Porvoo Communion explored by new canon law network

A new network for canon law scholars met for the first time this October to discuss the laws of the Porvoo Communion.

The Porvoo Communion is a fellowship of Anglican and Lutheran Churches in Great Britain, Ireland, the Nordic region, Iberia and the Baltic countries and the new network, the Porvoo Church Law Symposium has been set up by the Cardiff Centre for Law and Religion

The network follows other initiatives in the field of juridical ecumenism, a burgeoning subject of study pioneered by the scholarship of Professor of Law and founder of the Cardiff Centre for Law and Religion, Norman Doe.

Juridical ecumenism explores cooperation among different religious or Christian denominations through legal or institutional means. The idea is essentially about finding ways for different bodies to work together within a legal framework to foster greater unity or understanding.

The Porvoo Church Law Symposium is co-convened by Cardiff Canon Law LLM graduates Andreas Henriksen Aarflot who is now Deputy Head of the Legal Department of the National Council of the Church of Norway and current doctoral student Russell Dewhurst.

The first meeting of the group, which took place on Zoom on 3 October 2023, consisted of 9 lawyers and academics and it is hoped to expand participation to include contributors studying the law of the remaining member churches. Monthly symposia are planned for around 10 months focussing on the topic ‘Church and State’, after which the findings of the group will be published.