The Presiding Bishop is in Utrecht this week, preaching, delivering the annual Quasimodo lecture and representing the Episcopal Church. The Old Catholic Church, which was formed by elements of the Roman Catholic Church that could not accept the doctrine of Papal Infallibility, has its historic center in the Netherlands at Utrecht. They are one of the Episcopal Church’s oldest full communion partners.
From the ENS report:
“‘It’s all about celebrating our full communion,’ [Old Catholic Archbishop Joris] Vercammen said about extending the invitation for Jefferts Schori to visit Utrecht, ‘and it’s important that we have the opportunity to witness the life of the Episcopal Church. We are not that far away from each other and we are struggling with the same issues. Such a visit also provides an opportunity for solidarity.’
[…]On May 14 in St. Gertrude’s (Old Catholic) Cathedral complex in Utrecht, the presiding bishop delivered the Quasimodo Lecture, an annual event that explores issues of faith in contemporary society. The lecture historically has been held near the second Sunday of Easter, known in some traditions as Quasimodo Sunday, taking its name from the opening Latin text of a traditional Introit for the day, ‘Quasi modo geniti infants,’ meaning ‘As newborn babies.’
In the lecture, titled “Networks for the future: catholic beyond boundaries,” Jefferts Schori said that a church catholic should be an open place where wrestling with difficult questions is encouraged and a place where old forms give way to new opportunities.
“The leadership of Christian bodies like ours, as well as all of the partners we can discover and nurture, are needed in order to transform the future,” she said. “We must build networks for that transformed future, for that image of the reign of God … That future is only possible with the catholicity of relationships beyond our current understanding. We must reach beyond the bounds that divide us for the love of God and for the love of our neighbors. We can do no less; we can do nothing more important.””
Much more here.