Archbishop Andrew Hutchison, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, will visit the People’s Republic of China for the first time this month as part of an 11-member ecumenical delegation that also includes representatives from the United and the Presbyterian churches in Canada.
The visit, scheduled from April 7 to 18, seeks to “deepen and strengthen partnership” between the Canadian churches and the China Christian Council/Three Self Patriotic Movement, and will be an opportunity to learn about the church in China, said Andrea Mann, Asia-Pacific co-ordinator of the Anglican Church of Canada’s partnerships department.
During the visit – which includes trips to Shanghai, Nanjing, Kunming, and Beijing – the delegation will have opportunities to meet with Protestant and Catholic church leaders, faculty and students in regional seminaries, members of rural indigenous minority churches, and possibly, government officials.
In 1993, Archbishop Hutchison’s predecessor, Arch-bishop Michael Peers, also visited China upon the invitation of the China Christian Council.
Archbishop Hutchison is scheduled to preach at a community church in Shanghai. Marites N. Sison, staff writer with the Anglican Journal, will cover the visit and report on it in upcoming issues.