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The Christian communities of the UK were well-represented. The
Church of England was represented by the Bishops of London and Ebbsfleet,
and the retired bishops Geoffrey Rowell and Nigel Stock, the bishop at
Lambeth; a letter of greeting was also read out from the Archbishop of
Canterbury. The Roman Catholic Church was represented by the Papal Nuncio
and Bishop Kevin McDonald, the Archbishop Emeritus of Southwark. The
Orthodox churches were represented by Archbishop Gregorios of Thyateira
and Great Britain, and a large number of other bishops and priests. The Prime
Minister sent a letter of greeting, and local councilors and other secular
representatives were present.
The Syriac Orthodox Archbishop for the UK, His Eminence Toma
Dawood, hosted the occasion the celebration of the rite was shared with the
Patriarch and the other archbishops of the Syriac Orthodox church. It was a
cause of some disappointment, which was powerfully referred to during the
speeches, that the Home Office had denied entry visas to two of their
archbishops who would have been travelling from Syria and Iraq.

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