Eurobishop

Petertide Ordinations 2013

2013-05-23T12:52:00.002+01:00

Doreen Cage, John Barker, Richard Gardiner, Matthias Grebe

With great joy I announce the following persons are to be ordained this Petertide (God willing):

Sacred Order of Deacon

By Bishop Geoffrey on Saturday, 29 June, in the Pro-Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Brussels at 2.30 pm:

Mr Richard Gardiner (to serve as assistant curate, St Boniface, Bonn and All Saints, Cologne)

Mr Matthias Grebe (to serve as assistant curate, St Boniface, Bonn and All Saints, Cologne)

Ms Doreen Cage (to serve as assistant curate, St George’s, Málaga)

Mr John Barker (to serve as assistant curate, Christ Church, Vienna with responsibility for Yerevan)

The street address for Holy Trinity is: 29 rue Capitaine Crespel, 1050 Brussels, Belgium. For further details please contact the Revd Canon Dr Robert Innes on +32 2 511 71 83, or email: chaplain@holytrinity.be

Liturgical colour: White

Sacred Order of Priest

By Bishop Edward Holland as Archbishop of Canterbury’s Episcopal Commissary on Sunday 30 June in All Saints, Rome at 10.30 am:

The Revd Dana English (assistant curate of All Saints, Rome)

The Revd Dr Mary Styles (assistant curate of All Saints, Rome)

The street address for All Saints is Via del Babuino 153, 00187 Rome, Italy. For further details please contact the Venerable Jonathan Boardman on +39 06 3600 1881 or email: office@allsaintsrome.org

Liturgical colour: White

All are warmly invited to attend these celebrations.

Clergy and Readers are invited to robe and join in procession. Priests of the Church of England or of a Church in communion are invited to join in the laying on of hands at the ordination of priests. Please plan to arrive at least ½ hour before the appointed service time.

Please announce these ordinations in your churches so that the candidates can be upheld in the prayers of the members of our congregations as they make their final preparations towards ordination as deacon or priest.

The Revd Dr Mary Styles, The Revd Dana English

Commemoration of two priests who helped save Jewish lives in Vienna

2013-05-22T10:00:00.000+01:00

It's a little known act of bravery - how two British priests serving in Christ Church, Vienna, rescued Jews from the Nazis by baptising them.

Between March and September 1938, after the annexation of Austria by the Third Reich, the Revd Hugh Grimes and the Revd Frederick Collard baptised some 1,800 Viennese Jews in the hope that the resulting baptismal certificate would help provide them with safe passage out of the country. At that time, Austria's neighbours, although wary of allowing Jewish refugees to enter, were more prepared to admit those who could demonstrate that they belonged to the Christian religion. The baptismal register of this Church of England parish in Vienna contains this remarkable story. On some days over 100 baptisms were held.

On Saturday 18 May, at a service of Evensong in Christ Church, a memorial plaque was unveiled to commemorate the act of courage and compassion shown by these two priests. Testimonies were given by Dr Harold Chipman, whose grandfather was one of those baptised, who escaped to England and eventually to Brazil, and by a long-time member of Christ Church, Mr Fred Grüber, who survived persecution as a child refugee in the Kindertransport rescue mission. The British Ambassador HE Susan le Jeune d'Allegeescheque was present, and several ecumenical guests and other representatives. The service was followed by a reception. The plaque design includes an extract from the baptismal register and the following words:

Between March and September 1938, more than 1800 Jewish Austrians were baptised at Christ Church Vienna by the Reverends Hugh Grimes and Fred Collard. On 25 July alone, 229 baptisms took place. For these people, baptism was a source of hope and for many, a step on the road to survival and freedom in emigration.

Archdeacon Patrick Curran

Dr Harold Chipman, Mr Fred Grüber

Curates' Residential on Prayer and Spirituality

2013-05-21T17:16:00.003+01:00

Our curates in their training (title) posts continue with scheduled residential meetings to fulfil the Church of England's requirement for what is known technically as IME 4 - 7. IME 4 - 7 are the 4 years of training for ordained ministry that must be completed after ordination. Thus the full amount of time required to train a priest or deacon in the Church of England is approximately 7 years. IME 4 - 7 in the Diocese in Europe is delivered under the supervision of the Director of Training, the Revd Canon Ulla Monberg.

Earlier this month the curates came together at St Columba's House in Woking for an extended weekend of Post Ordination Training, focussing on prayer and spirituality. The resource person for this particular set of sessions was the Rvd Dr Mark Godson of the London Centre for Spirituality, who is pictured second from the right above.

What a fine looking group of curates we have!

Prayers for the 60th Anniversary of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II

2013-05-17T19:12:00.003+01:00

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Coronation of Her Majesty the Queen who was crowned in the ancient ceremony which was held in Westminster Abbey on Tuesday 2 June 1953. Churches in the Diocese in Europe may want to mark the anniversary at services on Sunday 2 June. There will be a service from Westminster Abbey televised on BBC on Tuesday 4 June at 11.00 am British Summer Time.

The following prayer, which has the Queen’s approval, will be incorporated in the Service of Thanksgiving in the Abbey on 4 June. The Archbishops of Canterbury and York have commended it for use throughout the Church of England. It is available in both traditional and modern language, and I commend it for use in congregations of this diocese. Some local adaptation may be required in countries which are clearly outside the realm of England. It could be as simple as omitting the words "of our Sovereign Lady" before "Queen Elizabeth".

Traditional language:

Almighty God,
who through anointing with the oil of gladness at the hands of priests and prophets
dost strengthen thy chosen servants with the gifts of thy Holy Spirit:
be pleased to accept our joyful praise as with united voice
we give thanks for the long and glorious reign
of our Sovereign Lady Queen Elizabeth;
and to receive our humble prayer that, by renewing thy blessings,
thou wilt pour upon her thy choicest gifts,
and upon all thy people the spirit of humility and service,
shown forth in the life and death of him who is the anointed King of all,
our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Amen.

Modern language:

Almighty God,
at the hands of priests and prophets
you anoint your chosen servants with the oil of gladness
and strengthen them with the gifts of your Holy Spirit:
accept our joyful praise as with united voice
we give thanks for the long and glorious reign
of our Sovereign Lady Queen Elizabeth.
Renewing your blessings, pour on her your choicest gifts,
and on all your people the spirit of humility and mutual service
shown in the life and death of him who is the anointed King of all,
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.

© Westminster Abbey 2013

Other liturgical resources to mark this anniversary can be found here.

Anglicanism Module for Trainee Readers

2013-05-15T08:13:00.003+01:00

Readers (that is Licensed Lay Ministers) in this Diocese in Europe, after selection for this ministry, train for approximately three years, studying various aspects of theology and biblical studies through St John's College, Nottingham. There is an additional module which the Director of Training, the Revd Canon Ulla Monberg, has instituted this year, on Anglicanism. This module will be run by the diocese itself and will be a residential weekend of lectures and discussion followed by an essay. The first Anglicanism module was held for 12 trainee Readers last weekend in St Columba's House, Woking.

Director of Training, Canon Ulla Monberg

Readers are licensed to lead services of the Word, to preach and to teach, and are better described by the phrase "Licensed Lay Ministers". Very often people from other Churches assume that all that Readers do is read lessons and there is sometimes some puzzlement as to why this requires a selection process and a three-year theological training and formation!

Senior Tutor and Advisor for Reader Training, the Revd Elaine Labourel

During the weekend, the participants heard lectures on aspects of Anglican history, ecclesiology, ecumenical engagement, liturgy, music, spirituality, canon law, structures and synodical life. Worship was held each day, taking advantage of the range of authorised forms, from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer to the ancient Vigil Office celebrated on Saturday evenings since about the 3rd century! The residential gathering offers the chance for exchange of experiences and for many basic and practical questions to be raised and discussed.

Deacon Frances Hiller leads session on Anglican Hymnody

Aiden Hargreaves-Smith, Diocesan Registrar instructs on Canon Law

There are about 100 licensed Readers in the Diocese in Europe with another approximately 40 in various stages of discernment and training for this ministry. This attendees at this first module on Anglicanism were from Gibraltar, Spain, Netherlands, Portugal, France, Switzerland and Croatia.

New Priest-in-Charge of St James's Porto

2013-05-11T11:04:00.000+01:00

On Tuesday 30th April Fr Peter Ford was licensed to serve in St James Porto by the Ven David Sutch, Archdeacon of Gibraltar in the presence of Bishop José Jorge Pina Cabral, the recently consecrated Bishop in the Lusitanian Church in Portugal, Fr Nigel Stimpson from Lisbon, Fr Bob Bates from the Algarve, Fr Michael Bullock OGS, formerly of Lisbon and Judith Murray, a Reader in Training, supported by Terry Weineck and Ian Sinclair, the Churchwardens.

Fr Peter knows this diocese well. He most recently served as priest-in-charge of Holy Trinity, Las Palmas in Gran Canaria, with her daughter congregations on that island.
St James's Porto can trace its history back to 1671. The parish website is here. We welcome Fr Peter to this new responsibility in this historic parish.

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The Very Revd John Arnold at St Thomas Becket, Hamburg

2013-05-09T07:24:00.000+01:00

The Very Revd John Arnold, centre, with Fr Matthew Jones

The Church of St Thomas Becket in Hamburg welcomed as its guest preacher at its Sunday Eucharist on 5 May, the former Dean of Durham, the Very Revd John Arnold. This Eucharist which celebrating the feast of Saints Philip and James, concluded the parish's extensive involvement over the days of Kirchentag in Hamburg and it was fitting that such a prominent ecumenist and distinguished European Churchman should be the preacher. Dr Arnold was in fact, one of the drafters of the Meissen Common Statement. He has also served as the President of the Conference of European Churches, and even had a hand in shaping our diocese at the time of the preparation of the Diocese in Europe Measure in 1980!

The Chaplain of St Thomas Becket, the Revd Matthew Jones, informed the congregation that over 1100 people had attended services at St Thomas's over the 4 days of Kirchentag, and many more people visited the church which was open for prayer each day.

It had been a busy time for parishioners, many of who helped as volunteers at the Kirchentag stalls for the Council of Anglican-Episcopal Churches in Germany (CAECG), and the Anglican-Lutheran Society. The parish, which marked 400 years last year with an active programme of celebration, now begins some major external works on the building itself, involving painting, new lighting and other improvements which will make our Church much more visible and identifiable in this great city. The website of St Thomas Becket is here.

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St Edmund's Oslo: A international meeting place

2013-05-08T09:20:00.000+01:00

The Revd Canon Janet Heil, the Chaplain of St Edmund's Oslo, is the parish priest of an international congregation in the Norwegian capital. At a recent parish visit on 29 April, I confirmed members that she had prepared from Kenya, Nigeria, Norway, and the USA. At a Church Council meeting I met other members from Zambia, South Africa, and even England! Worship at St Edmund's is in English, of course, but Canon Heil has also learnt Norwegian which does help our relations with our sister Church of Norway.

Canon Heil also oversees the work of daughter churches and their resident priests in Stavanger, Bergen and Trondheim.

Meissen Service at Kirchentag held in St Thomas Becket Church

2013-05-07T07:02:00.000+01:00

Bishop Weber in St Thomas Becket Church

An important worship service during the Kirchentag in recent years has been a Meissen Eucharist to celebrate the relationship between the EKD (The Evangelical Church in Germany) and the Church of England, a relationship established by the Meissen Common Statement which was signed in 1991 This agreement enables eucharistic hospitality between our Churches, as a stage along the way to full communion. The Agreement does not permit interchangeability of ministers, but does promote fellowship in as many areas of Christian life and witness as possible so that our Churches might advance together towards full visible unity one day. It is also an agreement that has huge significance with regard to reconciliation between two countries that once were at war.

This year the Meissen service at the Hamburg Kirchentag was held in St Thomas Becket Church, our Anglican Parish in the city. Bishop Nick Baines of Bradford, the Anglican Co-Chairman of the Meissen Commission, presided. His EKD counterpart, Bishop Professor Friedrich Weber of Braunschweig was the preacher. St Thomas Becket parishioners provided a warm reception for the visitors after the packed service.

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Kirchentag 2013

2013-05-06T09:22:00.000+01:00

Archdeacon Jonathan LLoyd with St Thomas Becket Volunteer at Kirchentag

The 34th Protestant Kirchentag was held in Hamburg from 1 to 5 May. There is no other event quite like it in the Christian world. It is an immense gathering of people of all ages and walks of life. There are addresses from global leaders, dozens of acts of worship each day according to many traditions, from Caribbean beat to Iona contemplative, cultural events, workshops, musical performances (brass bands are everywhere!), and a marketplace for churches, groups, movements and agencies to set out their wares. The CAECG, the Council of Anglican/Episcopal Churches in Germany, were among the stalls at the marketplace.

Angela Merkel and Helen Clark

The theme for this Kirchentag was "As much as you need” taken from Exodus 16.18, which gave opportunity for focussed reflection on issues of sustainability of the planet and to examine critically systems which promote wealth, greed and excess. I attended one of the keynote events on this theme which was a brilliant dialogue session between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Helen Clark, the former New Zealand Prime Minister, now the Administrator of the UN Development Programme. The two spoke passionately about issues in international development touching upon climate change, gender equality and the sensitive political matter of balancing economic advancement for emerging nations such as China and India while encouraging responsibility for CO2 emissions.

I also attended an interesting panel discussion with the Revd Dr Olav Fyske Tveit, the General Secretary of the World Council of Churches and Archbishop Robert Zollitsch of Freiburg (who is also the President of the German Roman Catholic Bishops' Conference). The theme was Pope Francis and what he might bring to ecumenical life. Both the WCC leader and the Roman Catholic Archbishop were very optimistic about the ecumenical leadership of the Pope, particularly in a call for Christians to lead a more simple life, demonstrated in his own ministry to date. The hall was filled with 2000 mostly German Protestants, and they had some pointed questions for Archbishop Zollitsch, about the role of women and the future of ecumenical cooperation in Germany. The Archbishop was very candid in his responses. He said he was personally in favour of the ordination of women to the diaconate and was actively promoting a study of this issue. He also said, to the delight of the audience, that he recognised the German Protestant Church (EKD) as a church!

Over 130,000 people registered to be part of Kirchentag, with about 4,000 international visitors, bringing an atmosphere of celebration and Christian joy throughout the city. The Archdeacon of Germany and Northern Europe entered fully into that spirit!

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Vacancy spotlight: Emmanuel Church, Warsaw

2013-05-02T07:36:00.000+01:00

From time to time I spotlight a current vacancy for a priest in the diocese. There is one very interesting post which is currently open: the priest-in-charge of Emmanuel Church, Warsaw. The Church of England has a fascinating and long history in Poland, going back to embassy chaplains in the 16th century. After the ravages of WWII, for many years the communist regime resisted recognition of our historic work. The present congregation was reborn in 1995 and the Anglican Church in Poland is now a legally recognised Church.

This is a house-for-duty post, in a growing parish in an exciting and fast‐moving city at the heart of Europe. The congregation is international, with about 60 on the electoral roll, including citizens of the UK, USA, Nigeria, Australia and Poland. There are two honorary assistant priests with Permission to Officiate who will work under the priest-in-charge. Services are in English.

The priest's residence is a spacious four‐room apartment, centrally located and well served by trams and buses. This is an ideal post for someone with vision to grow a parish, harnessing the enthusiasm of a committed congregation, and to be part of the most exciting diocese in the Anglican Communion!

For more information about this post, please contact our Appointments Secretary, Catherine Jackson.

Sea Sunday 14 July 2013

2013-05-01T12:03:00.002+01:00

Sea Sunday is 14 July this year, and the Mission to Seafarers has prepared resources that will be useful for our parishes who wish to mark this day.

The Mission to Seafarers is one of the mission agencies of the Church of England which is active in this Diocese in Europe. There are port chaplains based in Gibraltar, Antwerp, Vlissingen, Rotterdam, Odessa and Dunkirk and honorary chaplains and ecumenical cooperation with other seafarers missions in many other places in addition. The Mission around the world serves the over 1.3 million seafarers, whose work is hard, often dangerous and involves long periods of isolation from their families.

The Sea Sunday pack is available for download from the Mission to Seafarers website. There are resources for liturgically use on 14 July, sermon notes and material suitable for children. The pack is available here: www.seasunday.org.

Bishop José Jorge de Pina Cabral, new Bishop of the Lusitanian Church

2013-04-29T09:12:00.000+01:00

On the Feast of St Mark the Evangelist, 25 April, a new bishop, the Rt Revd José Jorge de Pina Cabral, was consecrated to serve the Igreja Lusitana Católica Apostólica Evangélica, an indigenous Church in Portugal which has been fully part of the Anglican Communion since 1980. The Lusitanian Church traces its origin to a group of Portuguese Roman Catholics who separated from Rome in the 19th century due to their objection to the doctrine of Papal Infallibility which was defined in 1870 at the First Vatican Council.

The chief consecrator at the service held at St Paul's Cathedral in Lisbon, was the Rt Revd Fernando Soares. He was assisted by several bishops from around the Communion including Bishop Geoffrey and myself, the Archbishop of Dublin the Most Revd Michael Jackson (who represented the Archbishop of Canterbury), and the Most Revd Mauricio Andrade, Primate of the Episcopal Anglican Church in Brazil who was also the preacher at the service. Bishop John Okoro, the Old Catholic Bishop of Austria was also a co-consecrator, signifying the relation of communion which exists between Anglicans and Old Catholics since 1931.

At the conclusion of the 3 hour service Bishop Soares enthroned the new bishop in his cathedra and handed him the pastoral staff. From that moment Dom José Jorge became the diocesan bishop of the Lusitanian Church with oversight of its 14 parishes. Dom Fernando has served as diocesan bishop for 31 years!
Two of our own Church of England clergy who serve in Portugal also attended, the Revd Peter Ford, who is about to become the priest-in-charge of St James's Porto, and the Revd Nigel Stimpson, who is about to become the chaplain of St George's Lisbon, with St Paul's Estoril.

We pray for Dom Jose Jorge and for his new ministry, giving thanks for our communion as sister Churches.

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April 2013 Book Reviews

2013-04-13T13:45:00.000+01:00

I am sorry that I missed posting the usual selection of reviews of recent theological books during the month of March. Here is April's list.

It is an stimulating selection of 10 new works including the writings of Fr Roger Greenacre, well known in this diocese, as he had served in St George's Paris and later in St Michael's Beaulieu-sur-Mer. In addition there are two very good introductory theologies, some apologetics, more on science and religion, the fascinating story of a Pope who resigned over 700 years ago, a review of human sexuality from a conservative perspective, a challenging theological critique of Facebook, and a collection of essays to celebrate last year's 350th anniversary of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, which includes one by our own Diocesan Liturgical Advisor, Professor Paul Bradshaw.

As usual, these reviews are based on the work of Dr Martin Davie, the Theological Advisor to the Church of England's bishops.

Te volo, bonam lectionem!

For the reviews, click on read more.

Sigurd Grindheim, Introducing Biblical theology, Bloomsbury, ISBN 978-0-56745-687-8, £ 17.99.

The Bible is a library of books written over many centuries by a variety of different authors, each of whom has their own particular theological perspective. However, the Christian tradition has also stubbornly insisted that alongside its human authors the Bible also has God as its overall author and that therefore, in spite of its diversity, the Bible has a coherent overall message. It was this conviction that led the English Reformers to declare in Article XX that it is not legitimate for the Church to ‘so expound one place of Scripture, that it may be repugnant to another.’ The branch of theology that seeks to discern and expound the overall message of the Bible is biblical theology and the new book by the Norwegian theologian Sigurd Grindheim is a helpful contribution to this field of study. In his introduction he states that ‘with all their differences’ all the books of the Bible ‘are witnesses of the one God and his master plan of salvation in Jesus Christ.’ In his view ‘we may liken the many books of the Bible to the different building blocks that are used to build a house. Each of these blocks may have a fascinating history of their own. Some of them may even contain materials that originally were used for completely different purposes. But when the house is built each of the blocks becomes part of a building. So also with the books of the Bible. Each book has its own history, but in the end they all become part of the final product, the Bible.’ From this starting point Grindheim describes how the message of the Bible as a whole is about the Triune God who interacts with His creation. God makes human beings to enjoy a peaceful relationship with him and although this relationship is broken because of sin God continues to reach out to human beings through a series of covenants. The human failure to be faithful to these covenants recorded in the Old Testament shows that God needs to intervene in a more direct way. In his Son Jesus Christ he comes to earth and achieves reconciliation, bringing about ‘a new creation where there is harmony between God and human beings and where the power of death is broken.’ This account of the biblical message is, of course, not at all new, but the message constantly needs re-telling and Grindheim retells it in a very clear and accessible fashion, drawing on insights from biblical scholarship and the Christian tradition to answer the major questions about the biblical material and making good use of examples, revision questions and charts. This book is written as an introductory text for students at the start of courses in the Bible, Theology and Ministry, and for those searching for a deeper understanding of the theology of the Christian Bible. It fulfils this role excellently and will also be of benefit to those who are past the introductory stage, but would benefit from a refresher course in how to read the Bible responsibly as a theological whole.

Dennis P Hollinger, The Meaning of Sex: Christian Ethics and the Moral Life, Baker, ISBN 978-0-80103-571-5, £12.99 (Kindle edition also available).

The current debate about sexual ethics in the Church can often be reduced to a debate about particular issues. Is it right to marry two people of the same sex? Would it be right for the Church of England to bless Civil Partnerships? Should someone in a sexually active gay or lesbian relationship be ordained? These are all important issues, but in order to address them properly it is necessary to do so not in isolation, but in the context of an overarching Christian understanding of sexual ethics. The new book from Dennis Hollinger, who is President and Professor of Christian ethics at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in the United States, seeks to offer just such an overarching perspective. The book is two parts. Part I is entitled ‘Frameworks’ and it covers ‘ethical theories and sex,’ ‘worldwiews and sex,’ ‘the Christian worldview and sex’ and ‘the purposes of sex.’ Part II is entitled ‘Issues’ and it covers ‘sex before marriage,’ ‘sex in marriage’ ‘the challenge of homosexuality,’ ‘reproductive technologies and sexual ethics’ and ‘living in a sex-crazed world.’ Professor Hollinger argues that there are ‘four main purposes of the gift of sexual intimacy: consummation of marriage, procreation, love and pleasure. These purposes are implicitly taught in Holy Scripture, but have also been evident to human beings down through the ages via reason and human experience – that is through natural revelation.’ In his view ‘these are God’s designs for physical intimacy and our Maker desires that they be held together as unit.’ In the second half of his book he looks at particular issues in the light of these four main purposes of sex, suggesting that the ethics of any sexual act needs to be ‘tested against the ability to encompass these four ends, or at least be in the context of these four ends.’ Professor Hollinger’s overall conclusion is that in today’s world of widespread confusion about sexual ethics ‘faithful sexual living will only arise from a clear commitment to the Christian meaning of sex.’ He goes on to say that ‘As a church we must teach the whole counsel of God, including the Christian meaning of sex, embodying its tenets, while constantly reaching out in grace and forgiveness to those who stumble and fall. And in the midst of society, as individuals and the church, we will not only keep ourselves holy for God’s sake, but for the world’s sake, seeking to be salt and light in a culture that thinks sex is a merely private affair.’ Professor Hollinger takes a largely conservative view on the major issues in sexual ethics and his book is written from an American perspective. However, one should be put off from reading it either because they are not conservative or because they are not American. As one reviewer has said, this book offers ‘a careful, well-researched, up-to-date and well written evangelical account of sexual ethics’ and as such it is a book that has the capacity to help everyone to think more deeply and clearly about what they believe about sexual ethics and why they believe it.

Roger Greenacre, Maiden, Mother, and Queen: Mary in the Anglican Tradition , Canterbury Press, ISBN 978-1-84825-278-3, £24:99.

One of the key features of the Catholic movement in the Church of England is devotion to the Virgin Mary. From the perspective of this tradition devotion to the Virgin Mary is rooted in Scripture and the teaching and practice of the Church down the ages and across the world and as such it forms a key part of the Church of England’s Catholic identity. The late Canon Roger Greenacre was one of the most respected Anglo-Catholic priests in the Church of England, and this new book brings together a collection of his sermons and writings about Mary in a way that clearly illustrates the central place that she has in Catholic Anglican theology and spirituality as well as being a tribute to Canon Greenacres’s life and work. The collection, which was put together by Dr Colin Podmore, Canon Greenacre’s literary executor, is in four parts. Part I ‘Roger Greenacre’ consists of a brief biography of Canon Greenacre by Dr Podmore and addresses given at his funeral requiem at Charterhouse and at the Requiem Mass held for him in Chichester Cathedral where he had been Chancellor and Precentor. Part II consists of sixteen homilies relating to Mary preached by Canon Greenacre, grouped under the headings of ‘Mother of God Incarnate,’ ‘Blessed among Women,’ ‘Queen of heaven’ and ‘St Joseph.’ Part III consists on a series of papers by Canon Greenacre which outline the story of devotion to Mary in the history of the Church of England both before and after the Reformation. Finally, Part IV consists of a series of reflections by Canon Greenacre on the place of Mary in ecumenical dialogue, including his reflections on the ARCIC document Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ. The following quotation from a sermon he preached at an ecumenical pilgrimage in honour of Mary at Durham Cathedral in 1998 gives a flavour of the collection as a whole. He states that what is required from those taking part in such a pilgrimage is at least three things ‘First, sorrow that the figure of one whom our Lord and Master Jesus Christ loved and reverenced as his Mother has been allowed to become the focus of controversy and division, and penitence for our own complicity in this tragic confrontation, in which Catholics have used their rosaries to flog the backs of Protestants and Protestants have used their Bibles to bash the heads of Catholics. Secondly, sensitivity to the convictions of our fellow Christians and an awareness of those points in our own tradition that can scandalize and hurt our fellow Christians. Thirdly, a conviction that we and the churches to which we belong are called, in this domain as in so many others, to a real conversion as we try to confess together with one voice the Faith of the Scriptures and the Creeds and as we seek for the right language in which – in obedience to her own Magnificat – to call Mary blessed.’ This is a very helpful volume for anyone who wants to understand how Mary is understood within the Catholic Anglican tradition today or who wants to be stimulated to think more deeply about the place that should be given to Mary in Christian theology, spirituality and ecumenical dialogue.

Jonah Lynch, The Scent of Lemons, DLT, ISBN 978-0-23252-958-6, £9.99.

The title of this book by the American Roman Catholic writer, Jonah Lynch, who now teaches in a seminary in Rome, highlights the fact that there are some things, such as conveying the touch, taste and scent of lemons, which electronic technology simply cannot do. In this book Lynch tells how his attempt to care for lemon trees brought to light an impatience resulting from his involvement in the speedy processes of electronic technology. He argues that such involvement leads us to become hunters constantly searching for data, but that this in turn detracts from the patient and deep attention required for other tasks such as cultivating lemon trees. Lynch records the way that the missionary order to which he belongs now has effortless international conferences on the internet, but observes that virtual contact has an inevitable `disincarnating' effect on relationships. Writing `ha ha ha' on a chat screen bears no comparison with laughing among friends. Furthermore, this ‘disincarnation’ means that, like pornography, the internet is guilty of an extreme materialisation: ‘after having reduced the infinite beauty of loving relationships to a pure physical mechanism, we are decomposing them into the banal virtuality of a group of pixels on a back-lit screen'. Lynch considers the theological dimension of all this: `The human person made in the image and likeness of the One and Triune God is made for communion. This explains the extraordinary growth of Facebook, which interprets this ultimate desire. But what does Facebook do with it? Friends become a quantity...close friends, simple acquaintances, and ex-girlfriends are all on the same level.' He also reflects on the harshness of the internet. Like the mind of God it records everything, but unlike a merciful God it can use the memory of every detail against us even when we lament of our errors. The book ends with accounts of how, as a seminary Rector, Lynch employs forms of `technological fast' to help his ordinands build up their prayer life and friendships. It is real relationships in the flesh in the context of small and local communities that are the key to a re-vitalisation of humanity and Church, and virtual networking needs to serve rather than replace these real relationships. This book is a timely warning of the danger of the virtual world that so many people (Christians included) now inhabit and an important summons to Christians to think how corporately and individually they can learn to put electronic technology into its proper place as an adjunct to, rather than a replacement for, real experiences and real relationships and the time and attention that these require.

Alister McGrath, Faith and the Creeds, SPCK, ISBN 978-0-28106-833-3, £8.99.

Bishop Tom Wright’s ‘For Everyone’ series of commentaries have been very successful in mediating top quality biblical scholarship to a wider audience. In the light of this, SPCK have commissioned Professor Alister McGrath to write a five volume introduction to the leading themes of the Creeds along similar lines under the general title Christian Belief for Everyone. Faith and the Creeds is the first volume in the series and it will be followed by four subsequent volumes: The Living God, Lord and Saviour - Jesus of Nazareth, Spirit of the Living God and The Christian Life and Hope. As Professor McGrath explains in his introduction ‘traditional introductions to Christian belief have tended to treat its ideas – such as incarnation or redemption or the creeds (to which we will return later) - as if each is a little box or watertight compartment, unconnected to any other, to be opened up and explored individually. I would like to take a different approach, one that emphasizes the importance of seeing the whole, not just examining its constituent elements, because it seems to me that in order to appreciate individual beliefs, you need to see the big picture of which they are a part. So in this volume we will begin with the ‘panorama’ as it were; then in the next four volumes we will move on to the ‘snapshots’ as we look at individual beliefs in more detail.’ In exploring the ‘panorama’ in his first volume Professor McGrath draws on the work of C S Lewis, G K Chesterton and Dorothy L Sayers and, following Lewis, what he seeks to present is ‘a consensual basic Christianity, using accessible and engaging language and images.’ The big argument he presents in this volume is that Christian faith present a more comprehensive and more satisfying understanding of reality than scientific materialism. ‘It is about realising that a surface reading of things is simply inadequate. There is a big picture to be discovered that goes far beyond the limited and impoverished view of things that results from skimming the surface of reality. The creed of many around us may be ‘what you see is what you get.’ Yet we are called to go ‘further up and further in,’ and help others to raise their horizons and open their eyes to a deeper and richer understanding of reality...Although we can’t prove that this new way of seeing things is right, it makes so much sense that we are prepared to commit ourselves to living on this basis, knowing that millions before us have found it reliable and resilient. Reciting the creeds is about holding hands with those who’ve walked before us along the road of faith and talked through it great themes.’ Living in this way, he says, ‘is about entering into and acting in accordance with this bigger picture, aligning ourselves with its vision of reality’ and this turn leads not to disengagement from the world, but a desire to change it, ‘A vision of the New Jerusalem makes us yearn to bring about at least some of its values and attributes in our own age, trying to shape the present in the light of God’s coming kingdom.’ This is an accessible and stimulating introduction to the nature of Christian belief and where the Creeds fit into the picture. It will not, probably, do that much for the average man on the Clapham omnibus, but it an excellent resource to put into the hands of an educated enquirer or new Christian who is prepared to expend a bit of time and intellectual effort to try to see what belief involves and why it makes sense.

Paul K Moser, The Severity of God: Religion and Philosophy Reconceived, CUP. ISBN 978-1-10761-532-8, £ 18.99

Although St. Paul talks about the severity of God in Romans 11.22, the idea of God’s severity is not one that has attracted much attention from theologians. In this new book Paul Moser, Professor of Philosophy at Loyola University in the United States, seeks to correct this oversight. Professor Moser’s focus is on how the concept of divine severity relates to the nature of life in this world with all its difficulties and challenges. As he notes in his Preface, ‘Human talk of God is often cheap and easy, and self serving too. It thus leaves us with a god unworthy of the morally perfect title ‘God.’ This book takes a different route, in order to move way from counterfeits and towards the real article. Our expectations for God, if God exists, often get in the way of our receiving salient evidence of God. We assume that God would have certain obligations towards us, even by way of giving us clear evidence, and when these obligations are not met we discredit God, including God’s existence. This is a fast track to atheism, or at least agnosticism. We need, however, to take stock of which arguments for God are fitting and which are not, given what would be God’s perfect moral character and will.’ The moral argument against God, invoked in so called ‘protest atheism.’ holds that God, if he exists, is not exercising proper control over the world and is therefore unworthy of our worship and obedience. Professor Moser’s response to this argument is to ask whether this way of thinking is not based on a failure to think through sufficiently rigorously how it would be proper for God to behave. Perhaps, he suggests ‘God is not casual, but intentionally severe, in a sense to be clarified, owing to God’s vigorous concern for the reception of divine righteous love (agapé).’ As he sees it, if God's aim is to extend without coercion his everlasting life to humans, then commitment to that goal could manifest itself in his making human life severe, for the sake of encouraging humans to enter into that life of cooperative good. In this scenario, divine agapé is conferred as free gift, but the human reception of it involves ‘severe difficulty, discomfort, anxiety, stress, or insecurity for human beings’ in the face of conflicting powers and priorities. In this view of things what we often see as evidence against God and his goodness is in fact God operating in truly good way that enables human being to freely share God’s life for ever. This is a highly stimulating essay in philosophical theology that encourages those who are up to the intellectual challenge to think in a fresh way about why God acts as he does and what counts as evidence for God’s goodness.

S Platten and C Woods (eds). Comfortable Words: Polity, Piety and the Book of Common Prayer, SCM Press, ISBN 978-0-33404-670-7, £45.00 (Kindle edition also available)

2012 marked the 350th anniversary of the 1662 version of the Book of Common Prayer and this book, edited by the Chairman and Secretary of the Church of England’s Liturgical Commission, has been produced as part of the celebrations of this anniversary. The book consists of ten essays. Six of these essays were first presented at a symposium at the British Academy in March 2012 and are presented here in a revised form, accompanied by four additional essays produced for the book itself. The essays are as follows: Stephen Platten ‘All Such Good Works: The Book of Common Prayer and the Fashioning of English Society,’ Gordon Jeanes ‘The Tudor Prayer Books: That ‘the whole realme shall have but one use,’’ Hannah Cleugh ‘The Prayer Book in Early Stuart Society,’ Peter McCullough ‘Absent Presence: Lancelot Andrewes and 1662,’ Brian Cummings ‘The 1662 Prayer Book,’ William Jacob ‘Common Prayer in the Eighteenth Century,’ Bryan D. Spinks ‘The Transition from ‘Excellent Liturgy’ to being ‘Too Narrow for the Religious Life of the Present Generation’: The Book of Common Prayer in the Nineteenth Century,’ Paul Bradshaw ‘Liturgical Development: From Common Prayer to Uncommon Worship,’ Paul Avis ‘The Book of Common Prayer and Anglicanism: Worship and Belief’ and Christopher Woods ‘Epilogue: A place for the 1662 Book of Common Prayer in the twenty-first-century Church?’ As this list reveals, the essays in this collection are written by some of the world’s leading liturgical scholars and historians and they offer new and original scholarship about the background to the development of the Book of Common Prayer in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, about its use in the Church of England since 1662, about its impact on the life of the Church of England and English society in general and about its place in the Church today. The book is aimed primarily at scholars and students in theological colleges, courses and universities, but the essays are sufficiently accessible to make the book of interest to a wider audience in the Church of England and beyond. As Fr George Guiver has commented, ‘This engaging bird's-eye view gives a sweep of the history of the use of the BCP, through the long period of its glory days, reigning supreme, widely treasured, and on to choppier modern waters, where we are no longer sure what place the BCP should have, and modern reforms lack its ability to focus the character and self-understanding of Anglicanism. This seamless book, which almost reads as if by one author, is both scholarly and accessible to the ordinary reader, and you are likely to have difficulty putting it down.’

Gerald Rau, Mapping the Origins debate, IVP, ISBN 978-1-84474-616-3, £12.99

As its title suggests, the purpose of this book by Gerald Rau, a former biology professor at Wheaton College and Trinity Christian College, is to map the current debate both inside and outside the Christian Church about the origins of the universe and of the world that we inhabit. In the book Professor Rau looks at six models of origins, naturalistic evolution, non-teleological evolution, planned evolution, directed evolution, old earth creationism and young earth creationism. The first model has no place for God. The second gives a place to God in starting off the universe, but no place for Him after that. The third sees God as not only crating the universe, but creating it so that it would develop according to a specific plan. The fourth sees God creating the universe and continuing to intervene in it in order to direct it to its intended end. The fifth see science and Genesis as giving distinct but non contradictory account of the creation of the universe and are happy with the idea of the earth being extremely old. The sixth reads Genesis as a literal account of a seven day creation and on this basis holds that the earth is in fact very young, being only a few thousand years old. . Professor Rau looks at each model in turn and exploring how it assesses the scientific evidence in relation to four different kinds of origins: the universe, life, species and humans. As he works through the models he investigates the nature of science and looks at how each of the six models presupposes an underlying philosophy that its adherents take on faith and how difference between Christians about the nature of God’s creative activity reflect different views of the proper hermeneutic for the interpretation of Scripture. In the end, he shows not just what the differences are among the options, but why those who hold disagree and why we shouldn't expect any resolution as long as the philosophical and theological assumptions involved remain unchanged. This is not a book that gives a particular answer to the question of the origins of the universe and of planet earth. Readers who want that will be disappointed. What it does do is to identify in a level headed and even handed way the key issues involved in looking at this question and why people looking at the same evidence continue to disagree about the answer to it. What this book offers its readers is the opportunity to become better informed about the current debates on origins and better thinkers about the issues at stake and for that reason it is well worth reading.

Jon M Sweeney, The Pope who Quit, Image, ISBN 978-0-38553-189-4, £8.60

News coverage of the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI has suggested that this was an almost unprecedented event. It is true that before Pope Benedict no Pope had resigned for six hundred years, but in the course of Papal history as a whole Popes have resigned on a number of occasions. The Catholic Encyclopedia lists a series of possible examples of Papal resignations during the first thousand years of the history of the Church, but the evidence for these is obscure and disputed. The first historically unquestionable Papal resignation was that of Benedict IX in 1045 and this was followed by the resignation of Gregory VI in the following year, Celestine V in 1294 and Gregory XII in 1415. The Pope who Quit, by the American Catholic historian Jo Sweeney is an account of the penultimate figure on this list, Pope Celestine V, who was Pope from August to December 1294. Pope Celestine was previously known as Peter Morrone and before becoming Pope he had been a hermit and had founded the Celestine order. In 1294, after a conclave had failed to elect a Pope for two years, Peter sent the Cardinals a letter warning them that the vengeance of God would fall upon them if they failed to elect. The Cardinals then decided that Peter himself was God’s man for the job and against his better judgement Peter was persuaded to accept the Papacy. After five months and eight days in office he resigned after having realised that he lacked the necessary authority to be Pope and went back to being a hermit. However, fearing that he would be set up as an anti-Pope, his successor Boniface VIII had him arrested and imprisoned and after ten months in prison he died. Peter’s supporters suggested that he had been harshly treated while imprisoned and ultimately executed and in 1313 he was canonised. In The Pope Who Quit Jon Sweeney vividly re-creates Celestine V’s life and times, explaining the reasons for his swift election and equally swift resignation and the mixture of religious and political intrigue that surrounded him both during and after his occupation of the chair of St, Peter. This book is worth reading as a lively account of a generally forgotten piece of church history, but it also raises fascinating questions about what a truly holy man should do when he is appointed to a job that he really does not want and quickly comes to realise that it is also a job that he cannot do. Should he continue in office on the grounds that this is a burden laid on him by God or resign to let some one else do the job better? Since his death Pope Celestine has been viewed as both a coward (he is often thought to be the figure depicted by Dante outside the gates of the inferno ‘who through cowardice made the great refusal’) and as hero worthy of sainthood. Read the book and make up your own mind!

Peter S Williams, C S Lewis vs the New Atheists, Paternoster, ISBN 978-1-84227-770-6, £12.99

C S Lewis continues to provide inspiration for Christian apologists fifty years after his death and this is also shown by Peter William’s new book C S Lewis vs the New Atheists. Peter Williams is a Christian philosopher and apologist who works with the Damaris trust. In his new book he argues that the reasons that led Lewis to become a Christian having been an atheist still carry weight against the attacks on Christianity made by the ‘new atheists’ such as Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, A C Grayling and the late Christopher Hitchens. In William’s view ‘C.S. Lewis is an obvious intellectual counterpart to the ‘new atheism.’ In the book Williams shows that the key arguments for Christian belief put forward by Lewis, the inability of scientific materialism to provide a satisfactory basis for reason or morality, the existence of deep desire in human beings that only God can satisfy and the existence of the ‘trilemma’ that Jesus must be either made, bad or God, are all ones that that the new atheists have failed satisfactorily to challenge: ‘We have examined just those arguments that had the greatest impact upon Lewis, and we’ve seen that the new atheists generally evince their culpable ignorance of these arguments, or else they fail to respond to the arguments, or they change the subject when confronted with the arguments, or respond to ‘straw man’ misrepresentations of the arguments, or (despite repeated correction from those who defend these arguments) they make logically fallacious objections to these arguments.’ We live in a time when the cultural climate is increasingly hostile to Christian belief. This book is worth reading as a lively and well-written reminder that the ‘emperor has no clothes’ in the sense that the new atheists of our day have no new arguments for their unbelief that were not in principle known about, considered and refuted by C S Lewis a generation ago. As Professor Keith Ward, quoted by Williams, says ‘the God conclusion stands firm and…is the best intellectual defence of the intelligibility of the cosmos, of the objective importance of our moral ideals, of an affirmation of the goodness, the joy and the beauty of life, and of the authenticity of those intimations of transcendence that provide some of the most sublime and transformative human experiences.’

The Association of the Church of England in Italy

2013-04-12T15:13:00.000+01:00

The Church of England, while established by law in England, has a very different legal status in the countries of continental Europe. In each nation the Diocese in Europe and her congregations conform to the domestic law of that country and adopt whatever measures are necessary to operate juridically and legally as a Church or religious / charitable organisation. (In some countries, such as France, the state does not recognise publicly any Church or religion).

In Italy, under the leadership of the Archdeacon of Italy and Malta, the Venerable Jonathan Boardman, preparatory work is under way to gain legal recognition of the Church of England, which will give an official status to our over 20 congregations and Anglican communities. The board of L'associazione della Chiesa d'Inghilterra in Italia is pictured above, at its inaugural meeting.

From Left to right:
HE Nigel Baker, British Ambassador to the Holy See; the Revd Canon David Richardson, Director Of the Anglican Centre in Rome; Cavaliere Giampaolo Grazian, Church Warden All Saints', Rome; Dr Giuseppe di Rosa, President of the Board's Auditors; Dr Paolo Coniglio, Secretary; Mr Willam Richards, Treasurer; Archdeacon Boardman, President; Mrs Sandra Seagram Annovazzi, Vice President; HE Christopher Prentice, British Ambassador to Italy and San Marino.

St John's Casablanca welcomes its new priest-in-charge

2013-04-10T14:22:00.002+01:00

On 2nd April the Archdeacon of Gibraltar, the Venerable David Sutch, licensed the Revd Canon Dr Medhat Sabry as the priest-in-charge of St John the Evangelist Church, Casablanca. Canon Medhat comes to this diocese from the Diocese of Egypt, where he has spent most of his ministry after his training for the priesthood in Trinity College, Bristol. Fluent in his native Arabic as well as English, he also has a doctorate in Old Testament studies and has lectured on this subject in Egypt. We welcome Canon Medhat to the Diocese in Europe.

The ecumenical community in Morocco was well represented at the licensing service with the presence of the Archbishop of Rabat, Vincent Landel, local Roman Catholic priests, the French Protestant minister and the local Orthodox priest. Four churches, the Roman Catholic, the Orthodox, the French Protestant and the Anglican, are given permission by the King of Morocco to minister to our own communities. The official religion of the country is Islam.

St John's is one of two churches of our diocese in Morocco, the other being St Andrew's Tangier St John's dates from 1906. One of its most famous worshippers was Major General George Patton of the US Army who attended regularly during WWII. Casablanca is a large and bustling city. St John's is a tranquil oasis located in a green churchyard, walled off from the surrounding noise of the city.

The present congregation is very international with many members from the United States and from several African countries. There is a thriving Sunday School. Services are at 10.30 am on Sunday mornings.

The Revd Canon Dr Alan Maude, RIP

2013-04-09T11:58:00.000+01:00

It is with great sadness that I convey the news of the sudden death of the Revd Canon Dr Alan Maude. He died yesterday, 8 April, at home in Estepona, Spain. Alan was born in 1941 and following a distinguished ministry in hospital chaplaincy in the UK came to the post of priest-in-charge of Costa del Sol West in 2006. His ministry in Malaga Province and beyond was widely appreciated. He was truly loved as parish priest and pastor.

Please pray for Canon Maude's wife Marjorie and for members of their family, and for parishioners of Costa del Sol West.

Lord Jesus, our brother and our saviour, hear the prayers of your beloved people, and comfort them in this time of sorrow. Welcome your servant Alan into paradise, and let him be with you in your kingdom and share for ever in the heavenly banquet, where you are Lord for ever and ever.

Senior Tutor and Advisor for Reader Ministry recommends we read this....

2013-04-06T10:35:00.000+01:00

The Revd Elaine Labourel is the Senior Tutor and Advisor for Reader Ministry in this diocese (pictured above with some of her students and former students).

Elaine does a lot of reading to equip her for tutoring and mentoring her students who are scattered across 42 countries. She recently found one particular book to have some important things to say to us. Readers of this blog will already know that the Diocese in Europe, while clear about and strong in our Anglican identity, seeks to live an expression of Christianity as Anglicans have received it which moves beyond the tensions, ecclesiastical politics and partisanship that is experienced in some parts of the Communion. We reach forward to manifest a truly catholic community that lives a generous and welcoming faith.

Elaine's recommendation sounds like it might help us with our vision. She writes:

Lorraine Cavanagh, Finding God in other Christians. SPCK, ISBN 978-0-281-06585, £8.99.
As we grow in the faith, we can find God in the context of more than one kind of churchmanship. Even if we have our preferences, we can benefit from exploring new ways of meeting with God, and especially through other Christians/Anglicans whose priorities and styles of worship are different to our own. This book calls us to a profound and compassionate approach to the challenges of diversity. It explores how we can reconnect as a Christian community with one another with integrity and truthfulness. It s a book for those who want to see the Church become what is really is,the ultimate place of reconciliation and belonging.

On a cold night in Stockholm, the warmth and joy of the Easter faith is shared

2013-03-30T21:17:00.001Z

During the Great Vigil of Easter, undaunted by the sub-zero temperatures (but blankets were provided for those who wished), the congregation of St Peter and St Sigfrid's Church in Stockholm gathered outside the Church for the lighting of the new fire, and then processed in to the warm Church behind the paschal candle held high by the Chaplain, the Revd Nick Howe.

11 candidates were confirmed during the service.

Christ is risen!

Posted with Blogsy

Chrism Mass in St Mark's Florence

2013-03-27T07:38:00.001Z

19 clergy and readers from Italy, Malta, Monaco and Switzerland came to St Mark's, Florence, for a Chrism Mass on Tuesday. During the celebration the ordination vows of the deacons, priests and bishop were reaffirmed, together with the promises made by Readers, and the oils used by the Church throughout the coming year were blessed. The sermon was preached by the Revd Canon Simon Godfrey, Chancellor of St Paul's Pro-Cathedral in Malta. Fr Simon drew on some images from the Holy Week poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins to remind the sacred ministers of what is at the heart of their calling.

The service was marked by a deep unity and communion among the clergy. Priests from the US Episcopal Church serving in Italy were present, as were priests from the Old Catholic tradition. (The Archdeacon of Italy and Malta, the Venerable Jonathan Boardman is working with the small Old Catholic communities in Florence and in Rome / Perugia which were once under the Old Catholic Bishop of Switzerland to incorporate them into the Church of England).

It was particularly good to have three deacons at the mass. Traditionally three deacons dressed in different coloured dalmatics present each oil: oil of the sick (purple), oil of catechumens (green) and the chrism (white).

Also, during the service Mrs Penny Mittler, a Reader in the Diocese of Manchester, who spends part of the year in Florence, received Permission to Officiate for St Mark's.

Fr William Lister, the Chaplain of St Mark's was responsible for the liturgical arrangements in this beautiful and unique Church in the Diocese, and members of the parish provided a lunch following the service.

Posted with Blogsy

New life in St Andrew's Biarritz

2013-03-25T13:36:00.000Z

One might argue that the Church of England congregation in Biarritz has a history that is one of the longest of our communities on the continent of Europe. That is, if one includes the centuries prior to the reformation when services were taken for English troops by English priests at nearby Bayonne. This region of SW France became part of the Kingdom of England following the marriage of Henry II to Eleanor of Aquitaine. Bayonne itself remained in English hands from 1152 until 1451. The coat of arms of England can still be seen in the Cathedral in Bayonne.

In more modern times Church of England services were restablished in Bayonne in 1853 and later transferred to Biarritz in 1854 where they have remained ever since. A first church building ended up being too small, and in 1878 a large Church, St Andrew's, with seating for 630 people was dedicated by the then Bishop of London. St Andrew's had many famous visitors over the years including Queen Victoria.

After WWII the English-speaking community in the area declined and church attendance with it. In 1982 the building was sold to the municipality of Biarritz and is now the Museum of History.

Formerly St Andrew's Church, now the Biarritz Historical Museum

Since 1982 a small and faithful group of parishioners have continued services in a chapel of St Joseph's Roman Catholic Church, Morning Prayer being led by lay persons, and the Eucharist celebrated by visiting priests. Once down to about 5 or 6 people there are signs of new life in St Andrew's congregation. The Revd Peter Naylor, one of the Honorary Assistant clergy of St Andrew's Pau, provides a monthly Eucharist and the Acting Archdeacon of France, the Revd Ian Naylor, gives oversight as priest-in-charge. On Sunday 17 March, I presided at the first Confirmation in Biarritz for many years. The congregation was 50 persons to support the confirmation of two parishioners. Regular attendance figures are steady in numbers including many young adults from around the world who are on training programmes offered by Youth With a Mission, YWAM, which has headquarters in Biarritz.

We give thanks to God for the signs of life in St Andrew's, and for the faithful perseverance of parishioners who are looking towards the future.

Fr Ian Naylor, confirmands and Fr Peter Naylor

Europe clergy helped to host Orthodox guests at Abp Justin's Installation

2013-03-24T14:13:00.003Z

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.

Metropolitan John of Pergamon (representing the Patriarch of Constantinople) and Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk (representing the Patriarch of Moscow) with Archbishop Justin

There were some moments of free time to wander around the ancient city of Canterbury. Some of the Bishops were amused by the name of the pub which was next to the hotel where we were staying.

Inauguration of the Petrine Ministry of Pope Francis

2013-03-22T17:53:00.002Z

Last Tuesday I had the privilege of being invited to the Inauguration of the Petrine Ministry of the Bishop of Rome, Pope Francis, as the Anglican Co-Chairman of IARCCUM, the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission. The Anglican delegation was headed by the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, who represented the Archbishop of Canterbury. Significantly, for the first time in over 1000 years, the Patriarch of Constantinople attended the inauguration in person.

The Roman Catholic Church is very hospitable to her ecumenical guests, and we were seated close to the altar in St Peter's Square.

I was struck by the simple dignity of the ceremony. Pope Francis was vested in a very plain chasuble and mitre which he used regularly in Buenos Aires. I couldn't help but notice the contrast to the vestments of the cardinals. He was given the two symbols of his office. The first was the Papal Pallium, a band of cloth with red crosses worn over the shoulders, made from lamb's wool, which represents the shepherd's role in seeking and carrying the lost, sick or weak sheep. The second was the Fisherman's Ring with the image of Peter the Fisherman, which recalls the role of the Church and the successors of the Apostles in letting down the nets and winning men and women to the Gospel.

In his moving homily the Pope did not once refer to himself as the Pope but as the "Bishop of Rome". He has done this consistently since his election and I think he may be setting down a marker for a fresh understanding of the place of the Roman Primacy in the Church, which may be significant for Anglicans. He also stood at a lectern to deliver the homily and preached without his mitre. He spoke from the heart about the Church needing to care for and serve the world, all people and even all creation (a Franciscan theme) with tenderness and love. He emphasised the priority we must give to the needs of the poor. From the crowd's response of spontaneous applause to these remarks he will have received a strong affirmation of this emphasis he clearly wants to place in his ministry.

I also enjoyed listening to his Italian spoken with the soft, sing-song accent of a native Spanish speaker from Buenos Aires!

Bishop Geoffrey announces he will retire on 8 November

2013-03-22T16:54:00.003Z

Bishop Geoffrey, the Bishop of Gibraltar in Europe, announced today that he will retire and leave office on 8 November 2013. He will bid farewell to the diocese formally at the Friends of the Diocese service on 23 October in London, and later on 1 November, All Saints Day, in the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Gibraltar. Bishop Geoffrey's full retirement announcement can be read here.

We wish Bishop Geoffrey well as he prepares for his final months in office.

The diocese will soon be entering a time of transition. The Diocesan Secretary, Mr Adrian Mumford, has indicated that the process for finding a new Bishop of Gibraltar in Europe is quite similar to that in English diocese The Archbishop's Secretary for Appointments, Caroline Boddington, guides the process. As it is not a Crown Appointment the final decision is made, not by the Prime Minister's Office, but by three bishops who act jointly: the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bishop of London and a bishop nominated by the Standing Committee of the Anglican Consultative Council. The Standing Committee of the Diocesan Synod acts as the Vacancy in See Committee for the Diocese and closely follows the Vacancy in See procedures as for all the other dioceses.

Archbishop of Canterbury's Statement on Election of Pope Francis

2013-03-14T10:37:00.000Z

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 evangelist, sharing the love of Christ which he himself knows. His choice of the name Francis suggests that he wants to call us all back to the transformation that St Francis knew and brought to the whole of Europe, fired by contemplation and closeness to God.
As I begin tomorrow a prayer pilgrimage toward my own inauguration as Archbishop in Canterbury next Thursday, Pope Francis will be much in my own prayers, as he will be throughout the coming months and years.”

The Archbishop of York will represent the Archbishop of Canterbury at the installation of Pope Francis on Tuesday. I have been asked to be part of the delegation in my capacity as Anglican Co-Chairman of IARCCUM, the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission, along with Archbishop David Moxon, the Anglican Co-Chairman of ARCIC, the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission, (the theological dialogue).

It will be a busy week. We return from Rome on Wednesday and go straight to Canterbury for another installation the next day, that of the Archbishop of Canterbury, at which I have been asked to host the guests from the Orthodox Churches.

The Church of England has produced this prayer for the new Bishop of Rome:

Almighty God,
shepherd of souls,
we pray for Francis I chosen to be Pope:
Guide him by your Spirit,
give him grace to lead people in prayer and zeal
and to follow in the footsteps
of Jesus Christ your Son our Lord.