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The Church Of Ireland
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THE PORVOO COMMUNION
Contact Group Meeting Durham 5 - 8 September 2000
Introduction
A meeting of the Porvoo Contact Group was held in Durham, between 5 and 8 September 2000. We stayed in St John's College which is across the road from the lovely Cathedral and close. The accommodation was very reminiscent of my student days, not an experience I expected to be reliving at this stage in my life! The proximity and intimacy of the student bar was however one advantage and this facility helped oil the wheels of communion amongst the Contact Group.
The Contact Group meeting immediately preceded the Porvoo Theological Conference which was attended by theologians from each of the Porvoo churches and organised by the Contact Group.
Exchange of Information
Each Contact Group member submitted a short report on the current concerns of their church and highlighted specific developments since the last meeting. There was a very strong emphasis in all the reports on ecumenical relationships as each church seeks to find an acceptable formula for such relationships.
Business
The following are the key areas of business discussed at the meeting:-
(1) Draft Guidelines for the Appointment of Clergy from the Porvoo Churches to Posts in the Church of England
The Church of England's draft guidelines where discussed by the Contact Group. The Guidelines cover aspects of the appointment of clergy in considerable detail with a view to publicising this important aspect of Porvoo contact and of creating a uniform approach across the Church of England. The Guidelines would be presented to the Church of England House of Bishops early in 2001. It was felt that it would be very useful to have similar documents from the Lutheran and Celtic Churches. Each document would have to have a specific provision regarding child protection legislation and also appropriate provision where oaths of loyalty are involved.
(2) Good Practice in Porvoo Links and Exchanges
The meeting examined an information pack drawn up by the Meissen Commission to promote diocesan and parish links with a view to drawing up a similar document for the Porvoo Churches. It was felt that links ought to be regularly reviewed, for example, every three years and it was important to provide a forum in which the stories of links could be publicised and recorded. A pack is to presented and discussed at the next Contact Group meeting.
(3) The Diaconate
The Diaconate is an ongoing area of debate and research in each of the churches and amongst the various church groupings. The meeting grappled with how to bring all the strands of research and methods of practice together in a meaningful way to aid discussion and make a contribution to the debate. It was agreed that a report on the diaconal situation should be made to the next Church Leaders' Meeting in 2002.
(4) Theological Institutions
Contact between institutions of theology and ministry training was reviewed. Some interchange was reported and some institutes are actively looking for student exchanges. On the Anglican side, the diverse nature of theological education made international ecumenical work difficult to co-ordinate. It was felt that such links could be built into existing diocesan twinnings. A further difficulty existed in trying to co-ordinate the diverse structures of initial training and continuing ministerial education in the Porvoo churches. The Contact Group would undertake to produce a paper for theological institutions on the issues and possibilities.
(5) The Charta Oecumenica
The Conference of European Churches has drawn up an ecumenical Charter for Europe in the wake of the Graz Assembly of 1997 and responses to the draft charter were sought by the Geneva Office for September 2000. Contact Group members reported on the submissions sent in by their respective churches.
(6) The Regional Growth of Porvoo
Recent informal approaches by other churches regarding possible membership of Porvoo led to the question of whether the Porvoo process is actually finished and closed. Developments between Lutherans and Episcopalians in the United States had encouraged other churches to make requests concerning membership of the Porvoo Communion. Porvoo was about relationships, it was not an organisational structure and an extension of the Communion would lead to the inevitable problems of over complicated networks. On the other hand this may be the only way forward for ecumenism. The new situation presented the Porvoo Churches with a challenge to assess the distinctiveness of their Communion, and it was very important to keep all our ecumenical partners fully informed of developments. Porvoo was essentially a communion of episcopal churches. The Contact Group was aware that new fellowships may lead to a neglect of older relationships and that it was necessary to consolidate the Porvoo Communion, to develop existing friendships based on the concrete interchange of clergy and laity. The topic would be one that would be on the agenda for the Church Leaders' Conference in 2002.
(7) Review of What the Porvoo Communion has done and What there is yet to do
The list of work done since the signing of the agreement includes - six meetings of the Contact Group, two Primates meetings, one Church Leaders' Meeting, one Lawyers' Meeting, one Theological Conference, five prayer cycles, setting up of the Porvoo Website, national networks such as the Porvoo Panel in the Church of England, the sharing of documentation, synodical visits, twinnings and exchanges at diocesan and parish level, attendance at consecrations, staff visits, fringe visits, production of study guides and books, Porvoo Research Project, attendance and licensing of clergy, courses for clergy and ecumenical officers, contact with diaspora congregations and fact finding visits by specialist groups.
A list of areas still to be completed or initiated include work with young people, contact between specialists in the field of information and media, the Porvoo Hymn Book, liaison between theological colleges and institutes, common approaches to continuing ministerial education, a review of the website, greater consultation between the churches on matters of significance, consultation between the churches on matters of significance, consultation on foreign mission and relief organisations, clarification of unresolved questions such as women bishops and diaconal ordination.
It was decided that the themes arising from the two lists should form the basis of an amplified and fully resourced website and that themes should also be integrated into subsequent editions of the prayer booklet.
(8) Prayer Booklet
The Contact Group considered the general function and use of the prayer booklet. It was decided that dioceses would be offered the choice of proposing their own local prayer request or leaving their space open to a general Porvoo item. The booklet would continue in its present form with slight modifications to the subjects for prayer and a review of the legibility and size of the map on the British Isles. In addition it was decided to look into the production of a booklet of prayers with examples of liturgy.
(9) Porvoo Hymn Book
The Hymn Book was nearing completion. 5,000 copies are due to be produced.
Summary of Forthcoming Meetings/Dates to Note:
- September 2001 Contact Group Meeting in Denmark
- November 2001 Primates' Meeting in Sweden
- March 2002 Church Leaders' Meeting in Estonia
- October 2002 Contact Group Meeting in Finland followed by a special commemorative Porvoo Gathering
Further information from:
GENERAL & SYNOD SERVICES DEPARTMENT
Church of Ireland House
Church Avenue
Rathmines
Dublin 6
Tel: (01) 497 8422
Fax: (01) 497 8821
Email: General Synod Services