Ecumenical Relationships

The Archbishop of Canterbury plays a lead role in nurturing Anglican relationships with other churches worldwide and at home. This involves regular meetings with leaders of other churches, experiencing first hand the life and ministry of other churches and advancing ecumenical dialogue, theological reflection and co-operation in mission.

The Archbishop's ecumenical activities in 2006 illustrate well the scope of his ecumenical contribution. He paid a two-week visit to the Church in China and delivered a keynote address at the General Assembly of the World Council of Churches in Brazil. In Europe he took part in celebrations marking the 75^th Anniversary of the Bonn Agreement which established full communion between Anglicans and the Old Catholic Churches of the Union of Utrecht. He led a delegation to the German Evangelical Church (EKD) as part of a regular programme of exchanges under the provisions of the Meissen Declaration of the EKD and the Church of England and joined events in Poland marking the anniversary of the birth of the theologian, Bonhoefer.

Archbishop and Pope Benedict XVI Also in 2006 the Archbishop visited Pope Benedict XVI in Rome, celebrating 40 years of international dialogue and cooperation between the Anglicans and Roman Catholics. The Archbishop and Pope Benedict issued a joint declaration affirming the continued commitment of Anglicans and Roman Catholics to seek unity and common purpose, despite outstanding obstacles:

"There are many areas of witness and service in which we can stand together, and which indeed call for closer co-operation between us: the pursuit of peace in the Holy Land and in other parts of the world marred by conflict and the threat of terrorism; promoting respect for life from conception until natural death; protecting the sanctity of marriage and the well being of children in the context of healthy family life; in outreach to the poor, oppressed and the most vulnerable, especially those who are persecuted for their faith; in addressing the negative effects of materialism; and in care for creation and for our environment. We also commit ourselves to inter-religious dialogue through which we can jointly reach out to our non-Christian brothers and sisters."

• Joint statement by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI and the Archbishop of Canterbury, November 2006

In the United Kingdom, the Archbishop values his regular meetings with fellow Christian leaders, including his fellow Presidents of Churches Together in England, the Methodist President and Vice-President and the Moderator of the Church of Scotland. Building stronger relationships with black-led and Pentecostal churches is also an important strand in the Archbishop's ecumenical role.

The Archbishop is supported in his ecumenical role by staff at Lambeth Palace, the Anglican Communion Office and the Church of England Council for Christian Unity, together with Church of England bishops who specialise in particular ecumenical relationships. He also has personal representatives ("apocrisiarioi") to Byzantine Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches, as well as to the Vatican.