Relations with other churches and faiths

Other churches

After the national signing ceremony for the Anglican-Methodist Covenant on 1 November 2003. Left to right: Mrs Judy Jarvis, Vice-President of the Methodist Conference; Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury; Her Majesty the Queen; Dr Neil Richardson, President of the Methodist Conference; Dr David Hope, Archbishop of York. Photo by Murray White, Methodist Church Media Office

The Church of England is committed to working towards the goal of full visible unity within the Christian Church

On an international level, the Church of England is already in communion with the Old Catholic Churches, the Philippine Independent Church, the Mar Thoma Syrian Church and the United Churches of South East Asia. Through the Porvoo Agreement (1996), communion was also established with the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Finland, the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Iceland, the Church of Norway, the Church of Sweden, the Estonian Evangelical-Lutheran Church and the Evangelical Church of Lithuania.

Following the Meissen Agreement (1992), the Church of England and the Lutheran, Reformed and United Churches in Germany have expressed their commitment to work together for full visible unity by a programme of theological conferences and exchanges. A similar programme arising from a commitment made by the Church of England and the French Lutheran and Reformed Churches in the Reuilly Common Statement (1999) is bearing fruit.

The Church of England is also a member of the Conference of European Churches and the World Council of Churches, therefore creating further opportunities for working together with other Christian churches on a worldwide level.

CEC and the Roman Catholic Bishops' Conference in Europe (CCEE) are holding the Third European Ecumenical Assembly in Sibiu, Romania on 4 to 9 September. For latest news, resources and information click here.

On a national level, in the Fetter Lane Agreement (1996), the Church of England formally made a commitment with the Moravian Church in Great Britain and Ireland to take all possible steps towards full visible unity. In 2003 the Church of England and the Methodist Church in England entered into a Covenant to work together. The United Reformed Church is represented in the Joint Implementation Commission taking the Anglican-Methodist Covenant forward. An informal dialogue with the Baptist Union is in progress and will result in a report. Work with the Roman Catholic Church is supported through the English Anglican-Roman Catholic Committee.

The ecumenical instruments of Churches Together in England and Churches Together in Britain and Ireland also create opportunities for developing relations with many other Christian Churches.

On a diocesan level, different Christian traditions share in a common life and witness in various forms. The Church of England participates in Local Ecumenical Partnerships through common mission projects, chaplaincy partnerships and shares buildings with other Christian traditions, in some cases, sharing ministry and resources as well.

The Council for Christian Unity is at the heart of all these diocesan, national and international initiatives for Christian Unity.

Other faiths

The Church of England, in partnership with other Christian churches, also seeks to build up good relations with people of other faith traditions, and to co-operate with them where possible in service to society. Recognising the significant changes which have led to religious plurality in our society, the General Synod as long ago as 1981 endorsed the Four Principles of Inter Faith Dialogue agreed ecumenically by the British Council of Churches:

• Dialogue begins when people meet each other.
• Dialogue depends upon mutual understanding and mutual trust.
• Dialogue makes it possible to share in service to the community.
• Dialogue becomes the medium of authentic witness.

The Anglican commitment to working ecumenically in inter faith relations remains strong, and the Church of England is a member of the Churches' Commission for Inter Faith Relations, one of the commissions of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland. Through CCIFR, the Church of England is also in membership of the Inter Faith Network for the UK , which works to build good relations between the communities of all the major faiths in Britain: Baha'i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and Zoroastrian. The Bishop of Southwark is currently one of the two Co-Chairs of the Network. The Church of England is also represented on the Inner Cities Religious Council, a body in the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions bringing together representatives of faith communities with a substantial presence in England's inner cities to work together with the Government in tackling the problems facing deprived urban areas. The Archbishop of Canterbury is one of the Presidents of the Council of Christians and Jews, and Church of England bishops, clergy and lay people are involved in several other national inter faith initiatives. The Church of England is also in touch with inter-faith issues internationally through being a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion, which includes churches in very diverse situations of religious plurality. As leader of the Anglican Communion as well as through his role as the senior religious figure in England, the Archbishop has addressed inter-faith concerns in several speeches at home and abroad.

Across the country, a network of Inter Faith Advisers and contacts in each diocese provide specialist advice and encouragement for church leaders and members seeking to develop good relations with members of different faiths. Bishops often have a particularly important role to play alongside other religious leaders and ecumenical colleagues in speaking for the faith communities. Some of the ways in which local churches are involved in inter faith work include these:

• Joining or helping to establish council of faiths or inter faith groups.
• Practical partnerships, e.g. caring for homeless people or asylum seekers; urban regeneration schemes; young people's projects; groups to fight racism.
• Building up links with mosques, synagogues, temples, or gurdwaras nearby - arranging visits, exchanging seasonal greetings, and so on.
• Combating misinformation, prejudice and bigotry about other faiths.
• Responding courteously to requests to use church halls and other premises.
• Studying inter faith issues and reflecting theologically on them.
• Forming small groups where people of different faiths can meet to share experiences in trust, friendship and prayer.

The Church of England also has a major involvement in such areas as education, health care, the prison service, and civic life; in all of these dimensions of communal life, the presence of significant numbers of people from other faiths is leading to new patterns of pastoral ministry and spiritual care.