Anglican Commons

12/11/2024

12/11/2024

Having sought the gracious permission of His Majesty The King, I have decided to resign as Archbishop of Canterbury.

The Makin Review has exposed the long-maintained conspiracy of silence about the heinous abuses of John Smyth.

When I was informed in 2013 and told that police had been notified, I believed wrongly that an appropriate resolution would follow.

It is very clear that I must take personal and institutional responsibility for the long and retraumatising period between 2013 and 2024.

It is my duty to honour my Constitutional and church responsibilities, so exact timings will be decided once a review of necessary obligations has been completed, including those in England and in the Anglican Communion.

I hope this decision makes clear how seriously the Church of England understands the need for change and our profound commitment to creating a safer church. As I step down I do so in sorrow with all victims and survivors of abuse.

The last few days have renewed my long felt and profound sense of shame at the historic safeguarding failures of the Church of England. For nearly twelve years I have struggled to introduce improvements. It is for others to judge what has been done.

In the meantime, I will follow through on my commitment to meet victims. I will delegate all my other current responsibilities for safeguarding until the necessary risk assessment process is complete.

I ask everyone to keep my wife Caroline and my children in their prayers. They have been my most important support throughout my ministry, and I am eternally grateful for their sacrifice. Caroline led the spouses’ programme during the Lambeth Conference and has travelled tirelessly in areas of conflict supporting the most vulnerable, the women, and those who care for them locally.

I believe that stepping aside is in the best interests of the Church of England, which I dearly love and which I have been honoured to serve. I pray that this decision points us back towards the love that Jesus Christ has for every one of us.

For above all else, my deepest commitment is to the person of Jesus Christ, my saviour and my God; the bearer of the sins and burdens of the world, and the hope of every person.

12/11/2024

Buried among the kings: Ahead of this weekend's commemorations, read the remarkable story of the Unknown Warrior and how, in 1920, his body was brought from the battlefields of northern France to be buried in the Abbey: www.westminster-abbey.org/history/explore-our-history/buried-among-the-kings

25/10/2024

02/05/2024

30/04/2024

The Anglican Communion Primates’ Meeting begins today in Rome.

The meeting gathers senior archbishops, presiding bishops, and moderators of the churches of the Anglican Communion from around the world.

The primates will spend time in pilgrimage and conversation on shared priorities in church and world affairs. It will be hosted by the Anglican Centre in Rome.

It is the first gathering of Anglican Primates to be held in Rome. The programme includes an audience with Pope Francis and visits to holy sites in Rome.

Get more information about the Primates Meeting here:
https://bit.ly/44lxbnt

30/04/2024

08/02/2024

The Anglican Communion’s Deputy Secretary General and Bishop for Episcopal Ministry, Dr Jo Bailey Wells, attended a meeting with Pope Francis and his international Council of Cardinals to discuss the role of women.

Full news story: https://bit.ly/3UyVtr7

02/02/2024

✝️ What does Being Anglican mean in today's world?

We invite you to join us on February 7th and 8th for the next Phase 3 discussion webinar - Being Anglican: Exploring the Lambeth Call on Anglican Identity.

Hear from Anglicans, across the world, as we explore what it means to be Anglican, how we can be in communion through mission, and ways to share life together through Companion links.

Don’t miss the opportunity to discover new resources and strategies that will help you take forward the Lambeth Call on Anglican Identity.

Register here: https://bit.ly/3Rk2M44

02/02/2024

It’s time to ‘walk together, pray together, and seek justice together’, say Anglican and Catholic Bishops as they share their commitment and call for Christian Unity.

The commitment has been shared after the conclusion of the ecumenical summit 'Growing Together', which met in Rome and Canterbury during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

Read the full story and see the joint commitment here: https://bit.ly/3uniEKk

Archbishop of Canterbury Anglican Centre in Rome

27/01/2024

Anglican and Catholic Bishop pairs have made a pilgrimage to St Peter’s Basilica for Anglican Choral Evensong today, as part of the ‘Growing Together’ Ecumenical Summit

In this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, the bishops participated in Anglican Choral Evensong in the Choir Chapel of St Peter’s. This was an important occasion in ecumenical relations. Traditional Anglican Evensong was celebrated previously in St Peter’s in 2017.

As one of the most important Christian places of pilgrimage, St Peter’s is believed to have been built over the burial site of the Apostle Peter, the head of the twelve Apostles of Jesus and, according to tradition, the first Bishop of Antioch and later the first Bishop of Rome, thus the first Pope.

Read more about the opening of the service here: https://bit.ly/3HvBYs0

27/01/2024

Anglican and Catholic bishops have started their pilgrimage to Canterbury this weekend, with a candlelit tour of Canterbury Cathedral. They walked around the cathedral in prayer and contemplation, visiting important sites including the altar of Thomas Becket.

The bishops are meeting in pairs, from all around the world, for a conversation about joint mission and witness. It is part of an ecumenical summit called ‘Growing Together’. The bishops have also met in Rome this week, where their partnerships were commissioned by Pope Francis and the Archbishop of Canterbury.

27/01/2024

Anglican and Catholic bishops pray at the Church of San Gregorio al Celio as this week's "Growing Together" Ecumenical Summit prepares to travel to Canterbury.

The Church of San Gregorio al Celio is the church from where St Augustine was sent to England by Pope Gregory the Great in 597, to be the first Archbishop of Canterbury.

Co-Chairs of IARCCUM, Archbishop Donald Bolen and Bishop David Hamid, stand with The Archbishop of Canterbury and Bishop Anthony Poggo, The Secretary General of the Anglican Communion at the Chair of Gregory the Great.

Read the full news story: https://bit.ly/3vNZfmi

27/01/2024

22/12/2023