The Rev Canon Dr Jeremy Morris has been appointed National Ecumenical Adviser for the Church of England.
In his new role Dr Morris will manage the Church of England’s ecumenical relationships at home and abroad and will work through the Office of the Archbishops to support the Archbishops of Canterbury and York in their ecumenical engagements.
The Rev Canon Dr Jeremy Morris is a former Master of Trinity Hall, Cambridge. He was previously Dean of Chapel of King’s College, Cambridge. He is a specialist in modern religious history, including the Anglican tradition, the ecumenical movement, and arguments about secularization, and has taught theology and church history in Cambridge for over 25 years.
Dr Morris was formerly Director of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Examination in Theology (‘Lambeth awards’), and deputy chair of the Faith and Order Commission of the Church of England. He has been actively involved in ecumenical affairs for many years, including as a member of the Malines Conversations Group (Anglican-Roman Catholic), of the Porvoo Research Network, and of the Anglican-Old Catholic International Co-ordinating Council.
The Rev Dr Malcolm Brown, the Church of England’s Director of Faith and Public Life, said: “It is a great pleasure to welcome the Rev Canon Dr Jeremy Morris to lead the development of the Church of England’s ecumenical engagement into the future.
“On both the ‘life and works’ and the ‘faith and order’ aspects of ecumenism, Jeremy brings immense levels of experience and theological insight.
“To relate well to other traditions, it is important to understand one’s own tradition profoundly and, as the author of the most recent history of the Church of England, Jeremy could not be better placed to take this work forward.
“I look forward enormously to working with him, and to enjoying his contribution to the wider Faith and Public Life team.”
Dr Morris said: “I am really delighted to be joining the Faith and Public Life Division as National Adviser for Ecumenical Relations. This for me is a dream job, bringing the opportunity to unite my intellectual interests, ecumenical experience and theological commitments for the benefit of the Church of England nationally.
“These are challenging times for all Christian churches and for their mutual relationships, both internationally and in Britain, and it is vital that the Church of England continues to play a full part on the ecumenical scene and to work constructively alongside its ecumenical partners for the good of all Christ’s people.”
Dr Morris starts his new role on 3 May.