Archbishop of Malines-Brussels to attend Anglican General Synod in York this weekend

Archbishop Terlinden to be hosted by the Anglican Church in York this weekend, 

From July 10 to 12, Archbishop Luc Terlinden will be the guest of his Anglican counterpart, Stephen Cottrell, and will attend the General Synod, the annual plenary assembly of the Church of England.

Last autumn, the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels commemorated the "Malines Conversations." These were the first pre-ecumenical dialogues between the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Church. Held in Mechelen between 1921 and 1926 under the chairmanship of Cardinal Désiré Mercier and with the approval of the Archbishop of York, Cosmo Gordon Lang, they helped establish ties between the two dioceses.

The celebrations in September 2025, marking the centenary of the conclusion of the "Malines Conversations," ended with an academic session at St. Rumbold's Cathedral. 

The successors to Mercier and Lang—Archbishops Luc Terlinden and Stephen Cottrell—expressed their desire to preserve and strengthen the bond between their dioceses in order to take concrete steps toward greater unity. Archbishop Terlinden specifically highlighted the Anglican Church's synodal tradition. This year, Lord Cottrell, Archbishop of York and Primate of England, has invited his counterpart from Mechelen to attend the General Synod—the annual plenary assembly of the Church of England—as a guest from July 10 to 12. Archbishop Terlinden will thus have the opportunity to observe the Synod’s proceedings.

Deacon Koen Jacobs, Archbishop Terlinden’s representative for ecumenical affairs, will accompany the Archbishop and report on the visit on this page.

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