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the e?ect that diakonia and movement go together. The message was clearly
voiced: we are going to have to share everything with people on the move in
the future irrespective of creed, class or colour. Movement and displacement,
on this argument, are already challenging so signi?cantly the older model of
settled ecclesiastical domesticity that ecology and theology are, in fact, becom-
ing the same thing. God and creation combine. It reminded me of the HSBC
advertisement that we see from time to time as we go into a plane: In the fu-
ture, energy and waste will be the same thing. A proper theology and a proper
ecology waste no one and no thing. Love is the eradication of waste and sin is
waste.

I wish to suggest that the issues and the opportunities o?ered by this
new reality, once we let it embrace us, will form the crucible and the context of
a new understanding of greater unity and closer friendship for the Porvoo
Churches in Europe today. And the greatest thing is this: whether we are a nu-
merical majority or minority in our own countries matters nothing. Not only
do we need one another for the embedding of a shared vision; we need all of
the di?erent peoples among whom we live to bring out in us the greater unity
and the closer friendship – as human beings – which we might never get round
to identifying in ourselves for the other. We are who we are under God primarily
because of the stranger and the Godly rapport between us.

A possible way forward

The Porvoo Church Leaders’ Meeting addresses areas of planning and explora-
tion for the Porvoo churches together. A number of the important issues has
already been explored and continues to be. The issues around potential new
member churches within Europe need to be addressed and the prospect of new
constituent members is surely an attractive one as it builds new capacity
through the sharing of experience and wider belonging. More and more of us
are a numerical minority and seek to be a critical contributing minority in our
countries which although frequently not overtly hostile about religion and faith
are at very least hugely un-enthusiastic. Greater unity and closer friendship will
require of us a willingness to be honest about our fears and failures as well as
eager in celebrating our joys. This exploration may well invite us to look at our
relationships with the LWF and the Anglican Communion. The ordained min-
isterial substratum is, and has been, in place from early on in Porvoo; it under-
pins our shared sacramental life. The Synodical decision of the Church of Eng-
land to ordain women to the episcopate will bring a fresh palate of opportuni-
ties not only for the sharing of ministry at an episcopal level but for the sharing

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