Primates' Meeting March 2000 - Release 1

The regularly scheduled meeting of the Primates of the Anglican Communion will meet 22 to 29 March 2000 in Oporto, Portugal. The Primates, Archbishops and Chief Bishops of the 38 Provinces of the Anglican Communion, will be hosted by the Rt Revd Fernando Soares and the clergy and people of the Lusitanian Church of Portugal, the indigenous Anglican presence in this part of Europe.

The Primates of the Communion meet every two years and their last meeting was held at the close of the Lambeth Conference in 1998. The Primates meeting will welcome new members including the Most Revd Peter Kwong, Archbishop of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui, the Most Revd Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Wales, the Most Revd. Yong Ping Chung, Archbishop of South East Asia, the Most Revd Joseph K Samuel, Moderator of the Church of South India and the Most Revd Vinod Peter, Moderator of the Church of North India. The election of the new Primate of Australia is set for early February.

The meeting will take the form of a retreat and the main thrust of the presentations will deal with interpretation of scripture and the ministry of the Primates in their respective Provinces. A public Eucharist will be offered on Sunday in Oporto to allow the local Anglican community to welcome their guests. The preacher for the service will be the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd and Rt Hon George L Carey.

For information on the Sunday Eucharist, where photographers or media will be most welcome, can be obtained from the Anglican Communion Office in London from 1 March.

Primates Meetings are not open to the public or to the press, but it is expected that a communiqué will be issued at the end of the meeting summarising the work that was accomplished during their time together.

Press notice: There will be no press facility available at the Oporto Primates Meeting. The Sunday Eucharist is open to the public and all media persons are welcome to attend. Press and media are invited to register with the Anglican Communion Office if they wish to receive the communiqué at the end of the meeting or other information that might be issued electronically during the meeting itself. At this moment no press conferences are scheduled. The Primates Meetings are not conventions, conferences or synods but an opportunity for the Primates to share concerns, worship together and study scripture and theology. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the Chairman of the Primates, the senior Primate of the Anglican Communion by number of years of service is the Most Revd Khotso Makhulu, Archbishop of Central Africa.