Madrid Statement

From: Nell Toensmann, Press Officer
Convocation of American Churches in Europe
Press Release 010-98

Three representatives of the Convocation of American Churches in Europe met in Madrid in mid-February with their counterparts from the three other Anglican jurisdictions on the European mainland to begin conversations regarding a possible Province of Continental Europe. The Right Reverend Jeffery Rowthorn, Bishop in Charge of the Convocation, was joined by the Reverend Peter Casparian, Rector of St. James Church, Florence, and the lay delegate, Helena Mbele-Mbong, Emmanuel Church, Geneva, for the three days of discussions. The following statement was issued by the parties represented:

Spanish Episcopal Reformed Church: The Right Reverend Carlos López Lozano, The Reverend Gabriel Amat, and Miguel Sànchez Rodríguez
Lusitanian Catholic Apostolic Evangelical Church of Portugal: The Right Reverend Fernando Soares, The Reverend José Jorge Pina Cabral, Isabel Freire (unable to be present)
Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe (Church of England): The Right Reverend John Hind, The Venerable Ken Robinson, and Diana Webster
Convocation of American Churches in Europe (ECUSA): The Right Reverend Jeffery Rowthorn, The Reverend Peter Casparian, and Helena Mbele-Mbong

MADRID STATEMENT 21 February 1998

As representative laity, clergy and bishops of the above churches of the Anglican Communion we have come together to share our vision of a future life in closer fellowship.

We have affirmed our common faith and our commitment to engage more fully in service and witness with and alongside the other Christian churches on mainland Europe.

We pledge ourselves to build on the example set by our bishops towards greater fellowship, collaboration and partnership in the ministry of all God's people in the service of his mission.

Rejoicing in the unity which we ourselves experienced in this consultation, we urge members of our churches to get to know each other more fully, to co-operate in prayer and worship, teaching and nurture, witness and service.

Enriched by our different languages, cultures and histories, we wait together expectantly for the Holy Spirit to empower us for the work ahead.


BACKGROUND INFORMATION

On 23 and 24 May 1997 the College of Anglican Bishops in Continental Europe (COABICE) held their annual meeting, gathering in England to welcome the arrival of the "Pilgrims' Way" Pilgrimage from Rome to Canterbury commemorating the 1400th anniversary of and in the footsteps of Augustine's own journey.

This joyous occasion brought the bishops of the four separate Anglican jurisdictions in Continental Europe together to create their own history. The five COABICE bishops present signed an open letter to the 1998 Lambeth Conference requesting support and guidance as they undertake consultations towards a separate Anglican Province of Continental Europe. Observers at the meeting included representatives of the International Bishops Conference of Old Catholic Churches and of the Nordic and Baltic Lutheran Bishops.

("A Letter to the 1998 Lambeth Conference", signed on Trinity Sunday 1997 is provided at the end of this article.)

FIRST CONSULTATION REGARDING AN ANGLICAN PROVINCE OF CONTINENTAL EUROPE

On 19 February 1998 the COABICE Bishops gathered in Madrid, along with clergy and lay representatives from each of the four Anglican jurisdictions, to begin the next stage of their consultations regarding a possible Anglican Province of Continental Europe.

This first day of meetings was held in conjunction with the Church of England's Archdeaconry of Gibralter Synod meeting in Madrid when the four bishops each gave a presentation about their own Church within the Anglican Communion, including a brief history and clarification of the present situation within each diocese. This provided a good beginning to the meeting and set the framework for the consultation which was held from 20-22 February.

When gathering together it was discovered that there were shared concerns and shared hopes within each of the deputations. Within the framework of open and friendly discussions at all levels, the talks progressed with purpose. There was the mutual recognition that more collaboration across jurisdictional boundaries needed to be encouraged at the local level in worship, prayer, study, and community so that all members are involved in the process toward one province. As a result of this initial dialog, the participants issued "The Madrid Statement" on 21 February which confirms their commitment to working closer together.

The Rt. Rev. Jeffery Rowthorn, Bishop in Charge of the Convocation of American Churches in Europe, made the following comments on the consultation:

"For thirty years the dilemma of parallel Anglican-Episcopal jurisdictions in Europe has been spasmodically addressed. Now, for the first time, lay and clerical representatives of all four jurisdictions have joined with their bishops in seeking a constructive resolution of that dilemma."

"In a context of daily worship, celebrated in Portuguese and Spanish as well as English, the participants in the Madrid Consultation shared their hopes and fears. A deep missionary concern informed all their deliberations as they recognized that, in a Europe often described as secular, millions of people are hungry for something to believe in, and are often responsive to lives of compassion, integrity and faith."

"Our common faith is shaped by language, culture and historical experience. In the Madrid Consultation the richness and diversity of our Anglican heritage were powerfully in evidence. Inspired by that, the participants undertook to share that experience with the congregations of the four jurisdictions. Before the next meeting of the Consultation in May 1999 everyone, including the bishops gathered at this summer's Lambeth Conference, is invited to pray for God's blessing on this journey made in faith so that together in Europe we may better proclaim the Good News of God in Christ."

Contact: Nell Toensmann
e-mail: nell.toensmann@munich.netsurf.de

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A Letter to the 1998 Lambeth Conference
from the College of Anglican Bishops in Continental Europe

Bishop's Lodge
Worth
Crawley RH107RT
United Kingdom Trinity Sunday 1997

Resolution 63 of the 1968 Lambeth Conference "deplores the existence of parallel Anglican jurisdictions in Europe and in other areas, and recommends that the Lambeth Consultative Body (or its successor) should give early attention to the problems involved. The Conference recommends that, in any such area where there exists a Church with which we are in full communion, that Church should participate in the consultations."

There are four overlapping Anglican jurisdictions on mainland Europe. In Spain and Portugal the (Church of England) Diocese in Europe coexists with the Spanish Episcopal Reformed Church and the Lusitanian Church. The Diocese and the Convocation of American Churches in Europe (ECUSA) both have congregations in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland. In these countries, as in the rest of Europe where only the Diocese has parishes, formal jurisdiction is no guide to the composition of congregations. All our parishes are "Anglican Episcopal" and contain a wide international membership.

Alongside parallel Anglican jurisdictions, account must be taken of other Churches in communion, namely the Old Catholic Churches in Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Switzerland, and the "Porvoo" Churches in the Nordic and Baltic region. In this connection, we refer to some words from the report of Section III of the Lambeth Conference 1968: "Where in any particular area, there is a church in full communion with us, we should work for a closer integration of existing ministries and congregations, even to the extent of entrusting our work to them."

The four jurisdictions working on mainland Europe are committed to resolving this anomaly of parallel Anglican jurisdictions and so this paper comes from us with the support of our respective synodical bodies. Representatives of the International Bishops' Council of the Union of Utrecht (the Old Catholic Churches) and the Nordic and Baltic Lutheran Bishops (the "Porvoo Communion") have also reflected on this text.

We believe that ultimately the future of Anglicanism on mainland Europe can only be determined properly within the wider context of Anglicanism in Europe as a whole (including Great Britain and Ireland), although such questions are beyond the scope of this paper.

The Anglican Episcopal community in continental Europe is partly expatriate and partly indigenous. Among the expatriates, who form the larger part of the congregations of the Convocation of American Churches and the Diocese in Europe, the majority are British and American, but there are also many from other parts of the world as well. The availability of English language worship and ministry also attracts many members of other denominations who either have English as their first language or for whom English is more accessible than the language of the country. Indigenous Anglicanism is most clearly seen in Spain and Portugal, where ethnically, culturally and linguistically the Spanish Episcopal Reformed Church and the Lusitanian Church are almost entirely Spanish and Portuguese respectively. Nevertheless, there are expatriate members of both these Churches and throughout the continent increasing numbers of local nationals are joining congregations of the Convocation and the Diocese.

It is our belief that catholic order requires there to be only one bishop in each place. In a pluralistic continent like Europe, however, where there are great differences of culture, it is important that episcopé be adjusted to serve the diverse needs of people of different cultures. Proposals for overcoming the problem of parallel jurisdictions must not lead to a narrow uniformity or to the suppression of that legitimate diversity which is such a valued part of our Anglican tradition.

This will require many changes to existing episcopal and synodical structures. Among the significant steps already taken are the following:
the bishops of the four Anglican dioceses serve as assistant/assisting bishops in one another's jurisdictions
several priests of one Church are serving as pastors in one of the others
the Rector of an Episcopal parish in Germany is also the Diocese in Europe's Archdeacon for the Nordic and Baltic region and Germany ("The Archdeaconry of Scandinavia and Germany")
a Council of Anglican Episcopal Churches in Germany has been established to assist Church of England and Episcopal congregations in that country in their missionary task in co-operation with other churches in Germany.
lay and ordained representatives of the other jurisdictions are invited as observers at meetings of synods
joint episcopal visitations are held
bishops in the Nordic and Baltic countries are beginning to share in the oversight of Anglican congregations in their countries
annual meetings are held of the College of Anglican Bishops in Continental Europe with representative Old Catholic and Porvoo bishops as participating observers

After several years of growing fellowship we have come to believe that the future will involve the establishment of an Anglican Province of Continental Europe. This conviction was confirmed at a meeting held in Worth, England, on 23rd and 24th May 1997. We have therefore agreed to begin a process of consultation with the clergy and laity of our respective jurisdictions, with our Metropolitans (i.e. the Archbishop of Canterbury for the Diocese in Europe, the Lusitanian Church of Portugal and the Spanish Episcopal Reformed Church; the Presiding Bishop of ECUSA for the Convocation) and with the Anglican Consultative Council. The aim of this consultation is to consider the proposals in this paper and agree on appropriate next steps.

The process of becoming a province cannot be hurried. It will require a gradual growing together of clergy and congregations, an increased sharing of resources and insights, and the securing of adequate funding. Nevertheless there is a timeliness about the proposal and we believe it right to seize the opportunity which is currently offered to us.

We now seek the support of the 1998 Lambeth Conference in our desire to move towards closer relations with each other as a contribution to the unity of the Church as a whole. We ask both the advice of our episcopal colleagues for the next stage of our growth together and their prayers for God's continued blessing on our labours.
Signed:
+ John Hind

for and on behalf of

John Hind Diocesan Bishop of Gibraltar (Diocese in Europe - Church of England)
Carlos López Lazano Diocesan Bishop of the Spanish Episcopal Reformed Church
Jeffery Rowthorn Bishop in Charge of the Convocation of American Churches in Europe (ECUSA)
Henry Scriven Suffragan Bishop of the Diocese in Europe (Church of England)
Fernando Soares Diocesan Bishop of the Lusitanian Church of Portugal
Observers:
Andreas Aarflot Bishop of Oslo Representing the Nordic and Baltic Lutheran Bishops
Hans Gerny Bishop of the Old Catholic Church of Switzerland, Secretary of the International
Bishops Conference of the Union of Utrecht representing the International Bishops
Conference of Old Catholic Churches

Anglicans in Europe moving towards formation of separate province

Episcopal News Service Note 2133-98
By James Solheim

The bishops of the four Anglican jurisdictions in Europe, joined by clergy and lay representatives, met in Madrid in mid-February and took steps that could lead to the formation of an Anglican Province in Continental Europe.

"For 30 years the dilemma of parallel Anglican-Episcopal jurisdictions in Europe has been spasmodically addressed," said Bishop Jeffery Rowthorn of the Convocation of American Churches in Europe. This was the first time, he observed, that they had joined "in seeking a constructive resolution of that dilemma."

Rowthorn added, "A deep missionary concern informed all their deliberations as they recognized that, in a Europe often described as secular, millions of people are hungry for something to believe in, and are often responsive to lives of compassion, integrity and faith."

In addition to representatives of the convocation, participants included the Spanish Episcopal Reformed Church, the Lusitanian Catholic Apostolic Evangelical Church of Portugal, the Church of England's Diocese of Gibraltar.

In a February 21 statement the participants said that they had "come together to share our vision of a future life in closer fellowship." And they pledged to build towards "greater fellowship, collaboration and partnership in the ministry of all God's people."

In the annual meeting last May of the College of Anglican Bishops in Continental Europe, the bishops signed an open letter to this summer's Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops from around the world requesting support and guidance. The Old Catholic Churches and the Nordic and Baltic Lutherans, ecumenical partners in Europe, sent observers.

A resolution from the 1968 Lambeth Conference "deplores the existence of parallel Anglican jurisdictions in Europe" and recommended "closer integration of existing ministries and congregations" with churches who are in full communion with the Anglicans. Implementation of the Porvoo Declaration last year established full communion between British Anglicans and the
Nordic/Baltic Lutherans and the Anglicans were already in full communion with the Old Catholics.

"We believe that ultimately the future of Anglicanism on mainland Europe can only be determined properly within the wider context of Anglicanism in Europe as a whole, including Great Britain and Ireland," the bishops said.

"The process of becoming a province cannot be hurried," the statement added. "It will require a gradual growing together of clergy and congregations..

The development is a "natural progression," said the Rev. Patrick Mauney, the Episcopal Church's director of Anglican and Global Affairs, moving from English-speaking chaplaincies to indigenous congregations. It comes at "an opportune time" because the bishops have "come together as a collegial body with a high level of personal trust." The primary challenge comes, he
believes, in proceeding in "an ecumenically sensitive way, in full consultation with the ecumenical partners."

--James Solheim is the Episcopal Church's director of news and information. This article is based on reports from Nell Toensmann, press officer for the Convocation of American Churches in Europe.




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