[Church in Wales] On Oct. 8, members of the Porvoo Communion gathered at St. David’s Church, Cardiff, Wales, to celebrate the inclusion of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Faroe Islands into the communion. This formal alignment was marked during the Porvoo Theological Conference, taking place Oct. 7-9 with the theme, The 1700th Anniversary of the Nicene Creed (Council of Nicaea, 325).
As of 2024, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Faroe Islands has 41,705 members, representing 76.6% of the Faroese population. It has one bishop, one cathedral dean, 27 pastors, 61 churches and chapels and 16 parishes. The bishop (Biskupur) of the Faroe Islands is the Rt. Rev. Jógvan Fríðriksson.
The Faroe Islands are made up of 18 rocky, volcanic islands between Iceland and Norway in the North Atlantic Ocean.
Until now, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Faroe Islands has not been able to join the Porvoo Communion due to its historical oversight under the Kingdom of Denmark. In 2007, the church gained full independence and has since strengthened its structures, ministries, episcopal leadership and traditions.
Now, fulfilling a long-held aspiration, the Faroese church is formally joining the Porvoo Communion, following the ratified decision at the Church in Wales Governing Body in September.
The Porvoo Communion was first established in 1992 at Porvoo Cathedral, Finland, where Anglican and Lutheran churches came together to sign the declaration and share communion. It represents a commitment to unity, fellowship, and reconciliation across the wider church.
The Porvoo Communion, which enables full communion between and among these churches, includes 15 Anglican and Evangelical Lutheran churches in Europe.
In practice, this means that members of the Faroese church are recognized as full members when visiting any other Porvoo church. For example, a member of the Church in Wales could attend a service or receive Holy Communion in Iceland, Norway, or Sweden and be fully received as part of that congregation, and vice versa.
The Church in Wales signed the Porvoo Declaration in 1995. Since that year, the Church in Wales has played its full part in the life of the Porvoo Communion, including hosting the meeting of the Porvoo primates and presiding bishops in Llandaff in October 2011.
Member churches of the Porvoo Communion include the Church in Wales, the Church of England, the Scottish Episcopal Church and the Church of Ireland, all that have welcomed the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Faroe Islands into the communion, marking a significant step in unifying the churches in Europe.