The Church Leaders’ Consultation of the Porvoo Communion of Churches was held at the Sigtuna Foundation, Sweden, from 8 to 10 October 2024, on the theme of ‘God’s world – Proclaiming hope for future generations in the midst of the environmental crisis’.  It was preceded by a meeting of the Porvoo Contact Group, which coordinates joint engagement with areas of common concern amongst the Porvoo churches, from 7 to 8 October 2024. 

The Consultation began with a greeting from the Most Revd Martin Modéus, Archbishop of Uppsala, who held out the prospect of the Church as the messenger of faith, hope and love.  In the first session, singer Elin Teilus, a yoik artist of the indigenous Sámi, and pianist and composer Rickard Åström presented a collection of Sámi songs celebrating the sacred life of creation.  Ms Gunilla Märak, a member of the Sámi Council of the Church of Sweden, spoke of the Sámi life and culture, and its closeness to the natural world, as well as the current challenges it faces.

In the second session on ‘The added value of church involvement in the discussion on climate, and how to offer hope’, the Very Revd Christina Rygaard Kristiansen, Dean of Tønder, of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark, called for the churches to be contemplative, subversive (unafraid to argue from the edge and to resist easy solutions), and apocalyptic (open to the heavenly vision of a new earth).   There were formal responses from the Revd Robert Bunder, of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church, and from the Rt Revd Jorge de Pina Cabal, of the Lusitanian Church, and further general discussion followed.

The third session was on ‘How do we avoid moralising and increasing the burden on people, hindering a constructive approach?’  Ms Joanna Slama and the Revd Aino Vihonen, of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, gave a joint presentation exploring our continuity with nature and our dependence on it, considering how we can begin to turn our climate anxiety into hope which issues in practical action.  There were responses from Revd Bjarni Thor Bjarnason, of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland, from Ms Fernanda Tabita González Zubieta, of the Spanish Reformed Episcopal Church, and from the Revd Jo Jan Vandenheede, of the Lutheran Church of Great Britain.  Again, there was a fruitful general discussion afterwards.

The Rt Revd Martin Gainsborough, of the Church of England, began the fourth session, on ‘What are the practical challenges for the churches and possible ways of working with these challenges’.  He pointed out that the climate crisis is actually more like a civilisational crisis, a ‘metacrisis’ (the term of Jonathan Rosen) which pinions on a deficit in our theological anthropology; the Church needs to listen to voices beyond its own walls, and to reconceive how we can live sustainably a genuinely human life.  There were responses from Ms Elise Skjaerven Aas and the Rt Revd Svein Valle, of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Norway, and from Mr Paul Williams, the Scottish Episcopal Church’s Net Zero Director.  Further discussion recognised the complicated nature of the practical issues, but also the critical importance of small but significant steps.

In a fifth session on “Reflecting with young people and the concerns they have”, Ven Andrew Orr, of the Church of Ireland, described the involvement of school pupils in climate issues with related projects. He identified six aspects young people are looking for in the present situation: thanksgiving, lament, a prophetic voice, joy in enough, justice with love, hope which gives resilience. Mr Fredrik Hinton, from the Church of Sweden, responded from the perspective of the church’s youth organisation.

The sixth session was on ‘Hope for future generations’.  It was led by Canon Ian Loynd of the Church in Wales, who spoke about the healing of the deaf man by Jesus in Mark 7, with Jesus’s deep sigh as a sign of hope which could inspire us towards action; Christian hope is fortified with faith and love in a time of environmental crisis.  There were responses from the Revd Zilgme Eglite of the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church Worldwide, and from the Revd Sofia Oreland of the Church of Sweden.

On the afternoon of 9 October, we visited Gamla Uppsala (Old Uppsala) and, during a short climate pilgrimage, learned about the huge environmental challenges faced by the human race, as well as possible solutions.  Ms Ann Edlund and the Revd Claes Hedström, both from the Church of Sweden described their deep commitment to enabling others to undertake the theological and practical work needed in this time of crisis.  The pilgrimage included a visit to the Old Uppsala Church, the first cathedral, including a prayer at that holy site.  This was followed by a guided tour of the current Uppsala Cathedral in the city centre, led by cathedral chaplain the Revd Lars Åstrand who spoke of its significance in the life of the Archdiocese of Uppsala and more widely as the mother church of the Church of Sweden.  The visit to Uppsala concluded with a reading and short prayer in the Cathedral, gathered around the votive candle stand which had been produced to mark the occasion of the city hosting the General Assembly of the World Council of Churches, in 1968.

Worship took place in the Foundation’s Chapel, beginning with a eucharist on the first evening at which Archbishop Michael Jackson celebrated and Archbishop Martin Modéus preached.  On the second day our morning prayer was led by the Revd Karsten Felzmann of the Church of Sweden, a puppet master who enacted the Lukan narrative of Jesus’s appearance on the road to Emmaus and interpreted it as a sign of the way in which Christian hope can arise even in the darkest times.  The closing eucharist was celebrated by the Rt Revd Matti Repo, of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, and Archbishop Michael Jackson preached.

The Consultation brought together many different experiences and perspectives from our member churches.  In a context of worship, reflection and hospitality there was a tangible sense of different Christian traditions coming together to confront the challenges presented to us by the climate crisis.  We are very grateful to the Church of Sweden for hosting and facilitating this exchange. 

List of participants

An asterisk * indicates that the participant is also a member of the Porvoo Contact Group.

ANGLICAN PARTICIPANTS

The Church of England

Martin Gainsborough

Jeremy Morris*

Leslie Nathaniel* (PCG member for the Diocese in Europe)

The Church of Ireland

Stephen Fielding*

Michael Jackson (Anglican Co-Chair)

Andrew Orr

The Lusitanian Church (Portugal)

Jorge Pina Cabral*

The Scottish Episcopal Church

Paul Williams

The Spanish Reformed Episcopal Church

Carlos López Lozano*

Fernanda Tabita González Zubieta

The Church in Wales

Ainsley Griffiths (Anglican Co-Secretary)*

Ian Loynd

LUTHERAN PARTICIPANTS

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark

Thorsten Rørbæk (Lutheran Co-Secretary)*

Christina  Rygaard Kristiansen

The Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church

Tauno Teder*

Robert Bunder

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland

Tomi Karttunen*

Matti Repo* (Lutheran Co-Chair)

Joanna Slama

Aino Vihonen

The Lutheran Church in Great Britain

Meelis Süld*

Jo Jan Vandenheede

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Iceland

Bjarni Þor Bjarnason*

The Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church Worldwide

Zilgme Eglite*

The Church of Norway

Beate Fagerli*

Elise Skjærven Aas

Svein Valle

The Church of Sweden

Fredrik Hinton

Gunilla Märak

Christopher Meakin*

Sofia Oreland

Madrid and Toledo, Spain, 10th-13th October 2023

Life in the Eucharist/The Eucharistic Life in our Churches Communiqué

The Porvoo Communion, which unites the Anglican Churches in Great Britain, Ireland, and the Iberian Peninsula and Lutheran Churches in Nordic countries, the Baltic, and Great Britain, met in Madrid, Spain, in October 2023 for its thematic consultation on ’Life in the Eucharist’. The meeting was hosted by Rt Revd Carlos López Lozano, Bishop of Madrid in the Spanish Episcopal Reformed Church, and member of the Porvoo Contact Group. Representatives from the Church of the Faroe Islands were warmly welcomed as they attended in order to initiate a process towards becoming members of the Porvoo Communion in the Church’s own right, having previously been connected through the Church of Denmark.

The consultation started with a Eucharist celebrated in the Cathedral of the Redeemer, led by Bishop López Lozano, and with preaching by Most Revd Dr Michael Jackson, Archbishop of Dublin and Anglican co-chair of the Porvoo Contact Group. The participants experienced generous hospitality at several gatherings, hosted by Bishop López Lozano and members of the Cathedral congregation.

The participants were introduced to several aspects of the Spanish context in the opening session. Firstly, a paper was given explaining the history and theology behind the Mozarabic eucharistic liturgy used in the Spanish Episcopal Reformed Church, and that the participants had experienced the previous evening. Thereafter, the situation of minority churches in a majority Roman Catholic country and the resulting ecumenical landscape were described in several contributions.

Continuing themes in the first session, the effects of secularisation on the eucharistic life in the churches in Spain was discussed in the second session. Anglican and Lutheran perspectives on eucharistic life were also presented, touching on the challenge of relating this to everyday concerns of people inside and outwith the church.

On the second day, the question of what it means to live a sacramental life in communion in 21st century secularised Europe was explored in different geographical contexts, with contributors from Portugal, Estonia, Scotland, and Finland, and followed by general discussion. Most member churches of Porvoo reflected that they work in secular contexts, and sharing sacramental life requires meeting our communities where they are, and therefore being open to changing our own sacramental practice. The sacramental communion within Porvoo must inspire common sacramental life and a consequent commitment to the suffering realities of the world, such as the climate crisis, social deprivation, and people living at the margins.

In the afternoon, particpants witnessed the celebration of the Spanish National Day as they travelled to Toledo to experience the ’city of three religions’. The Metropolitan Archbishop of Toledo and Primate of Spain (Roman Catholic Church), Most Reverend Monsignor Francisco Cerro Chaves, welcomed the group to Toledo Cathedral, where blessings and messages of friendship were exchanged.

The consultation gave opportunity for interesting discussion and reflection about what the Eucharist means for the life of the churches in the Porvoo, both within their own contexts and together as a communion. Future major gatherings in the Porvoo Communion will include a church leaders’ consultation on environment and eschatology in Sweden in 2024, and a theological conference in Wales in 2025 marking the 1700^th anniversary of the Nicene Creed, and the Primates’ Meeting in 2026.

List of participants

An asterisk * indicates that the participant is also a member of the Porvoo Contact Group.

ANGLICAN PARTICIPANTS

The Church of England

James Hadley

Erik Heemskerk

Joanna Udal*

(deputising as a Porvoo Contact Group member in place of Tuomas Mäkipää)

The Church of Ireland

Stephen Fielding*

Michael Jackson (Anglican Co-Chair)

The Lusitanian Church (Portugal)

Jorge Pina Cabral*

Jaime Dias

The Scottish Episcopal Church

Nicholas Taylor

Miriam Weibye*

The Spanish Reformed Episcopal Church

Daniel Caravaca

Carlos López Lozano*

Anna Noon

The Church in Wales

Ainsley Griffiths (Anglican Co-Secretary)*

Jordan Hillebert

Andrea Jones

LUTHERAN PARTICIPANTS

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark

Rikke Juul

Thorsten Rørbæk (Lutheran Co-Secretary)*

The Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church

Tauno Teder*

Marko Tiitus

The Church of the Faroe Islands (guests at the meeting)

Meinhard Bjartalíð

Uni Næs

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Finland

Kati Eloranta

Tomi Karttunen*

Emiliana Skoog

The Lutheran Church in Great Britain

Meelis Süld*

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Iceland

Bjarni Þor Bjarnason*

The Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church Worldwide

Zilgme Eglite*

The Church of Norway

Beate Fagerli*

Simon Gaarde Hansen

Gunnhild Nordgaard Hermstad

Jan Otto Myrseth

The Church of Sweden

Sara Eriksson

Johannes Grimheden

Christopher Meakin*

His Holiness Kirill

Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia

Russian Orthodox Church

Thursday 13^th October 2022

Yours in Christ,

Most Revd Dr Tapio Luoma, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland

Most Revd and Right Honourable Stephen Cottrell, Church of England

Rt Right Revd Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, Church of Norway

Rt Revd Rinalds Grants, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia

Most Revd Dr Antje Jackelén, Church of Sweden

Most Revd Dr Michael Jackson, Church of Ireland

Rt Revd Tor Berger Jørgensen, Lutheran Church in Great Britain

Rt Revd Carlos López Lozano, Reformed Episcopal Church of Spain

Rt Revd Jorge Pina Cabral, Lusitanian Church (Portugal)

Rt Revd Agnes M. Sigurðardóttir, Church of Iceland

Rt Revd Peter Skov-Jakobsen, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark

Most Revd Mark Strange, Scottish Episcopal Church

Most Revd Urmas Viilma, Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church

Most Revd Lauma Zusevics, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia Worldwide

Tampere, Finland, 11^th -13^th November 2022

The 25th Anniversary of the Porvoo Communion: Portrait, Unity and Vulnerability Communiqué

The Primates and Presiding Bishops of the Porvoo Communion, which unites the Anglican Churches in Great Britain, Ireland, and the Iberian Peninsula and Lutheran Churches in Nordic countries, the Baltic, and Great Britain, met in Tampere, Finland, to mark the 25^th anniversary of the communion. The Primates’ Meeting usually takes place every four years and should have taken place in 2021, but due to the pandemic had been postponed for a year. The meeting was hosted by Rt Revd Dr Matti Repo, Bishop of Tampere and Lutheran co-chair of the Porvoo Contact Group. The meeting started with a eucharist celebrating the 25^th anniversary in Tampere Cathedral, led by Bishop Repo and Most Revd Dr Michael Jackson, Archbishop of Dublin and Anglican co-chair of the Porvoo Contact Group. The participants experienced generous hospitality at several gatherings, hosted by Bishop Repo, Lauri Savisaari, Director of Culture and Education, Tampere, and Very Revd Dr Olli Hallikainen, Dean of Tampere Cathedral together with Revd Tapani Rantala from the Parish Federation of Tampere.

A session consisting of presentations and discussions was devoted to each of the three themes of portrait, unity, and vulnerability. For the first theme, papers tracing a portrait of the Porvoo Common Statement had been prepared by Dame Mary Tanner, former World Council of Churches President of the European region, Rt Revd Christopher Hill, former Bishop of Guildford, and Revd Dr Tiit Pädam, an Estonian theologian, all of whom were involved in the original working out of the Porvoo agreement. Following discussion raised questions about whether the original intentions should be developed by exploring further forms and expressions of communion.

In the session on unity, Most Revd Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York, and Rt Revd Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, Presiding Bishop of the Church of Norway, introduced the theme of the role of the churches in Europe during times of tension, particularly the role of national churches. The past failings of our churches, in part due to being so integrated in our own cultures and contexts, can at times make it difficult to speak critically into contemporary situations. Conversely, the strengths of our historical positions can help us deliver important messages from and of faith communities. In the discussion, we shared different perspectives on the effect of division within a church upon its calling to speak within society. All these things affect our unity.

Meeting in nearby Finland, participants shared their horror at the Russian war in Ukraine. All continue to pray for peace and for a just outcome for the people of Ukraine, and for the return of stability to the whole region. At a separate session, the primates and presiding bishops agreed to send a letter to the Patriarch of Moscow, the Russian Orthodox Church, the text of which follows this communiqué.

In the final session on the theme of vulnerability, the experiences of the churches during the Covid-19 pandemic and what they have learnt for the future were the subject of presentations by Most Revd Dr Antje Jackelén, Archbishop of Uppsala, and Rt Revd Jorge Pina Cabral, Bishop of the Lusitanian Church. They reflected on new and sometimes challenging ways of being church discovered during the pandemic, and on how different ways of deepening spiritual life had to be sought. Participants discussed how the Church can speak into a world facing climate devastation, and how times of suffering kindle hope.

All three themes gave opportunity for interesting discussion about the role and challenges of the Porvoo Communion. Future major gatherings in the Porvoo Communion will include a thematic conference on the eucharist in Spain in 2023, a church leaders’ consultation on environment and eschatology in Sweden in 2024, and a theological conference marking the 1700^th anniversary of the Nicene Creed in Wales in 2025.

List of participants:

Primates

Porvoo Contact Group

Anglican Stephen Cottrell, England Michael Jackson, Ireland (PCG, Co-chair) Carlos López Lozano, Spain (PCG) Jorge Pina Cabral, Portugal (PCG) Mark Strange, Scotland Lutheran Olav Fykse Tveit, Norway Antje Jackelén, Sweden Tor Berger Jørgensen, Lutheran Church in Great Britain Tapio Luoma, Finland Agnes M. Sigurðardóttir, Iceland Peter Skov-Jakobsen, Denmark Urmas Viilma, Estonia Lauma Zusevics, Latvian Worldwide

Anglican Ainsley Griffiths, Wales Tuomas Mäkipää, Diocese in Europe Jeremy Morris, England Miriam Weibye, Scotland   Lutheran Zilgme Eglite, Latvian Worldwide Tomi Karttunen, Finland Petur Georg Markan, Iceland Christopher Meakin, Sweden Matti Repo, Finland (Co-chair) Thorsten Rørbæk, Denmark Meelis Süld, Lutheran Church in Great Britain Tauno Teder, Estonia Rinalds Grants, Latvia

Porvoo Communion Theological Conference: ’A Vision for Communion’, 8th October 2020

Representatives of the Churches of the Porvoo Communion participated in an on-line theological conference on Thursday 8^th October

The theological conference,with the title ‘A Vision for Communion’, was originally planned to take place at Sigtuna, Sweden, but it was agreed in the summer to make it an on-line event because of the continuing Covid-19 pandemic. Participants joined from three different time zones across Europe, while one early riser from the USA also participated. It was divided into four sessions, combining two presentations in each session with group discussions and plenary feedback.

‘A Vision for Communion’ looked back to the theological vision behind the signing of the Porvoo Declaration in 1996, reviewed how that vision for had been lived out subsequently in the Porvoo Communion of Churches, and considered current challenges and resources for addressing them.

Conference Program:On-line-Porvoo-Theological-Conference-Program-and-AbstractsDownload

Opening Prayer 09.10.20.porvooconsultation.devotions.1Download

The conference received the following presentations:

– Mary Tanner – The Original Vision of the Porvoo Communion (https://porvoocommunion.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2021/01/Mary-Tanner-The-Original-Vision-of-the-Porvoo-Communion-final-revision-3.pdf)

– Rev. Anne Burghardt – Living Communion over 25 Years: How Full? How Visible? ( Burghardt-presentation081020 )

– Revd Dr Patrick McGlinchey – EMERGING CHALLENGES FOR OUR COMMUNION ( Emerging-Challenges-for-our-Communion-Revd-Dr-Patrick-McGlinchey )

– Prof. Dr. Henrietta Grönlund – Planetary urbanization and changing religious landscapes – shaping the world and the work of churches (Grönlund Porvoo Communion 2020)

– Most Rev. Dr. Michael Jackson – LOOKING TOWARDS THE FUTURE: PORVOO TWENTY-FIVE YEARS ON (09.10.20.porvooconsultation.paper)

Communiqué Communiqué-Porvoo-Communion-Theological-Conference-and-Meeting-2020DownloadCopy URL