wfn.org | Browning preaches reconciliation at

[ENS.parti@ecunet.org (ENS)]

November 13, 1997
Episcopal News Service
Jim Solheim, Director
212-922-5385
ens@ecunet.org

97-1999
Browning preaches reconciliation at Coventry Cathedral

by Michael Barwell
       (ENS)  Joining a representative of the Japanese government in a
pilgrimage for peace and reconciliation in the final weeks of his term,
Presiding Bishop Edmond Browning preached at Coventry Cathedral in
England on October 5.
       In addition to his stop at Coventry, Browning met in London with
Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey and joined a meeting of the
Convocation of American Churches in Europe.
       Calling the cathedral and its work a sign of hope for all the world
and an encouraging example of the triumph of love out of death,
Browning said, "God moves mightily to bring great good out of great
evil. That is what God is. God is a cross made of nails; great sorrow
molded and shaped into redeeming love, the greatest love the universe
has ever known. Let hate rain down upon us from the sky, or let it arise
from within our own hearts. Jesus will always be stronger."
       Coventry Cathedral, destroyed by Nazi bombs during World War
II, was rebuilt in 1958 from the ashes of the medieval cathedral and has
dedicated its ministry to peace and reconciliation. "Many communities
that have known destruction and despair have found themselves drawn to
Coventry," Browning said. "Many communities almost destroyed by hate
have found strength to carry on through this cathedral: Hiroshima,
Ireland, South Africa, many places that have become watchwords for
human misunderstanding and division. Life is hard in the human
community. But God is good and, by God's grace, healing happens
where no one ever thought it would."
       During the service, Cathedral Provost John Petty presented
Browning a pectoral cross fashioned from medieval nails from the ruins--
an honor accorded to those who have dedicated their lives to justice,
reconciliation and peace. The Coventry Cross was given last year to
former South African president F.W. de Klerk, who offered an apology
and sought forgiveness for the evils of apartheid in the cathedral.
       Browning, and his wife Patti, have been actively involved in
peace missions for most of his episcopacy, especially in Palestine and the
Middle East.
       Following the service, Browning was joined by Japanese Minister
Sadaaki Numata and American Cultural Attache Robin Berrington in the
ruins of the cathedral to pray the Coventry Litany of Reconciliation in
Japanese and English. The group prayed at a new statue of reconciliation,
similar to a monument erected in Hiroshima last year. Joining the
presiding bishop and Mrs. Browning were their son Peter and daughter
Paige, and the Rev. David Perry, ecumenical officer for the Episcopal
Church.
       Browning also met for private conversations with Archbishop of
Canterbury George Carey at Lambeth Palace in London. Although the
meeting was private, Perry indicated the two primates discussed issues
surrounding the upcoming Lambeth Conference next summer and the
ongoing concerns with traditionalists' attempted movements toward
"orthodox provinces" in England and the United States.
       Browning said that Carey repeated the position he took during a
conversation in 1991, when the idea of a separate province for
traditionalists was first raised--it is not possible to recognize a non-
geographic province. Carey said that he would officially recognize only
the Episcopal Church in the United States.
       The Brownings ended their journey in Paris, where the presiding
bishop addressed the annual Convocation of American Churches in
Europe and preached in the American Cathedral. Browning served as
bishop in charge of the convocation from 1971-74.

-- Michael Barwell is deputy director for news and information for the
Episcopal Church. Based on reports from the Rev. David Perry, director
of the ecumenical and interfaith offices for the Episcopal Church.