Anglicans and Old Catholics meeting in Bonn, Germany, examined the results of a survey conducted across five European countries. Members of the Anglican-Old Catholic International Coordinating Council received the results of a survey, “Belonging Together in Europe,” commissioned by the council in 2015.
The council received 106 responses from five nations. The survey reflected a high level of awareness of the relationship of full communion between Anglicans and Old Catholics, and respondents requested more resources for joint worship services.
The survey illustrated the varied ways in which the churches engage with each other, especially in areas where congregations from both churches are present in the same place. The results also indicated a desire for a more strategic approach to mutual engagement in service, witness, and mission.
The council agreed to distribute the results of the survey through the Church of England’s Diocese in Europe and to invite comments for consideration at next year’s meeting.
Council members promoted “Anglicans and Old Catholics Together in Europe,” a new brochure launched during their meeting. The brochure provides an introduction to Anglican and Old Catholic Churches in Europe.
The council met at the Hotel Königshof, which overlooks the Rhine. Ecumenists from both churches signed the text of the Bonn Agreement in the Königshof on July 2, 1931.
Adapted from ACNS
Matthew Townsend is a Halifax-based freelance journalist and volunteer advocate for survivors of sexual misconduct in Anglican settings. He served as editor of the Anglican Journal from 2019 to 2021 and communications missioner for the Anglican Diocese of Quebec from 2019 to 2022. He and his wife recently entered catechism class in the Orthodox Church in America.
