Day 3
Christian Unity Vital in a Fractured World – Report of CCUD
The work of Christian unity may not be the most visible part of Church life but it is one of the most important, in an increasingly fractured world, the proposer of the Commission of Christian Unity and Dialogue told General Synod this afternoon.
Proposing the report, Bishop Andrew Forster (Derry and Raphoe) noted that Jesus links unity with mission. He observed that unity isn’t always easy to achieve but that is why the work of the commission matters. He said he believes that in communities across our island there is a desire to build the Kingdom of God across denominational boundaries and the most encouraging part of Christian unity can be seen, not in the report, but as churches work together quietly day by day. “It doesn’t make the headlines but it is kingdom work,” he commented.
He said he is involved in the Irish Council of Churches and Inter Church Meeting and has never come away without a real sense of shared witness and fulfilment. He expressed delight at the appointment of Bishop Michael Burrows as vice–chair of the Irish Council of Churches. He commended the report from the Conference of European Churches which talked about the witness of Christians in Ukraine and also the reports of the rise of Christian nationalism.
Seconding the report of CCUD, Archdeacon Katharine Poulton (Meath and Kildare) looked forward to the Anglican Consultative Council’s meeting in Belfast from June 27 to July 5 this year.
“The ACC is one of the Instruments of Communion and reminds us to think beyond our parochial, diocesan, and provincial boundaries as Bishops, Clergy and Lay people, numbering in total around 100, come together from across the world for the event. With other support and provincial staff the gathering will be larger than this and will meet in the Assembly Buildings in Belfast with opening and closing services in St. Anne’s Cathedral,” she said.
Among the items on the agenda for discussion with be the Nairobi Cairo document which was produced by IASCUFO (the Inter–Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order) in response to a resolution from ACC 18 held in Ghana three years ago. It is a theological paper offering a framework for fostering Christian Unity and maintaining communion, she explained.
Discussion on the Report
Speaking to the report Andrew McNeil (Dublin) agreed that the breath scope and scale of the report is wonderful. He repeated the call of the Revd Rebecca Guildea last year who encouraged the Church to engage with Pentecostal and house groups. He said it was good to see that Churches doing things together was no longer front page news as it was when the Church of Ireland and Catholic Archbishops of Dublin first carried a cross through Dublin on Good Friday. He said that the foundation of what the Church is doing is together and unity is primary as division can only take place when we are united.
George Okikiolo (Dromore) thanked CCUD for their good job with a detailed. It is good to hear how much unity is fostered among Christians, he said. He observed that the Church of Ireland’s focus should not just be on the western world but should think of those who are persecuted. Last Easter was a bloody time in Nigeria and he said he was awaiting a statement from the Church on this.
Dean Stephen Farrell (Ossory) hailed Pope Leo’s forthcoming encyclical Magnificat Humanitas looking at AI and its impact on human dignity and human flourishing. He encouraged all members to engage with this encyclical as they did with Laudato Si. He hoped it would be something that captured the imagination and help shape the churches’ response to the vexed issue of AI.
Joanne Connor talked about the Coptic Orthodox section in the report. She shared what she learned from people of Orthodox background and faithfulness in the face of adversity. She said they are the faithful remnant. She said we learn from each other and strengthen our fellowship in Christ.
George Woodman (Connor) referred to interfaith matters saying that we live in multi faith communities. Many find this challenging, he suggested, but it is a fact so he said people need to know how to work together and understand each other and to look at those things we have in common. He commended the online scriptural reasoning event with Christians, Muslims and Jews and looked forward to next weekend’s Dialogue of Friendship event in Dublin. He said the Jewish community in Britain and Ireland have been under threat but it is heartening to see the support that they have received from Muslim communities in Britain. In his last address to General Synod, he said it had been a privilege to be part of General Synod for 30 years and it had been a major part of his life.