The Lambeth Cross for Ecumenism was conferred upon His Grace Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom, by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Welby, on 31 March 2016 at Lambeth Palace.
The official page of Bishop Angaelos said that the Lambeth Cross has been the highest honour bestowed by the Archbishop of Canterbury since 1939 and is conferred to distinguished hierarchs who have rendered exceptional services to the cause of Christian unity.
Speaking directly to Bishop Angaelos in an interview after conferring him with the Lambeth Cross the Archbishop said:
“My encounter with Orthodoxy through you has been a really profound experience in my life. It has changed much of my understanding of what the Church is universally. I have never had that much engagement with Orthodoxy, and certainly not with Coptic Orthodoxy. I found a completely different understanding, a much deeper sense of being drawn into the Body of Christ, and this is recognition of the importance of your role in presenting to the United Kingdom and to the Church that we belong to one another in Christ.”
Speaking of the effect of his encounter with Orthodoxy, Archbishop Justin went on to say:
“[this] has been a major step forward in my own spiritual journey, and His Grace has been a major feature in that; and it is part of what he has done in England across many communities, including of course with His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.”
