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Anglican & Eastern Churches Association Annual
Meeting 2016 – Chairman’s Report

THE PAST YEAR (2015-16) has been one of much renewed activity in general in
work with the Orthodox Churches, and increased activity for me as Chairman
of the AECA. I outline below some of the work which I have done:

Incoming Visits
2015-16 has seen an unusually high level of activity in receiving incoming visits
of Heads of Churches/Patriarchs:
Visit of H.H. Catholicos Karekin II. His Holiness came on a brief visit to
London in October 2015 accompanying the President of Armenia, for the
commemoration of the Armenian Genocide in Westminster Abbey. Although
the Genocide is not recognised by the UK Government (it is by the Welsh
Assembly), the word was used several times in His Holiness’ address in
Westminster Abbey. I worked with the Armenian delegation from meeting the
presidential plane to his departure.
Visit of H.A.H. The Ecumenical Patriarch. To mark the publication of the
International Commission for Anglican-Orthodox Theological Dialogue’s
Buffalo Agreed Statement, In the Image and Likeness of God, His All Holiness
Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople paid an official visit to the
Archbishop of Canterbury at the beginning of November. I worked with the
Nikaean Club, with Lambeth Palace, and with the Archbishop’s International
Secretary at Church House in many aspects of the visit.
Visit of H.H. Patriarch John X of Antioch. To mark the creation of the new
Diocese for the Church of Antioch in the UK, a visit was planned in
November for His Holiness Patriarch John of Antioch. Unfortunately, this visit
had to be postponed for medical reasons after the Patriarch suffered an
accident, but much planning and work had been done for the visit, including a
lunch in the House of Lords, which had to be postponed.
For both visits of the Armenian Catholicos and Patriarch of Antioch,
the AECA Committee had budgeted sums for official entertainment of the two
Heads of Churches, should it have been needed.

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