National Church Research Articles

Impediti Bishops of the Vilnius Diocese in the Russian Empire Period: A Case of Bishop Adam Stanisław Krasiński

Following the partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Vilnius diocese, together with the Samogitian diocese, found itself under the direct supervision of the Russian Empire. It was the intention of lay authorities that the Catholic Church should be governed according to the same principles as the Orthodox Church, which enjoyed the status of the national church in the Russian Empire. Disobedience frequently became a pretext to remove the disloyal hierarch from power over the diocese. This phenomenon became a real plague in the Vilnius diocese. Under the pretext of disloyalty, lay authorities prevented three bishops ordinary of the Vilnius diocese: Adam Stanisław Krasiński (1863), Karol Hryniewiecki (1885), Eduard von Ropp (1907) from performing their duties, exiling the hierarchs. Based on the literature of the subject and analysis of sources, the article presents the history of the removal of Bishop Krasiński from the episcopal throne. His stance during the January Uprising was a pretext to remove the bishop from the Vilnius diocese. The analysis led to the conclusion that Bishop Krasiński’s stance towards the uprising was in accordance with the statement of the Holy See. However, faced with the requirements of the Russian officials, he did not relent and refused to issue a public circular condemning the uprising. Bishop Krasiński was alien to servile obedience towards imperial authorities. The exile to Vyatka (called Kirov since 1934) in inland Russia was he price he paid for his personal dignity and the dignity of his office of the bishop of the Roman Catholic diocese. Bishop Krasiński was released from his exile in 1883. However, the analysis does not confirm the currently prevalent view that he resigned from his office of his own initiative. It was determined that the idea of Krasiński’s letter to the Pope with the request to accept the bishop’s resignation from the office of the head of the Vilnius diocese originated in the Ministry of Internal Affairs in 1877. The Russian government adeptly used the case of the exiled bishop in their negotiations with the Holy See. The fate of the Vilnius bishop was sealed in one of the articles of a preliminary agreement from 1880 between the Russian Empire and the Holy See. Bishop Krasiński’s dismissal from the office of the head of the Vilnius diocese and his exile was in line with the policy of the Russian government towards the Roman Catholic Church.

First Christian Church in Transcaucasia

In the southern regions of Iran (Persia), Zoroastrianism was represented by numerous temples and pantheons of gods, while in the Northern provinces, fire worship retained its early form, recognizing one deity - Ahramazda. With the coming to power of the Sassanids, the number of temples began to increase. The fact that peregrine And his son were priests of the Anahita temple also set priorities during their rule. When the Sassanids came to power, Ardeshir imposed a special tax (one-tenth) on the temples of fire-worshippers. However, environmental analysis shows that during the reign of various rulers, Mazdeism, Mithraism, Manichaeism, and even Christianity gained moderate ascendancy in the Sassanid state, albeit temporarily. For the first 300 years after Christ, there was a serious struggle in Eastern Anatolia to become a strong and lasting religion. The first Christian Church in Parthia played a leading role in this struggle. The lack of information about the history of Parthia, and sometimes very little, enriches this period with legends. The Parthian aristocracy maintained its influence in the Northern regions of Persia. The reign of the Arshakids (of aranshah) continued in Albania until the 6th century. The Parthians understood and practiced fire worship differently than in Persia. The Parthian nobles saw and knew the important role of the temple of Anahita in the victory of the sons of Sassanids. Along with various traditional religions, many new religions spread in the Persian province and in Persian geography, new concepts were synthesized between religions, there was fierce competition between religions, and religious clans sought access to large palaces. The early Christians who settled in the Northern provinces of Parthia in the middle of the third century gained a large following. In 252-326, Gregory (his Church name) was the son of Apak (Anak) of the Arshakid dynasty , and he was baptized in Cappadocia and received a Christian upbringing. When another of the Arsacid dynasty, Prince Tridad, together with Gregory, founded the first Christian Church, of course, the Central government did not like it, and the persecution increased. However, by the will of the sons of A, they were able to hold and preserve the Church. The younger son of Gregory, Arastun (Armenians call him Aristakes), led the Church in 325-333, and then his older brother, the first son of Gregory erfan (Arfan) (Armenians call him Vrtanes), took over the leadership of the Church in 333-341 on the advice of his father was brought to the leadership. Arastun took part in the creation of the churches of Albania and Iveria, became their first Bishop, and participated in the first world Council of Christians (Nicaea-Syria). Early Christians quickly forgot the important decisions made at the first meeting of the apostles of Jesus, and Christians all over the world are involved in intrigues between the two churches - the Church of Nicaea (Syria) and the Church of Alexandria. After the formation of the Church of Constantinople, competition increased, and although the Christian Church in Eastern Anatolia and Cappadocia was subordinate to Constantinople, the Syriac Church sent representatives to Cappadocia and Eastern Anatolia in search of supporters. The church, founded by Gregory, son of Apak, acts as a true Christian church under the leadership of 10 generations after him and proclaims that Christianity is a divine religion. Only in 437, with the appointment of Hovhannes, a disciple of the Syrian missionary and provocateur Mesrop Mashtos (educated in Syria), the leadership of the church changed the character of the first Christian Church of the Parthians, covering a large area from Eastern Anatolia to Albania. The first Christian Church of the Parthians changed its essence, defining the status of a national church, and not a propagandist of common Christian values.

CANONICAL PRINCIPLES OF THE AUTOCEPHALOUS SYSTEM OF THE ECUMENICAL CHURCH SN THE ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE OF THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE

The article analyzes the body of legal norms of church law, which regulates the autocephalous principle of the church. The vector of modern transformation of autocephalous issues determines the revision of traditional approaches and reflects the ecclesiological dimension of modern Orthodoxy. The article reveals the essence of the earthly rule of the "heavenly Church", which is subordinated to the church's mission in finding the way to salvation. It is proved that the internal church system is of practical importance for the process of autocephaly of the new national local churches, which gained independence in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The article examines that the church canons adopted and endorsed by the emperor in the Code of Justinian the Great in the era of the Ecumenical Councils, are relevant today. These rules, which are universally binding, may be repealed by the new All-Orthodox Council. This is important for a number of modern national churches that defend their canonical rights for independence and universal recognition. The study found that since the Byzantine Empire, state power has imposed its own principle of administrative division and management methods. Already in the II-III centuries a clear hierarchical structure of church management was formed, which led to the formation of ancient patriarchates. However, the founding of the first apostolic communities took place solely on the basis of the autocephalous principle.It is concluded that Orthodox ecclesiology offers an alternative approach to churchadministrative management. It is proved that only the autocephalous system is the only acceptable variant of the existence of the Universal Orthodoxy. Therefore, the struggle of a number of national churches for independence and recognition is fair. The lack of clear regulation of the procedure for proclamation of a new autocephalous church is specified. Therefore, further scientific explorations of autocephalous topics and the canonical work of the Holy Fathers will complement the research.

Growth in a context of decline

Churches all over Europe are experiencing decline within a larger context of religious decline. One under-researched field concerns the consequences this decline has at a local organizational level. This article examines congregations experiencing growth in attendance at their regular Sunday worship services, and asks: What has caused growth in attendance among these congregations? What are the consequences of the attendance growth according to parish leadership, staff, committed volunteers and regular churchgoers? The empirical material for the study is interview and observation material from four congregations in the Church of Norway. These congregations have witnessed an increase in attendance of between 15.5% and 31.6% the last five years (2013–2017) compared to the previous five years (2008–2012). The ecclesial ideal in the Church of Norway, as in other national majority churches, has been to balance between “the core congregation” and “the folk church”. However, the Nordic pattern of “belonging without believing” or “believing in belonging” is not as strong as it used to be, and this has made “vicarious religion” more contested within congregations. A more polarized neither-nor understanding of the Sunday service can explain why the studied congregations have been able to grow within a context of decline.

Living out nonconformity: Restoration ministers and their diaries

In 1662 the Cavalier Parliament passed the Act of Uniformity to impose ecclesiastical conformity. Ministers were ordered to declare in front of their congregations their “unfeigned assent and consent” to the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. The act stipulated the deprivation of those who refused and three months imprisonment for those who continued to preach. Unable to comply, some changed profession and others took the risk of gathering separate churches. However, there were some who remained involved in the national church. This article first establishes the common characteristics of three nonconforming ministers which would have made it unlikely for them to conform. Secondly, it presents circumstances, relationships and personal qualities which helped these godly clergymen to continue ministering within the Church of England post 1662. Through their autobiographies and their diaries, this article analyses the personal narratives of Ralph Josselin of Earls Colne (Essex), Edmund Trench (Kent), and Oliver Heywood (Yorkshire).

The Church Missionary Society (CMS) Medical Missions and Anglo-Russian Rivalry, 1865–1914

This essay examines the public views of the Church Missionary Society (CMS) (medical) missionaries in North-western British India of Anglo-Russian rivalry. In their reports, the missionaries recognized the value of their work as worth a “regiment” to the British government. The essay shows that this claim is comparable to views of some of the early nineteenth-century missionaries, who talked about the providential-purpose of the empire, arguing that the extension of the national church was beneficial culturally, religiously, and politically. In contrast to these missionaries, however, the CMS missionaries did not talk about the spread of Christianity per se or the dissemination of the English race or ethical values. Rather, they claimed their work was politically important because it had been instrumental in obtaining people’s “trust” and “friendship”. They justified this view on at least two grounds: firstly, they claimed they could generate a new archive of knowledge about the region; secondly, they declared they were winning local people for the colonial establishment by changing their feelings. Overall, the essay introduces a point of view from which to tell the story of missionaries and Anglo-Russian rivalry. Moreover, it contributes to emerging studies that have scrutinized the often-ambivalent political effect of “friendship” across axes of colonizer–colonized divide.

Незнані раритети про свободу преси в СРСР та про історію української студентської преси

Упродовж усіх років від часу створення СРСР комуно-більшовицька кліка Сталіна брехала світові про так звані успіхи комуністичного будівництва в країні нібито найсправедливішого на земній кулі суспільства.У 20–30-х роках знакових представників першої хвилі політичної еміграції заманювали різними обіцянками повернутися додому. В европейських столицях агенти Кремля підшукували й підкуповували низку продажних журналістів, влаштовували їм показові поїздки, стимулюючи цим появу в провідних газетах Заходу фальшивих публікацій про «радянський рай» на одній шостій земної кулі. Особливо послідовно влада взялася за непокірних українців: знищувала інтелігенцію, трудове селянство, національну церкву, і, як і в царські часи, насильно русифікувала.По завершенні Другої світової війни, коли втікачів-українців із того «раю» виявилося в рази більше, Москва насилала в численні табори Ді-Пі так звані репатріаційні комісії, які промивали мізки радянським збігцям, прагнули повернути їх в СРСР із тим, щоб згодом у нелюдський спосіб позбиткуватися над їхнім свободолюбством у сибірських таборах ГУЛАГу.Здавалося, той щедро оплачуваний потік цинічної російської брехні нікому й ніколи не вдасться ні заглушити, ні нейтралізувати, ні зупинити. Та ось у середовищі української еміграції виявився один сміливець, який голосно, на весь світ заявив, чому він не хоче повертатися в СРСР. Це був Іван Багряний. Народжений в Україні 1907 року, будучи поетом за талантом і громадським трибуном за покликанням, він сповна відчув на собі переваги «радянського способу життя». 1932 року репресований за безвинні з політичної точки зору вірші. На еміграції в Німеччині відновив літературну працю. 1947 року обраний заступником голови Української Національної Ради, став лідером Української революційно-демократичної партії.Вихід у світ книжки Багряного «Чому я не хочу вертати на «родіну»?» друком і накладом Українського центрального Бюро в Лондоні 1946 року стало своєрідною «бомбою». Передусім для офіційної Москви. Також для політиків, журналістів та інтелектуалів Заходу. Текст брошури складався з 13-ти коротких параграфів. Кожен із них слугує окремим прикладом-аргументом відповіді на поставлене в назві твору запитання.Через трохи більше як шість років у рідкісній на сьогодні газеті «Українські Вісті» (Новий Ульм, Німеччина) з’являється публіцистична стаття цього ж автора «Про свободу слова, совісті і преси за залізною заслоною». Її можна назвати своєрідним продовженням вищезгаданої брошури.На відміну від «Чому я не хочу вертати на «родіну»?», яка неодноразово перевидавалася за кордоном, у тім числі і в перекладах англійською, німецькою, французькою мовами, ця стаття полум’яного публіциста в українському журналістикознавстві є, на жаль, призабутою. І хоч написана вона понад 70 років тому, актуальність порушеної автором проблеми (гуманітарна катастрофа, яку зазнала українська нація від колоніальної політики російського «старшого брата») ще більше загострилася натепер, за умов неоголошеної Росією гібридної війни проти українців, зосібно й на інформаційному полі. * * *Драматичною є доля наступного тексту, який «Український Інформаційний Простір» оприлюднює в Україні вперше.Йдеться про розвідку відомого члена Української Центральної Ради, журналіста і вченого Аркадія Животка, життєвий шлях якого передчасно обірвався на еміграції, «Девятьдесять років української студентської преси». Вона мала скласти окремий розділ написаної в еміграції найголовнішої праці цього діяча – «Історія української преси».Видана 1946 року в Регенсбурзі циклостильовим способом (по-нинішньому – ксероксна відбитка машинописного варіанту) «Історія української преси» Аркадія Животка мала урізаний вигляд. Через брак коштів за умов безпросвітної еміграційної дійсності Аркадій Животко змушений був зняти з оригіналу підручника третину тексту. Як вважав, до кращих часів. Однак для цього автора вони так і не прийшли. Хворе й виснажене випробуваннями долі серце зупинилося на 58 році життя – 14 червня 1948 року. Сталося це в таборі скитальників зі Східної Європи Лягарде неподалік німецького Ашафенбурга.Утім, цю свою статтю автор встиг побачити надрукованою. Її було вміщено в спареному числі (1–2) журналу «Студентський Шлях», який на правах рукопису видавав машинописним способом у Мюнхені Центральний Еміґраційний Союз Українського Студентства (ЦЕСУС). Цінність цієї статті в тому, що більшість друкованих органів, яких тримав у руках Аркадій Животко і описував для історії, практично не існує в жодному примірнику.«Історія української преси А. Животка перевидавалася двічі: 1990 року у Мюнхені заходами Українського Вільного Університету з передмовою і упорядкуванням М. Присяжного та 1999 року в Києві заходами видавництва «Наша культура і наука» з передмовою і упорядкуванням М. Тимошика. Не опублікований у цій книзі розділ про історію української студентської преси так і залишився в машинописному варіанті рідкісної на сьогодні підшивки машинописного «Студентського Шляху».Цінність цієї статті в тому, що більшість друкованих органів, яку тримав у руках Аркадій Животко і описував для історії, практично не існує в жодному примірнику – вони розгубилися повоєнними дорогами еміграції бездержавної нації…Текст подається за оригіналом підшивки журналу, який в Україні практично невідомий. Комплект цього раритету подарував авторові цих рядків у канадському Вінніпезі покійний нині викладач Колегії Св. Андрея при Манітобському університеті Тимофій Міненко.

“Change Direction”: Influencing the National Church through the Vatican during the Pinochet Dictatorship in Chile

The relations between the Chilean Church and the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973–1990) are often characterized as conflictive. After a short period of accommodation and legitimation, the Chilean episcopate started to confront the dictatorship in the name of the poor and persecuted, but never breaking entirely with the regime. This led to a complicated relationship between the Church and the dictatorship, which tried to legitimize authoritarian rule by reference to Christian values and the defense of “Christian civilization”. Much historiography has examined this relation from the point of view of the Church. When examined from the point of view of the State important nuances appear. Documents from the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Relations and correspondence with the Chilean ambassador to the Vatican, shed new light on efforts by the Chilean state to shape relations with the Church and to change the position of bishops who were critical of the regime. These data help understand better the dynamics of conflict between Church and State in Chile during the dictatorship.

Churches, City and National Identity in Mid-19th Century Edinburgh

This paper reflects on the importance of Edinburgh’s Lawnmarket and Castlehill area in the context of the 1843 Disruption which saw the separation of the Free Church from the Established Church of Scotland mainly over the issue of the Church’s relationship with the State. Edinburgh’s Holy Corner, as it is colloquially known, refers to the Bruntsfield and Morningside junction with four churches; but this paper argues that by the mid-19th century the Lawnmarket area was an even ‘holier’ corner. Within a discrete area west of St Giles — Edinburgh’s Cathedral — and almost touching one another were built the Church of Scotland’s headquarters at Victoria Hall (or Old Tolbooth Church; today, ‘The Hub’), and for the Free Church, its headquarters at New College. These two buildings alone (other churches were constructed in closest proximity) show that for both organisations, Edinburgh in its old role as the national capital was deemed vital. This national importance was here emphasised (or resurrected) and intentionally exploited by each organisation for the purpose of demonstrating its own historical legitimacy and validity, each regarding itself as the national Church continuing. That it was not simply Edinburgh, but the Old Town, which was chosen, emphasised yet further the heritage, continuity and historic validity claimed by the two ‘ancient’ Churches; the Tron Church was a lesser ornament, as the fire of 1824 had diminished its prestige of antiquity. A major — if perhaps inadvertent — consequence was that the Old Town’s renewal was now securely in hand thanks to these competing churches; and all following the effective reincarnation in dressed ashlar of St Giles in the 1830s by William Burn. Both organisations being based in Edinburgh made the city not simply the two Churches’ national headquarters, but also, given the impact of missionary work and Empire, the international hub to which every congregation looked to for leadership and support. By focusing on a small area at the very heart of the Old Town of Edinburgh, this paper brings together a key moment of ecclesiastical history, whose significance goes well beyond Edinburgh itself, with important developments in urban design and architectural history.

Orthodox Churches and the ‘Othering’ of Islam and Muslims in Today’s Balkans

Abstract The article focuses on the relation between the socio-legal status of national Orthodox Churches and their role in the legal, institutional and social ‘othering’ of Islam and ethnic groups of Muslims in three Balkans countries, namely, Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Serbia. The research reveals that the state-pursued construction of national identity and politics of belonging are expressly permeated by ethno-confessional nationalism, which is at the core of the deep-running tensions between the dominant ethnic group and the marginalized Muslims. There is an alliance between the political and the Church elites to keep ethnic groups of Muslim background either altogether outside the ‘national Us’ or at least at its outer margins.

Transforming the resourcing of christenings in the Anglican diocese of Liverpool

ABSTRACT In order to improve the engagement and retention of families in Anglican churches nationally, the Church of England sought to improve support and resourcing of ministries amongst baptism families. Sharing this vision, the Liverpool Diocese partnered with the National Church in order to explore the issues, needs and opportunities within the Liverpool Diocese. This project became known locally as the ‘Three Steps to Christening’ initiative. Participatory action research was adopted, enabling the core team to continually and simultaneously research and equip the 14 participant parish churches over a three-year period. The approach generated a rich data set, facilitating development and trialling of a wide range of resource materials and training opportunities. This paper describes the key findings and reflections, including summaries of the macro scale data and abstracts from the in-depth qualitative data pool. The continual cycle of research and resourcing has resulted in the transformation of the Christening ministry within many of the participant churches. Furthermore, a plethora of resources and materials have been generated, which could be utilised further afield.

St Thomas at the English College in Rome

Thomas of Canterbury has very particular significance for the Venerable English College in Rome, the Roman Catholic Seminary originally founded in the 16th century in the properties of the medieval pilgrim hospice. The archbishop came to have physical, spiritual and political associations with the institution as a result of his exile from England and royally sanctioned murder, so much so that the English and Welsh national church in the papal city is now dedicated to him. In the context of the Protestant Reformation and the Dissolution of the Monasteries in Britain, students and exiled priests studying at the Roman college looked to Thomas’s example of resistance to secular interference, reinforced by means of relics and depictions of Thomas in a highly charged pictorial scheme in the college church.

‘Daylight upon magic’: Stained Glass and the Victorian Monarchy

This article presents stained glass as an important source of material evidence for attitudes to monarchy in Victorian Britain. It argues that expressions of veneration for Victoria by different religious constituencies were not merely instinctual and affective but considered and erudite. The ways in which different Anglican constituencies in particular marked key moments in Victoria’s reign within their churches made her person and throne a symbol for their ecclesiastical visions. The article supports its argument by offering a close, contextual reading of one such memorial, Charles Eamer Kempe’s Diamond Jubilee window (1898) in St Saviour’s, Southwark. Although nominally intended as a memorial to the long dead Prince Albert, it made only oblique reference to him. Instead, the window’s patron and the church’s rector William Thompson described the four figures depicted in its lights — Pope Gregory, King Ethelbert, Stephen Langton, and William of Wykeham — as ‘illustrating the union of <i>Church and State</i>’. Its message that the national Church had always been the indivisible ally of godly monarchs since the dawn of English history was the more powerful when read against Kempe and Thompson’s broader scheme for the redecoration of the restored St Saviour’s. Together they created a series of windows which not only interwove the English monarchy with the cosmic salvation narrative of Christianity but represented the church as a benevolent and inclusive patron of eminent writers, thinkers, and philanthropists in Southwark.

Local Contexts of Interpreting a Cold War Relationship

This article explores how an East-west inter-church relationship during the Cold War was given multiple meanings. The link that emerged during the late 1970s between Vaxjo diocese (Church of Sweden) and Pommersche Landeskirche is used to illustrate the case in point. Whereas an Uppsala-based national church leadership saw such connections as efforts to bring peace and reconciliation, the regional promoters explored alternative meanings. Instead of seeing this bond of friendship between two Lutheran churches as a way to further international understanding, the representatives of Vaxjo diocese saw this opportunity to offer support and material aid in the form of various building projects. In so doing they reached back to an earlier narrative that emphasized aid-work as being at the heart of international relationships between ›sister churches‹. The article concludes with a reflection on the need to recognize how different contextualizations of international could operate side-by-side within the same church.

Russian Orthodoxy and Secularism

Abstract Russian Orthodoxy and Secularism surveys the ways in which the Russian Orthodox Church has negotiated its relationship with the secular state, with other religions, and with Western modernity from its beginnings until the present. It applies multiple theoretical perspectives and draws on different disciplinary approaches to explain the varied and at times contradictory facets of Russian Orthodoxy as a state church or as a critic of the state, as a lived religion or as a civil religion controlled by the state, as a source of dissidence during Communism or as a reservoir of anti-Western, anti-modernist ideas that celebrate the uniqueness and superiority of the Russian nation. Kristina Stoeckl argues that, three decades after the fall of Communism, the period of post-Soviet transition is over for Russian Orthodoxy and that the Moscow Patriarchate has settled on its role as national church and provider of a new civil religion of traditional values.

Faith in Lockdown: Experiences of Rural Church of England Clergy and Laity during the Covid-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT An online survey examined the experiences of clergy and lay people in the Church of England during the lockdown caused by Covid-19 from May to July 2020. Comparison of 1001 people who received ministry in rural areas with 1823 who received ministry elsewhere suggested fairly similar experiences in terms of accessing online worship and support from their churches. Rural worshippers were slightly less likely to access worship from their own churches. Comparison of 274 rural stipendiary parochial clergy with 507 counterparts ministering elsewhere suggested their churches were equally busy in offering online worship. Rural clergy offered more Services of the Word, and fewer Communion services. Although the support and care offered by clergy was similar in both sorts of area, rural clergy seemed a better place to serve their local communities and to offer occasional offices. Rural clergy felt better supported by the public, the national church, and funeral directors.

The Holy and Great Council – Communication of the Church Message

AbstractThe article examines the impressions of observers about the Holy and Great Council in Crete in 2016 that have been most discussed, above all a strong competition between national churches and their leaders, and an enormous discrepancy between the agendas seen as urgent by hierarchs and by laypeople. While the fathers of the council based their work on categories of late antiquity, communicating a lack of interest about the “secular” reality, laypeople have stressed a hermeneutic rethinking of Byzantine identity, of Orthodox hermeneutics, of making people aware of and interpreting the historical heritage of Orthodoxy. On the one hand, observers received a message of a lack not only of Orthodox unity, but even of the interpretation of what that unity should consist of. On the other hand, the council unintentionally mobilized Orthodox people worldwide for unity, gathering at the first congress of the International Orthodox Theological Association three years after the council.

Las iglesias ortodoxas entre lo global, lo nacional y lo transnacional: apuntes sobre el caso español

El caso de las iglesias ortodoxas y orientales en España resulta paradigmático para comprender la incidencia de los movimientos migratorios y las diásporas transnacionales sobre las particularidades nacionales de los distintos patriarcados presentes, que en la esfera pública se interrelacionan en mayor o menor grado en un contexto marcado por el pluralismo religioso, la aconfesionalidad del Estado y la libertad religiosa consagrada como derecho fundamental. El objetivo general del artículo es, a partir del convulso panorama internacional generado por conflictos como el ruso-ucraniano, analizar la interacción actual de estas iglesias y sus principales dinámicas al hilo de los flujos migratorios transnacionales, tales como el aumento de los números de fieles y de templos y los cambios en las estructuras eclesiásticas de representación e interlocución pública. Para ello, el abordaje metodológico del trabajo atenderá a distintos casos representados por iglesias nacionales, como la rumana y la rusa; “autóctonas”, casos de la Iglesia Ortodoxa Española y de la Iglesia Ortodoxa Hispánica; y pan-ortodoxas, como la griega; además de un conjunto de iglesias “recién llegadas” que, por el momento, cuentan con un menor volumen y grado de implantación.

Should The Episcopal Church Create a Missionary Diocese in Europe?

AbstractThere are four Anglican jurisdictions in continental Europe. Two are national churches, Spain and Portugal; two are non-geographical jurisdictions serving persons not geographical regions. These four have overlaps among themselves; they also overlap with full-communion partners. The Episcopal Church’s Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe is not officially a diocese, though it acts like one. Like the Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe, its mission is not limited geographically. The competition unwittingly engendered creates conflict that detracts from the part of God’s mission accorded to each Church. This essay argues that creating an official Episcopal diocese in Europe is not the way forward, if common care for that mission is and should be the primary concern of all.

The Prayer-Book Roots of Griffith Jones's Evangelism*

This article discusses Griffith Jones (1683–1761) an influential Church of England rector in West Wales from 1711, who is usually described as a precursor of Welsh Methodism and Evangelicalism. It refers to an undated, damaged notebook, in the National Library of Wales, containing sermon notes in Jones's own hand. The article seeks to trace the source of his evangelistic outlook, noting his conformist loyalty to the Church of England's doctrine, order and worship. Contrary to the opinion which attributes his pursuit of evangelism, with its seeking of conversions, to supposed Puritan influences, the article shows that the Book of Common Prayer was its inspiration. Preaching is discussed as the predominant component of worship. Jones's thought as a popular evangelist is examined, with reference to the brief sermon outlines in Welsh. The article discusses Jones's view of the defiance of Christian standards and ignorance of the faith, in Wales. Jones's practice was to summon people to faith. He preached this to those within the 'visible' national Church, which included infants, adding a strong demand for moral conformity. His concept of 'membership' was not postEnlightenment voluntarism, but of a statutory and biblical duty. For Griffith Jones the liturgy was not a disincentive to piety, contrary to some Dissenters' misgivings. His wish was for spiritual and moral renewal, not further reformation of Anglican doctrine or practice. He saw catechizing as a means against schismatical vagaries. His famous Circulating Schools reinforced this policy.