'Anglican-Orthodox Dialogue' meet at Canterbury Cathedral

The International Commission of the Anglican-Orthodox Theological Dialogue met in the International Study Centre in Canterbury Cathedral, from Monday, June 21st – Friday, June 25th, 2004. The Commission is comprised of representatives from the Orthodox Churches and the Anglican Communion.

Highlights of the meeting included the Revd Canon Richard Marsh, Librarian of the Cathedral, giving the Commission members a candlelit guided tour of the Cathedral on the Tuesday evening, and also the Archbishop of Canterbury, Revd Dr Rowan Williams hosting a dinner for the Commission on the Thursday evening.

The Commission began in 1973 by investigating theological and doctrinal issues of concern for dialogue between the two Churches. In 2002 in Abergavenny, Wales an Interim Agreed Statement was made, and the Commission decided to refocus on an examination of issues surrounding the ordination of women to Priesthood, and the non-ordained ministry.

In Canterbury, the Commission received a first draft of an Agreed Statement on lay ministries in the Church, and on the question of the ministries of women and men, including the question of ordination to the diaconate, presbyterate and episcopate.

Discussions were also held on heresy and schism, theology and practice of reception. The commission will meet again in 2005, where the topics will be reviewed and looked at again. The goal of the commission is to combine all the topics discussed in Interim Agreements since 1989 into a single Report due for publication in 2006.

Commission Members present in Canterbury were:

Orthodox
Metropolitan John of Pergamon
(Ecumenical Patriarchate) (Co-chair)
Metropolitan Petros of Aksum
(Patriarchate of Alexandria)
Fr Michael Harper
(Patriarchate of Antioch)
Bishop Basil of Sergievo
(Patriarchate of Moscow)
Professor Dr Mircea Ielciu
(Patriarchate of Romania)
Bishop Gerasim Sharashenidze and Archpriest Giorgi Zviadadze
(Church of Georgia)
Bishop Vasilios of Trimithus
(Church of Cyprus)
Professor Constantine Scouteris
(Church of Greece)
Bishop Ilia of Philomelion
(Church of Albania)
Metropolitan Ambrosius of Helsinki
(Church of Finland)
The Revd Dr Vaclav Jezek
(Church of Czech Lands and Slovakia)
Fr Matthias Palli
(Church of Estonia)
Fr Christos B Christakis
(Co-secretary)

Anglican
The Rt Revd Mark Dyer
(Co-chair)
The Rt Revd Max Thomas
(Anglican Church of Australia)
The Rt Revd John Baycroft
(Anglican Church of Canada)
The Revd Dr Timothy Bradshaw
(Church of England)
The Revd Dr Donald Ross Edwards
(Anglican Church of Australia)
The Revd Dr John Gibaut
(Anglican Church of Canada)
The Revd Canon Jonathan Gough
(Archbishop of Canterbury’s Representative)
The Revd Canon William Green
(Episcopal Church of the USA)
The Rt Revd William Gregg
(Episcopal Church of the USA)
The Revd Canon Livingstone Ngewu
(Church of the Province of Southern Africa)
The Revd Dr Duncan Reid
(Anglican Church of Australia)
The Revd Prof John Riches
(Episcopal Church of Scotland)
The Ven Dr Joy Tetley
(Church of England)
The Revd Canon Hugh Wybrew
(Church of England)
The Revd Canon Gregory Cameron
(Co-secretary) (Anglican Communion Office)