ALEXANDRIA, Egypt: Primates Meeting begins with celebration in Egypt

Anglican Communion News Service
February 2, 2009

The first day of the Primates Meeting in Alexandria has ended with the dedication of St. Mark's pro-Cathedral and the installation of new dean, the Very Revd. Samy Fawzy Shehata.

In an often moving service the Archbishop of Canterbury, assisted by dean Samy who translated the Sermon in Arabic, spoke of the importance of recognizing the God's presence in the St Mark's.

"As we dedicate this cathedral we ought to be praying that this is a place where Jesus is alive. When we step into this church and experience Jesus' life of prayer, it changes the way we see things.

The Archbishop also spoke of the importance of recognizing the holiness of prayer in others.

"The person praying next to me is a person in whom Jesus is praying....try to see the force of energy of Jesus' life in them. When I diminish them, I am in danger of destroying Jesus' voice in them."

President Bishop Mouneer Hanna Anis, is hosting the primates for their five-day meeting.

The conference began yesterday with a quiet morning led by the Archbishop of Canterbury before an introductory session. Today the conference continues with a session entitled 'What impact has the current situation had on your province's Mission priorities' and a session on the Covenant including 'A Lambeth Commentary - The Reflections on the Saint Andrew's Draft for an Anglican Covenant.' In the evening there will be discussion on Zimbabwe.

The provinces of Central Africa, Melanesia and the West Indies are represented by senior clergy because their primacies are vacant. The moderators of the churches of Pakistan and South India are unable to attend the meeting, while the primate of the Philippines was not granted a visa to travel.

Podcast of the Archbishop of Canterbury's Sermon

http://www.aco.org/www.aco.org/daily/podcasts/source/abc_sermon_122009.mp3