The Archbishop of Canterbury visits Bucharest

It was an immense joy to welcome Archbishop Justin to Romania, following a visit to the Ecumenical Patriarch in Istanbul. We are very grateful to HE Andrew Noble and the British Embassy for organising such a rich programme, and for being such kind and generous hosts.

One of the primary focuses of Archbishop Justin’s visit was Ukraine. His first engagement in Romania was at RomExpo, where he met State Secretary Raed Arafat and representatives of humanitarian and civil organisations working with Ukrainian refugees. Archbishop Justin was also able to spend some time alone with some refugees to hear about their experiences of fleeing Ukraine and arriving in Romania. Throughout the visit, Ukraine remained high on the agenda: the Archbishop met with the Prime Minister, representatives at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and with the Ukrainian Ambassador to Romania. The British Ambassador hosted a dinner at the Residence, drawing together a number of political figures, NGOs and religious leaders. The Archbishop spoke eloquently and clearly about our responsibilities to ensure that Ukraine overcomes Russian aggression in this terrible war.

Another political and humanitarian focus of the visit centred around combatting modern-day slavery and human trafficking. This is something that the Church of England has spent significant time and resources on in recent years, through the Clewer Initiative; and given the high level of human trafficking from Romania to the UK, this is an area the church’s work can have a real impact. The Archbishop met with NGOs and members of staff at the British Embassy working on this, and it was again something that the Archbishop discussed with the Prime Minister and his staff.  

There is still much entrenched inequality in Romanian society, particularly in relation to the Roma population. We visited two Roma communities outside Bucharest to discuss poverty, social inclusion, and access to education. Resources are limited and the scale of the problem is great, but it was encouraging to see such impressive people making a difference in their communities.

The Church of England has a long history of friendship with the Romanian Orthodox Church, and it was wonderful to see that friendship renewed. Archbishop Justin met with Patriarch Daniel, who thanked him for the Church of England’s support of Romanian Orthodox parishes in the UK. We also met with Metropolitan Nifon of Targoviste, a member of the executive committee of the World Council of Churches, and we were warmly received by Archbishop Calinic at Curtea de Arges to visit the historic monastery and the royal tombs. Archbishop Justin also had some time with the Papal Nuncio, and with members of the historic Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Augsburg Confession in Romania.

And, of course, no visit to Bucharest would be complete without coming to the Church of the Resurrection! The choir were in excellent voice at Evening Prayer, and Archbishop Justin preached movingly on the ways that Scripture speaks to us. The congregation was able to meet with the Archbishop afterwards, and he brought a lot of joy and laughter.

It was the first official visit of an Archbishop of Canterbury since 1993, so it was an historic occasion. It was a visit that called us to reflect on the place of the church in our contemporary world, and to engage in the problems that our society faces. Archbishop Justin’s visit was encouraging, strengthening and heartening – and I hope that we will continue to feel its impact in the weeks and months to come.