Your Grace,
The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Dr. Rowan Williams,
Metropolitan, Archbishop of Canterbury and Primate of All England,
Beloved Brother in Christ,
It is with great joy and deep satisfaction that we welcome Your Grace to the See of the Church of Constantinople on your first official visit here since your elevation to the historic See of Canterbury and the office of Primate of the Anglican Communion. We offer thanks to our Lord for the gift of your presence among us today, which we regard as a great blessing and a sign of the bond of love that unites our two Churches in the name of our common Lord.
It is, indeed, a remarkable gift of divine grace that there has never been a cause of conflict or bitterness between Anglicans and Orthodox in the course of history. Our relations have always been marked with mutual respect, and there have been occasions when the Anglican Church supported and assisted the Ecumenical Patriarchate at difficult times. We acknowledge this with deep appreciation.
In the context of this long history of fraternal relations our two Churches engaged in official theological Dialogue as early as the nineteenth century, that is before the appearance of the Ecumenical Movement of which they have been founders and supporters ever since. This official Theological Dialogue was revived in the sixth decade of the previous century and continues to function fruitfully today under the co-chairmanship of Bishop Mark Dyer on the Anglican side and Metropolitan John of Pergamon on the Orthodox. The active participation and personal contribution of Your Grace to this Dialogue until your appointment to the present high office in your Church has been invaluable and is deeply appreciated by all the members of the relevant Commission. We should like to express also our own thanks to Your Grace for this contribution.
In the person of Your Grace we recognise with great satisfaction the Church leader who combines profound theological knowledge and scholarship with remarkable openness and pastoral sensitivity towards all human beings. Your deep knowledge of the Orthodox tradition and theology makes the Orthodox in particular look at Your Grace as the bridge between West and East in the Christian world. We regard this as a great gift of God to His Church in our time.
It is commonly recognised that the times in which we live today bring with them serious challenges to the Christian Church. The rapid advance of science with the ethical dilemmas they create; the ecological crisis with its alarming consequences for the natural environment; the domination of technology which accompanies and sustains tendencies of globalisation at the expense of cultural diversity; the social and economic injustice that widens the gap between rich and poor countries and people; the discriminating attitude towards minorities; the outbreak of unjust wars; and, above all, the use of religion as a means of national and racial conflict – all these call the Christian Churches to reconsider their theological and pastoral priorities and place their confessional differences in a new light. The quest for Christian unity appears to be imperative in the present circumstances. All of us should avoid taking initiatives and proceeding to innovations that may create obstacles to our unity. Christian unity is necessary today more than ever before.
Your Grace,
Your brotherly love has led your steps to this ancient and historic City in which the First in rank as well as in service of the Orthodox Churches resides. The Ecumenical Patriarchate has experienced in the course of its long history what St. Paul describes as “strength in weakness” and continues its mission in the world with faith and hope, deriving its strength from the Grace of God. We are very glad to welcome Your Grace and your entourage to our Patriarchate and wish you a pleasant stay in our City.
