9th meeting of Coordinating Committee for Cooperation between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Church of England takes place in London
On 22 September 2017, the Coordinating Committee for Cooperation between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Church of England held its 9th meeting at the Lambeth Palace in London. Representing the Russian Orthodox Church were Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations; Archbishop Yelisei of Sourozh; Hieromonk Ioann (Kopeykin), vice-rector of Ss. Cyril and Methodius Theological Institute of Postgraduate Studies; and Mr. Philip Champion of the DECR Secretariat for Inter-Christian Relations. Taking part in the meeting on behalf of the Church of England were Bishop Jonathan Goodall of Ebbsfleet; Rev. Dr. William Adam, ecumenical advisor to the Archbishop of Canterbury; Rev. Andrei Petrine; Canon William Gulliford; and Rev. Tim Pike. Among those present was also Archpriest Stephen Platt, rector of the Oxford Parish of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, a member of the Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius.
During the meeting a wide range of issues was discussed concerning the cooperation between the two Churches, in particular, in humanitarian, cultural and academic spheres. The participants in the meeting noted the success of the Summer Institute for Clerics and Parishioners of the Church of England, organized in Russia in September 2017 as part of the programme of Ss Cyril and Methodius Theological Institute. Discussing prospects for humanitarian cooperation, the participants devoted particular attention to the plight of Christians in the Middle East. For instance, Metropolitan Hilarion emphasized the importance of concerted efforts aimed at restoring the Christian settlements in Syria and Iraq as soon as the war in these countries comes to an end.
After the meeting, Bishop Jonathan Goodall gave a reception in honour of the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church.
DECR Communication Service