Dr. Rowan Williams began his New York City tour this past week with duties related to his role as Archbishop of Canterbury, but ended it by demonstrating his academic acumen and continued interest in the Orthodox Christian faith. On Saturday, January 30, 2010, the Anglican archbishop delivered the 27th annual Father Alexander Schmemann Memorial Lecture”” this year titled “Theology and the Contemplative Calling: The Image of Humanity in the Philokalia””” and received an honorary doctoral degree from St. Vladimir’s Seminary.
During his visit, Dr. Williams also attended Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Three Hierarchs in the seminary chapel, and had a cordial and frank discussion with St. Vladimir’s theological faculty at a private brunch. After the Divine Liturgy, Metropolitan Jonah, primate of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), and the Anglican archbishop both publically expressed their desire for a deeper personal friendship and their hope for deeper understanding and cooperation between their respective communions. Additionally, Dr. Williams thanked the seminary community for its “overwhelming warm and generous welcome,” which he stated, surpassed even his first visit to St. Vladimir’s in 1974, and which was all that he “had hoped and prayed for.”
The Anglican archbishop received the invitation to be this year’s Schmemann Lecturer for his pioneering work in Russian Orthodox studies and his long-standing interest in Eastern Christian studies. His doctoral work at Oxford University focused on Vladimir N. Lossky, the famous mid-twentieth-century Orthodox theologian; and his first book, Wound of Knowledge, was a study of spirituality from apostolic times to the sixteenth century.
Satisfactory. Perhaps His Grace was able to have a chat with that notable ex-Episcopalian Metropolitan Jonah on the current unpleasantness in the Anglican family.
I have it on good authority from one who was there that the “unpleasantness in the Anglican family” was very much evident. A number of representatives of the new province were in attendance, and it was clear with whom the Orthodox were associating. There were concerted efforts by some to prevent any photos or videos getting out that would have showed the Orthodox in conversation with the “wrong” Anglicans. For example, I have heard that AnglicanTV was denied admittance.
Well that’s very nice. I guess the PB wasn’t there. I think that the Queen needs to provide RW with a nice living and an opportunity to spend the rest of us days in the Welsh countryside, pursuing the scholarly activities for which God has called him. Or perhaps a Russian Orthodox monastery in Siberia. Leadership does not appear to be his calling.