The Anglican Centre in Rome

‘The Future Has Arrived’: A Decolonial Reading of the Global Anglican Future Conference’s G26 Abuja Affirmation will be the theme of the Anglican Centre in Rome’s next seminar on Thursday, 11 June 2026, at 6.00 pm (Central European Time).

The Centre runs a series of seminars throughout the academic year which can be attended either in person at the Centre in Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, on Piazza del Collegio Romano, or online. This will be the final seminar of this academic year so, even though both Dr Anthony and Dr Wells will be joining on-line, those who are in Rome are welcome to attend in person and share the customary post-seminar refreshments.

Our speaker for this seminar, Dr Ishaya Anthony, is a Canon Theologian of the Anglican Diocese of Kwoi, Nigeria, and a Post-doctoral Research Fellow in the University of Johannesburg’s Department of Religious Studies. He has also served as the inaugural Commonwealth Theologian-in-Residence at Westminster Abbey, in London.

In his presentation, he will note that the 2026 Global Anglican Future Conference (G26) represents a kairos moment in the Anglican Communion and marks a significant shift in ecclesiology, theology, mission, and authority structures. Its concluding statement, the Abuja Affirmation, has attracted both commendation and criticism within and outside the Anglican family.

A response will be given by Dr Christopher Wells, the Anglican Communion’s Director of Unity, Faith and Order. As such he supports the work of the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order which has developed the Nairobi-Cairo Proposals, addressing Anglican identity and leadership strucutres. The Proposals will be discussed at the meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council in Belfast next month.

Following the input from the two speakers there will be an opportunity for questions and discussion with seminar participants.

How can I register?

To express your interest in attending, either in person or online, please contact us at [email protected]

Photo featured in poster: St Matthias House in Abuja, the venue of the G26 meeting in March of this year. Credit: Advent Cable Network Nigeria (ACNN).

In our latest seminar yesterday evening (Thursday, 21 May), we had the opportunity to learn about how Anglicanism developed in Hamburg and how the city’s churches work together today in a new expression of faith in the Hafen City district.

Mats Nowak, who studies theology through the University of Hamburg (and is currently on placement at the Pontifical Gregorian University) presented on the history of the Anglican chaplaincy (Englische Kirche), which currently meets in the Church of St Thomas à Becket. He was joined online by Stephan Dreyer, from the Archdiocese of Hamburg, who chairs the Ecumenical Forum (Ökumenische Forum) in HafenCity – a space created for prayer, community and inspiration.

The unique history of the Anglican congregation, as the only non-Lutheran group allowed to worship in public in Hamburg in the first 200 years after the Reformation, built stronger connections between the city and England and aided the development of Church of England chaplaincies across the continent. Our discussion covered many of the nuances of being an expatriate worshipping community and relating to the locations in which God has placed us.

Details of our next seminar, with the Revd Dr Ishaya Anthony, a Nigerian Anglican theologian discussing GAFCON’s G26 Abuja Affirmation, will follow soon. For now, please feel free to make a date in your diary for this on Thursday, 11 June, at 6.00pm Central European Time.

We are pleased to announce that Stephan Dreyer, a Roman Catholic theologian who chairs the Ecumenical Forum HafenCity – in Hamburg – will be responding to Mats Nowak’s talk on the city’s Anglican heritage on Thursday, 21 May 2026. The event is the next in our regular series of seminars and will begin at 6.00pm Central European Time.

The Ecumenical Forum (Ökumenische Forum) is an initiative created by 10 different Christian churches for prayer and inspiration, meeting and exchanging ideas, and marvel, celebrate and learn at church and cultural events.

For 200 years after the Reformation, the Anglican community was the only non-Lutheran group permitted to worship in public in Hamburg. This unique historical status not only strengthened the cultural and religious bonds between England and the continent but also laid the groundwork for the establishment of Church of England chaplaincies across mainland Europe. At the heart of this story stands the Church of St Thomas à Becket, which for almost two centuries has served as a spiritual home for Anglicans from around the world.

Mr Dreyer is the Archdiocese of Hamburg’s Commissioner for Ecumenical Relations and has worked in pastoral service within the archdiocese since 1990, including in parish ministry and in religious education, chairing the city’s Caritas branch, and as Commissioner for the archdiocese’s relations with the Parliament and Government of the State of Hamburg.

Mr Nowak studies theology at the University of Hamburg and is currently on a placement with the Pontifical Gregorian University. He is also a musicologist and freelance journalist.

To express your interest in attending, either in-person or online, please contact us at [email protected]

Join us for our next seminar in June

Our next seminar – the last in this academic year – will be on Thursday, 11 June, at 6pm (CET) with the Revd Dr Ishaya Anthony, Canon Theologian of the Diocese of Kwoi in the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion).

Dr Anthony will join us online and speak on “The Future Has Arrived”: A Decolonial Reading of the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) and the G26 Abuja Affirmation. You would be very welcome to join with us then.

A beautiful celebration of Ascension Day at Comunità Luterana di Roma last night, with a full church, uplifting singing and extensive ecumenical participation. The preacher was Fr Yaroslav Semehen, Rector of the Ukrainian Catholic Basilica of Hagia Sophia in Rome and our Director, Bishop Anthony Ball, was among the participating clergy. Huge thanks to Pastor Michael Jonas and his congregation for their warm welcome and generous hospitality in the garden after the service.

It was a real pleasure to host a buffet dinner last night for the great team of volunteers and musicians who helped make our various events during the Archbishop of Canterbury's recent visit such a success.

A wonderful opportunity to celebrate, make new connections and express thanks - including to the New Chamber Singers, choirs of All Saints' & St Paul's Within the Walls, and those who were not able to come.

Theology student and Hamburg resident Mats Nowak will speak about the Anglican heritage of his home city at the next seminar at the Anglican Centre in Rome, on Thursday, 21 May 2026, at 6.00pm (Central European Time). Mr Nowak studies at the University of Hamburg and is currently on a placement with the Pontifical Gregorian University.

Hamburg is often referred to as the most British city outside the United Kingdom. Beyond its historic mercantile ties and maritime culture, a significant factor in this reputation is the enduring presence of the Anglican community in the city.

Following the Reformation, Anglicans were the first non-Lutheran group permitted to worship publicly in Hamburg – an extraordinary privilege at the time. For nearly two hundred years, this remained the only exemption granted to any faith community outside the Lutheran Church. This unique status not only strengthened the cultural and religious bonds between England and the continent but also laid the groundwork for the establishment of Church of England chaplaincies across mainland Europe.

At the heart of this story stands the Church of St Thomas à Becket, which for almost two centuries has served as a spiritual home for Anglicans from around the world – merchants, diplomats, sailors and residents alike. This seminar invites participants to explore the rich history of this community, its role in shaping Hamburg’s international character, and its broader significance in European religious history. Through historical insight and cultural reflection, the lecture will offer a compelling glimpse into a unique chapter of Hamburg’s past.

To express your interest in attending, either in-person or online, please contact us at [email protected]