The International Commission for Anglican–Orthodox Theological Dialogue (ICAOTD) issued a communiqué following its recent meeting in St Davids, Wales, held from 26 September to 3 October 2025 at the invitation of the Church in Wales.
“In the name of the Triune God and with the blessing and guidance of our Churches, the International Commission for Anglican–Orthodox Theological Dialogue met in St Davids,” the communiqué stated, highlighting the significance of the location: “In the time of St David in the sixth century, churches of the East and West were united, and British Christianity was evidently influenced by Eastern Christian traditions.”
The statement also noted the historical importance of the year 2025, “marking both the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council held at Nicaea from which our common creed arose, and the centenary of an ecumenical celebration of the 1600th anniversary hosted at St Davids Cathedral.”
Commission members expressed gratitude for the hospitality of their hosts: “The members of the Commission are grateful for the warm welcome and generous hospitality offered by the Rt Revd Dorrien Davies, Bishop of St Davids,” as well as for the reception by the cathedral community and its dean, the Very Revd Dr Sarah Rowland Jones. The communiqué recalled participation in daily worship, noting: “The Orthodox members of the Commission also celebrated the Divine Liturgy and led a service of Vespers in the Cathedral.”
Looking back on five decades of dialogue, the communiqué reported: “The 50th anniversary of the Anglican–Orthodox Theological Commission occurred in 2023. It was celebrated during the plenary in Boston in 2024 at which it was agreed to mark the anniversary by preparing a special publication outlining the Commission’s history and achievements.” The St Davids meeting “welcomed a draft including an overview of the Commission’s development, introductions to each of the seven Agreed Statements issued by the Commission since 1973, and other significant archival material.”
A central focus of the gathering was theological reflection on mission. “The Commission worked on a comprehensive paper, ‘Mission in the Contemporary World: Witnessing to Christ and Making Disciples,’” the communiqué said, adding that this work built on previous papers from 2024 “centring on mission, witness, Christian repentance, formation and discipleship.”
Looking ahead, the communiqué confirmed: “The Commission next meets in 2026 and will be hosted by the Patriarchate of Alexandria. The 2026 meeting hopes to finalise the document, ‘Mission in the Contemporary World.’”
