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The '''Anglican Communion''' is a confederation of national regional churches, each considered independent, yet sharing [[Full Communionfull communion]] or, in some cases, impaired communion, with one another and the [[Archbishop of Canterbury]], who is the spiritual (although not administrative) head of the Communion. The Anglican Communion maintains the traditional three-fold hierarchy of clergy: Bishops, Priests and Deacons. In some member churches, women have been admitted to one or more of these orders, whereas some member churches have maintained an all-male clergy. Beyond the three-fold order, though the administration and leadership of each national regional church is decided by that particular church. In the Church of England, for example, the Queen appoints Bishops. In the Episcopal Church (USA), on the other hand, bishops are elected by diocese and then confirmed by the House triennial General Convention, or standing committees of Bishopsadvice in the majority of the diocese (depending on when a bishop-elect is chosen by a diocese).

Of particular interest to Orthodox inquirers is the current [[Archbishop of Canterbury]] the Most Reverend and Right Honorable Honourable Rowan Williams, formerly Archbishop of Wales. Dr. Williams, an academic, has written two books on the spirituality of [[iconography]] ("''The Dwelling of the Light: Praying With Icons of Christ" '' and "''Ponder These Things: Praying With Icons of the Virgin"'') and did his doctoral thesis on the theology of Orthodox theologian [[Vladimir Lossky]].

Other major thinkers to come out of the Anglican Communion have been reformers and founders of the Methodist Church John and Charles Wesley, convert to [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholicism]] Cardinal John Henry Newman, social activist Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and authors Dorothy Sayers and [[C. S. Lewis]].

==Member ChurchesRelationship with Orthodox Christians=====Anglican/Orthodox Organizations===Largely through the initiative and work of Oxford Movement figure Father John Mason Neale, in 1863 there was formed the '''Anglican and Eastern Churches Association'''. This organization publishes a journal (''Eastern Churches News Letter'')and encourages interaction of Anglican and Orthodox Christians, particularly through encouraging pilgrimages. In 1928 an organization with similar goals, the '''[[Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius]]''' was formed and also publishes a journal (''Sobornost''). In the 1960s an international commission of Orthodox and Anglican clergy and theologians entitled the Anglican-Orthodox Joint Doctrinal Commission was formed and has issued two historic statements which will be addressed below.

The national churches below are all self-governing members [[Raphael of Brooklyn]] was for two years the Vice President of the "Anglican Communion. There are Anglicans and Eastern Orthodox Association", but resigned in other countriesprotest following a series of events that led him to examine Anglican doctrine, howeverand conclude it was incompatible with that of Eastern Orthodoxy. In these casesSpecifically, Anglican clergy, on the parishes are under basis of his membership in the jurisdiction association, had been poaching members of one Antiochian Orthodox Parishes, citing the existence of the national churchesassociation as proof of a non-existent episcopal endorsement from St. The "Primates" (head bishops) of each national church meet periodically Raphael, and encouraging members thereof to discuss matters of faith and disciplinetake the sacraments exclusively at Anglican churches. In additionresponse to this unethical behavior, every 10 years (1988, 1998, etcSt.) the Anglican bishops from around the world are gathered to Lambeth Palace (home Raphael of the Archbishop Brooklyn undertook an extensive review of Canterbury) for the "Lambeth Conference." The decisions Anglican doctrine, and concluded it was fundamentally incompatible with that of the Lambeth Conference are seen as advisoryOrthodoxy, not bindingand in an encyclical, on the member churches[http://www.allmercifulsavior.com/Liturgy/Raphael.html forbade his parishioners from attending Anglican and other non-Orthodox services].

===Agreed statements===In the 1960s, largely through the ecumenical work of Archbishop of Canterbury Michael Ramsey and Patriarch [[Athenagoras I (Spyrou) of Constantinople]], both the Anglican Communion and the Orthodox Churches established commissions to consider Anglican-Orthodox relations. Between 1973 and 1976 an "Anglican-Orthodox Joint Doctrinal Commission" met which led to the '''Moscow Agreed Statement'''(This list is not exhaustive)which dealt with "the Knowledge of God, the Inspiration and Authority of Holy Scripture, Scripture and Tradition, the Authority of the Councils, the ''Filioque''Clause, the Church as the Eucharistic Community, and the Invocation of the [[Holy Spirit]] in the Eucharist."

*The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia *The Anglican Church of Australia *A Igreja Episcopal do Brasil *The Church of In 1984 the Province of Burundi *The Anglican Church of Canada *The Episcopal Church of Cuba *The Church of England *Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui *The Church of North India*The Church of South India*The Church of Ireland*Nippon Sei Ko Kai (Holy Catholic Church in Japan)*The Anglican Church of Kenya *The Anglican Church of Korea *La Iglesia Anglicana de México *The Church of Commission again produced a joint doctrinal work entitled '''Dublin Agreed Statement'''. This one dealt with the Province of Myanmar *The Church Mystery of the Province of Nigeria *The Church of Pakistan*The Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea *The Philippine Episcopal Church *The Lusitanian Church of Portugal *The Province of , the Episcopal Church of Rwanda *The Scottish Episcopal Church *The Spanish Reformed Episcopal Church *The Church of Sri Lanka *The Episcopal Church of the Sudan *The Church of the Province of Tanzania *The Church of the Province of Uganda *The Episcopal Church in the United States of America *The Church in Wales Holy Trinity and worship and tradition.

Several times throughout At the history time of Anglicanismthe first agreed statement, there have the hope of the Commission had been movements which led to schism. The various resulting bodies have maintained their for the eventual reunion of the Anglican heritage to differing degreesand Orthodox Churches. Among these groups are However, in between the various Methodist churchestwo, a major development in Anglicanism changed the Reformed direction of the Commission. In 1978 both the [[Episcopal ChurchU.S.A.]] and the Lambeth Conference put forth positions accepting the ordination of women. This drastically changed the understanding of the Commission. Following the Lambeth Conference in 1978, it had now come to be seen, in the Anglican Catholic Church words of co-chairman Archbishop Athanagoras, "simply as an academic and informative exercise, and no longer as an ecclesial endeavour aiming at the Anglican Church in Americaunion of the two churches."

==Movements Within As there is much theological variation within Anglicanism==, Bishop [[Kallistos (Ware) of Diokleia]] has explained rightly when he writes, "The Orthodox Church, however deep its longing for reunion, cannot enter into closer relations with the Anglican communion until Anglicans themselves are clearer about their own beliefs" (Ware, p. 321).

==Relationship with Anglican-Orthodox ChristiansResources==The following resources may be of interest to the Orthodox Christian who wants to know more about Anglicanism, or the Anglican who wants to know more about Orthodoxy. * ''Anglican-Orthodox Dialogue: The Dublin Agreed Statement 1984'' (ISBN 0881410470) * ''The Church of the Triune God: The Cyprus Agreed Statement 2006'' (ISBN 6000000061) * Billerbeck, Franklin. ''Anglican-Orthodox Pilgrimage'' (ISBN 0962271357) * Pinnington, Judith. ''Anglicans and Orthodox: Unity and Subversion (1559-1725)''. Forward by Rowan Williams. (ISBN 0852445776) * ''St. Andrew Service Book''. Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese, 1996. (This is the service book for the [[Western Rite]] Vicarate, which includes the [[Liturgy of St. Tikhon of Moscow|Liturgy of St. Tikhon]] and Matins and Vespers, which are based upon the old Anglican liturgies)* Williams, Rowan. ''The Dwelling of the Light: Praying With Icons of Christ'' (ISBN 0802827780)* Williams, Rowan. ''Ponder These Things: Praying With Icons of the Virgin'' (ISBN 1580511244)

==Current Issues Within AnglicanismSources==*''Anglican-Orthodox Dialogue: The Dublin Agreed Statement 1984''. Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1985.*Bede. ''Ecclesiastical History of the English People.'' New York: Penguin, 1990.*Bernadin, J.B. ''An Introduction to the Episcopal Church'' (Rev. Ed.). Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse, 1983. *''The Book of Common Prayer''. New York: Church Hymnal Corporation, 1979.*''Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2003''. New York: Church Hymnal Corporation, 1993.*Ware, Timothy. ''The Orthodox Church'' (New Edition). New York: Penguin, 1997.

==External Linkslinks==* [http://www.anglicancommunion.org/ The Anglican Communion Secretariat]* [http://www.ecusa.anglican.org/ The Episcopal Church USA]* [http://www.anglicansonline.org/ Anglicans Online]* [http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/ Official Website of the Archbishop of Canterbury]* [http://www.sobornost.org/ The Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius]* [http://justus.anglican.org/resources/pc/orthodoxy/index.html Project Canterbury: Writings on Anglicanism & Orthodoxy]* [http://justus.anglican.org/resources/pc/nonjurors/langford1.html The Non-Jurors and the Eastern Orthodoxy] by the Rev. H. W. Langford* [http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/inquirers/inq_anglican.aspx The Orthodox Christian Information Center: Page for Anglican Inquirers into Orthodoxy]* [http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/hawaweeny.aspx Pastoral Direction and Instruction on Orthodox/Episcopal Relations and Ministrations in America (1912)] by St. [[Raphael of Brooklyn]]* [http://www.episcopalchurch.org/6947_9598_ENG_HTM.htm Statement on the Anglican-Orthodox Dialogue from the Episcopal Church Office of Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations]

http[[Category://www.anglicancommunion.org <br>http://www.ecusa.anglican.org <br>http://www.anglicansonline.org <br>Non-Orthodox]]