NEWS
The Central Committee shares the widespread revulsion felt at the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces last week. We stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people and we pray for peace and security for all. We shall gladly participate in the prayer service for Ukraine being organised by Bishop Robert and the Anglican chaplaincies in Kyiv and Moscow on 1st March at 19:00 CET - details can be found here.
God in heaven, give us peace and make us instruments of your peace.
On 23rd February, Emoena held its study day at HTB about the image of God. Lunch was provided by our very own Community Kitchen and our MES intern Teus introduced the work of CK to the particpants. In the afternoon there followed the now famous art atelier, led by a Brussels collective.
On 22nd February, the Chaplain-President taught the first class in the Anglican Theology master's course at KU Leuven (https://onderwijsaanbod.kuleuven.be/syllabi/e/A07L5AE.htm#activetab=doelstellingen_idm6477024 ). This year, students from Belgium, Austria, Greece, Serbia, Russia, Nigeria, India, Taiwan and the USA will have the opportunity to learn more about the Anglican tradition from Thomas Cranmer to Rowan Williams.
On 22nd February, the Chaplain-President and the Secretary attended a meeting of the heads of the recognised religions, again hosted by Metropolitan Athenagoras of the Orthodox Church, to discuss matters of common interest, this time for the Flemish Region.
On 15th February, the heads of the recognised religions, including the Chaplain-President, met to discuss topical matters. They were hosted by Metropolitan Athenagoras, the official representative of the Orthodox Church in Belgium.
On 4th February, the Chaplain-President, the Vice-President and the Secretary attended a meeting of the Vlaamse Interlevensbeschouwelijke Dialoog to discuss subjects of interest, where responding to the new Flemish legislation on the financing of religions and living creatively through the next stage in the pandemic were significant agenda items.
On 3rd February, the Chaplain-President and the Secretary, along with representatives of the other Recognised Religions and laïcité/vrijzinnigheid, met with officials from the Ministry of Justice to agree a common document to explain how places of worship and of moral support will respond to the softening of the severity of the pandemic.
On 2nd February, the Chaplain-President and Bishop Robert attended the annual interfaith breakfast organised in Zaventem by the Roman Catholic charity Sant'Egidio (Home - Sant' Egidio (santegidio.be) ) for the chefs de culte/hoofden erediensten to meet and discuss with a prominent public figure. The guest this year was dhr. Sammy Mahdi, Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration. A full, frank and cordial conversation took place on the issues of migration, integration and creating Belgian identity. The Central Committee is very grateful to our friends in Sant'Egidio for organising and hosting this precious annual event.
On 26th January, Lusa Ngoy was consecrated Bishop of Willesden by Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, in St Paul's Cathedral, London (Bishop of Willesden consecrated at St Paul’s Cathedral - Diocese of London (anglican.org)) Bishop Lusa is a Belgian citizen and a former student at the French-speaking Protestant Faculty in Brussels (FUTP | Faculté Universitaire de Théologie Protestante) where the Chaplain-President is a professor. Indeed, Bishop Lusa's brother Nathan is one of the Chaplain-President's current students there. Bishop Lusa is only the second Belgian to become a bishop in the Church of England - the first being our own Bishop Robert. The Central Committee looks forward to inviting Bishop Lusa to meet us after the pandemic has receded. (In our picture, Bishop Lusa is on the far left and on the far right is Sarah Mullally, the Bishop of London. The picture illustrates the two types of Anglican episcopal vestments: "choir dress" and "cope and mitre".)
On 31 st January, the Chaplain-President attended the annual New Year ceremony for the public authorities and institutions in Belgium, hosted by HM the King and the Prime Minister. For the second year running, this ceremony was held on-line because of the ongoing pandemic.
On 30th January, it was the Chaplain-President's great pleasure to preach at the 14:00 service at Holy Trinity Brussels (Weekly Services — Holy Trinity Brussels ) for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. This service has for many years reflected the large African, and especially Rwandan, community who gather at Holy Trinity. The celebrant at the service was one of our prison chaplains, the Revd Charles Kabera.
On 21st January, the Chaplain-President and the Secretary attended a meeting with Dhr Bart Somers, the Flemish Minister of the Interior, to discuss the impact on the recognised religions of the new Flemish legislation on the organisation and funding of religious bodies.
On 20th January, the Chaplain-President and M. Eric Sibomana represented the Central Committee at the annual ecumenical service organised by the Brussels Interchurch Committee (Bienvenue au CIB ! | Comité Interecclésial de Bruxelles – Interkerkelijk Comité voor Brussel – Brussels Interchurch Comittee (wordpress.com) ), held this year in Holy Trinity Brussels and presided by Canon John Wilkinson. A review of the service may be found here: Célébration pour la semaine de prière de l'unité des Chrétiens hier à Ixelles - (catho-bruxelles.be)
On 23rd, the Vice-President and the Secretary participated in a similar service in Gent, organised by the Interkerkelijk Beraad (IKB).
On 17th January 2022 the recognised lifes stances and the Ministry of Justice met up online to discuss the further development of the Persopoint system. Persopoint collects the data of all civil servants in the federal departments, including the ministers of religion, and pays the stipends. A very interesting development in the future will be the possibility to apply for the Single Permits (for all non-EU citizens) via this online platform.
On 11th January, the Chaplain-President spoke at a zoom study-day organised by the Diocese in Europe Ministry Team (https://europe.anglican.org/people/ministry-team ) on unconscious bias and cultural assumptions as they apply to the process for selecting future Anglican clergy in Europe.
The Chaplain-President writes: "Whilst I was saddened to hear of the death of Desmond Tutu on 26th December 2021, my overwhelming feeling was of massive gratitude for his life of prophetic and courageous witness and service. I was a newly-arrived BA student in Cambridge University when Tutu was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace (https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/1984/press-release/ ) and I recall the general buzz around the university that a black South African bishop had received the prize. Tutu's subsequent ministries as Archbishop of Cape Town and chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission have indelibly marked the Anglican Communion and the wider world: he must surely be the most famous Anglican of the last century. Our picture shows a powerpoint slide used in my lectures on Global Anglicanism last semester: what a privilege for me to share with the next generation Tutu's faithful and robust discipleship of Jesus Christ and his unflinching embrace of human dignity and equality! For all the saints who from their labours rest - alleluia!"
From 26th December 2021 new measures to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant come into effect: you can read these here.
The Central Committee wishes everyone a very festive season, Happy Christmas and a Joyous New Year!
ps: the office will be closed from 22nd December 2021 until 6th January 2022
