Christian world

Patriarch John X in the Vatican

His Beatitude John X, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East arrived to Rome this afternoon, accompanied by Archbishop Silouan Moussi (of Mount Lebanon). The Patriarch's visit comes in response to the invitation addressed by Pope Francis to the heads of Christian communities in Lebanon to consecrate a day of prayer and meditation for Lebanon on the first of July.

General Synod: July meeting to take place in London

The University of York, which hosts the annual July group of sessions of the General Synod, has taken the decision to cancel all events on its campus this summer as a result of the impact of the coronavirus. Arrangements are therefore being made for the Synod scheduled for July 9 – 13 to take place at Church House, London, during the same dates.

German Ecumenical Week for Life focuses on "Life in Dying"

Starting from today, Christian Churches in Germany will be celebrating their 26th Ecumenical Week for Life. The week has been organized since 1994 by the Catholic Bishops Conference (Dbk) together with the Evangelical Church of Germany (EKD) to raise awareness in the Church and larger society on the dignity of every human life.

Condolence book for Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, opens online

The Church of England has opened an online condolence book following the announcement from Buckingham Palace of the death of HRH Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh.

The book is open to any individual or church communities who wish to sign and record a message.

HRH Prince Philip: Tributes from Church of England Bishops

The Archbishops of Canterbury and York led tributes from Bishops of the Church of England following the announcement of the death of Prince Philip.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said: “I join with the rest of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth in mourning the loss of His Royal Highness Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, and give thanks to God for his extraordinary life of dedicated service.

Anglican bishops call for a halt in oil drilling in Namibia’s Kavango Basin

Anglican bishops and archbishop from around the world have called for a Canadian company to cease oil drilling in Namibia’s Kavango Basin. The Bishop of Namibia, Luke Pato, called for a petition to halt the drilling by Reconnaissance Energy Africa, more commonly known as ReconAfrica. So far, he has the support of around 30 bishops and four archbishops.

The process the led to the drilling had not been open, Bishop Luke said. Namibians were “waking up to a mining venture that has already been signed and settled, he said, adding that there were “many questions to be answered.”