The final two days of the Malines centenary conference were as busy as the first two days. On 20 September, the Chaplain-President led the morning plenary session of conference-papers from the Revd Dr Kirsty Borthwick (Christ Church, University of Oxford) and Prof Sigrid Muller (Universität Wien) on Anglican-Catholic approaches to liturgy and to making moral judgements. Two of the conference rapporteurs were local Anglican clergy: the Revd Evelyn Sweerts (Bishop Robert's chaplain) and the Ven. Sam van Leer (Archdeacon of Benelux). Mgr Terlinden hosted lunch in Mechelen Palace and later in the day the conference dinner was held in a local restaurant. Mgr Terlinden hosted breakfast on 21 September, and many of the Anglican delegates attended mass in Mechelen Cathedral, where the welcome from Father Filip Hacour was effusive (we were invited for coffee and cake afterwards). The Chaplain-President hosted Lord and Lady Halifax for lunch, before an academic session held in Mechelen Cathedral at which Mgr Johan Bonny (Bishop of Antwerpen), Mgr Stephen Cottrell (Archbishop of York), Cardinal Kurt Koch, Lord Halifax and Mgr Terlinden all gave speeches on Anglican-Catholic relations. Mgr Terlinden moved us immensely by inviting the Chaplain-President to advise the Belgian Bishops' Conference on how to introduce more synodality into the Catholic Church in Belgium - this had been a theme of the conference. A commemorative plaque was unveiled by Lord Halifax and Mgr Terlinden in the Mercier Chapel of the cathedral. A festal evensong sung by the choir of Christ's College, University of Cambridge and co-presided by Mgr Terlinden, Mgr Cottrell and Cardinal Koch was the culmination of the conference, with Bishop Robert, Cardinal De Kesel, Mgr Bernard Longley (Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham) and Mgr Bonny also participating. This conference has been an enormous boost to our relations with our Catholic sisters and brothers. We are unreservedly grateful for their hospitality, encouraged by the quality, courage and warmth of the conference papers and grateful for Mgr Terlinden's invitation to share our experiences of synodality in our Christian discipleship.
