Your Beatitude, how to describe the first three years of your communion?
Certainly three years is a short time to come to some very deep conclusions. But I think that it shows that we are building still the basis for a communion of faithful from Conservative Old Catholic, Anglican and other background Christians in several countries.
How large is your Church just now?
We have 31 bishops, 208 priests, and 235 deacons – total 474 clergymen in 25 countries of the world with 143 parishes and 22,201 faithful members. The majority of our church is in Africa. Totally we have twelve archdioceses and seventeen dioceses.
What makes you most happy in your ministry as the Patriarch of The Anglocatholic Church?
Several things, but the joy of ministry by our clergy makes me really happy. And several bishops who are bringing in new people and educating new clergy and sending messages of growth in several parts of the world. Also – the faithfulness of the leadership in very difficult situations and great loyalty to the Patriarch.
Now you are making preparations to The Convocation of The Holy Synod of The Anglocatholic Church in Toronto, Canada this June. What would be the main topics of discussion there?
As The Holy Synod is the only legislative organ in our church, we will have there different decisions to make. Maybe one of the most important one will be the revision of our Canon Law, so after The Convocation we will have The Code of Revised Canon Law 2019. Also many other aspects of church life – liturgy, theological education, church structure, missions etc. will be discussed.
What is making you most sad looking at the current trends in the Christian world?
Surely the liberal theology, which has changed the understanding of the Holy Scripture, the Creeds of the Church, the first Councils of the Christian Church and Christian ethics and to be honest – the whole Christian Theology. More and more clergy are writing to me and we are incardinating new clergy, who simply cannot serve with pure heart in the denominations and communions where there the female clergy, gay clergy, and gay marriages are accepted and propagated.
So you have no female clergy nor gay clergy?
No.
What do you see in future for your Communion?
I see that there will be more Conservative Anglican, Old Catholic and other clergy who simply cannot accept the liberal movements and the ultra-liberal theology and they find among us a real home. I surely see new church members, who thru evangelism have found their way to our church. We have a small beginnings, but we want to stand faithfully next to our brothers and sisters in Christ in larger communions to proclaim Christian message, as it was given to the Early Church by Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ himself, and was proclaimed thru all the ages.
Thank you.
You are welcome. Blessings+++
