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News archive for 2017

Archives d'actualités pour 2017

New and returning members of the Anglican Church of Canada-United Church of Canada Dialogue came together last month for the first meeting since the renewal of their mandate at General Synod 2016.

Gathering from Nov. 27-30 at the Queen of Apostles Renewal Centre in Mississauga, representatives from the two churches reviewed the achievements of past iterations of the dialogue—as documented in The St. Brigid Report and Called to Unity in Mission—and explored ways to move forward in the mutual recognition of ministers and ministry.

The Rev. Dr. Scott Sharman, animator for ecumenical and interfaith relations and Anglican staff support to the dialogue, said that much of the dialogue focused on how mutual recognition currently manifests itself at the grassroots level.

“Oftentimes, the way that question was being considered was as though that mutual recognition would have to happen at the level of the national churches at the same time,” Sharman said.
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Posted: Dec. 19, 2017 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=9823
Categories: Anglican JournalIn this article: Anglican Church of Canada, dialogue, mutual recognition of ministries, United Church of Canada
Transmis : 19 déc. 2017 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=9823
Catégorie : Anglican JournalDans cet article : Anglican Church of Canada, dialogue, mutual recognition of ministries, United Church of Canada

Over 60 faith leaders and organizations in Canada have signed a letter addressed to The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, concerning the removal of section 176 from the Criminal Code of Canada, as proposed under Clause 14 of Bill C-51, “An Act to Amend the Criminal Code and the Department of Justice Act and to Make Consequential Amendments to Another Act”. The interfaith letter was co-authored by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, and the Association for Reformed Political Action. Representatives from a variety of faith traditions have endorsed the letter, including from the Sikh, Jewish, Muslim, Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, and Buddhist traditions.

The Conference also intervened on 30 October 2017 concerning Clause 14 of Bill C-51, which included a written submission to the House of Commons’ Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, followed by oral presentations before the Standing Committee by the Most Reverend Lionel Gendron, P.S.S., Bishop of Saint-Jean-Longueuil and President of the CCCB and His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, with the assistance of Mr. Bruce F. Simpson, a partner specialized in criminal law with Barnes Sammon LLP.
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Posted: Nov. 7, 2017 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=9803
Categories: NewsIn this article: Canada, criminal justice, interfaith, religious freedom
Transmis : 7 nov. 2017 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=9803
Catégorie : NewsDans cet article : Canada, criminal justice, interfaith, religious freedom

Yesterday, the Supreme Court of Canada reaffirmed that government actors have a duty to specifically consider religious freedom concerns when raised by claimants in its Ktunaxa Nation v. British Columbia decision. This historic case – the first Indigenous religious freedom claim to be heard by the Supreme Court – raised questions about the scope of religious freedom, and the means by which religious communities can practise and manifest their faith. Christian Legal Fellowship (CLF) and The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) jointly intervened in the case.

The litigation arose from a proposed ski resort on land that is sacred to the Ktunaxa people. The Ktunaxa Nation opposed the development on the basis that it would desecrate the sacred site and would interfere with a variety of their spiritual practices.

The British Columbia Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources approved the development but did not specifically address how the decision would impact the Ktunaxa Nation’s section 2(a) Charter right to freedom of religion.

The Supreme Court upheld the Minister’s ultimate decision; however, the Court was divided 7-2 on some of their underlying reasons.
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Posted: Nov. 3, 2017 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=9777
Categories: NewsIn this article: Canada, Indigenous peoples, religious freedom, Supreme Court
Transmis : 3 nov. 2017 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=9777
Catégorie : NewsDans cet article : Canada, Indigenous peoples, religious freedom, Supreme Court

During a special service to commemorate 500 years of the Reformation at the Westminster Abbey today, representatives of The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the Roman Catholic Church received the Anglican Communion’s affirmation of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ).

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby presented LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr Martin Junge and the Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPCU) Bishop Dr Brian Farrell with the 2016 Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) resolution “welcoming and affirming the substance of the JDDJ.”

The event was witnessed by the General Secretaries of the World Methodist Council (WMC) and the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) Rev. Ivan Abrahams and Rev. Dr Chris Ferguson respectively.

Addressing the congregation, Archbishop Welby said, “When the Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church signed the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification in 1999, you resolved the underlying theological question of 1517, in a decisive moment for all churches in the search for unity and reconciliation.” The ACC resolution, he said, “welcomed and affirmed the substance of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, noting its profound convergences with our own dialogues with Lutherans and Catholics.”

Receiving the Anglican action on the JDDJ, General Secretary Junge said its public presentation on Reformation Day itself was significant on the journey toward church unity. “We are grateful to God that together with Catholic, Methodist and Reformed sisters and brothers, we are witnessing today the affirmation of the substance of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification by the Anglican Communion. May this moment serve as an important witness on the way of growing unity among our churches,” he said.
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Posted: Oct. 31, 2017 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=9779
Categories: Lutheran World InformationIn this article: Anglican Communion, Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, JDDJ, Lutheran World Federation, World Communion of Reformed Churches, World Methodist Council
Transmis : 31 oct. 2017 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=9779
Catégorie : Lutheran World InformationDans cet article : Anglican Communion, Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, JDDJ, Lutheran World Federation, World Communion of Reformed Churches, World Methodist Council

Church and political leaders have marked the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s Reformation in Wittenberg, Germany where on 31 October 1517 he published his 95 Theses denouncing church abuses.

“It was an act of liberation when, 500 years ago today, the Augustinian monk Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses in Wittenberg, perhaps even a few metres from here, on the door of this church,” Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, chairperson of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany, said in his sermon at the 31 October service at Wittenberg’s Castle Church.

“A spiritual renewal went out from Wittenberg, to people in Germany, Europe and worldwide. To men and women from all social classes,” said Bedford-Strohm.

The service opened with the singing of Luther’s hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” whose words are inscribed around the tower of the Castle Church, and included music by 18th century composer Johann Sebastian Bach.

German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier and chancellor Angela Merkel joined church leaders at the service, including Cardinal Reinhard Marx, president of the German Bishops’ Conference, and the general secretary of the World Council of Churches, Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit.
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Posted: Oct. 31, 2017 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=9799
Categories: WCC NewsIn this article: Germany, Martin Luther, Reformation
Transmis : 31 oct. 2017 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=9799
Catégorie : WCC NewsDans cet article : Germany, Martin Luther, Reformation

You might have heard the story about the German friar who nailed 95 provocative statements to a church door a long time ago, triggering something we now call the Reformation.

If you’re looking for a modern interpretation, 500 years ago next Tuesday, Martin Luther posted a particularly incendiary series of tweets. He wanted to provoke debate about corruption in the Roman Catholic Church. He certainly achieved that.

Sadly, Luther couldn’t take advantage of Twitter — and it’s generally accepted that he didn’t actually hammer his arguments to a church door. Instead he used the then cutting-edge technology of printing. But the impact was no less dramatic. What Luther wrote went around Europe incredibly quickly; it was the viral content of its day.

Within two decades Europe was split between Protestants and Catholics in a process called the Reformation. The conflict that generated (which began in England in the early 1530s) continued for hundreds of years. The first century or so was especially bloody and violent.
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Posted: Oct. 27, 2017 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=9801
Categories: OpinionIn this article: Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, Martin Luther, Reformation
Transmis : 27 oct. 2017 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=9801
Catégorie : OpinionDans cet article : Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, Martin Luther, Reformation

The Episcopal Church-United Methodist Dialogue Committee met in Washington, D.C., to continue its work on establishing a full communion relationship between the two denominations.

The committee has adopted a draft proposal for full communion titled A Gift to the World: Co-Laborers for the Healing of Brokenness (The Episcopal Church and The United Methodist Church, A Proposal for Full Communion) and is seeking feedback from laity, clergy and bishops in both denominations before an official resolution could be presented to respective legislative bodies.
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Posted: Oct. 23, 2017 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=13272
Categories: ENSIn this article: dialogue, Episcopal Church, full communion, United Methodist
Transmis : 23 oct. 2017 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=13272
Catégorie : ENSDans cet article : dialogue, Episcopal Church, full communion, United Methodist

One of Canada’s most influential and controversial theologians, among the few remaining living links to the Second Vatican Council, has died.

Gregory Baum, author of the first draft of Nostra Aetate, was 94 years old.

Baum was admitted to St. Mary’s Hospital in Montreal Oct. 8. “I’m disappearing inside,” he told a friend. He decided not to continue the dialysis treatment which had kept him alive the last four years.

As a young theologian, Baum shot to prominence in the early days of the Second Vatican Council, mentored by Cardinal Augustin Bea. A key ally of Pope St. John XXIII, Bea looked for credible Catholic experts on Catholic-Jewish relations and found his man in Baum.
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Posted: Oct. 19, 2017 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=9773
Categories: NewsIn this article: Canada, Gregory Baum, Jewish-Christian relations, Québec, theologian
Transmis : 19 oct. 2017 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=9773
Catégorie : NewsDans cet article : Canada, Gregory Baum, Jewish-Christian relations, Québec, theologian

Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, says sanctions will likely be placed on the church by the primates of the Anglican Communion if it proceeds to amend the marriage canon (church law) to allow same-sex marriages.

He also questions whether the primates, by taking these punitive measures, are moving beyond the original purpose of their yearly meetings.

“Oh yes,” Hiltz replied Thursday, October 12 when asked by the Anglican Journal if he expected the primates would impose sanctions on the Canadian church if a motion to amend the marriage canon passes its required second reading at General Synod in 2019.

Hiltz had recently returned from the 2017 meeting of primates from across the Anglican Communion held in Canterbury, England., October 2-6. On the second day of the meeting, the Scottish Episcopal Church, which voted in June to allow same-sex marriages, agreed to accept the same “consequences” that the primates had imposed on The Episcopal Church (TEC) in 2016 after its decision to allow same-sex marriages.
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Posted: Oct. 13, 2017 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=9759
Categories: Anglican JournalIn this article: Anglican Church of Canada, Primates Meeting
Transmis : 13 oct. 2017 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=9759
Catégorie : Anglican JournalDans cet article : Anglican Church of Canada, Primates Meeting

In the spirit of the recommendation of the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission (IARCCUM) that there should be regular meetings of Anglican and Roman Catholic bishops in individual countries to discuss common concerns, a sixth such meeting of Irish bishops took place in Dublin on Saturday, 28th September. Thirteen bishops were present representing the Irish Episcopal Conference and the House of Bishops. In an atmosphere marked by positivity and candour, the bishops discussed a wide range of issues of common interest in relation to the ministry and service churches offer in Irish society, both north and south of the border. These included education; engagement with young people; the World Meeting of Families, emphasizing its ecumenical possibilities; the plight of refugees and migrants; and current social issues. All the participants said the experience was very valuable as they shared insightful perspectives that engendered renewed commitment to promoting the Kingdom of God.
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Posted: Oct. 12, 2017 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=9756
Categories: NewsIn this article: Anglican, bishops, Catholic, Ireland
Transmis : 12 oct. 2017 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=9756
Catégorie : NewsDans cet article : Anglican, bishops, Catholic, Ireland

The Episcopal Church-United Methodist Dialogue met in Washington, D.C. at the United Methodist Building on October 2-4, 2017. Episcopalians present were the Right Reverend C. Franklin Brookhart (co-chair); the Reverend Dr. Thomas Ferguson; Dr. Deirdre Good; Mr. Richard J. Mammana, Jr. (staff); the Reverend Mariclair Partee Carlsen; the Right Reverend David Rice; and the Reverend Margaret Rose (staff). United Methodists present were the Reverend Patricia Farris; the Reverend Dr. James Howell; the Reverend Dr. Pamela Lightsey; Bishop Gregory Palmer (co-chair); the Reverend Dr. Kyle Tau (staff); Bishop B. Michael Watson; and the Reverend Dr. Robert Williams. The Reverend Dr. Jonathan Linman was an invited observer from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
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Posted: Oct. 4, 2017 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=13273
Categories: Communiqué, NewsIn this article: dialogue, Episcopal Church, full communion, United Methodist
Transmis : 4 oct. 2017 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=13273
Catégorie : Communiqué, NewsDans cet article : dialogue, Episcopal Church, full communion, United Methodist

When we think of Church teachings that are uncomfortable to discuss and difficult to live up to these days our minds tend to go to controversial issues like that of contraception, homosexuality, gender and so forth. Yet, in many ways, the Church’s views on ecumenism are for many even more uncomfortable. On this topic, however, it is all too easy to say yes, yes with one’s lips, while denying and undermining this teaching in practice.

Ecumenism is the attempt to strengthen unity between the diverse Christian Churches through dialogue about doctrine, prayer in common, cooperation in good works and other means that deepen mutual understanding and growth. In the case of the Catholic Church, these endeavours are also motivated by a desire that our Churches may unite in full communion, however remote that hope may seem to our eyes here and now.

A key to the possibility of any ecumenism lies in a few basic realizations. The first is that we are all genuinely Christians, baptized into the body of Christ. This entails that there is always more that unites us than what divides us. The important essentials of the faith: the Trinity, the Incarnation, and the role that baptism plays in drawing us into the participation of the divine life are all unifying features of Christian life. In this respect, we should be grateful for the profound unity that already does exist among the majority of Christian communities (Unitatis Redintegratio, no. 3).
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Posted: Aug. 29, 2017 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=9742
Categories: OpinionIn this article: Catholic, ecumenism
Transmis : 29 aoüt 2017 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=9742
Catégorie : OpinionDans cet article : Catholic, ecumenism

The Rev. Najla Kassab, a minister in the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon (NESSL), has been elected president of the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC), which groups more than 225 churches in over 110 countries.

“With her experience and many gifts, Najla’s vision, insight, spiritual strength and grace make her the right person to lead us forward as president,” said Alison McDonald, the moderator of a Nominating Committee that brought a slate of nominees for the WCRC Executive Committee to its General Council.

The elections took place on 7 July, the final day of the Council, which has been meeting in the eastern German city of Leipzig since 29 June. Of the 22 members of the new Executive Committee, 10 are men and 12 women; 15 are ordained and 7 are lay people. Five of the members of the Executive Committee are young adults under 30 years of age, including one of the vice-presidents.
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Posted: July 7, 2017 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=9739
Categories: NewsIn this article: synods, World Communion of Reformed Churches
Transmis : 7 juil. 2017 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=9739
Catégorie : NewsDans cet article : synods, World Communion of Reformed Churches

Last week, the Canadian Churches Forum and the Canadian Council of Churches (CCC) came together at the CCC Governing Board meetings to make some important decisions about the future of their relationship and work. A motion was adopted that the CCF become the “Forum for Intercultural Leadership and Learning (FILL): A Reference Group of the Canadian Council of Churches.”

Moving more fully into the Council in this way opens the potential of working more closely with the CCC’s 26 member denominations and their diversity and experience. The Canadian Council of Churches is the broadest and most inclusive ecumenical body in the world, representing denominations of Anglican; Evangelical; Free Church; Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox; Protestant; and Catholic traditions. Together, the CCC churches represent more than 85% of Christians in Canada.

Also being considered are some shifts that will make Forum program alumni and others more creatively part of the work with a larger portion of this reference group’s resources going to supporting and networking people across Canada with a calling to intercultural ministry.
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Posted: May 31, 2017 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=9689
Categories: NewsIn this article: Canadian Council of Churches, Forum for Intercultural Leadership and Learning, intercultural ministry
Transmis : 31 mai 2017 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=9689
Catégorie : NewsDans cet article : Canadian Council of Churches, Forum for Intercultural Leadership and Learning, intercultural ministry

Anglicans and Roman Catholics should see in each other “a community in which the Holy Spirit is alive and active,” the latest communiqué from the official ecumenical dialogue between the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church says.

Members of the third-phase of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) met in the central German city of Erfurt early this month for their seventh meeting. They chose to meet in the city to mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation – it is here that Martin Luther was ordained and lived as a monk.

During their meeting, the members of ARCIC agreed the text of a new statement looking at Anglican and Roman Catholic ecclesiology. Walking Together on the Way: Learning to be Church – Local, Regional, Universal, to be known as The Erfurt Document, will be published next year.
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Posted: May 30, 2017 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=9695
Categories: ACNS, CommuniquéIn this article: Anglican, ARCIC, Catholic, ecclesiology
Transmis : 30 mai 2017 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=9695
Catégorie : ACNS, CommuniquéDans cet article : Anglican, ARCIC, Catholic, ecclesiology

Un groupe d’épiscopaliens et de méthodistes a rendu publique sa proposition visant à une pleine communion entre les deux confessions.

La mise en œuvre intégrale de la proposition prendra au moins trois ans. La Convention générale de l’Église épiscopale et la Conférence générale de l’Église méthodiste unie doivent approuver l’accord qui est l’aboutissement de 15 années d’exploration et de plus de 50 ans de dialogue officiel entre les deux églises. La prochaine Convention générale de l’Église épiscopale se tiendra en juillet 2018 à Austin (État du Texas). La Conférence générale de l’Église méthodiste aura lieu en 2020.
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Posted: May 17, 2017 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=13282
Categories: Dialogue, ENSIn this article: dialogue, Episcopal Church, full communion, United Methodist
Transmis : 17 mai 2017 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=13282
Catégorie : Dialogue, ENSDans cet article : dialogue, Episcopal Church, full communion, United Methodist

A group of Episcopalians and Methodists has released its proposal for full communion between the two denominations.

Full implementation of the proposal will take at least three years. The Episcopal Church General Convention and the United Methodist Church General Conference must approve the agreement, which culminates 15 years of exploration and more than 50 years of formal dialogue between the two churches. General Convention next meets in July 2018 in Austin, Texas. The General Conference’s next meeting is in 2020.
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Posted: May 17, 2017 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=13279
Categories: Dialogue, ENSIn this article: dialogue, Episcopal Church, full communion, United Methodist
Transmis : 17 mai 2017 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=13279
Catégorie : Dialogue, ENSDans cet article : dialogue, Episcopal Church, full communion, United Methodist

he Episcopal Church–United Methodist Dialogue group have prepared A Gift to the World: Co-Laborers for the Healing of Brokenness; The Episcopal Church and The United Methodist Church – A Proposal for Full Communion, the result of dialogue for a formal full-communion relationship.

In a recent letter, Bishop Frank Brookhart of Montana, Episcopal Church co-chair of the committee, with Bishop Gregory V. Palmer, the United Methodist Church, Ohio West Episcopal Area, offered, “The relationships formed over these years of dialogue, and the recognition that there are presently no theological impediments to unity, paved the way for this current draft proposal.”
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Posted: May 17, 2017 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=13276
Categories: ENSIn this article: dialogue, Episcopal Church, full communion, United Methodist
Transmis : 17 mai 2017 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=13276
Catégorie : ENSDans cet article : dialogue, Episcopal Church, full communion, United Methodist

In his greetings to the Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Chris Ferguson, general secretary of the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC), called for consideration of a joint meeting between the organizations.

“There are many things that we can and should do together,” Ferguson said. “I give thanks that God has given us the gift of partnership in mission, witness and diakonia with LWF. I hope that in six or seven years we will be able to celebrate our general assemblies in the same time and place. Separate meetings, yes, but joined for common worship, reflection and witness together. Can you imagine that! Let’s think about it!”

Ferguson noted that the two organizations continue to grow closer together, despite the WCRC’s move from Geneva to Hannover. In particular he raised the WCRC’s upcoming association with the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ), which will be signed at a special worship service in Wittenberg during the WCRC’s General Council.
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Posted: May 15, 2017 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=9693
Categories: NewsIn this article: Lutheran World Federation, World Communion of Reformed Churches
Transmis : 15 mai 2017 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=9693
Catégorie : NewsDans cet article : Lutheran World Federation, World Communion of Reformed Churches

In 2017, we mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. This Festschrift in honour of Monsignor John Radano, who served as head of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity‘s Western section for nearly 25 years, offers a window on what has been achieved through ecumenical dialogue over the past 50 years. It also reminds us of the importance of ecumenical friendship in advancing the cause of Christian unity.

Since the Reformation, Christian unity has suffered many failures. Yet, especially in more recent times, it has also celebrated encouraging successes. Disparate Christian traditions are beginning to trust each other. Will Christians eventually find one shared identity? What are the theological and ecclesial challenges ahead? This timely collection of essays by prominent Catholic and Protestant ecumenists witnesses a hope for a future Christian unity born out of 50 years of honest and genuine dialogue.

Towards Unity – a collection of papers by major ecumenical contributors – reflects with passion and hope on bilateral dialogues, the ecumenical movement, and organizations that promote multilateral relationships. By the grace of the Holy Spirit, the scandal of division is giving birth to renewed relationships, dialogue, and awareness.
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Posted: Apr. 15, 2017 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=9673
Categories: News, ResourcesIn this article: books, Christian unity, Nicholas Jesson
Transmis : 15 avril 2017 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=9673
Catégorie : News, ResourcesDans cet article : books, Christian unity, Nicholas Jesson

Those who work in the field of Christian unity for any length of time are quick to point out that ecumenism is the work of the Holy Spirit. We say that not to sound pious but because we know firsthand two things: from our failed efforts, that we cannot bring about unity by ourselves no matter how hard we try; and from our successes, that something else is operative in this work of dialogue and reconciliation. God’s grace shapes our efforts in countless ways, experienced in a deep yearning for unity, in the insights which come forth from dialogue, in the moments of breakthrough when new understandings are reached, in the relationships and bonds of communion that are formed when we work with other Christians at the service of unity.

Ecumenism is a work of the Holy Spirit in the churches as they put themselves at the service of Jesus’ desire that his disciples be reconciled, and it is a work of the Spirit in people’s lives. This volume, which reflects on ecumenical achievements and hopes as we mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, is a celebration of the work of the Holy Spirit in the churches and ecclesial communities of the West as they have sought to address conflicts and heal divisions. It is also a celebration of the work of the Holy Spirit in the ecumenical ministry of Monsignor John Radano, and in a secondary but very real way, of each of the contributors to this volume. John Radano, generally known by his dialogue partners and colleagues as Jack, served as head of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity‘s (PCPCU) Western section for nearly a quarter century, from 1984 to 2008. In this capacity, he participated in dialogues with Lutheran, Reformed, Baptist, Mennonite, Classical Pentecostal, and Evangelical traditions, and served as liaison with the World Council of Churches‘ Commission on Faith and Order. Jack was also involved in relations with the Anglican Communion, the World Methodist Council, and the Global Christian Forum, so had a truly comprehensive involvement in relations with the Catholic Church’s dialogue and consultation partners in the West.
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Posted: Apr. 1, 2017 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=9672
Categories: ResourcesIn this article: books, Christian unity, Donald Bolen, Donna Geernaert, Nicholas Jesson
Transmis : 1 avril 2017 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=9672
Catégorie : ResourcesDans cet article : books, Christian unity, Donald Bolen, Donna Geernaert, Nicholas Jesson

Pastor Harry Strauss, co-chair of the Saskatoon Catholic and Evangelical Dialogue, has written a small group resource specifically for dialogue. It is entitled Catholics and Evangelicals in Dialogue: A Small Group Discussion Guide. It is 7 sessions in length, addressing the topics of revelation, the church, salvation, baptism, communion, the communion of the saints, and missional engagement. It is designed for laypeople, shaped as a user-friendly resource. Anticipated outcomes include new friendships, shaped around spiritually engaging conversations, and most importantly, relational growth in Jesus Christ. The material has been field tested some, with good results. However, there is a desire for additional testing. If interested in being part of this effort, particularly in initiating and leading a small group, please contact Pastor Harry Strauss at harry [at] forestgrovecc [dot] com or call 306-280-7147.
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Posted: Mar. 22, 2017 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=9639
Categories: ResourcesIn this article: Catholic, Evangelicals, resources, Saskatoon
Transmis : 22 mars 2017 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=9639
Catégorie : ResourcesDans cet article : Catholic, Evangelicals, resources, Saskatoon

A five-year discussion of baptism among Mennonites, Catholics and Lutherans has yielded new insights.

Representatives of the Catholic Church’s Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, the Lutheran World Federation, and the Mennonite World Conference gathered Feb. 9-14 in Augsburg, Germany for the fifth and final meeting of the Trilateral Dialogue Commission on Baptism.

John Rempel of Canada said reflecting on each group’s practice of baptism helped participants learn to respect, trust and challenge each other.

“From the Lutherans, I have seen more clearly that their concern about justification by grace through faith is not that discipleship is a secondary matter,” said Rempel, who is professor emeritus of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Ind., and the Toronto School of Theology. “Their concern is that following Christ be a lifestyle of gratitude for God’s grace and not good works to earn God’s favour.

“From the Catholics, I have learned that the sacrament of baptism does not have an automatic role in salvation. If someone persistently lives life against the Spirit of Christ, baptism will not save them.”
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Posted: Mar. 21, 2017 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=9641
Categories: NewsIn this article: baptism, Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, Lutheran World Federation, Mennonite World Conference
Transmis : 21 mars 2017 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=9641
Catégorie : NewsDans cet article : baptism, Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, Lutheran World Federation, Mennonite World Conference

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and the Governors of the Anglican Centre in Rome are very pleased to announce the appointment of Archbishop Bernard Ntahoturi, Primate of the Anglican Church of Burundi from 2005 until 2016 as the Representative of the Archbishop of Canterbury to the Holy See and Director of the Anglican Centre in Rome. He succeeds Archbishop David Moxon who retires in June.

Born in 1948, Archbishop Ntahoturi grew up in a small village in Matana, Southern Burundi, the son of a poor farming family. After training at Bishop Tucker Theological College in Mukono, Uganda, he was ordained in 1973. He came to England to further his theological training at Ridley Hall and St John’s in Cambridge, where he is now an honorary Fellow, and then at Lincoln College, Oxford. After his studies, he returned to Burundi where he joined the civil service, becoming chief of staff to President Jean-Baptiste Bagaza. After the overthrowing of President Bagaza in 1987, in a military coup, he was jailed from 1987 to 1990. In 1992, he became Provincial Secretary of the Anglican Church of Burundi until 1997.
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Posted: Mar. 17, 2017 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=10399
Categories: NewsIn this article: Anglican Centre in Rome
Transmis : 17 mars 2017 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=10399
Catégorie : NewsDans cet article : Anglican Centre in Rome

The Archbishop of Canterbury is encouraging Christians of all denominations to join in with a ten day global prayer initiative “Thy Kingdom Come” from Ascension Day to Pentecost. What began last year as an invitation from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York to the Church of England has grown into an international and ecumenical call to prayer. Last year more than 100,000 people joined in and in 2017 it’s expected to be on a bigger scale. Launching the initiative, which runs from 25 May to 4 June, Archbishop Justin said: “When the wind of the spirit is blowing, hoist the sails and go with the wind. It’s not a Church of England thing, it’s not an Anglican thing, it’s a Christian thing.”
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Posted: Feb. 9, 2017 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=10397
Categories: ACNSIn this article: Justin Welby, prayer, spiritual ecumenism
Transmis : 9 févr. 2017 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=10397
Catégorie : ACNSDans cet article : Justin Welby, prayer, spiritual ecumenism

Five hundred years ago, Martin Luther kicked off the Protestant Reformation, which contributed to the birth of our modern age. In this one-hour special — filmed on location in Europe — Rick Steves tells the story of a humble monk who lived a dramatic life. Rick visits key sites relating to the Reformation (including Erfurt, Wittenberg, and Rome) and explores the complicated political world of 16th-century Europe — from indulgences to iconoclasts, and from the printing press to the Counter-Reformation. It’s a story of power, rebellion, and faith that you’ll never forget.
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Posted: Jan. 21, 2017 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=9624
Categories: ResourcesIn this article: Martin Luther, Reformation
Transmis : 21 janv. 2017 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=9624
Catégorie : ResourcesDans cet article : Martin Luther, Reformation

As we mark the annual week of prayer for Christian Unity, Catholics have much to celebrate because 2016 was “truly an ecumenical year”. That’s the view of Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, who accompanied Pope Francis on all his ecumenical journeys throughout the past year.

The cardinal was reflecting on the theme for this week of prayer which is centred on a verse from St Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians: ‘Reconciliation: the love of Christ compels us’. Members of the Council of Christian Churches in Germany were asked to prepare material on this theme which is set in the context of this year’s 500th anniversary of the Reformation.

Cardinal Koch says the leitmotif for this week of prayer is reconciliation, proposed by Christians in Germany, where the Reformation began. While we have much gratitude for the Reformation and the rediscovery of all that is in common between Lutherans and Catholics, he says, we must also recognise the painful history of the last 500 years. Though Luther did not want to divide the Church, he notes the “horrible confessional wars” that followed the Reformation “transformed Europe into a red sea of blood”. We must acknowledge both of these pages, he says, working for repentance and reconciliation, but also showing gratitude for the gifts of the Reformation.
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Posted: Jan. 18, 2017 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=9619
Categories: Vatican NewsIn this article: Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, Kurt Koch, WPCU
Transmis : 18 janv. 2017 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=9619
Catégorie : Vatican NewsDans cet article : Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, Kurt Koch, WPCU

Our Lord and his apostles used many figures of speech to describe the Church. From our beloved St. Paul: “We are God’s fellow labourers; you are God’s field, God’s building” (1 Cor. 3:9). “You are the body of Christ and individually members of it” (1 Cor. 12:27). Or Jesus’ words: “Fear not, little flock” (Luke 12:32a). “I am the vine; you are the branches” (John 15:5a).

Many of us have admired a well-ordered cathedral, such as St. Paul’s, London, or All Saints, Nairobi. We recognise — almost unconsciously — the beauty of the human person, of a pastoral scene or vineyard. No wonder they make fitting images for the Church, the heavenly Jerusalem, a city “at unity with itself” (Ps. 122:3).

Our experience of the Church’s unity tends to fall short of these glorious figures. We see “hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions” (see Gal. 5:19-21).

In recognition of this, Anglicans have turned to other images over the past 14 years: among them, “walking together in synodality,” “walking apart,” or even “walking at a distance.” This language proves useful, vividly illustrating different degrees or intensities of communion: some choose to be close; some go their own way; some wander onto the wrong path.

Through such images, we see how harmony, order, and unity are gifts received, but also unwrapped and used. A field must be cultivated, a building maintained, a vine pruned.
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Posted: Jan. 18, 2017 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=9621
Categories: ACNS, OpinionIn this article: Anglican, WPCU
Transmis : 18 janv. 2017 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=9621
Catégorie : ACNS, OpinionDans cet article : Anglican, WPCU

“This year, churches around the world will be marking the great significance of the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation in Europe, dated from Martin Luther’s 95 Theses protesting against the practice of indulgences, on 31 October 1517 at Wittenberg. The Church of England will be participating in various ways, including sharing in events with Protestant church partners from Continental Europe.

The Reformation was a process of both renewal and division amongst Christians in Europe. In this Reformation Anniversary year, many Christians will want to give thanks for the great blessings they have received to which the Reformation directly contributed. Amongst much else these would include clear proclamation of the gospel of grace, the availability of the Bible to all in their own language and the recognition of the calling of lay people to serve God in the world and in the church.

Many will also remember the lasting damage done five centuries ago to the unity of the Church, in defiance of the clear command of Jesus Christ to unity in love. Those turbulent years saw Christian people pitted against each other, such that many suffered persecution and even death at the hands of others claiming to know the same Lord. A legacy of mistrust and competition would then accompany the astonishing global spread of Christianity in the centuries that followed. All this leaves us much to ponder.
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Posted: Jan. 17, 2017 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=9615
Categories: ACNSIn this article: Anglican, Christian unity, Church of England, John Sentamu, Justin Welby, Reformation
Transmis : 17 janv. 2017 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=9615
Catégorie : ACNSDans cet article : Anglican, Christian unity, Church of England, John Sentamu, Justin Welby, Reformation

While attending an ecumenical service at a Lutheran church in Rome a year ago, Pope Francis encountered a Lutheran woman who was married to a Roman Catholic. She asked the Pope why she could not receive the Eucharist while attending Catholic services with her husband.

Caught unawares by this spur-of-the-moment question, Pope Francis’ immediate reply was to suggest that the woman should follow her conscience. It was the type of pastoral response that has become a trademark of Pope Francis, but it would be a mistake to believe his intention was to introduce a new Church teaching. His pastoral response does, however, signal that ancient barriers may well be in the process of reform.

Most Roman Catholics are probably aware that Protestants should not receive communion at a Catholic celebration of the Eucharist. But few probably know the reason why. Likewise, it is also fair to suggest that Catholics attending a Protestant service are often uncertain whether it is proper to receive Eucharist in a Protestant church.

Amid this uncertainty, I suspect a common response today from both Catholics and Protestants is to feel less conscience-bound to refrain from eucharistic sharing at each other’s gatherings.
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Posted: Jan. 17, 2017 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=9613
Categories: Catholic RegisterIn this article: Catholic, Christian unity, sacramental sharing
Transmis : 17 janv. 2017 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=9613
Catégorie : Catholic RegisterDans cet article : Catholic, Christian unity, sacramental sharing

Catholic and Orthodox leaders have pledged to stand together against fundamentalism and terrorism, as well as resisting forces working to erode and destroy religious belief in Europe.

“Terrorist violence against people considered unbelievers or infidels is the extreme degree of religious intolerance — we unreservedly condemn it and deplore that such acts have developed in the soil of a misguided religious culture,” the church representatives said in a joint message Jan. 13.

“The constitutions of our states guarantee the fundamental rights of the human person. Nevertheless, in our societies, forces are always at work to marginalize or even erase religions and their message from the public space. We believe Europe needs more than ever the breath of faith in Christ and the hope it provides.”

The 14-point message was published after a Jan. 9-12 meeting of the European Catholic-Orthodox Forum, co-chaired in Paris by Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo, former president of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences, and Metropolitan Gennadios of Sassima for the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.

It said Catholic and Orthodox bishops deplored “crimes that may have been committed in the name of religion,” but believed their churches should not be blamed “for attitudes of intolerance that are inadmissible nowadays, but used to be shared by societies in the past.”
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Posted: Jan. 17, 2017 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=9617
Categories: CNSIn this article: Catholic, Orthodox, terrorism
Transmis : 17 janv. 2017 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=9617
Catégorie : CNSDans cet article : Catholic, Orthodox, terrorism