Westminster Abbey welcomes cathedral deans
Monday, 8th April 2013
Every year during the week after Low Sunday the deans of the English cathedrals gather at one of the cathedrals for a residential conference.
This year Westminster Abbey is hosting the Deans’ Conference.
The deans will visit the Supreme Court, the Palace of Westminster and Buckingham Palace in pursuit of the theme ‘Church and State’. They will also hear from Professor Linda Woodhead of Lancaster University, who has conducted extensive research into the religious scene in this country, and from other distinguished speakers.
The Abbot of Dormition Abbey in Jerusalem, the Right Reverend Dr Gregory Collins OSB, will act as chaplain to the conference, and will lead the deans’ prayerful thought at Morning Prayer on Tuesday and Wednesday morning.
The Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr John Hall, said:
It is a privilege and a pleasure to host this conference. The theme is one on which we ponder a good deal and all of us in various ways are engaged in practical activity between Church and State at various levels. The opportunity not only to visit some of our neighbours but to hear from those in positions of influence on how they themselves perceive Church and State relations will add considerably to the conference.
There will be 50 delegates at this year’s conference at the Abbey – the deans of the 43 English cathedrals plus guests from other UK cathedrals and other ecumenical institutions.
