Eurobishop

In 2008, an Anglican Communion report on interfaith relations entitled Generous Love , called upon Anglicans to practise "the embassy and hospitality of God". As an embassy, as ambassadors, we have been entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation. The challenges of hospitality include building relationships of trust and respect. Generous Love has an important and insightful sentence: "none of the places, situations or societies where we meet and greet are the exclusive territory of any one group; they are entrusted by God to be shared by everyone, since all humans are made in God's image".   I reflected on this today. The great  building and world heritage site which is Hagia Sophia in Istanbul was built as a cathedral in 537 and served as the seat of the Patriarch of Constantinople until the Ottoman capture of the city in 1453. It was then turned into a mosque. So it has been in its history a sacred space for both Christians and Muslims. In 1934 the...

It was a privilege on Sunday to join in a prayer service held at St Mark's Coptic Orthodox Church, led by His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II. His Holiness is in London in these days for an apostolic visit. He is the 122nd successor to St Peter in the Apostolic See of Antioch and All the East, and the Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church whose headquarters are in Damascus. His Holiness is accompanied on his visit by their Eminences Archbishop Mor Severius Hawa, Archbishop of Baghdad and Basra and Mor Theophilus George Saliba, Archbishop of Mount Lebanon and Tripoli. The service was a joyful gathering of the bishops, clergy and people from three of the Oriental Orthodox Churches, the Syriac, the Coptic and the Armenian. His Eminence  Archbishop Elisey of Sourozh, the Russian Orthodox Archbishop in London was also in attendance.  His Holiness was born in Qamishli, a city on the border of Syria and Turkey, just about 70 kilometres from a monastery I stay in ...

Fr Simon in Moscow, 2013 Canon Dr Simon Stephens OBE is a well known and much loved priest of our diocese. He first served as priest-in-charge of Sta Margarita, Menorca, then for many years as Chaplain of St Andrew's Moscow. He retired from that post in 2014. Fr Simon was honoured last Thursday in a ceremony at Lambeth Palace when he was given a Lambeth Cross for service to the Church's ecumenical life. I know from my own visits to Moscow how significant his ecumenical work there has been, particularly with the Russian Orthodox Church. Here is the full citation for Fr Simon's award:  Awarded to Canon Simon Edward Stephens for his significant contribution to ecumenism, especially with the Eastern Orthodox Churches. In June 2014 Canon Simon Stephens retired as Chaplain to St. Andrew’s Church and Anglican Centre, Moscow after fourteen years of outstanding service. He extended the work of the chaplaincy both geographically and pastorally, with visits to Mongolia for ...

With Coptic Bishop Angaelos and His All Holiness the Patriarch The last week was a busy one ecumenically with the visit of His All-Holiness, Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople to the Archbishop of Canterbury. The programme was full involving services of prayer for the plight of refugees, lectures on the environment, and a major service of Evensong in Westminster Abbey followed by prayers at the Shrine of St Edward the Confessor. At the service in the Abbey the recent statement published by the International Commission for Anglican-Orthodox Theological Dialogue was presented to the Patriarch and the Archbishop of Canterbury. The text celebrates what Anglicans and Orthodox can say together about the human person, created in "the Image and Likeness of God". It forms the theological background to further work that the Commission will now undertake on ethical issues. For a solid reflection on what it means to be human, this is excellent reading. In his lectur...

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...

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 ...

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 ...

Photo by Lawrence OP On Pentecost we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit on the disciples after the Resurrection of our Lord.  St Seraphim of Sarov , the Russian spiritual teacher (1759-1833) describes the life of a disciple as nothing more than the receiving of the Holy Spirit: "For the true aim of the Christian life is the acquisition of the Holy Spirit of God. As for fasts, vigils, prayer and almsgiving , and other good works done in the name of Christ, they are only the means of acquiring the Holy Spirit of God." Here is a prayer said every morning in the Orthodox tradition. The pattern of a daily prayer for the Holy Spirit to dwell in us, makes every day a Pentecost. Heavenly King, Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, present in all places and filling all things, Treasury of Goodness and Giver of life: come and abide in us. Cleanse us from every stain of sin and save our souls, O Gracious Lord. (St Seraphim is commemorated in the Church of England on 2 January).

This year Eastern and Western Christians celebrate the Lent-Easter cycle on the same dates. The first Sunday in Lent is observed by Orthodox Christians as "the Feast of Orthodoxy". It originally commemorated the end of iconoclasm in the 9th century, but has come to celebrate more generally the maintenance of the true faith. The Ecumenical Patriarch (photo left), His All Holiness Bartholomew I, has published an encyclical letter on the occasion of the first Sunday of Lent which gives strong support to the ecumenical movement and dialogue. He writes, "It is not possible for the Lord to agonize over the unity of His disciples and for us to remain indifferent about the unity of all Christians". The Patriarch is addressing those, particularly within his own Church, who oppose theological dialogue with other Christians because they feel it is a denial of the truths of the faith. He states in the encyclical, "The truth does not fear dialogue, because truth has n...

The Serbian Orthodox Church has elected Bishop Irenaeus (Gavrilovic), Bishop of Nis, (pictured above) as the new Patriarch of Serbia, succeeding Patriarch Pavle who died on 15 November. The 45 bishops which make up the electoral assembly of the Serbian Orthodox Church named three candidates on Friday morning 22nd of January: Metropolitan Amphilochius of Montenegro, Bishop Irenaeus of Backa and Bishop Irenaeus of Nis, and chose the new Patriarch by lot. Bishop Irenaeus is already quite senior in years, having been born in 1930. He has been bishop of Nis (a large town in southern Serbia and the birthplace of St Constantine the Great) for 35 years. He is a graduate of the Theological Faculty in Belgrade and did a doctorate in Athens, and known to be a "moderate" among the bishops. The inauguration of the new Patriarch in Belgrade will be this Saturday at 9 am. As the historic Patriarchal See is Pec, the solemn enthronement will be held there, in due course when conditions ...

Patriarch Pavle, the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, died today, Sunday 15 November, after a long illness. He was 95. Patriarch Pavle led the Church through its recovery after the fall of communism and during the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s called for peace and reconciliation. The announcement from the Serbian Church stated simply: "Sunday November 15, 2009, at 10.45 at the Military Medical Academy in Belgrade, after receiving the Sacrament, Archbishop of Pec, Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovac, Patriarch Pavle of Serbia reposed in the Lord". Our priest-in-charge of St Mary's Belgrade, the Revd Robin Fox, is the Archbishop of Canterbury's Apokrisiarios (personal representative) to the Serbian Patriarchate. Fr Fox informs us that the Serbian government has declared Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week as national days of mourning. It is likely that the funeral will be this Thursday in the Rakovica monastery in Belgrade. Patriarch Pavle gave strong pe...

Image by MichaelTyler via Flickr On 27 July, at the end of my recent parish visit to St Mary’s Belgrade, I paid a courtesy visit to the Patriarchate to pass along the greetings and the assurance of the prayers of the Archbishop of Canterbury. His Grace Bishop Atanasije of Hvosno and Deacon Alexander Sekulić welcomed me on behalf of His Eminence Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegro and Littoral and His Holiness Patriarch Pavle. (The Patriarch is seriously ill and should be remembered in our prayers). As often happens when I meet ecumenical partners these days, there was some discussion about the present state of the Anglican Communion and about the Archbishop’s role in maintaining unity. The Serbian Orthodox authorities shared their concern, even sadness, at developments in our Communion. I found that they have an appreciation and understanding of the complex and difficult role of Archbishop Rowan Williams in trying Image by Getty Images via Daylife to maintain Anglican unity. We sp...

Like so many of the churches of the diocese, St Mary's is a multicultural and international community. At the Sunday 1030 Eucharist about one third of the congregation come from various countries in South and East Asia. Another third come from (mostly West) Africa. The rest are a mixture of Europeans. Parish lunch is an interesting buffet of dishes from around the world. St Mary's is active in supporting a centre for internationally displaced persons, Serbians from Kosovo. The priest-in-charge, Fr Robin Fox, also looks after the diocese's cong regations in Skopje and Sarajevo and is also the Archbishop of Canterbury's Apokrisiarios to the Patriarch of Serbia, and keeps active the official relations between the Church of England and the Serbian Orthodox Church. Click here for St Mary's website.