Menu Link Dioceses The Diocese of Southwark has active links with Dioceses in three countries: four of the Anglican Dioceses in Zimbabwe, the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem and the Diocese of Bergen in Norway, which is part of the Church of Norway. In this section Zimbabwe The oldest of these Links are the ones with Zimbabwe, which began after The Rt Revd Peter Hall, who was then the Bishop of Woolwich and who had previously served as a priest in the Diocese of Harare, came to the Diocese of Southwark in 1984. There are five Dioceses in Zimbabwe. The Diocese of Harare is linked with the Diocese of Rochester while the other four Dioceses are linked with the Episcopal Areas and Southwark Cathedral. We work together with the Diocese of Rochester to ensure a good flow of information about and support for our friends and colleagues in Zimbabwe. The current political and economic situation in Zimbabwe makes these links all the more important, as do the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic and climate change which are making the food situation in the country very fragile. Diiocese of Central Zimbabwe Diocese of Matabeleland Diocese of Manicaland Diocese of Masvingo Diocese of Bergen The Diocese of Bergen is one of the 11 Dioceses of the Church of Norway. Its proper name is Bjørgvin, which is the old spelling of Bergen, and it is located on the west coast of Norway. The Diocese covers Bergen and surrounding country. If you speak or can read any Norwegian do visit their website. The Diocesan Link began following the establishment of a Link relationship between the two cathedrals which remains strong. Southwark Cathedral and Bergen Cathedral signed a formal twinning agreement on Sunday 15 October 2000. The service was the culmination of a long process of talking and worshipping together and of the history of the Norwegian Church in the Southwark area. Since 1692 there has been a Norwegian Seamen’s Mission in London. The present St Olav’s Church in Rotherhithe was built in 1927. There has therefore been a long history of living alongside each other as Christian neighbours and in the last few years of actively working together in the proclamation of and witness to the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ. In 1995 the Church of England and the Church of Norway adopted the Porvoo Declaration, which provided possibilities for a deepened solidarity between the churches, through mutual recognition of our ordained ministries and the encouragement of inter-communion. Southwark Cathedral was honoured to have been involved in the celebration of this declaration and in 1999 to welcome the leaders of the Porvoo Churches as they met in London. From those early days the link has grown and developed it continues through the Cathedral Unity group headed by Andrew Viner and Michael Rawson. There is normally a visit to Bergen or Southwark each year. During the pandemic we have been keeping in touch via email and Zoom and in 2021 members of Bergen Cathedral were able to take part in the streamed Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Service from Southwark Cathedral by pre-recording readings and joining the streamed service online. Locally, we meet each term with clergy from St Olav’s Norwegian Church, Rotherhithe and St George’s Cathedral Southwark as part of the Unity Forum. In recent years, the relationship between the Cathedrals has developed into a Diocesan link involving mutual visits and, recently, a shared professional development course taken by clergy from both Dioceses. One of the key factors in this link has been the Norwegian Church in Rotherhithe, which has hosted and enabled many of the contacts between us. Contact for the Cathedral Link: The Revd Canon Michael Rawson Contact for the Diocesan Link: The Revd Canon Wendy S Robins Contact details below Diocese of Jerusalem This is the newest of the Diocesan links with the Covenant agreement which formally joined Jerusalem and Southwark being signed by Bishop Christopher and The Most Revd Suheil Dawani, the Archbishop in Jerusalem, on 20 January 2021. Linking the Dioceses in this way formalises a long-standing relationship between the Diocese of Southwark and the Diocese of Jerusalem, the latter of which consists of 27 parishes and has approximately 8,000 members. The current Bishop is also the Archbishop of the Province of the Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East which extends across five countries (Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan). Archbishop Suheil retires in June 2021 and he will be succeeded by Bishop Hosum Naoum who was consecrated as Coadjutor bishop in June 2020. The formal Link is very much in its infancy, but the two Dioceses already have a strong relationship: Bishop Christopher and the Dean of Southwark, The Very Revd Andrew Nunn, have led three Diocesan Pilgrimages to the Holy Land and have stayed in Jerusalem during these, often visiting St George’s Cathedral and the attached College. The Dean of the College, the Revd Canon Richard Sewell, was a priest in the Diocese of Southwark until his appointment in 2018 and he remains an Honorary Canon of Southwark Cathedral. In 2016, the Diocese of Southwark and the Dioceses in Zimbabwe had a joint study trip to St George’s College and, until the end of 2020, the Bishop of Kingston, The Rt Revd Dr Richard Cheetham, was the Chair of the British Regional Committee of the College. It is hoped that there can be more study trips to the College in the future and that the Link will go from strength to strength. Contact: Revd Canon Wendy S Robins Contact details below Key contacts Moira Astin Archdeacon of Reigate Get in touch Alastair Cutting Archdeacon of Lewisham & Greenwich Get in touch Michael Rawson Sub-Dean Get in touch Wendy Robins Director of Discipleship, Lay Ministry and Continuing Ministerial Education Get in touch Discover more Latest news Southwark Vision What’s on ContactSafeguardingPrivacyCookie Policy The South London Church Fund and Southwark Diocese Board of Finance is a company limited by guarantee (No. 236594). Registered Office: Trinity House, 4 Chapel Court, Borough High Street, London SE1 1HW. Registered Charity: (No. 249678). © The Diocese of Southwark 2021. All rights reserved. Web design by TWK