{"id":50838,"date":"2025-10-02T13:38:37","date_gmt":"2025-10-02T11:38:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orthodoxia.be\/?p=50838"},"modified":"2025-10-03T11:59:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T09:59:10","slug":"international-commission-for-anglican-orthodox-theological-dialogue-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orthodoxia.be\/en\/2025\/10\/02\/international-commission-for-anglican-orthodox-theological-dialogue-2\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION FOR ANGLICAN\u2013ORTHODOX THEOLOGICAL DIALOGUE"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

COMMUNIQUE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the name of the Triune God and with the blessing and guidance of our Churches, the International Commission for Anglican\u2013Orthodox Theological Dialogue (ICAOTD) met in St Davids from the 26th<\/sup> September to the 3rd<\/sup> October 2025, at the invitation of the Church in Wales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

St Davids was an apposite venue for this meeting: in the time of St David in the sixth century, churches of the East and West were united, and British Christianity was evidently influenced by Eastern Christian traditions. Further, this year marked both the 1700th<\/sup> anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council held at Nicaea from which our common creed arose, and the centenary of an ecumenical celebration of the 1600th<\/sup> anniversary hosted at St Davids Cathedral at which a high-level delegation from local Orthodox Churches was welcomed. Recognising the place of St Davids as a destination for pilgrims since earliest times, the Commission followed their footsteps in a short pilgrimage to St Non’s Chapel and Well, where St David’s birth is traditionally remembered, concluding with visiting significant sites within the Cathedral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The members of the Commission are grateful for the warm welcome and generous hospitality offered by the Rt Revd Dorrien Davies, Bishop of St Davids. The Commission was also graciously received by the Cathedral community, and by the Dean of St Davids Cathedral, and Commission member, the Very Revd Dr Sarah Rowland Jones. The Commission attended the Cathedral’s daily worship, including the Sunday Eucharist, at which the Bishop of St Davids presided, and a sung service of Solemn Vespers for the Eve of the Feast of St Michael and All Angels. The Orthodox members of the Commission also celebrated the Divine Liturgy and led a service of Vespers in the Cathedral. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 50th<\/sup> anniversary of the Anglican\u2013Orthodox Theological Commission occurred in 2023. It was celebrated during the plenary in Boston in 2024 at which it was agreed to mark the anniversary by preparing a special publication outlining the Commission\u2019s history and achievements. This year\u2019s meeting at St Davids welcomed a draft including an overview of the Commission\u2019s development, introductions to each of the seven Agreed Statements issued by the Commission since 1973, and other significant archival material, and looked forward to its publication. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Commission worked on a comprehensive paper, \u2018Mission in the Contemporary World: Witnessing to Christ and Making Disciples.\u2019 This built on the preparatory papers of 2024, centring on mission, witness, Christian repentance, formation and discipleship. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Commission next meets in 2026 and will be hosted by the Patriarchate of Alexandria. The 2026 meeting hopes to finalise the document, \u2018Mission in the Contemporary World.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Members of the Commission present at the meeting<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Rt Revd Michael Lewis
The Episcopal Church in Jerusalem & the Middle East
Anglican Co-Chairman<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His Eminence Metropolitan Athenagoras of Belgium
Ecumenical Patriarchate
Orthodox Co-Chairman<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Representatives of the Orthodox Church<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His Eminence Metropolitan Serafim Kykotis of Zimbabwe and Angola
Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Very Revd Professor Dr Archimandrite Calinic Berger
Patriarchate of Antioch and all the East<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Revd Professor Dr Protopresbyter Chrysostomos Nassis Patriarchate of Jerusalem<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professor Dr Bogdan Lubardi\u0107
Patriarchate of Serbia<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His Eminence Metropolitan Nifon of T\u00e2rgovi\u015fte
Patriarchate of Romania<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Revd Dr Dobromir Dimitrov  Patriarchate of Bulgaria<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Very Revd George Gibradze  Patriarchate of Georgia<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Revd Dr Protopresbyter Nicholas Papantoniou Church of Cyprus<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professor Emeritus Dr Miltiadis Konstantinou
 Church of Greece<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Nathan Hoppe
 Church of Albania<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Very Revd Deacon Eulogios Tsatsas, Codecographer of the Holy and Sacred Synod  Ecumenical Patriarchate
Co-Secretary<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Representatives of the Anglican Communion<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Most Revd Dr Phillip Aspinall
 The Anglican Church of Australia<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Revd Dr Christopher Beeley
 The Episcopal Church <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Revd Marc Billimoria
 The Church of Ceylon<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Revd Dr Alex Irving  The Church of England<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Revd Canon Philip Hobson OGS
 The Anglican Church of Canada<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Revd Canon Dr Lin Khee Vun  The Anglican Church in South East Asia<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Rt Revd Dr Humberto Maiztegui Gon\u00e7alves
 The Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Very Revd Dr Sarah Rowland Jones
 The Church in Wales <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Canon Dr Christopher Wells
 Anglican Communion Office
 Director of Unity, Faith and Order & Co-Secretary<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Revd Neil Vigers
Anglican Communion Office
 Programme Executive<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t