European Links

In the spirit of George Bell, Bishop of Chichester from 1929 to 1958 and a great friend of the churches of Germany, the Diocese has links with the United Church of Berlin-Brandenburg, the Lutheran Evangelical Church (EKD) District of Bayreuth, Bavaria, and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bamberg, Bavaria. Regionalbischof Wilfried Beyhl of Bayreuth, and Domkapitular Professor Wolfgang Klausnitzer are Canons of Honour of Chichester Cathedral.

The biennial "Coburg Conference" brings together representatives of the churches of Chichester, Berlin, Bayreuth and Bamberg; and the biennial "Feuerstein Conference" is a meeting of seminarians, theological students and curates. There are musical exchanges and visits involving Chichester Cathedral. There are also partnerships between many parishes in the Diocese and Catholic and Lutheran parishes in Bavaria as well as Berlin and other parts of Germany.

The Cathedral's link with Chartres was established as part of the civic twinning between the two cities. In 2003 the Bishop of Chartres preached in Chichester Cathedral and the Bishop of Chichester preached in Chartres Cathedral. The Cathedral's Seffrid Guild made cushions for the chairs of the Bishop and the eucharistic celebrant in Chartres Cathedral. The former rector of Chartres Cathedral, Canon Francois Legaux, is a Canon of Honour of Chichester; and the former Bishop of Chichester, Dr Eric Kemp, is a Canon of Honour of Chartres. As with the German links, there are regular musical visits and exchanges.