I am pleased to offer a word of welcome at this historic moment, the gathering of the new Faith and Order Commission here in North Sulawesi in Indonesia. As far as I know, this is the first time our Commission is meeting in Indonesia. We are thankful for the opportunity to gather here, and immensely grateful for the hospitality the local church is offering to us.
1. There is no other space like Faith and Order. There are many spaces and places where one can discuss theology, but this one is very unique. And truly remarkable.
I am writing this report just after the celebration of Easter in the West, and I have both a sense of rejoicing that Christ is risen, defeating death and treading down evil, but also a pang of sorrow that we are not yet united in celebrating Easter together.
I remember hearing about “Faith and Order” for the first time. I was a freshman in theology reading Fr Georges Florovsky’s biography, and the phrase stuck in my mind.