Who is the highest ranking cleric you have ever been in the presence of?
"In the presence of" being defined as in the same legally and/or physically distinct space, at which the cleric's presence was an arranged event.
(And, for my purposes, something like "President Of The Baptist Union of Great Britain" would count, even though that's technically not a position in a clerical hierarchy.)
For me...
Pope John Paul II. I saw him say mass one chilly September morning in Edmonton, during his 1984 tour of Canada. In his concluding remarks, he marveled at the size of Canada, describing it as a "subcontinent", which has stuck in my mind to this day.
Some guy who was very high up in Ukrainian Catholicism came to my Catholic school a couple of years later, but I'm pretty sure his position was subordinate to Rome.
(And, for my purposes, something like "President Of The Baptist Union of Great Britain" would count, even though that's technically not a position in a clerical hierarchy.)
For me...
Pope John Paul II. I saw him say mass one chilly September morning in Edmonton, during his 1984 tour of Canada. In his concluding remarks, he marveled at the size of Canada, describing it as a "subcontinent", which has stuck in my mind to this day.
Some guy who was very high up in Ukrainian Catholicism came to my Catholic school a couple of years later, but I'm pretty sure his position was subordinate to Rome.
Comments
My wife met Robert Runcie, Archbishop of Canterbury, when he visited her school, also David Hope when Bishop of London (who was very complimentary about her chocolate pudding).
And I’ve been in the presence of moderators of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), as well as of the General Assembly of the (former) Presbyterian Church in the United States, many times. Even had a few conversations.
I have also encountered a Patriarch (and Pope) of Alexandria, but there are four of those.
What was this bishop's jurisdiction?
If we're including people who were high-profile but not particularly high-ranking(though I'm sure not how Tutu stacks up on the latter), I'll mention that I saw Billy Graham speak in the late 70s some time. (Started a thread on the old Ship on Grahan-related recollections after he died.)
But probably the most important religious person I met was the former speaker of the Lutheran Laymen's League Lutheran Hour Oswald Hoffmann. I had been working at the Lutheran Laymen's League home office. One day, it was my turn to do the daily devotional. I hoped he was gone that day, but as I got up to give the homily, guess who showed up front and center? Felt like preaching to the Big Man (yes, he was big).
I also got to know the Air Force Chief of Chaplains before he became the Chief. He was a Roman Catholic priest at one of the bases I was assigned to.
Enough name dropping.
That would have been a few Cardinal Archbishops ago: Jimmy Freeman? Bede Clancy?
I know of him indeed! I pissed him off (DON'T SAY, "Of course you did."
Still, it got fixed, which is the important thing.
It was a long time ago. Cardinal Gilroy.
Spoken like a true academic!
Linda Nicholls, Primate of Anglican Church of Canada
Yes, he preached at a lunchtime service in King's College chapel (London) and I was in the front pew. Didn't speak with him though.
Forgot to say that for some years I was on a committee with Bishop Angaelos of the Coptic Orthodox Church.
I like Dr Williams a lot.
I met Cardinal Cahal Daly at a talk he gave many years ago now. I was introduced to him and he sent me a lovely note in response to a letter I sent him afterwards.
I've met the Baptist bishop of Georgia (not the US state) - the Baptists have bishops there - and also heard several former Presidents of the Baptist Union of GB and Ireland speak in one context or another.
I met, spoke and joked with the late Metropolitan Kallistos Ware a few times and have met a couple of Orthodox bishops and Archbishops briefly.
I knew a number of 'apostles' (bishops to everyone else 😉) in the UK's restorationist 'new church / house church' scene between the early 1980s and 2000 and occasionally run into one of them from time to time. That was no big deal as they were always visiting the churches that 'related' to them and were practically unknown or invisible to anyone outside their immediate sphere of influence.
My Facebook memories reminded me that on this date in 2016 I was at a service to celebrate 140 years of Reader ministry presided by John Sentamu who was then Archbishop of York and in the presence of Prince Philip. As I was leaving I managed to get a fairly close up picture of the two of them. I hope this link works
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0tfrkcGp1LmRa7VhFXUCjCyQg73LJ6vGe1uhdD2vAkQKKFeAjk94bWtL9fQZERrzQl&id=728273206
That IS a long time ago; ++ Norman died in 1977 and he retired years before then. I’m REALLY getting old🙀😂
When I was based in Kenya my husband and I met with the Archbishop of the Anglican Church in Kenya.
All three men were lovely people.
Were you responding to letters he had written to the same publication?
It still makes me blush!
I was indeed.
We impressed the archbishops who were at the same table as us by leaving early because we had to go and sing Evensong ...
We are not REALLY getting old; we REALLY are old and getting older daily.
I have also been hugged by Desmond Tutu on being introduced to him at an event in London. I had been enjoying politely standing by as he and my friend had been enthusistically exchanging family gossip (her family and his were known to each other in South Africa + he hadn't known N was going to be present at this event ). I mused afterwards I didn't often get hugged by a very excited archbishop my height...
On his second day in Edinburgh he met the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland at 8 a.m. then travelled to Glasgow for a Mass with 300 000 people and then returned in the evening. Just close to our house the pope stopped his popemobile and came out and spoke to the small crowd gathered there giving us a his thanks and a special papal blessing.
Two other memories of that day. Cardinal Gray was in a terrible state because the fridge in the archiepiscopal residence was not working.
Later on as we were putting out the bins Cardinal Hume and Cardinal Casaroli passed on their way from the Residence to a nearby convent where they were to spend the night and shared a few views on the day. The local police who were supervising our road were obviously not too clued up on ecclesiastical terms as they described Cardinal Hume as an Anglican cardinal.
Met Mother Theresa on another occasion and chatted. A tiny wrinkled woman who radiated power more than holiness.
For my own current denomination, the Unitarian church I fellowshiped at in the early 2010s was led by a pastor who later helmed a couple of Canadian and international umbrella groups.
Exactly my impression of Teresa of Calcutta….