28. Commissioning of Matthias Grebe as Ecumenical Adviser to the Church of England
by Graham Kings
Date added: 13/01/2026
On Thursday 26 February 2026, it was a joy to be present, in Lambeth Palace Chapel, at the commissioning service of the Revd Dr Matthias Grebe, as National Adviser for Ecumenical Relations to the Church of England.
Matthias is a good friend from Cambridge, and it was very moving to hear the Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Revd Dame Sarah Mullally, speak so warmly of his work for her and for the Church of England, in her very personal charge to him. She was particularly grateful for his advice on replying to the hundreds of letters of congratulation she had received from across the churches of the world.
The setting was charged with significance. Above them was the room where one of her predecessors, Thomas Cranmer, compiled The Book of Common Prayer. His books of 1549 and 1552 drew on, and transformed, centuries of prayers from various traditions across the world, Orthodox, Catholic and Reformed.
The Archbishop also reflected on the centrality of Christian unity to the Church’s mission and commended Matthias to the ministry of building friendship, trust, and theological understanding among the churches.
The service was followed by a reception at which Matthias expressed his gratitude to Archbishop Sarah and to the many colleagues, friends, and ecumenical partners who have supported him in his ministry. He noted especially the work of the Lambeth ecumenical team and of the Council for Christian Unity.
Guests included representatives of Churches Together in England, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, the Anglican Communion Office, the Anglican and Eastern Churches Association, the Nikaean Club, and Westminster Abbey, together with long-standing partners in dialogue and friendship.
Amongst them were Archbishop Angaelos and Bishop Hovakim from the Oriental Orthodox tradition; Bishop Martin Warner, Co-Chair of the English–Welsh Anglican–Roman Catholic Committee and Bishop Jonathan Baker, Chair of the Council for Christian Unity; as well as theologians, such as Professor David Ford, who supervised Matthias’ Cambridge PhD.
The evening was marked by a strong sense of shared commitment to the visible unity of the Church and to the continuing work of ecumenical dialogue in this season of challenge and hope.
