[Anglican Communion News Service] Two academic lawyers who helped to secure the legal status of the Church of England in Italy are amongst a group of people to be recognised by the Archbishop of Canterbury for services to the Anglican Communion. The award of the new Cross of St Augustine award to Professor Salvatore Bordonali and Professor Fabiano Di Prima was announced today alongside a host of other awards for ecumenism, for services to the Church of England, Prayer and the Religious Life, Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation, Evangelism and Witness, Education and Scholarship, Community Service, and Worship.

Other recipients of the Cross of St Augustine for Services to the Anglican Communion are the Revd Canon James Callaway, general secretary of the Colleges and Universities of the Anglican Communion (CUAC); the Revd Hamdy Daoud, Priest in Charge of Holy Trinity Church in Algiers; the Rt Revd Omindo Hilkiah Deya, Bishop of Mara in Tanzania; and Mrs Phyllis Richardson, a lay minister in the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham who helps to run the Rainbow Project, providing advocacy, practical support and guidance to asylum-seekers and refugees.

The new Awards recognise not only Anglicans but also Christians from other denominations and people of other faiths. Bishop Angaelos, the General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom, will receive the Lambeth Cross for Ecumenism; as will Archbishop Gregorios of Thyateira and Great Britain of the Greek Orthodox Church.

Another recipient of the new Lambeth Cross for Ecumenism will be the Revd Canon Dr. Simon Stephens, an Area Dean in the Eastern Archdeaconry of the Church of England’s Diocese of Europe – scattered across more than a dozen time zones, it is said to be the largest deanery in the world.

Amongst the recipients of the new Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation, are Rabbi Dr David Rosen, the former Chief Rabbi of Ireland and current director of the American Jewish Committee’s Department of Inter-religious Affairs; and Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra, the assistant secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain.

“It will be a huge honour and joy to confer these awards upon such an extraordinary and diverse group of people,” Archbishop Justin said. “The recipients come from many walks of life and many parts of the world, but all have served in their fields with distinction and self-sacrificial service, going beyond the call of duty.

“I hope and pray that the [award] ceremony . . . will be an opportunity for us to honour them and give thanks to God for their gifts, which have been such a blessing to the church and to the world.”

The new suite of awards consists of three existing Lambeth Awards – the Lambeth Cross, the Canterbury Cross and the Cross of St Augustine – and six new awards named after previous holders of the office of Archbishop of Canterbury.

Each recognises outstanding service in different fields, including those of Archbishop Justin’s ministry priorities: prayer and the religious life; reconciliation; and evangelism and witness.

The awards, made from Fairtrade silver by the London firm Cred Jewellery, will be conferred upon recipients by the Archbishop during a ceremony at Lambeth Palace next week (31 March).

The 40 recipients include religious, political and community leaders, musicians and others. The new Lambeth Awards will be presented in the spring each year.

The recipients of this year’s Lambeth Awards are:

The Lambeth Cross for Ecumenism

• His Grace, Bishop Angaelos OBE, General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom
• His Eminence Archbishop Gregorios of Thyateira and Great Britain
• Canon Simon Stephens OBE RN

The Canterbury Cross for Services to the Church of England

• Mr Peter Beesley
• Dr Philip Giddings
• Dr Sarah Horsman
• Mr Carl Lee
• The Revd Canon Bob Mackintosh

Cross of St Augustine for Services to the Anglican Communion

• Professor Salvatore Bordonali
• The Revd Canon James Callaway
• The Revd Hamdy Daoud
• Bishop Omindo Hilkiah Deya
• Professor Fabiano Di Prima
• Mrs Phyllis Richardson

The Dunstan Award for Prayer and the Religious Life

• Fr Laurent Fabre CCN
• Brother Samuel SSF

The Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation

• Mr Bill Marsh
• Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra
• Sir Andrew Pocock KCMG
• Rabbi Dr David Rosen KSG CBE
• The Revd Martin Turner

The Alphege Award for Evangelism and Witness

• Mrs Chrysogon Bamber
• The Revd John Coles
• The Revd Pamela Cooper
• Deaconess Susan C Essam
• Pastor Agu Irukwu
• Mr Tim Royle

The Lanfranc Award for Education and Scholarship

• Mr David Day
• Miss Maureen Hogarth
• Dr Eeva John

The Langton Award for Community Service

• Canon Sir Tony Baldry
• Bishop Geoffrey Davies
• The Revd Joel Edwards
• The Venerable Duncan Green
• The Venerable Arthur Hawes
• Sir Hector Sants

The Cranmer Award for Worship

• Canon Dr James Lancelot
• Dr Philip Moore
• Mr Matt Redman
• Mr Michael Williams