Ecumenism

AFTER a video presentation by the Bishop of St Asaph, the Rt Revd Gregory Cameron, the meeting voted unanimously to accept the motion that the Governing Body: (1) welcomes the Church in Wales engagement with the various international ecumenical instruments; (2) thanks all those who work hard to ensure strong representation of our life and mission at the international level; and (3) affirms the commitment of the Church in Wales to the global ecumenical movement as part of God’s will for a united witness to the gospel.

The video centred on the Church in Wales’s participation in the Conference of European Churches’ General Assembly, in Tallin, in June last year. Bishop Cameron said that the Church in Wales had “a strong history of positive engagement in the ecumenical movement”, and that the richness of the Welsh heritage had “given it a place at the global table. The Church in Wales is recognisable by many of its partners as a big player on the ecumenical scene . . . punching above our weight,” he said. He emphasised the “power of the collective voice to challenge cruelty and injustice”.

The Dean of St Davids, the Very Revd Dr Sarah Rowland Jones (Elected Deans), said that ecumenism was “not a minority sport”. She recalled the words of a former Archbishop of Wales, Lord Williams: “Only a whole Church can aspire to have a whole truth.” She urged the Governing Body to “become infected just a little bit with ecumenism”.

The Revd Mark Thomas (Swansea & Brecon) suggested adding a clause of commitment to the persecuted Church worldwide. Bishop Cameron accepted the additional clause, which reads: “Explores ways to actively support and pray for the persecuted church worldwide”. He concluded: “Our discipleship is enriched by engagement in a worldwide Church.”