased to hear of this appointment. It is excellent news for this Diocese in Europe as Bishop Justin already knows us rather well. Before his ordination he lived and worked in Paris and was an active member of the Council of St Michael's Church there. He retains a keen interest in French culture and life. Archbishop Elect Justin Welby at Gibraltar Synod 2011 More recently, in 2011 while he was still Dean of Liverpool, he was a keynote speaker at the Synod of the Archdeaconry of Gibraltar and led reflections on " Growing Together: Conflict and Growth" which were very well received, and showed a deep wisdom in matters to do with congregational life and conflict in communities. Many delegates to the synod sp...

The 15th meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC-15) has been in session in Auckland New Zealand from 27 October until 7 November. Each member Province/Church of the Communion has from 1 to 3 members on the ACC, depending on the population of the Church. In addition to the 3 members representing the Church of England, the Diocese in Europe has, for the first time, a co-opted member to represent the Europe region. That member is the Revd Canon Ulla Monberg, our Director of Training. The Anglican Communion Office  points out that Anglicans are present in over 165 countries of the world. But 45 of those countries are in our own Diocese in Europe, where our over 300 congregations serve Anglicans and other Christians from Iceland to Russia. So it is very good news for the Diocese that we have our own representation, thus giving a profile to our life and ministry in this international instrument of the Anglican Communion.   Canon Monberg has been busy at the...

The following announcement was made by the Anglican Communion Office on 25 June . As it involves someone in our diocese, I thought it should be posted here: "The Archbishop of Canterbury has named the Right Reverend David Hamid, Suffragan Bishop in the Diocese in Europe, as the Anglican Co-Chair of the International Anglican Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission (IARCCUM). IARCCUM was established by the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church in 2001. It is a commission of bishops ‘to promote our relationship by seeking to translate our manifest agreement in faith into common life and mission’. In its first report, Growing Together in Unity and Mission (2007), IARCCUM made an appraisal of the work to date of Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) and ‘offered practical suggestions on the way in which Anglican and Roman Catholic ecumenical participation can be appropriately fostered and carried forward’. There has not been an Angli...

On Sunday 11 March, I accompanied the Archbishop of Canterbury to the Church of San Gregorio al Celio in Rome, which is now a monastery of the Camaldoli. The Camaldoli are a community of monks and nuns, founded by St Romuald, himself a Benedictine monk. They follow the Rule of St Benedict, but combine the ancient dimensions of solitary as well as community life: hermitage and monastery. This year is the 1000th anniversary of their founding.   The Archbishop was hosted at a festive lunch with the community and after gave a lecture on "Monastic Virtues and Ecumenical Hopes". He spoke of the ecumenical significance of monastic communities which are gathered around the Word of God, that  "the monastic ideal is something that stands in opposition to anything that looks like a "tribal" Church. It tells us that the hope of a truly universal reconciliation is only to be found in a Church that is able to look beyond natural affinity and to sustain bonds that are i...

Photo: Matthew Davies ENS On Sunday 11 March, I accompanied our congregation of All Saints in Rome as we attended our sister Church, St Paul's Within-the-Walls Episcopal Church, where the Archbishop of Canterbury presided and preached. Bishop Pierre Whalon of the Convocation of American Churches in Europe hosted us. The Venerable Jonathan Boardman from All Saints, and the Revd Austin Rios the Rector of St Paul's Within-the-Walls, both served as deacons for the Archbishop. Choirs, servers, assistant clergy from both congregations were present as well as visiting Old Catholic clergy. Monsignor Mark Langham from the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Christian Unity and Fr Keith Peckers SJ were two prominent Roman Catholic guests at the service.  

Apostoli Delegation with the Archbishop The world may be looking at the economic difficulties facing Greece which may possibly have to default on some of its debt. Meanwhile, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Athens and the Church of England are committed to learn from each other and cooperate on matters of social outreach to the poor and marginalised. Last week, a high level delegation from the Archdiocese of Athens spent several days visiting schools, programmes and outreach projects of the Diocese of London. The delegation was led by Mr Constantine Dimtsas the Director General of Apostoli, the Archdiocese’s welfare programme, and included Dr Vassi Leontari, the Director of Programmes and International Co-operation, Dr Vasilis Meichanetsidis, the Ecumenical Officer of the Archdiocese, and Mr Emilios Polygenis, the Director of the Orthodox News Agency, Romfea .  On Thursday 22 nd February I took the delegation to meet with the Archbishop of Canterbury.   Dr Rowan ...

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has sent his prayers and sympathy to the people of Norway following the tragic events in Oslo and Utøya last Friday. His message is as follows: "Along with all the faithful of the Church of England, I want to express my deepest sympathy with the people of Norway in the wake of the appalling events of recent days. Norway has played so great a part over many years in international reconciliation as well as developing its own distinctive national ethos of openness and fairness, and it is a special tragedy that it should suffer this outbreak of senseless carnage. Our prayers are with all those who died and all those who mourn them; and we are grateful for the many signs of strength and spiritual maturity that the Norwegian people have shown in their response to evil and destructiveness."   (The Church of England and the Church of Norway are in communion, as a result of the Porvoo Agreement. Bishop Helga Haugland By...

Yesterday, 5 May, the Archbishop of Canterbury, at a press conference to do with another matter entirely, was asked a question about the death of Osama Bin Laden. His response has had some coverage in the media in the UK. Given the way news can become distorted, it is always useful to know precisely what was said. Therefore I post the question and answer below, for the information of those in our Diocese in Europe who often are asked about the position of our Church or statements of our leaders: Q: Do you believe that the killing of Osama Bin Laden is justice for the 9/11 attacks and indeed other attacks? And was the US morally justified in shooting him even though he was unarmed as the White House now admits? A: I think that the killing of an unarmed man is always going to leave a very uncomfortable feeling because it doesn't look as if justice is seen to be done, in those circumstances.  I think it is also true that the different versions of events that have emerge...

The Anglican Communion Office has released a message that the bishop of the diocese in the northern part of Japan devastated by last Friday's earthquake and tsunami, is said to be safe but uncontactable. Bishop Hiromichi Kato managed to get a message out to say that he is OK, but according Rikkyo University professor Revd Prof. Renta Nishihara no one has managed to contact him directly.  Prof. Nishihara added that Bishop Kato had revealed that many churches of Tohoku , including the cathedral suffered heavy damage. Messages for support and offers of help for the Anglican Church in Japan have come in from around the world. Archbishop Rowan Williams sent a message of condolence to Archbishop Nathaniel Uematsu of the Nippon Sei Ko Kei, the Anglican Church in Japan, expressing support and prayers for the Japanese people. The Archbishop said: "The news of the horrific earthquake in Japan has shocked us all. We await further and more detailed news with apprehension, but I want to...

Abbot of Penteli, Archimandrite Ignatios from the Greek Church Office at the EU, and Archbishop Rowan From 25 to 28 November the Archbishop of Canterbury paid a pastoral and fraternal visit to the (Greek Orthodox) Archdiocese of Athens, at the invitation of His Beatitude Ieronymos, the Archbishop of Greece and All Greece. The visit was to strengthen the already profound friendship between the Church of England and the Church of Greece and to learn more about the witness and outreach programmes of the archdiocese. There is already a recognition of many common pastoral issues that the two Churches are facing. During his visit Archbishop Rowan spoke of the dedication of the Church to those in need, especially the poor, "In times of economic crisis and poverty our common witness is becoming increasingly important". The Revd Canon Malcolm Bradshaw, Senior Chaplain of the Greater Athens Chaplaincy, is also the Archbishop of Canterbury's Apokrisiarios, or representative to ...