The Anglican-Oriental Orthodox
International Commission has held its fourth meeting from the 5th to 10th
October 2015 at Gladstone’s Library, Hawarden, Wales.
The Commission greatly
appreciates the welcome to his diocese given by the Right Reverend Gregory K
Cameron, and the hospitality offered by the staff of the Library.
The Commission is also grateful
to the members of St Dyfnog’s Church Llanrhaeadr yng Nghinmeirch, Canolfan Dewi
Sant, Abergele, and St Abba Eskhairon Coptic Orthodox Church in Llandudno, and
the Dean and Chapter of St Asaph Cathedral, for their warm welcome, as well as
to Bishop Gregory and Mrs Cameron for inviting the members of the Commission to
their home, and for their kind and generous hospitality.
A new publication containing the
Agreed Statement on Christology of the Anglican-Oriental Orthodox International
Commission 2014 was launched during Vespers in St Asaph Cathedral by the
Co-Chairs of the commission, the Rt Revd Gregory K Cameron Bishop of St Asaph,
and His Eminence Metropolitan Bishoy of Damietta, in the presence of the Rt
Revd Dr Geoffrey Rowell, former Co-Chair of the Commission and co-signatory to
the Statement.
The Commission completed its work
on the Procession of the Holy Spirit, agreeing on the omission of the Filioque clause
that had been appended to the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed in the Latin
Western tradition. The Co-Chairs signed an Agreed Statement on the procession
of the Holy Spirit, which is Part A of our ongoing work on our theological
understanding of the Holy Spirit. A detailed discussion of the action of the
Holy Spirit in the Church followed, including a discussion of the four marks of
the Church, namely: oneness, holiness, catholicity and apostolicity. The
Commission has designated a drafting group which prepared a preliminary draft
and will continue to work on Part B of our theological understanding of the
Holy Spirit.
The Commission discussed the
present situation of Christians in the Middle East and heard reports on the
difficulties facing Churches, particularly in Syria and Iraq. There was a
consideration of the most practical ways in which the Anglican Communion in its
various countries could respond effectively to the refugee crisis in the Middle
East and Europe.
Members of the Commission
continue to pray for the Middle East, for the victims of war, for refugees, and
for all hostages. We also pray for our fellow Christians, and especially the
two kidnapped Bishops of Aleppo: Metropolitan Mor Gregorios Youhanna Ibrahim of
the Syriac Orthodox Church, and Metropolitan Boulos Yazigi of the Greek
Orthodox Church of Antioch, of whom there is still no word.
The Commission also marked the
Centenary of the Armenian Genocide. The connection between WE Gladstone, former
British Prime Minister, and the Armenians whom he defended during their
sufferings in the 1890s was commemorated in St Deiniol’s Church, Hawarden. The
Revd Dr Patrick Thomas gave a presentation on his book, Remembering the
Armenian Genocide 1915, which was appreciated by the Commission.
The fifth meeting of the
Commission will take place in Antelias, Lebanon, from the 24th to 29th October
2016, hosted by His Holiness Catholicos Aram I.
At the conclusion of the meeting,
the Commission thanked the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, for the
mutual understanding and friendship that was experienced and shared, and looks
forward to continuing its work.
Present at the meeting in
Hawarden 2015
Anglicans
The Rt Revd Gregory K Cameron The
Church in Wales
(Co-Chair)
The Revd Canon Dr John Gibaut
Anglican Communion Office 2015
(Co-Secretary)
The Most Revd Dr Michael Jackson
The Church of Ireland
The Rt Revd Dr Geoffrey Rowell
The Church of England
(Consultant)
The Very Revd Dr Samy Shehata The
Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East
The Ven Dr Edward Simonton OGS
The Church of Canada
The Revd Stephen Stavrou The
Church of England 2015
The Revd Canon Dr William Taylor
The Church of England
The Revd Dr Patrick Thomas The
Church in Wales
The Revd Neil Vigers Anglican
Communion Office
Not able to be present
The Revd Christopher Edgar The
Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East
Oriental Orthodox
Coptic Orthodox Church of
Alexandria
His Eminence Metropolitan Bishoy
Egypt
(Co-Chair)
His Grace Bishop Angaelos England
Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch
His Eminence Polycarpus Augin
Aydin The Netherlands
The Very Revd Fr Roger Akhrass
Syria
Armenian Apostolic Orthodox
Church – Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin – Armenia
His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan
Derderian USA
The Very Revd Archimandrite Shahe
Ananyan
Armenian Apostolic Orthodox
Church – Holy See of Cilicia, Antelias – Lebanon
His Eminence Archbishop Nareg
Alemezian Cyprus
The Very Revd Fr Housig
Mardirossian Lebanon
(Co-Secretary)
Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church
The Revd Fr Dr KM George India
Not able to be present
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo
Church
His Grace Archbishop Abba Gabriel
Ethiopia His Grace Archbishop Abba Yacob South Africa
Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church
Metropolitan Geevarghese Mor
Coorilos India
Source: http://aeca.org.uk/articles.html
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