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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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