CHRISTIAN CHURCHES
Anglicans: consultations for choice of archbishopFor the first time in history, the members of the Anglican Communion throughout the world are being invited to share their opinions on the ministry of the next archbishop of Canterbury. The Crown Nominations Commission of the Church of England is the body that has the task of nominating the next Archbishop of Canterbury, after the current Archbishop Rowan Williams announced that he would resign by the end of this year. The Commission generally seeks the opinions of all the primates and provincial secretaries of the 38 provinces of the Anglican Communion. This time, instead, the Commission has sent a letter to the Provinces asking that it be read out in the Anglican churches of the Communion. The letter is signed by the General Secretary of the Anglican Communion, Canon Kenneth Kearon, on behalf of the Commission. "The archbishop of Canterbury says the letter exercises many roles he is bishop of the diocese of Canterbury, primate of the Church of England, and focus of unity for the Anglican Communion". The process of seeking the next archbishop has already been begun: the Crown Nominations Commission is carrying out extensive consultations with various representatives of the Church of England, also involving members of other Christian denominations and other faiths. "The Commission continues Canon Kearon’s letter wishes to offer the same opportunity to other members of the Anglican Communion. It is seeking your views on the priorities for the ministry of the next archbishop to enable the members of the commission to have as rich a picture as possible as they begin their works". The hope is that the letter (translated in several languages) may reach all members of the Anglican Communion in such a way that Anglicans and Episcopalians around the world can respond to the commission’s request by e-mail or post by 30 April. All views received will be collated and included in a report of the commission".Greece: concerns of Patriarch BartholomewIn a letter sent to His Beatitude Ieronymos, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece and President of the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I has expressed "concern and sadness" about some statements made within the Church of Greece, that in the view of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople "may jeopardize the unity of the Church and the unity of the Orthodox Church as a whole". A group of 30 Professors of the Faculty of Theology at the "Aristotle" University in Salonica has also expressed the same concerns in a letter sent to Archbishop Ieronymos. The statements to which reference is made both by Patriarch Bartholomew and by the theologians of Salonica are some opinions recently circulated within the Orthodox Church of Greece, which in effect "place in question and criticise the decisions approved at the Pan-Orthodox level, and hence also by the Church of Greece, with regard to the participation of the Orthodox Church as a whole in bilateral and multilateral theological dialogues with heterodox Churches, and in inter-Christian meetings promoted by the World Council of Churches, the Council of European Churches and similar bodies". Patriarch Bartholomew’s letter reported on the website Orthodoxie.com on 2 April also points out that initially these affirmations were of "limited scope" but have "recently assumed an unacceptable level": the Patriarch refers in particular to the "anathemas" pronounced by a metropolitan of the Church of Greece, during the Divine Liturgy celebrated for the Sunday of Orthodoxy, against heterodox Christians, the believers of other religions, and against all participants in the ecumenical movement. The university professors explain that the anathemas were also aimed against Pope Benedict XVI. "The Ecumenical Patriarch says the letter reported by Orthodoxie.com invites the archbishop of Athens and the Holy Synod officially to reject and condemn these unfounded and dangerous manifestations and also to take steps that may prevent practices and positions that are contrary to the decisions taken in common by the Orthodox Churches". CEC: praise for EU refugees policyThe Commission for Migrants in Europe of the Conference of European Churches has welcomed the new EU programme aimed at providing EU funds to member states willing to resettle refugees on their own territory. This programme, which would give priority to those refugees considered most vulnerable, such as women at risk, unaccompanied children and individuals with medical problems, is called "an encouraging sign" in a CEC press release. The Churches however urge the member states of the EU to increase the volume and impact of the resettlement of refugees to the EU, pointing out that the EU and its member states can and must do more to offer protection to those considered most vulnerable. The Commission proposes the objective of reaching the target of 20,000 resettlement places "to be made available annually by the then 28 (or more) EU member states by the year 2020". It further underlines that the achievement of this target within 8 years "is entirely realistic; however, resettlement efforts for attaining the figures need to start now". The policy paper further "argues for stronger coordination of resettlement efforts of EU member states with external policies of the EU and calls for strong cooperation between governments, UNHCR and civil society in planning, implementing and evaluating refugee resettlement to the EU".
