Anglican-Old Catholic International Coordinating Council issues communiqué
Episcopal News Service. November 4, 2009 [110409-01]
A communiqué from the recent meeting of the Anglican-Old Catholic International Coordinating Council follows.
The Anglican-Old Catholic International Coordinating Council (AOCICC) met in the International Study Centre, Canterbury, England, from 26 to 29 October 2009. The Council welcomed the Rev. Carola von Wrangel from the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe as a new member.
The members received reports of developments in each Communion and reviewed present ecumenical dialogues in which our Communions are engaged. The Council studied several papers on the theology of blessing. It also discussed and adopted an information leaflet about the Old Catholic Churches of the Union of Utrecht.
A draft text for a common statement on ecclesiology and mission was discussed. The Council will present it to the Anglican and Old Catholic Bishops' Conference and recommends that it be made the theme of the forthcoming International Old Catholic and Anglican Theological Conference in 2011.
Attention was given to the recently published document "Kirche und Kirchengemeinschaft" (Church and Communion) of the International Roman Catholic-Old Catholic Dialogue Commission (IRAD), as well as to the recent Vatican announcement of the Apostolic Constitution to provide personal ordinariates for Anglicans and former Anglicans.
The council participated in daily Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer and the Eucharist in the Cathedral. The Bible Studies each morning were led by members of the Council. The Council was present at the consecration of the Bishop of Shrewsbury (Diocese of Lichfield) by the Archbishop of Canterbury in Westminster Abbey. Old Catholic bishops Joachim Vobbe and Harald Rein joined with the College of Anglican bishops in the laying on of hands.
At a dinner hosted by the Dean of Canterbury he welcomed members of the Council and led them on a candle-lit pilgrimage in the Cathedral.
The next meeting of the Council will take place 8-12 November 2010 in Germany.
Bishop Harold Rein extended an invitation to the 30th International Old Catholic Congress, to be held 9-13 August 2010 in Zurich.
For further information, please contact the Rev. Professor Dr. Angela Berlis, tel +41 (0)31 631 4193, email aocicc@alt-katholisch.de, or Neil Vigers at the Anglican Communion Office, tel +44 (0)20 7313 3929, email neil.vigers@anglicancommunion.org.
The members of the Anglican-Old Catholic International Coordinating Council are:
Anglicans
- The Rt. Rev. Jonathan Gledhill - co-chair
- Neil Vigers - acting co-secretary
- The Rt. Rev. David Hamid
- Maryon Jägers
- The Rev. Dr. Jeremy Morris
- The Rev. Carola von Wrangel
Old Catholics
- The Rt. Rev. Joachim Vobbe - co-chair
- The Rev. Professor Dr. Angela Berlis - co-secretary
- The Rev. Henriette Crüwell (absent)
- The Rev. Professor Dr. David R. Holeton
- The Rt. Rev. Dr. Harald Rein
- The Rt. Rev. Dr. Dick Schoon (absent)
Administrative Support and Interpreter: The Rev. Lars Simpson
This communiqué is also available in German here.