25.10.2017
Anglican Oriental–Orthodox International Commission Welcomed to Dublin’s Mansion House
Members of the Anglican Oriental–Orthodox International Commission were welcomed to the Mansion House in Dublin for a reception with the Lord Mayor Mícheál Mac Donncha yesterday evening (Tuesday October 24).
The Commission is meeting in Dublin this week (October 23 to 28) for the first time since its foundation. Hosted by the Archbishop of Dublin, the Most Revd Dr Michael Jackson, the Commission is meeting in the Deanery of St Patrick’s Cathedral. Their discussions centre around working to complete an agreed text on the Holy Spirit and they will also explore areas around authority in the Church.
Welcoming the members of the Commission along with faith leaders and representatives of a number of the city’s faith communities, the Lord Mayor noted that the Mansion House belonged to all the people of Dublin, no matter what their creed. He said his political tradition stressed common rights regardless of a person’s religion and also highlighted the importance of human rights.
Archbishop Jackson gave members of AOOIC an insight into the diversity and inclusivity of Dublin city. He said Ireland was home to people of over 200 nationalities. “These people bring their culture and their faith along with their humanity, their gifts and their sorrows. They are people who are our neighbours in this city, in other cities and in the rural areas of Ireland. Our aim is to embrace them with human equivalence and personal respect and to be embraced by them likewise,” he said.
To those who were not members of AOOIC the Archbishop said the members were not strangers to the people of Dublin. “We who form the membership include members of the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Syrian Orthodox Church, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, the Indian Orthodox Church, the Armenian Orthodox Church as well as members of a number of Anglican Provinces worldwide. All of these traditions are our friends; in Dublin they are our neighbours and fellow–citizens; we worship with them and they worship with us. Together we all co–operate through The Dublin Council of Churches and The Dublin Inter Faith Forum with Members of World Faiths other than our own,” he commented.