THE ANGLICAN Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf will now be able to ordain women as priests, appointing them to serve in churches in the region, and one of the first could be in Cyprus.
The announcement was made at the annual Synod of the diocese in Larnaca last week, and was warmly welcomed by members. Rt Rev Michael Lewis, bishop of Cyprus and the Gulf, reported that his request to have permission to ordain and appoint women had been granted by the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East. The other dioceses of the Province: Egypt, Iran and Jerusalem will not be affected by the change.
The first ordination of a woman priest is likely to take place in June, when the Rev Catherine Dawkins, currently serving as a deacon and assistant in the Yemen chaplaincy, will be ordained in Bahrain cathedral. The diocese has one woman training to be a priest.
“This is something that Synod has wanted to see for some time, and I am delighted to announce this new opportunity,” Bishop Lewis said. “The diocese is currently advertising for a chaplain for south east Cyprus, and it will be good to be able to invite applications from a full range of candidates.”
The diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf covers ten countries, and operates at the interface between Anglican and Orthodox on the one hand, and between Christian and Muslim on the other. This annual Synod event brings together delegates from the whole region for week long deliberation.
Reports were received detailing the work being done by the church in Aden, which includes operating several clinics, and overseeing substantial social outreach and care work, for the benefit of the local Muslim population.
A moving report was made by Canon Andrew White, Anglican chaplain in Baghdad, outlining their project in the city, which caters for a congregation of several hundred alongside organising clinics, food distribution, and offering pastoral care to families bereaved in the recent massacre at the Syrian Catholic Church.
The Synod also congratulated Rev Andy Thompson who recently moved from Kuwait to Abu Dhabi, on being awarded the MBE for his services to the communities in which he had worked, and for furthering inter-faith relations.
