9 October 2015
Historic agreements on the incarnation of Christ
and procession of the Holy Spirit
 |
| © Nathaniel Ramanaden |
Historic agreements have been signed between Anglican and
Oriental Orthodox Churches helping to heal the oldest continuing division
within Christianity.
An Agreed Statement on Christology, published in North
Wales this week by the Anglican-Oriental Orthodox International Commission,
heals the centuries-old split between the
Anglican Churches within the family of Chalcedonian Churches and the
non-Chalcedonian Churches over the incarnation of Christ.
In addition, the Commission has made substantial progress on
issues concerning the Holy Spirit, which have continued to keep the Churches
apart over the centuries.
Leading clergy and theologians from both Christian
traditions from around the world have been meeting at Gladstone’s Library in Hawarden
to engage in theological dialogue, while at the same time forging deeper bonds
of faith and mutual support.
His Eminence
Metropolitan Bishoy from the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria in Egypt and Co-Chair
of the Commission said: “With this agreement we are able to heal the cause
of the division between the two families of the churches worldwide which
started at Chalcedon.
“There are other things which emerged during the long
history since Chalcedon in the fifth century, so we have on our agenda many
other topics including the position of the Holy Spirit, which we were able to
sign a preliminary agreement on this subject also.
“The publication of our Agreed Statement on Christology is a
great outcome of sharing dialogue together. It is a very beautiful piece of
theology which is very encouraging and easily understandable to the people and
pleasing to the theologians.”
The Commission has spent a week in North Wales talking and
visiting church communities across the Diocese of St Asaph. Speaking during
Evensong at St Asaph Cathedral, the
Anglican Co-Chair of the Commission, The Bishop of St Asaph, the Rt Revd
Gregory Cameron, who hosted the visit, said: “It’s
a privilege to welcome you to this building which has seen worship every day
for at least 800 years, although this is a tradition which can be easily
matched and bettered by the Churches of the East.
 |
| © Neil Vigers |
“Ecumenical dialogue can be long, but
beneath the process is the love shared between Christians, and it is that love
and affection which draws us together and back to dialogue and mutual
understanding.”
The Anglican-Oriental Orthodox
International Commission was established in 2001 to strengthen the
relationships between the different Churches and to discuss important
theological issues, such as Christology, which divided the Church at the
Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD.
The dialogue was halted in 2003
following the consecration of Bishop Gene Robinson in the Episcopal Church (in
the United States) but resumed in 2013 with good progress being made since.
As well as dialogue, the Commission worshipped and prayed,
sharing the urgent concerns of members from the Middle East, especially in the
critical situations in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and other regions.
Metropolitan Polycarp Augin Aydın from the
Syrian Orthodox Archdiocese in the Netherlands explained why this agreement
is important now: “Because of immigration we now find ourselves side by side as
neighbours. In the past we used to talk about Eastern and Western Christianity
but this is no longer the case. There are Eastern Christians who live in the
Western Countries and vice versa. Therefore we have to dialogue with each other
and to really learn from one another and to really share our treasures with one
another.”
Bishop Angaelos,
General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the UK said:
"The
world we are living in today is a world that needs us as Christians to stand
together.
 |
| © Neil Vigers |
"Around our commission table, we have the Armenians
commemorating the Armenian Genocide, the Syrians and Iraqis whose countries are
war-torn and peoples displaced, the Copts who have lost 21 of their men to that
horrific martyrdom in Libya, the Ethiopians likewise in Libya, and here in
Europe we also have our own struggles. It is very much time for us to stand
together as Church leaders and to recognise what we have in common while at the
same time respecting the differences we have."
"Over the past 15 years since 9/11 there has been a
huge appetite for us to work with other religions but unfortunately I have not
seen the same appetite for many people to work with other Churches. It becomes
fashionable to be able to dialogue with inter-faith communities but we do not
celebrate with each other or accept each other as we are; we want others to fit
into a certain mould. So I think this dialogue acknowledges that we might have
different teachings on things and some matters we may never resolve, and that
is the reality of it, but we are not trying to be the same, we are trying to
work on what we have in common."
For the two Church families this agreement is ground-breaking
and could be a model for future ecumenical dialogue. The Very Revd Archimandrite Shahe Ananyan from the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox
Church said: “Every signed ecumenical official document has its
difficulties and has its advantages also. This document I think is a model for
other Christological dialogues between Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox
churches which need to re-start. I think this document could be served as a
model for subsequently developed dialogues.”
 |
| © Neil Vigers |
The Commission will meet again in Lebanon from 24-29 October
2016, where it is expected that dialogue on the Holy Spirit will continue.
*Ends*
Click here to read the complete text of the AOOIC agreed statement on Christology, which can also be purchased from the Anglican Communion's online shop.
For further information or to arrange an interview with one
of the Commission members, please contact Karen Maurice, Communications Officer
for the Diocese of St Asaph 01745 532588 / 01745 582245 or mobile 07918133420
or email Karenmaurice@churchinwales.org.uk
