Our pilgrimage was led by Bishop Richard Chartres from the Church of England and the former CTE Orthodox President, His Eminence Archbishop Nikitas from the Oecumenical Patriarchate, Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain.
It was a particularly significant experience for me to visit such an important place in the history of the church. It was also my first ecumenical trip as a Catholic. I had been received into the Catholic Church at Easter the week before. Previously, I have represented the Anglicans at ecumenical events both nationally and internationally.
We started with two busy days in Istanbul (Constantinople) with a visit to the Oecumenical Patriarchate, a scenic river boat tour, a visit to Hagia Sophia, the Armenian Orthodox church and Chalcedon. We then travelled by coach to Iznik (Nicaea) then onwards to Assos, Ayvalik and Pergamum before reaching Izmir (Smyrna). This became our base for the remaining days with visits to Ephesus, Erythrai and Cesme.
Archbishop Nikitas and Bishop Richard provided interesting and erudite commentary on the sites we visited and were assisted by our knowledgeable Turkish guides at Tutku. We were also supported by Fr Canon James Buxton, Anglican Chaplain at Izmir and Fr Ben Drury, Chaplain at Athens who led us in prayers each day. The Bishop of Europe Robert Innes was also supporting in worship. In Izmir, it was a joy to attend a joint vespers between the Anglicans, Catholics and Orthodox communities. All three were represented amongst the group of pilgrims.
On the trip, we visited many churches from the Oecumenical Patriarchate, Armenian, and Bulgarian Orthodox traditions. I appreciated the Orthodox worship we attended, with each church community offering hospitality and welcome. It was a privilege to also have a tour of the synagogues in Izmir by a local Jewish lady and learn about the Jewish history in the city.
It was lovely to visit a few sites I had been to previously in Turkey, like Ephesus and Izmir, but I also enjoyed visiting Pergamum and Assos very much (as I studied Classics at university). The views from the acropolis at Erythrai were beautiful. It was also inspiring to visit Nicaea and to be in the place where the Council met in 325 AD. I really enjoyed the ecumenical experience. It was really interesting to reflect on what the Eastern and Western churches share in common with each other.
Since I’ve returned home, I feel more able to share with others about the Orthodox Church. As I meet with Catholic young adults at events, pilgrimages and retreats, I encourage them to get involved in ecumenism and am able to reduce misconceptions of other denominations from my time spent in and with them, including on this pilgrimage.
Find out about The Bill Snelson Young Ecumenists Fund and read about the experience of other grant awardees.
Photo credits: Annika Mathews