The Anglican–Oriental Orthodox International Commission held its seventh meeting from October 22^nd till 26^th, 2018, at the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchal Residence in Atchaneh, Lebanon.

Rev. Boghos Tinkjian and V. Rev. Zareh Sarkissian participated at the meeting representing the Catholicosate of Cilicia.

After noting the passing of and giving thanks to one of the founders and former Oriental-Orthodox co-chair H.E. Metropolitan Bishoy of Damietta, the Commission unanimously elected H.E. Archbishop Angaelos of London as the new Oriental Orthodox Co-Chair and V. Rev. Dr. Roger Akhrass as the new Oriental Orthodox Co-Secretary.

This year’s topic was on “Authority in the Church.” Papers were presented at the meeting on bishops, synods and Ecumenical Councils. The Commission decided to continue in their research and finalize the work in 2019. On this note, V. Rev. Zareh Sarkissian will conduct a research on this topic on behalf of the Oriental-Orthodox Commission.

The meeting was received in audiences by His Holiness Catholicos Aram I of the Holy See of Cilicia, and His Holiness, Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, in which they both spoke about the present critical situation of Christians in the Middle East, particularly on difficulties in Iraq and Syria.

In the course of the meeting, members of the Commission visited the Armenian Theological Seminary in Bikfaya, where they learned about the mission of the Seminary and met with the students, who in turn were introduced to the work of the Commission.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the members of the Commission remembered in their prayers the two bishops of Aleppo abducted in April 2013, Metropolitan Mor Gregorios Youhanna Ibrahim of the Syriac Orthodox Church, and Metropolitan Boulos Yazigi of the Greek (Rüm) Orthodox Church of Antioch.