Patriarchal Response to the toast of the Archbishop of York at the Luncheon hosted by The Nikæan Club Oxford and Cambridge Club London, England (June 24, 2025)

Your Grace, Most Reverend Brother, Stephen Cottrell,  Archbishop of York,

Dear Members of the Nikæan Club,

Distinguished Guests and Friends,

With every prayer for the health and prosperity of His Majesty King Charles III, we thank you for this warmest of welcomes, and the sentiments expressed to our humble person by Your Grace.

Our presence in this Island Kingdom, during the Seventeen Hundredth Anniversary Year of the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea is – to a degree – a σημεῖον ἀντιλεγόμενον [1] that challenges all of us to a deeper faith and trust, in the Lord Whom we glory.

This σημεῖον ἀντιλεγόμενον, “sign of contradiction,” is invested with all manner of subtle and plain meanings, which leads us to the sacred space of dialogue, where our traditions can discover our profound commonalities, which count for much more than the differences between us that have spawned over the centuries.

We say again, a “sign of contradiction” because despite those epochs and our ever-diverging traditions, our vocation to unity remains timeless. The Nikæan Club itself bears witness to this, as it was founded on the occasion of the Sixteen Hundredth Anniversary of Nicaea, and in the intervening century, our ecumenical endeavor has made tremendous strides. Our presence among you is a sign that, grounded in the Faith of Nicaea, we are willing, able, and ready to overcome our differences. Our presence is itself a sign that contradicts those who would have us believe that the fragmentation of Christianity cannot be overcome.

We came to “this precious stone set in the silver sea,” [2] that the Greeks called, Ἀλβιών – Albion in your own magnificent language, so that we might rediscover ways to substantiate our Faith. And we have found willing and devoted partners who share the homoousion of our mutual humanity with the incarnated Son of God, and with one another.

We thank you for your generous reception of our humble person and our honourable entourage and for your kind and charitable words. We hope that this gracious and memorable gathering shall be as present in your own lives, as it shall surely be for us.

 May God bless you all! Many Years to all!

_________

1. Luke 2:34.

2. Richard II: Act II, Scene 1.