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Koinonia
THE JOURNAL OF THE ANGLICAN &
EASTERN CHURCHES ASSOCIATION
Editorial
THE HIGHLIGHT of the ecumenical year must surely have been the recent visit
of His All-Holiness Bartholomew the Ecumenical Patriarch at the start of
November. It was a joy to be present at the special Choral Evensong at
Westminster Abbey and see Archbishop Justin and the Patriarch greeting one
another so warmly after receiving the most recent joint statement of the AOIC
and then praying together at the Shrine of St Edward Confessor. During his
time in the UK, Patriarch Bartholomew spoke a great deal about the ecological
crisis. A speech delivered to the Oxford Union is included in this edition of
Koinonia. Following His Holiness Pope Francis’ recent encyclical Laudato Si
earlier this year, the unity of the whole Church of God around environmental
themes has the potential to make a significant contribution to the debate as
world leaders prepare to meet in Paris later this month.
This Autumn has also seen the visit of His Holiness Karekin II,
Catholicos of All Armenia who attended and spoke at a service in honour of
the Armenian Martyrs in this centenary year of the Armenian Genocide. The
previous edition of Koinonia was dedicated to that tragedy, and that theme
continues into this edition with the addresses of both the Catholicos and the
Bishop of London delivered at that service reproduced here. Throughout the
rest of this year and beyond may we all continue to pray for the Armenian
Church and people and for the greater recognition of the genocide across the
world, but most especially by the government of the United Kingdom as a
whole, which still does not officially recognise the genocide for what it is.
The AECA are delighted to include in this edition the text of the 2015
Constantinople Lecture given by the Rt Rev’d Christopher Chessun, Bishop of
Southwark. Bishop Christopher has been a keen supporter of
Anglican-Orthodox dialogue for many years, and has enabled many western
Christians to gain an understanding of eastern Christianity through pilgrimages
to Tur Abdin and the Holy Land. As a member of the House of Lords he often
speaks in debates on the Middle East and has a particular concern for the
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