Eurobishop

The congregations of our Diocese in Europe are made up of generous people, generous in support of local ministry and generous in charitable giving to the many needs around them. The Archdeaconry of Gibraltar has formed a partnership with the Anglican Diocese of Peru which will engage our parishes in a commitment which goes beyond charitable giving, to face to face sharing and working together. The partnership began with the visit of Bishop Bill Godfrey to the Archdeaconry Synod last February. 10 people from the Archdeaconry leave for Peru on Monday 9th November for a 10 day mission visit. They will share in some joint work locally, and visit projects of the Diocese in Peru.  It is a way to share in the lives of their Peruvian sisters and brothers, to reach out and make visible their common humanity and their unity in the Gospel. It is a journey of loving solidarity. Please pray God's blessing on our representatives listed below, and on our partners in Peru. Jo...

At the meeting of the Nordic / Baltic Deanery of the Diocese in Europe which was held from 30 October to 1 November in Turku, Finland, clergy and laity from 15 congregations in the region discussed the recent announcement from Rome of an Apostolic Constitution to incorporate former Anglicans into the Roman Catholic Church. The synod felt moved to make a clear public statement about their own firm identity as Anglicans, partly to respond to questions they are receiving from ecumenical partners, and partly to indicate their support for the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. The resolution is as follows: In view of the Vatican's announcement of an Apostolic Constitution for Anglicans and former Anglicans, we, the Nordic and Baltic Deanery Synod of the Church of England affirm: a) that the Church of England is part of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church b) our commitment to the ecumenical goals of the official Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue c) our communi...

I attach below the Communiqué from the recent meeting of the Anglican-Old Catholic Coordinating Council. The photo on the left is of the Archbishops of Canterbury and Utrecht The Anglican-Old Catholic International Co-ordinating Council - Communiqué Canterbury, 29 October 2009 The Anglican-Old Catholic International Co-ordinating Council (AOCICC) met in the International Study Centre, Canterbury, England, from 26 to 29 October 2009. The Council welcomed the Revd Carola von Wrangel from the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe as a new member. The members received reports of developments in each Communion and reviewed present ecumenical dialogues in which our Communions are engaged. The Council studied several papers on the theology of blessing. It also discussed and adopted an information leaflet about the Old Catholic Churches of the Union of Utrecht. A draft text for a common statement on ecclesiology and mission was discussed. The Council will present it to the...

The Archbishop of Turku, the Most Revd Jukka Parma, (pictured above right with Archdeacon-desginate the Revd Jonathan LLoyd) welcomed the synod of the Nordic and Baltic Deanery to his city. "Identity and Change" was the theme explored by the Deanery representatives, at the meeting hosted by the Anglican Church in Finland congregation in Turku from 30 October to 1 November, and chaired by Area Dean Nick Howe. The Revd Dr Mika Pajunen, Assistant Priest in the Anglican Church in Finland, (who is also a priest of the Finnish Church), gave a keynote address on the history of the Church in his country, beginning with 1917 when Anglicans fled from St Petersburg during the Bolshevik Revolution, founding the congregation of St Nicholas in Helsinki. Fr Mika opened up some themes related to life within the Porvoo Communion of Churches . He challenged us to consider whether we still operate as cultural and denominational ghettos, or whether Anglicans and Lutherans in the Nordic and Ba...

From 26 to 30 October the Anglican-Old Catholic International Co-ordination Council (AOCICC) met in Canterbury. I have been part of this Council since its inception in 1998, first as co-secretary, and latterly as a member. The AOCICC is the instrument which oversees the relationship of full communion between the Churches of the Old Catholic Union of Utrecht and the Anglican Communion, a relationship established by the Bonn Agreement in 1931. Besides keeping each other abreast of issues and trends in our respective Communions, the AOCICC is engaged in ongoing theological work and is close to finalising a joint statement on ecclesiology and mission. There are two streams of which come together into the Old Catholic Communion: In 1723 in the Netherlands the Cathedral Chapter of Utrecht insisted on its historic right to elect its Archbishop. The Pope refused this right and the Chapter elected independently a new Archbishop who was then consecrated by a French bishop, Domi...

On 4 October the Revd Sampson Ajuka was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Geoffrey Rowell. Fr Sampson is assistant curate of St Anthony of Egypt, Padova, which is within the chaplaincy of St George's Venice. The congregation of St Anthony of Egypt was started by Fr Sampson some 5 years ago and has grown in numbers and in extent of ministry. There is now a flourishing Mothers' Union branch and two Readers, Michael Udeagbara and Charles Onwukwe, were recently admitted and licensed, having completed their three years of study. Funds raised by Fr Sampson on the occasion of his ordination have been donated to construct a well for his home village in Nigeria. Under the supervision of the Archdeacon of Italy and Malta, Fr Sampson also provides pastoral care to other communities of Nigerian Anglicans in Italy. There is more information about St Anthony of Egypt, Padova here .

The Meissen Commission met last month in England from 17th to 21st September. The Commission carries forward the work of the 1988 Meissen Agreement between the Church of England and the Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland (the Evangelical Church in Germany or "EKD"). The Diocese in Europe is represented on the Commission by the Revd Simon Hobbs, the chaplain of St Boniface Bonn and All Saints Cologne . He brings a vital perspective from Germany itself where our Anglican clergy and congregations enjoy excellent ecumenical relations with our EKD neighbours. (The Agreement provides for mutual eucharistic hospitality but not an inter-changeable ministry due to lack of agreement on the historic episcopal succession). It was the last meeting for the EKD co-chairman, Bishop Jürgen Johannesdotter of Schaumburg-Lippe (pictured left) who retiries shortly after a destinguished ecumenical career. He will be succeeded in the chair by the Bishop of Braunschweig, ...