Στις 3 Σεπτεμβρίου τ.έ., με
πρωτοβουλία του Κόπτη Επισκόπου Angaelos, έγινε στην έδρα του
Αγγλικανού Αρχιεπισκόπου του Canterbury
Justin Welby, στο Παλάτι Lambeth, μια συνάντηση αρχηγών και αντιπροσώπων Εκκλησιών της
Μέσης Ανατολής που λειτουργούν στο Ηνωμένο Βασίλειο, με σκοπό την
αλληλοενημέρωση και την προσευχή για θέματα που απασχολούν τους χριστιανούς της
ευρύτερης περιοχής της Μέσης Ανατολής, όπου το τελευταίο διάστημα παρατηρείται
διωγμός και μαρτύρια πολλών μελών των χριστιανικών οικογενειών.
There
was an impressive array of Orthodox and Middle Eastern clergy, including
Archbishop Gregorios of Thyateira (Ecumenical Patriarchate), Archbishop Elisey
of Sourozh (Moscow Patriarchate), Archbishop Athanasius Thoma Dawod of the
Syriac Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Seraphim (British Orthodox Church), Bishop
Angaelos (Coptic Orthodox Church), the Anglican Bishops of London, Southwark,
Coventry and Warwick, Bishop Geoffrey Rowell (as co-chair of the
Anglican-Orthodox International Commission), as well as representatives of the
Syrian Catholic Church, the Chaldean Church, the Ancient Church of the East,
the Antiochian Orthodox Church, the Melkite Church, the Maronite Church, and
the Catholic Church and others groups working for peace and reconciliation in
the Middle East.
After
welcoming all present, the Archbishop chaired a ‘Round Table Meeting’ at which
those present were invited to comment or share information, which lasted about
ninety minutes. This was followed by a Service of Prayer in the Crypt
Chapel, comprising scriptural readings as well as extracts from the writings of
St. Isaac of Nineveh and St. Ephrem the Syrian and Psalm CXLII (Septuagint
CXLI). The hymns included St. Patrick’s Lorica and St. Bernard of Cluny’s
“Jerusalem the Golden” from his De Contemptu Mundi, which seemed
especially apposite for the occasion. At the conclusion the Archbishop and
congregation met with the Press and the Archbishop issued a consensual
statement on behalf of all present.
No comments:
Post a Comment