wfn.org | EUROPE: PLANS FOR A UNITED ANGLICAN PROVINCE

[a.whitefield@quest.org.uk]

June 13, 1997
ANGLICAN COMMUNION NEWS SERVICE
Canon Jim Rosenthal, Director of Communications
Anglican Communion Office
London, England

[97.6.2.3]

EUROPE: PLANS FOR A UNITED ANGLICAN PROVINCE

(ACNS) Plans are underway to create a new Anglican Province of
Continental Europe which will unite the existing parallel jurisdictions.

All the Anglican/Episcopal bishops on the Continent have given the
proposal their backing. The bishops met at the end of May and "agreed to
begin a process of consultation with the clergy and laity of our
respective jurisdictions, with our Metropolitans...and with the Anglican
Consultative Council."

The bishops warn that the process of becoming a province cannot be
hurried. "It will require a gradual growing together of clergy and
congregations, an increasing sharing of resources and insights, and the
securing of adequate funding."

At the moment in Europe the Church of England has its diocese in Europe
under Bishop Hind: the Episcopal Church in the United States of America
has its own diocese in Europe; and in Spain and Portugal, these exist
alongside the Spanish Reformed Church and the Lusitanian Church of
Portugal. In addition, there are other Churches in Communion with the
See of Canterbury: The Old Catholics Churches and the Churches in the
Nordic Baltic region that have signed the Porvoo Agreement.

The bishops also say "It is our belief, that Catholic order requires
there to be only one bishop in each place.  In a pluralistic context
like Europe, however, where there are great differences of culture, it
is important that the episcopate 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."

The bishops will now seek the support of the 1998 Lambeth Conference in
their desire to move towards closer relations.