Members of the Anglican Consultative Council from around the world are set to gather in Belfast this Sunday for the 19th meeting of the ACC (ACC-19). Running from 28 June to 4 July, the programme will include services at St Anne's Cathedral and a day's peace pilgrimage in Derry/Londonderry. The meeting will be hosted by The Church of Ireland and facilitated by the Anglican Communion Office. 

ACC-19: Called To One Hope

ACC-19 invites up to three representatives (bishops, clergy and lay) from every Anglican member church across the Communion. Themed 'Called To One Hope' from the letter to the Ephesians, ACC Members will discuss themes in church and world affairs, as they seek to collaborate in mission and advocacy. Discussions will consider several Resolutions, Statements of Support and Expressions of Solidarity being brought by Member Churches and Anglican Networks and Commissions. 

The Most Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally, Archbishop of Canterbury

The meeting will also be the first official Anglican Communion gathering attended by the new Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally DBE. The archbishop will attend ACC-19 following this week's joint pilgrimage in the Holy Land, with The Most Revd Hosam Naoum, who is also the Vice-Chair of the Anglican Consultative Council.

How to follow ACC-19

For Anglicans wishing to learn more about the themes and aims of this year's Anglican Consultative Council, the Day 1 opening addresses will be live-streamed on Sunday, 28 June.

Speakers will include:

• The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd and Rt Hon Sarah Mullally
• The Chair of the Anglican Consultative Council, Canon Maggie Swinson
• The Vice-Chair of the Anglican Consultative Council, the Most Revd Hosam Naoum (Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem and Primate of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East).
• The Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, the Rt Revd Anthony Poggo
• The Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, the Most Revd John McDowell

For information about the Live Stream are available on The Anglican Communion Facebook page here.

The programme

ACC-19 will combine Bible study on The Book of Acts and prayer, member church updates, and a series of Global Conversations on themes of mutual concern — including discipleship, safe church, peace and reconciliation, migration, the environment and other topics.

The council will also consider resolutions from Anglican Communion commissions and networks, including Vision 36, a bold church-planting initiative from the Anglican Communion Commission for Evangelism and Discipleship (ACCED).

A major focus will be the report of the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order (IASCUFO), which returns to the ACC after three years of work on The Nairobi-Cairo Proposals — a paper addressing differences within the Anglican Communion and exploring how member churches can walk together to the highest degree possible.

For information about the work of IASCUFO and their journey from ACC-18 in Ghana to ACC-19 in Belfast, visit The Anglican Communion website. 

Opening and closing worship at St Anne's Cathedral

ACC-19 will be marked at its beginning and end by services of worship at St Anne's Cathedral in the heart of Belfast — the mother church of the Church of Ireland Diocese of Connor, Down and Dromore. Giving the sermon at the opening service on Sunday 28 June is Vice Chair of the Anglican Consultative Council, Canon Maggie Swinson. At the closing service on Saturday 4 July, it will be The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally.

Pilgrimage in Derry/Londonderry

The Peace Bridge in Derry/Londonderry.

One of the distinctive elements of ACC-19 will be a day-long pilgrimage through Derry/Londonderry on Wednesday 1 July, hosted by the Rt Rev Andrew James Forster, the Bishop of Derry and Raphoe. Delegates will walk a path through sites of historic and symbolic significance, tracing Northern Ireland's journey from conflict to peace.

The day has been designed as a living encounter with Irish history and the Church of Ireland’s ministry in the midst of sectarian conflict and Northern Ireland’s peace process. It is an opportunity for the international delegation to learn from the host church’s experience and to reflect on how Anglicans can support peace and reconciliation work around the world.

Key moments in the pilgrimage will include an interview with Richard Moore, who was blinded when he was hit by a rubber bullet fired by a British army soldier during the Troubles. This will be followed by a short liturgy in St Columb’s Cathedral.

The pilgrimage will be an important opportunity to understand the history of the region as well as to provide a practical resource for the global Church in reconciliation ministry. Many delegates attending ACC-19 come from countries currently experiencing armed conflict, political instability or post-conflict transition. The Anglican Communion also advocates for peace and reconciliation about ongoing conflicts around the world, including South Sudan, the Middle East, Sudan, Myanmar, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally, is the President of the ACC and will take part in the pilgrimage. Archbishop of Jerusalem, the Most Revd Hosam Naoum and Vice-Chair of the Anglican Consultative Council will also be present. Together, the Archbishops recently undertook a joint pilgrimage of prayer and solidarity in the Holy Land.

Looking ahead to ACC

The Most Revd John Mcdowell, the Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland.

Looking ahead to hosting the meeting, the Most Revd John Mcdowell, the Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland said: 'The Anglican Consultative Council plays an important role in the life of the Anglican Communion, gathering representatives from our diverse Anglican family for consultation, prayer and fellowship. The Church of Ireland is looking forward to being the host Province for the meeting of ACC-19 in 2026 and we will continue to pray for all those that will take part. May it be a fruitful opportunity for Anglicans to be together in God’s presence as a community within the body of Christ and to discern God's will for His Church in our day, so that we may be equipped by the Spirit to respond to the needs of the world.’ 

The Rt Revd Anthony Poggo, Secretary General of the Anglican Communion

In a message to members attending ACC-19, the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, the Rt Revd Anthony Poggo said: 'As we represent our churches and communities from around the world, let us pray that God will inspire our thinking and conversations. May he give us open ears to listen and willing feet to carry the Good News around the globe. We express our thanks to the Church of Ireland for hosting ACC-19 and for their support and service in organising this important meeting.'

To follow news about ACC-19 next week, follow the social media stream for the Anglican Communion Office and Anglican News.