December 19, 2006

MAHÉ ISLAND, the Seychelles – The Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Ecumenical Relations (IASCER) met in Beau Vallon, the Seychelles, from Sunday, 3rd to Saturday, 9th December 2006. The Right Reverend Santosh Marray, Bishop of the Seychelles welcomed members, together with a warm welcome from other members of his diocesan team. Several Commission members worshipped or preached in local Anglican Churches on the Sunday. The Commission also had the opportunity to meet His Excellency Joseph Belmont, the Vice-President of the Republic of the Seychelles, and the Roman Catholic Bishop of Port Victoria o Seychelles, the Rt Revd Denis Wiehe, and they shared in the generous hospitality of the island and the diocese.

The Most Revd Drexel Gomez, Primate of the West Indies, chairs the Commission, which is charged with reviewing the present international ecumenical dialogues involving Anglicans, and provincial and regional initiatives towards unity with other Christians. IASCER consists of representatives from each international dialogue involving Anglicans, including the multilateral dialogue of Faith and Order, and of certain other commissions and networks, and consultants who bring particular regional or theological expertise.

Reports were received of all current bilateral theological dialogues of the Anglican Communion, as well as of developments from particular regions of the globe. The Commission undertook a review of forthcoming major ecumenical publications, including the Agreed Statements of the International Anglican – Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission and the International Commission for Anglican – Orthodox Theological Dialogue, which are to be published in early 2007. IASCER regards these reports as two of the most significant contributions in recent times to the ongoing ecumenical conversations about the nature of the Christian Church, which therefore deserve serious study and reflection across the Communion. In the course of reflections on the current life of the Anglican Communion, the Commission also responded positively to the proposals for a Covenant following the Windsor Report 2004 and prepared a contribution to the work of the Covenant Design Group. The Commission also reflected upon the recent publication of the ecclesiological texts, The Nature and Mission of the Church' and ‘Called to be the One Church,' by the World Council of Churches and the Faith and Order Commission, and urged Provinces to engage positively with the process of response.

Present at the meeting in the Seychelles were: the Revd Prebendary Dr Paul Avis, the Revd Canon Dr Alyson Barnett-Cowan, the Revd Canon Gregory K Cameron (Secretary), the Revd Dr William Crockett, the Rt Revd Christopher Epting, the Revd Canon Dr John Gibaut, the Rt Revd Dr John Gladstone, the Most Revd Drexel W Gomez (Chair), the Revd Canon Jonathan Goodall, the Rt Revd John Hind, the Venerable Jane Namugenyi, the Revd Professor Renta Nishihara, the Revd Canon Luke Pato, the Rt Revd Dr Geoffrey Rowell, the Revd Sarah Rowland Jones, the Rt Revd James Tengatenga and the Revd Canon Professor J Robert Wright. The Revd Professor Harald Rein also attended the meeting as a representative of the Old Catholic Churches of the Union of Utrecht. The Revd Terrie Robinson and Mrs Gill Harris-Hogarth of the Anglican Communion Office provided administrative and logistical assistance for the meeting.

The next meeting of IASCER is scheduled for December 2007.

Anglican Communion News Service, London