Ecumenical
Corner

REFLECTIONS ON ECUMENISM
BY FR. ERNEST FALARDEAU, S.S.S.

From the Bulletin of Saint Jean Baptiste Catholic Church, New York City
Copyrighted.  All rights reserved by Fr. Falardeau

August 3, 2008
The Ravenna Report

The Ravenna Report of the International Orthodox-Roman Catholic Dialogue is a breath of fresh air and hope after some years of drought and difficulty.  Focused on the primacy of the bishop of Rome, the document says much about local and regional primacy in addition to its agreement that Rome is the only apostolic see that has ever claimed primacy at the level of the universal church.

Those who have been following the dialogue for some years were disappointed, even if not entirely surprised, that the Balamand Accord of 2004 fell apart at the level of reception because of both conservative and liberal views of the question.  Some Orthodox felt that it did not say enough against "uniatism," and some Roman Catholics thought it said too much.  Since then, efforts to repair the breach and get the dialogue going again at Belgrade and later at Baltimore were not successful.  Baltimore did make it clear there was a need of looking forward not backward.  The unity of the church is required for the success of its evangelization (mission).  And so returning "to the things that unite us" which has guided the Orthodox-Roman Catholic Dialogue, and prevailed at Ravenna (Italy), the participants were able to hammer out an outstanding consensus about local and regional primacy and authority.  As for the primacy of Rome, the door is left open to future discussion, and the firm historic fact that Rome alone ever claimed universal primacy was affirmed.

Rome and Constantinople
Moscow walked out of the meeting because Constantinople pushed for a kind of "papal" primacy which has no historical evidence.  "Primus inter pares" in Constantinople does not mean what the First Vatican Council declared for Rome.  It never did.  While such an oversimplification might seem to some to be helpful, Moscow would not buy it.  Even Ravenna has its problems.  But at least the sides are talking and there is hope that the next meeting of the International Orthodox-Roman Catholic Dialogue will have greater success at moving forward and finding the common ground that will move the churches closer together and on the road to the unity Christ prayed for.

Some Major Breakthroughs
The Ravenna Report makes it clear that authority in the church is service and is connected with the sacrament of orders.  Whether at the local level of the Diocese (particular church) or of the region, the "laying on of hands is the sign and guarantee" of God’s authority given to Christ and through him to the church, and passed on to the church in our time.  The catholicity of the church is qualitatively as well as quantitatively an attribute of the true church of Jesus Christ.  It suffers from the lack of unity among Christians and makes the proclamation and witness of the Gospel less credible.

Theme ― "Pray without ceasing" (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:12a, 13b-18): "But we appeal to you, brothers and sisters. . . . Be at peace among yourselves.  And we urge you, beloved, to admonish the idlers, encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them.  See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all.  Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Jesus Christ for you."

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity began January 18-25, 1908.  It was established by Father Paul Wattson, the Founder of the Graymoor Friars of the Atonement.  Father Wattson and the entire Graymoor community eventually entered the Roman Catholic Church from Anglicanism and continued to encourage Catholics, Anglicans, Orthodox, and Protestants to pray for Christian unity.

Abbé Paul Couturier of Lyons, France, a member of the Groupe des Dombes, started a similar initiative in the 1930s, asking those who prayed with him to pray for the unity that God wills and "as Christ desires it."  An initiative of the World Council of Churches’ Faith and Order Commission later introduced the idea of a week of prayer for Christian unity beginning on the feast of the Ascension and ending on Pentecost Sunday.  In 1968, all of these initiatives were united together and materials were prepared by the Graymoor Ecumenical Center in Rome, together with the Vatican Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity and the World Council of Churches.  The dates chosen for this week of prayer were January 18-25.  This year, we celebrate the initiative’s 100th anniversary.

Pray Without Ceasing
Saint Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians, probably the earliest of his writings, ends with a series of exhortations.  He begs the community to be at peace with one another.  He urges them to admonish idlers and encourage the faint-hearted and to be patient with those who are weak.  "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances as being God’s will for you," he declares as a parting exhortation.

The Second Vatican Council emphasized that the heart of the Catholic ecumenical movement is spiritual ecumenism: at the center, spiritual ecumenism is prayer.  Prayer is necessary to "put on the Lord Jesus Christ," to think and act as he did, to know God’s will and perform it.  Prayer opens our minds and hearts to God’s will.  As Abbé Couturier put it, we must pray for the unity that Jesus prayed for, that God wills, and "as he wills it."  This rules out a "return to Rome" approach to Christian unity.  It requires a unity in diversity, not a "homogenized" super-church, but the diversified church that God has allowed to develop, without the divisions we experience in our time.  Praying without ceasing is required to receive the Christian unity that only God can give.

Conclusion
Praying without ceasing does not mean one is always uttering words.  It means one is always open to God and his self-revelation.  One is always ready to "read the signs of the times" and to seek God’s will and his kingdom in every circumstance of life.

Praying without ceasing is especially important where Christian unity is concerned, because Jesus prayed for unity "so that the world might believe" in God’s love and in God’s mission of salvation through Jesus Christ.

December 23, 2007
Interfaith Dialogue
Each year on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, the Yorkville Jewish-Christian Council invites Christians and Jews to join in an interfaith service of prayer and song to celebrate our gratitude for God’s blessings to us.  The service is usually held at Temple Shaaray Tefila, East 79 Street and Third Avenue.  A Seder meal led by a rabbi is also held annually near Holy Week to help Christians be more aware of the Jewish roots of our Eucharist in the Passover meal described in the Gospels.

In this context, it might be good to say a few words about interfaith dialogue in New York.  There is a formal dialogue between the Archdiocese of New York and the Jewish community at the present time.  It is the only interfaith dialogue.  However, New York is such a cosmopolitan place that informal dialogue can readily be undertaken.  Some weeks ago, I was asked to assist a group from Saint Thomas More Parish in putting together a conference which would involve clergy from the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic faiths.  We have exchanged some initial ideas, but the format and theme are still a work in progress.

Two or three years ago, the North American Academy of Ecumenics met at the Passionist Retreat Center in Jamaica, Queens, and a tour of the many different worship places (churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, etc.) that were evident all around us was part of the program.  We especially appreciated the opportunity to visit a group of Buddhist monks who live and pray together.

Diversity of Gifts
One very definite value of interfaith dialogue is serving human need.  Usually identified under the title of "life and work," rather than "faith and order," people of different faiths can understand that pursuing peace and justice can readily be improved by crossing faith lines to meet human needs.  Intolerance and religious prejudice sometimes becomes an obstacle to human progress rather than an asset for human development.

Interfaith dialogue can go beyond life and work issues.  While this is a new area of development, true interfaith dialogue can go beyond tolerance, to a genuine appreciation of the gifts that God places in the hearts and minds of persons of other faiths.  Pope John XXIII took the time to speak to the chief rabbi of Rome about the relationship of Christians and Jews.  The pope became convinced that a change of attitude was indicated.  The rabbi said that as long as the agenda of the church was to convert Jews, dialogue would be impossible.  If, however, Christians could see the intrinsic value of the Jewish faith for those who believe it, dialogue was possible.

Muslims have a gift of deep spirituality and communion with God that Christians and Jews need to appreciate.  Muslims, in turn, need to value the faith and fidelity of Christians and Jews.  The same is true of people of other faiths. Nostra Aetate, the Vatican Council document on interreligious relations, praises the great religions of the world and their value for Catholic Christians.

The Holiday Season
The holiday season is a good time to recall that while we are filled with joy as we celebrate the birthday of Christ on Christmas, people of other faiths, e.g., Jews celebrating Hanukah, may have other reasons for celebrating the holiday season with their own traditions.  Christmas replaced the pagan feast of the Sol Invictus (the Invincible Sun).  And, for some people, the season is the reason for the celebration.  This is not to say Christians should not try to keep their own traditions sacred.  It means that all of us need to see that the secularization and globalization of our world should not detract us from the sacredness of the world created and sustained by God and redeemed by Jesus Christ, our Savior.

November 4, 2007
Authority of the Church in the World

Nearly 300 ecumenical delegates and interested persons gathered at Oberlin College, just 20 miles west of the Cleveland airport, July 19-23, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Faith and Order Commission of the National Council of Churches in the United States.  Some of those who attended the first gathering in 1957 are alive and well and were able to share this special anniversary.  Among the half dozen who did so was Dr. Paul Crow, Jr. (Church of Christ Disciples), who was an observer at the Second Vatican Council.  He is a lifetime ecumenist and chaired the World Council of Churches’ Faith and Order Commission.  He served as a steward when the Faith and Order Commission was established at Oberlin.

Invitations were sent to members of the Faith and Order Commission as well as to young theologians who were completing their theological education.  Churches sent delegates.  One particular success story was that nearly 100 students ― 30% of those attending the conference ― were a vibrant part of the discussions and presentations.  A special effort was made to include participation by churches and groups which are not regularly involved in the faith and order work of the National Council of Churches.  These included the Holiness churches, Pentecostals, and Evangelicals.

There were many breakthrough presentations.  Perhaps that of Cardinal Avery Dulles was the most striking and notable.  He stated that the dialogue partners should not be too eager for premature statements of agreement.  If a church is not ready to move forward, it should not be prodded or cajoled into doing so.  The goal of dialogue is not doctrinal definition, but genuine communion which is the result of God’s grace and human collaboration.  It takes time and grace to achieve such a lasting result.

Other notable presentations included the opening keynote by Dr. Martin Marty, underscoring the historic importance of what Oberlin 1957 began and what Oberlin 2007 hopes to continue.  Dr. James Forbes electrified the prayer service on Sunday evening which closed the formal part of the program.  He emphasized the importance of Christian unity in the witness to the Gospel message.

"New Horizons for Christian Unity" featured three young graduates in theology: Ralph Allen, A. J. Boyd, and R. M. Keelan Downton and their outlook on the movement for Christian unity today and for the future.  Cecil "Mel" Robeck, Jacquelyn Grant, and Joseph Loya, O.S.A., spoke of "Evaluating Our Work" and the difficulties met in the ecumenical enterprise from within and outside one’s own communion.  Michael Root responded to Jione Havea and Aristotle Panikolaou who discussed "Faith and Order in a Post-modern World."

The Way Forward
Veterans in the ecumenical movement were very encouraged by the Oberlin conference.  It showed that the ecumenical movement is alive and well.  There are hundreds of seminarians and theology students ready and willing to pick up the torch and forge ahead toward the goal of unity in Christ.

While the shape of Christian unity is still unclear, successful efforts to forge greater communion and collaboration are evident and point the way forward.  Full communion agreements, federations, churches together, and other means of uniting Christians and their churches are in place and witness to the Gospel.  It is not a question of when; it is a question of discerning God’s will and walking in his way.

July 1, 2007
The Reformed Churches

February 18, 2007
Spiritual Ecumenism

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (January 18-25) began with an initiative of Father Paul Wattson, founder of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement, in 1908.  At the time, he was an Anglican and the founder of a new religious order in that church.  A year later, Paul Wattson and his community requested admission into the Church of Rome and continued to promote Christian unity.  Abbé Paul Couturier got a similar idea for a week of prayer for Christian unity between the feast of the Lord’s Ascension and Pentecost.  In 1935, he advocated a "Universal Week of Prayer for Christian Unity" during which Christians would pray "for the unity Christ wills by the means he wills it."  The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the World Council of Churches since 1968 work together to prepare a theme and texts for both weeks.  The PCPCU emphasizes that such prayer should continue throughout the year.

The Year’s Theme
This year’s theme was developed by an ecumenical group in Umlazi, South Africa (near Durban).  At the request of the international group, the local group suggested this year’s theme and sent materials which explained the biblical and prayerful insights which the local ecumenical situation developed in a prayer service promoting prayer for Christian unity and concern for human suffering.  Most of the people in Umlazi are Christian.  They are also bonded by intense human suffering. The "township" was created by apartheid with the consequent legacy of racism, unemployment, and poverty.  Fifty percent of the people in Umlazi suffer from HIV/AIDS.  In Zulu, the term ubunqunu, literally "nakedness," indicates that these subjects are taboo.  As a result, many people hesitate to seek assistance, in terms of counseling, pastoral care, home-based care-giving, communal support, and health care centers.

Breaking the Silence
In the light of the spoken and unspoken ways in which people, especially the youth, are encouraged to keep silent about their problems, the local church leaders in Umlazi designed an ecumenical service which had as its central theme "breaking the silence."  The worship service invited the young people of Umlazi to find the courage to speak about that which was "unspeakable" and to seek assistance, mindful that keeping silence can mean death.

When a member from the preparatory group in Umlazi met with the international group responsible for preparation of Week of Prayer materials, they reflected on the search for full visible unity among Christian churches in light of the experience of the Christians of Umlazi and their invitation to "break the silence" which oppresses and isolates people in their suffering.  Together, they selected Mark 7:31-37 as a central biblical text for the Week of Prayer and determined a biblical/theological framework, centered around hearing, speaking, and silence, within which both the search for unity and the search for a Christian response to human suffering find a home.  The decision was made to have this twofold focus, intentionally addressing both the reality of human suffering and the search for the visible unity of all Christians in the text.

December 24, 2006
An Ecumenical Baptism

About two years ago, I wrote about a baptism here at Saint Jean’s which I shared to some extent with Reverend Fred Anderson, Pastor of Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church.  Two weeks ago, on December 9, I had the pleasure of baptizing William Luke Post and invited Reverend Canon Andrew Mullins from Epiphany Episcopal Church to join me for the ceremony.  William’s father is Episcopalian and his mother is Roman Catholic.  What made it ecumenical was the fact that while the rite was Roman Catholic, Canon Mullins addressed the family and friends with me, read the Gospel, and shared a reflection after mine.  He held the child along with the parents and godparents during the baptism and read a prayer of blessing for the father.  In Canon Mullins’ words, we were giving visible witness to our shared faith and unity.

The Post family invited both of us to share a generous lunch at their home after the baptism.  Canon Mullins and I have been good friends for several years.  We have shared lunch together frequently and shared time together.  He has preached at our Seven Last Words of Christ on Good Friday and attended a number of events sponsored by the parish, including the reception at my Golden Jubilee of Ordination.  It was wonderful to share this special occasion in the life of the Post family.  We met many members of the extended family.  It was a special joy for us.

Anglican-Roman Catholic Relations
In the Second Vatican Council’s document on ecumenism, Unitatis Redintegratio, the relationship between the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion is said to be special (13).  On the international level, the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission has published two important series of documents which describe the theological consensus that has been reached through dialogue over the past 40 years, notably The Final Report (1982) and more recently The Gift of Authority and Mary, Grace and Hope in Christ (2004).  The second series of ARCIC documents also includes a very important study of consensus on moral issues entitled Life in Christ: Morals, Communion, and the Church (1994).

In the year 2000, a significant meeting of the Anglican primates (heads of various Provinces or national churches that form the Anglican Communion) met with Presidents of the Conference of Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church which have Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogues, together with the Archbishop of Canterbury and Cardinal Walter Kasper, President of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Christian Unity.  They agreed it was time to create a new commission that would oversee practical and pastoral steps which can be taken now to implement the recommendations of ARCIC I and ARCIC II and thus give more evident and visible expression to the unity already achieved through dialogue and the approved joint statements by the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.

At a time when the headlines seem to stress divisions within the Anglican Communion and within the Roman Catholic Church, it is reassuring to know that progress toward Christian unity continues steadily despite some serious problems on all sides.

A Way Forward
Whether we study Anglican-Roman Catholic relations on the wide scale of international commissions and agreements signed between Rome and Canterbury, or whether we examine these relations at the very local level of parishes and Dioceses, it is comforting to know that a way forward is being forged.  In the long view of things, these slow steady steps forward prepare the giant leap that will eventually bring us all into full communion.

It doesn’t take very long for someone who lives on the Upper East Side of Manhattan to know that the Jewish community shares the neighborhood.  The many synagogues that dot the area, the yarmulkes and prayer shawls that are part of the daily scene are a constant reminder of the Jewish presence.  A number of the parishioners at Saint Jean’s are converts from Judaism.  Jewish-Catholic weddings are scheduled here each year.

Efforts at social and civic improvement find rabbis, priests, and ministers rubbing elbows and working together.  The rabbis annually invite the clergy to have lunch and a lecture at Temple Emmanuel on Fifth Avenue and 65 Street, and it has been a long tradition.

Each year on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving Day, an Interfaith Thanksgiving Service is celebrated in our neighborhood.  We are happy to attend and invite our parishioners to do so as well.  It is a wonderful experience of the spirit of the day and of the common faith we are able to share and express in the "land of the free and the home of the brave."  This year’s service was hosted by Congregation Shaaray Tefila, East 79 Street at Second Avenue.

The service is replete with psalms, prayers, and readings from the Bible.  Hymns and songs of peace and gratitude abound.  Adult and children’s choirs from the Jewish and Christian traditions raise minds and hearts to the Creator of all and the Lord of creation.

This is one outstanding service in the course of the year that we try not to miss.  And there are others.  The Model Seder held just before Holy Week when Jews are celebrating Passover reminds us that it was at a Passover meal that Jesus took bread and broke it in thanksgiving saying, "This is my body."  Then he took a cup of blessing (Kiddush) and said, "This is the cup of the new covenant in my blood."  The psalms, hymns, and prayers of the Seder Service give us a hint of the atmosphere in the upper room where Jesus ate the Passover for the last time with his disciples.

Jewish-Catholic Relations
Current events in the Middle East have created many tensions in the relationship between Christians, Jews, and Muslims.  War and violence increase the pain, misunderstanding, and suffering for hundreds of thousands.  All of us are caught up in the daily agony of a solution that evades us.  The military option is not working.  The pope, bishops, and religious leaders continue to press for peace and a program of justice and forgiveness that will eliminate the threat and horror of war.  Many claim that religion is causing the problem.  Religion teaches love and respect.  Hatred and oppression only breed its kind.  Love and respect foster peace and justice.

Vatican II gave the Catholic Church an opportunity to clean its own house.  Acknowledging its own complicity in the anti-Semitism of the ages, the church in Nostra Aetate forthrightly condemned anti-Semitism in all its forms and denied it had any support in Holy Scripture.  The church emphasized the need to abolish the tradition of "contempt" and underscored the Jewish roots of Christianity and its debt of gratitude to God for building the church of Christ on the faith of Abraham.

In the more than 40 years since Vatican II, much progress has been made in improving Jewish-Catholic relations.  The recognition of the State of Israel by the Vatican and the establishment of diplomatic relations was a major breakthrough in this process.  Nevertheless, the tensions in the Middle East continue, and a military intervention does not guarantee the security of the Jewish nation.  We pray for the peace of Jerusalem.  Shalom!

November 5, 2006
Benedict XVI in Constantinople

Pope Benedict XVI lost no time in accepting an invitation from Patriarch Bartholomew I to visit the Phanar in Constantinople (Istanbul).  Benedict XVI will visit Ankara, the capital city, then go to Izmir, a port city near Ephesus, which is an ancient Christian community, and finally to Istanbul, seat of the headquarters of the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, from November 28 through December 1.

The pope’s visit has already made many headlines. The President of Turkey was offended because the patriarch had extended the invitation without first consulting him.  Fuel was added to the fire when Pope Benedict indicated Turkey was never a part of Europe, and so should not be welcomed into the European Union.  The Holy Father’s quoting of a fourteenth-century emperor inflamed the Muslim world and required multiple apologies to prevent an end to the visit.

Needless to say, there is some nervousness about the pope’s visit.  A group of hijackers was arrested for taking over an airplane in protest to the visit.  CNN reported that an F-16 would patrol the skies from take-off to landing of the pope’s plane.  Security will be high.

Nevertheless, this will be a truly historic visit.  Benedict XVI stressed that his purpose in visiting Turkey early in his pontificate is because of his ardent desire to improve ecumenical relations with the Orthodox.  The pope has pointed out repeatedly that the Catholic-Orthodox dialogue, which had been suspended for nearly a decade, was now "on track" after a compromise statement about Eastern Catholic churches (Balamande, 1994) and a meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, in 2000 of the Joint International Commission between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church.  (This commission held its ninth plenary session in Belgrade, Serbia, from September 18-25).

The purpose of the invitation from the Phanar and the acceptance from the Vatican is to celebrate the feast of Saint Andrew, patron of the Greek Orthodox Church, on November 28.  (For more than 25 years, an exchange of visits on November 30 and February 22 has been held in Rome and Istanbul.)  Patriarch Dimitrios I visited Rome in November 1987; Pope John Paul II had visited Constantinople in 1979.  This is the first exchange of visits between Pope Benedict XVI and Patriarch Bartholomew I.

The Dialogue
What can be said about the dialogue between the Vatican and the Orthodox?  What is to be gained by the visit?  Papal visits are important signals.  They emphasize the ongoing effort by churches to dialogue and to move toward Christian unity.  This unity, according to Vatican II, must be a continuing agenda.  Pope John Paul II characterized this effort as an "irrevocable" decision to pursue reconciliation, love, and unity.

The theological discussion between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox churches has been very serious and productive.  From the Catholic side, there seem to be few, if any, substantive theological differences.  The new Code of Canon Law (1983) even allows mutual Eucharistic sharing for spiritual benefit.  The Vatican has made special provisions for such sharing with some of the Ancient Orthodox communions.

From the Orthodox side, there is emotional and historic distance from Rome.  Not only do the memory of the crusades and the sacking of Santa Sofia in Constantinople produce traumas, but the "Filioque question" (Trinitarian doctrine) and the Marian dogmas (the immaculate conception and the assumption of Mary into heaven) continue to provide issues for heated theological debate.

Both the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and Pope Benedict XVI have declared the need for reconciliation.  Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athanagoras I in 1964, at the time of the Second Vatican Council, began the initiative.  They removed the mutual excommunications of 1054 and consigned them to the dust heap of history.  However, that was not quite enough to solve the problem.  Now, in a more ecumenical and friendly climate, pope and patriarch pray for a successful and lasting outcome from this historic visit.

September 24, 2006
Interchurch Families Meet in Virginia

Ten years ago, I traveled to Virginia Beach/Norfolk, Virginia, for a meeting of interchurch families.  Father George Kilcourse had invited me to make a presentation as part of the program for that meeting.  Father George and I had worked together for a number of years on a standing committee of the National Association of Diocesan Ecumenical Officers (NADEO), and interchurch families were often in our discussions and writings.  Interchurch families are defined as a husband and wife from separate Christian traditions who both desire to remain active in their respective churches.

At the meeting in 1996, the American Association of Interchurch Families was established (the Canadian association was also founded at that same international meeting).  Since that time, I have had the privilege of attending national and international meetings as well as the world congresses (Geneva, 1998 and Rome, 2003).  These gatherings have helped me to understand how the division of the churches has an impact on the daily lives of interchurch families.  Pastoral concern for the parents and children in such families has made many of the clergy sympathetic to their need for help and guidance.

Conference at Virginia Wesleyan College
The site of the 1996 meeting and again this year was Virginia Wesleyan College, whose campus is in Norfolk just short of the Virginia Beach city line.  It is a lovely campus with very modern dormitories, chapel, library, and meeting rooms.  It was an ideal setting for our meeting July 21-23.

The format for this year’s meeting followed that of other such gatherings.  There were four major presentations.  The first was by Richard McCord, Executive Director of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat for Family, Laity, Women, and Youth.  Rick spoke on "Being Church Together: A View from Within Marriage and Family Life."  Rick is a layman with excellent theological credentials, and has a family of his own.  He is an excellent listener.  He provided the kind of forum the interchurch families were looking for and from which Rick could draw information for his work.

The leadership of AAIF wanted to meet near Washington, DC, in the hope a representative from the bishops’ conference might be able to join them for an exchange of ideas.  At the international and global meetings, interchurch families have had similar exchanges with representatives of the World Council of Churches and from the Vatican.  On Saturday, July 22, Father George Kilcourse gave a report of a meeting between the International Association of Interchurch Families and the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity in October 2005.  The Vatican is very interested in the experience of interchurch families.  Pope Benedict XVI, in a speech in Poland, later referred to them as "laboratories for Christian unity."

On Saturday afternoon, the conference heard Dr. Phyllis Rodgerson Pleasants of the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, Virginia, speak on "Focus on the Center," and participants were pleasantly surprised to hear her synthesis of Hans Küng’s On Being Christian.  She reminded her audience that Protestants are fond of Küng, even though some Catholics may find him somewhat problematic.

Later in the afternoon, two lay persons and I formed a panel on the topic "Listening, Learning, and Leading: Interchurch Families and Pastors Working Together."  In the evening, members shared their stories and experiences as interchurch couples and families.  Such sharing is always an important part of our meetings.

I had the privilege of celebrating the Eucharist at the campus chapel on Saturday evening.  On Sunday morning, participants went to Holy Apostles Church in Virginia Beach.  It is a very unique place and was created by the decision of the Roman Catholic bishop and his Episcopal colleague.  They believed they should try to implement in a concrete way Vatican II’s desire to bring the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion into fuller communion.

Holy Apostles is served by Roman Catholic and Episcopal Co-pastors.  The Pastoral Council/Vestry is composed of both Catholics and Episcopalians.  The parish is very open to interchurch families and serves many of them.  Holy Apostles is undoubtedly a sign of things to come.

More information on interchurch families can be found online at www.aifusa.org.

July 30, 2006
Moscow Summit of Religious Leaders

A unique effort by religious leaders of the world was held July 3-6 in Moscow, Russia.  At the invitation of Alexei II, Patriarch of Moscow, and the Russian Orthodox Church, leaders from the Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant churches of Christianity met with leaders from the Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, and Shinto faiths from 49 countries on the eve of the Group of Eight Summit meeting in Saint Petersburg, Russia, July 17-18.  Pope Benedict XVI was not invited because Alexei II was awaiting an opportunity to meet with him personally at a later date, nor was the Dali Lama in attendance, due to political problems with China/Tibet.  To avoid offending Beijing, the Chinese Director of Religious Affairs was invited instead.

The Vatican delegation was headed by Cardinal Walter Kasper, President of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity.  He was accompanied by Cardinal Paul Poupard, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, the former President for Justice and Peace, Cardinal Godfried Danneels of Brussels, and Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the retired archbishop of Washington.

Among the most visible religious leaders not attending the event were the Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, the recognized "first among equals" in the Orthodox world, and the patriarchs of Alexandria, Jerusalem, and Antioch.  The reason for their absence involves a question of protocol. If they attended, then the host, Patriarch Alexei, would have been expected to cede his place as chairman of the event.

The leaders issued a communiqué at the close of their meeting which stressed important religious principles which President Putin, who also attended the meeting, brought to the G8 gathering in Saint Petersburg.  As Cardinal Kasper pointed out, the purpose of the meeting was to find a way for religious leaders to dialogue with political leaders and thus promote peace and justice in the world.  The communiqué stressed the importance of the meeting at this time of great tension in the world and of growing danger of war.

Message of the World Leaders
The message of the world leaders begins: ". . . Having at length discussed issues of mutual concern, we now appeal to the heads of state, to our religious communities, and to all people of good will. We believe that the human person is religious by nature.  Since the dawn of history, religion has played the key role in the development of thought, culture, ethics, and social order.  With the ever-growing role of faith in contemporary society, we want religion to continue being a solid foundation for peace and dialogue among civilizations, and not to be used as a source of division and conflict.  Religion has the potential to bind together diverse peoples and cultures despite our human fragility, particularly in today’s context of plurality and diversity."

The document goes on to discuss human life as a gift of the Almighty and our sacred duty to preserve it, which should be a concern for both political and religious leaders.  "Conception till natural death are therefore the highest value of human life.  Thus the family needs support today, for it is the privileged context for cultivating the free, intelligent, and moral personality."

Religious freedom is specifically promoted.  "Individuals and groups must be immune from coercion.  No one is to act in a manner contrary to his or her own beliefs in religious matters.  It is also necessary to take into account the rights of religious and ethnic minorities.  We condemn terrorism and extremism of any form as well as attempts to justify them by religion.  We consider it our duty to oppose enmity on political, ethnic, or religious grounds.  We deplore the activities by pseudo-religious groups and movements destroying the freedom and health of people as well as the ethical climate of societies."

"We call for an end to any insult to religious feelings and defilement of texts, symbols, names, or places held sacred by believers.  Through education and social action, we must reassert sustainable ethical values in the consciousness of people.  We believe these values to be given to us by the Almighty and deeply rooted in human nature.  We feel responsible for the moral condition of our societies, and we want to shoulder this responsibility in working together with states and civil associations enabling a life where ethical values are an asset and a source of sustainability."

"Human life is also interrelated with economy.  International economic order, as all other spheres of global architecture, should be based on justice.  A life lived only for financial profit and facilitating production progress becomes barren and meager.  We call on the business community to be open and responsible toward the civil society, including religious communities, at the national and global levels."

"The responsible distribution of the earth’s richness, in addition to just international trade and active humanitarian involvement, will help overcome the poverty and hunger suffered by billions of our brothers and sisters.  The concentration of the majority of the world’s wealth in the hands of a few, while an enormous number of people, especially children, live in abject poverty, is a global tragedy.  It will continue to destabilize the world, threatening global peace.  We call upon all nations to return to a life of moderation, self-restraint, and active justice.  This will effectively function to cut the ground out from under the feet of extremists and terrorists."

Conclusion
Every long journey begins with one small step forward.  Perhaps this first step taken in Moscow will bring us a long way into the future for peace.

June 18, 2006
A Milestone for Episcopalians

Every year, the National Workshop on Christian Unity gathers to discuss developments in the movement for Christian unity.  Beginning in 1967 as a gathering of Roman Catholics, the National Workshop has grown to include three major networks of ecumenical officers or representatives, executive directors of state and local councils of churches, and other interested persons.  Attendance averages 400 participants.  This year’s gathering May 8-11 at the Fairmont Hotel in the heart of the city of San José, California, followed this pattern and developed the theme Where Two or Three Are Gathered in My Name.

The keynote speaker was Dr. Richard Mouw, President of Fuller Seminary, who shared his experience as one who was converted to the ecumenical agenda.  He confessed that Pentecostal and Evangelical Christians are not very interested in the ecumenical agenda.  They tend to be more focused in the salvation of the individual rather than on questions of ecclesiology and church structure.  He pointed out that typically Evangelicals will ask about one’s relationship to Jesus rather than one’s relationship to the church.

The Bible studies on Wednesday and Thursday were led by Sister Diane Bergant of Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.  She stressed two ideas from the theme: "two or three gathered together" and "in my name."  Sister Bergant has been a participant in the Jewish-Catholic Dialogue of the Archdiocese of Chicago and an enthusiastic ecumenist.  She teaches Old Testament studies at CTU.

Seminars
I attended two national seminars.  The first reported on the Lutheran-Roman Catholic dialogue.  Dr. Michael Root first explained that the international report had not yet been published.  He lectured on the two published reports from the United States and from Germany.  The U.S. report is on The Church as Koinonia of Salvation: Its Structures and Ministries (Washington: USCCB, 2005).  The German report is entitled Communio Santorum: The Church as the Communion of Saints (English translation from the German, Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2005).

The second national seminar I attended was on Christian Churches Together in the United States (CCT).  Dr. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, President of this newly formed "forum" for dialogue, gave the history of this new venture for ecumenism with a broad representation of Christian "families" participating.  Actually, 25 churches representing Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical/Pentecostal/Holiness, and other "families" have decided to join the CCT. It gives great promise for a wider sharing in the ecumenical effort.

April 16, 2006
Proclaiming the Good News Together

Across the ecumenical spectrum, the nature and mission of the church is being discussed and debated.  The subject continues to divide Christians and prevents a credible spreading of the Gospel’s good news.  Pope Benedict XVI alluded to its importance in a letter he wrote to Alexei II, Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, on February 17, the Patriarch’s name day and birthday: "I would like to join this joyful celebration in spirit, and I invoke abundant blessings from the Lord upon you yourself and upon your ministry, generously dedicated to the great cause of the Gospel.  Gestures and words of renewed brotherhood between pastors of the Lord’s flock show that an ever more intense collaboration in truth and charity helps increase the spirit of communion that must guide the steps of all the baptized," he wrote.

A number of current dialogues explore this question, notably the World Council of Churches’ Faith and Order study on The Nature and Mission of the Church and the Lutheran-Roman Catholic (U.S.) study on The Church: Communion (Koinonia) of Salvation: Its Structures and Ministries (2005), among others.  These studies point out the harm which our divisions cause to the proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ.  Our divisions speak so loudly, our proclamation cannot be heard.

On the Ground ― In the Parish
What can be done "on the ground" and in our parish?  We are doing something; it is a small contribution at the moment, but it should grow and make a difference.  It involves friendship and a welcoming spirit.  As reported in this column on previous occasions, Saint Jean’s has welcomed ministers of other churches in our church and Parish House.  For three years, on Good Friday, two of them joined us for reflections on the Seven Last Words of Christ.  One is the Pastor of the Church of the Epiphany (Episcopal), the Reverend Canon Andrew Mullins.  The other is the Reverend Philip Hardt, Methodist minister, whose wife is a member of Saint Jean’s Parish.  Reverend Hardt teaches theology at Fordham University’s Lincoln Center campus.  Reverend Hardt loves to come to Saint Jean’s, and shares some of our programs.

All of this is not earthshaking, but it does indicate an atmosphere of friendship and collaboration which reflects the Gospel.  A colleague of mine once remarked that we will know the ecumenical goal is realized when we evangelize (proclaim the Gospel) together.  I believe he is right.

Good News
The heart of the Gospel is the good news that Jesus is the Word of God made flesh; that he lived among us, preached faith, hope, and love; that he suffered and died for us and rose for our justification and salvation.  Death and sin no longer control our lives; joy and the hope of our own resurrection give us strength to make our pilgrim way to heaven.

Christians proclaim this Gospel in their own churches; now we must learn to proclaim it together.  This is one of the aims of the ecumenical movement, the movement for Christian unity.  At the heart of this movement is prayer.  It begins with the prayer of Jesus: "that all may be one . . . so that the world may believe" (Jn 17:21).  It continues as we make his prayer our own and try to implement it in our daily lives.

March 19, 2006
Do Other Christians Observe Lent?

One of the "sticking points" of the Protestant Reformation was the liturgical practice of the Catholic Church of the Middle Ages.  While Easter was returned to its proper splendor among Protestants, Lent and its penitential spirit and practice became more and more foreign to them.  Ash Wednesday was not particularly marked; fast and abstinence were not encouraged.

Catholic practice stood fast from Ash Wednesday through Easter Sunday.  The modern liturgical movement and the increasing interest in Scripture prepared the way for the reform of Vatican II and renewed the celebration of the liturgical year beginning with the Sacred Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and especially the Easter Vigil.  The Easter Vigil had already been restored to its original importance and splendor in the 1950s under the pontificate of Pius XII.

However, the liturgical movement and the deeper interest in Scripture enjoyed a parallel development in other Christian churches.  Anglicans and Lutherans rejoiced that the Eucharist was seen as the center of Christian life and the reading of Scripture nurtured Christian prayer.  Indeed, practices like the distribution of ashes on Ash Wednesday can now be seen flourishing in Anglican, Lutheran, and Presbyterian parishes.  What has happened?

Father John Hotchkins, a priest from the Archdiocese of Chicago who has served as the Executive Director of the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity in Washington, DC, for two decades, often underscored that the real measure of success of the ecumenical movement is the degree to which it affects the spirituality of Christians.  By this standard, the agreed statements made at the highest levels of authority, provide giant strides toward unity, but the subtle and slow ebb and tide of practice and spirituality from the Catholic Church to Protestant communions, and vice-versa, are a truer barometer of change.

Evidence of this ebb and flow can be seen each Ash Wednesday. Not only do Catholics wear ashes as their badge of honor, but Protestants do as well. Indeed, Lent itself has taken on a new importance for all Christians.  Catholics are no longer the only ones who abstain from meat on Friday, but so do Protestants.  And observing Lent in preparation for Easter is common to all.

The Date of Easter
Orthodox and Catholics have been trying to find a way to observe Easter on the same date.  It is too complicated to spell out here, but the main difference has to do with the Orthodox use of the Julian calendar and the Catholic use of the Gregorian calendar.  Pope Gregory XIII subtracted ten days from the Julian calendar in 1582, to make the calendar more exact.  Controversy about the date of Easter has existed since the fourth century and the Council of Nicaea.  In theory, it would seem to be a simple matter to resolve.  The Catholic Church is already on record as being willing to follow the Orthodox calendar if that would help.  And yet, for 16 centuries a "fix" has not been found.  The present ecumenical climate increases the possibility of a solution.

Lent: A Season of Hope
The movement toward Christian unity has often been described as a marathon race not a 50-yard dash.  One must have great patience and stamina to run such a race.  One must keep the goal in mind, yet pace oneself for a long and arduous task.  With such patient optimism and effort, every step of the way is progress and leads to the ultimate result.  Similarly, every advance toward Christian unity is a leap toward God’s kingdom.

Lent provides much hope as it looks forward to the joy of Easter.  Likewise, the difficult ascent of the ecumenical mountain leads to the joy of steady achievement.  It also energizes us for the even steeper and more difficult steps leading to the top.

February 19, 2006
God, In Your Grace, Transform the World

More than 3,000 delegates, visitors, and observers gather together in Porto Allegre, Brazil, February 14-23, for the ninth Assembly of the World Council of Churches.  Its theme is God, In Your Grace, Transform the World.  These international religious gatherings occur every seven years; the last was in Harare, Zimbabwe, in 1998.  The main purpose of these gatherings is to assess what is happening around the world, especially in terms of progress toward Christian unity.

Reverend Dr. Samuel Kobia, General Secretary of the WCC, expressed the optimistic view that the assembly "can give an impulse toward a renewed ecumenical agenda for the 21st century."  The assembly will review programs and determine overall policies of the WCC, elect Presidents, and appoint a Central Committee which serves as the chief governing body of the WCC until the next assembly.  Over 700 delegates and their advisors, representing over 340 member churches of the WCC, will carry out their work in a program that will include prayer, Bible study, thematic plenary sessions, hearings, and committee work.

A Consensus Model
At the eighth assembly in Harare, the Orthodox participants threatened to leave the WCC because they felt they had little or no influence on its agenda.  The principle of majority vote simply left the various minorities "in the dust."  Thanks to a reorganization of the WCC and a desire for a wider consensus, majority rule was modified to achieve a greater balance.

The world has changed a great deal since the last assembly.  War in the Middle East has created the need for Christians to work harder for peace and interreligious collaboration to achieve it.  Since the beginning of the millennium, the WCC has worked hard in the first five years to promote a Decade to Overcome Violence.  The decade was launched by the WCC in 2001 as a way of mobilizing the peacemaking efforts of the churches, seeking to restore the authentic nature of our humanity in a context where violence has become so prevalent.  "God, in your grace, transform the world" is a prayer and a hope.  It reminds us that Jesus Christ has offered all humanity and the whole creation reconciliation and new life.

A Celebration
The assembly of the WCC is a time for prayer and reflection and for celebration.  It takes stock of progress made and of obstacles remaining to the goal of visible unity among all Christians and their churches.  In the history of the world, 60 years is a very short time to repair centuries of strife and division.  East and West, North and South must be reconciled amid ever new and daunting challenges.  How are we to reconcile Orthodox, Catholic, mainline Protestant, and Evangelical differences?  It may seem an impossible task, but the World Council continues to believe that all is possible, "in God’s grace."

A central element of the assembly will be the worship life, where the community will gather for prayer and meditation, drawing on the diverse spiritual experience of the churches around the world.  In his letter to the assembly, Dr. Kobia stressed the importance of the spiritual dimension of the assembly.  "I am convinced that the ecumenical movement will have to take spirituality much more seriously in order to nourish and more fully undergird our ecumenical experience together," he said.

The choice of Latin America was very important and intentional for the WCC.  Many of the concerns expressed by Dr. Kobia "are matters of daily life and survival.  The witness of Latin American churches in the midst of extreme injustice and the impact of globalization can offer a model of prophetic resistance and hope, to inspire us all," he declared.

Cardinal Walter Kasper, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, will attend the opening session and give greetings from Pope Benedict XVI.  Bishop Brian Farrell, Secretary of PCPCU, will head an official Catholic delegation of 18 observers.  This delegation will include members from the Roman Curia, bishops’ conferences, representatives of Superiors General based in Rome, and from lay movements.  Our prayers go with them.

January 22, 2006
"Where Two or Three Are Gathered in My Name. . . ."

Every year from January 18-25, Christians the world over are invited to pray for Christian unity.  This Week of Prayer began around 1907 by Father Paul Watson, the founder of the Atonement Friars of Graymoor, before his entrance into the Catholic Church with his community at Garrison, New York.  Abbé Paul Couturier of Lyons, France, also promoted a week of prayer for Christian unity "as Jesus wills it, when he wills it" between the feasts of Ascension and Pentecost each year.

Couturier recognized the great appeal of Watson’s Week of Prayer and promoted it.  Since Vatican II, with its insistence on spiritual ecumenism, praying for unity is a year-long endeavor.  Nevertheless, the Week of Prayer remains an important point of reference for work and prayer for unity among Christians.

The Theme
This year’s theme for the Week of Prayer, as in the past, was determined by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity in collaboration with the World Council of Churches.  The theme selected was Where Two or Three Are Gathered in My Name, There Am I in the Midst of Them (cf. Mt 18:15-22).  The theme was sent to Churches Together in Britain and Ireland for development.  In the United States, the Graymoor Ecumenical and Interreligious Institute hosted a group of Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Reform, and Roman Catholic ecumenists at the Interchurch Center in New York City to hone the theme for use in our country.

The theme is accompanied by a Scriptural reference with several verses to provide a context for the theme.  The ecumenical group in Britain and Ireland focused on reconciliation and stressed the need for it in that troubled area that has suffered violence for many years with tensions exacerbated by religious differences and intolerance.

The Context
The context for Jesus’ statement about prayer is the reconciliation of differences.  Jesus proposes three approaches to resolving disagreements.  The first is a one-on-one reconciliation done out of charity and without an audience.  The person who was wronged approaches the person who has wronged him or her and asks for an apology.  He or she is ready to forgive, and so provides an ambience where the offender can readily feel free and comfortable asking pardon.  The presupposition is that he or she is ready to forgive, since that is the Christian thing to do.  It is a practical exercise of the love of God in the neighbor that is the great Christian commandment.

The second approach is attempted when the first fails.  The offended person asks for the help of two or three friends in the hope that this will be more fruitful.  This delegation from the community demonstrates the collective love of the disciples of Jesus and appeals to the love of the offender for the community.  Finally, a last attempt is tried when the church itself, through its authority, is petitioned for a redress of grievances.  Should that fail, "excommunication" is a last resort.

In this context of a just redress of grievances, Jesus points out that "Wherever two or three agree on anything to be prayed for, it will be granted."  And Jesus gives the reason: "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Mt 18:22).

Application
Prayer for Christian unity is effective because it is the prayer of Jesus Christ.  It is inspired by the Holy Spirit and it is sure to achieve its goal.  Jesus himself prayed at the Last Supper ". . . that all may be one . . . so that the world will believe . . ." (Jn 17:20).  His prayer is always heard, and granted.

The ultimate outcome of his prayer is the unity of all Christians.  What shape that unity will take and how long it will take to achieve it, are not indicated.  But when we gather "in Jesus’ name," he is with us.  When we agree about what we are to ask for, he guarantees the prayer will be answered.

After 40 years of working and praying for the unity of Christians, some have lost their enthusiasm for this kind of prayer.  The Gospel repeatedly stresses the need for perseverance in prayer.  And the centuries of division should give us pause about the time it might take to right the wrongs.

God is with us.  This presence of Jesus in our midst should encourage our continued prayer for our ever deeper communion as members of his body, nourished by the bread of life.

December 25, 2005
Christmas and Christians

Joy to the world, the Lord has come!  In a very secular world, the religious message of Christmas is often difficult to hear.  Nevertheless, Christians the world over will proclaim the good news of Christ’s coming in history and prepare his coming in glory with carols of joy and greetings of best wishes.  This common proclamation of the good news and continual witness to Gospel values are at the heart of being Christian.

Christmas and Christian Unity
Christmas has a built-in ecumenical dimension.  It is easy to overlook it or make light of it. But a facet of being one "so that the world may believe" (Jn 17:21) is precisely that in spite of our divisions, we are one in our faith in Jesus Christ, Son of God and Savior of the world.  Through our common faith and the witness of our lives, we share the mission of Jesus Christ to the world.  He came to save the world from sin and death, and to give eternal life to all who believe in him.  We continue the mission of Jesus.

For centuries, Christians have focused on what divides them.  The ecumenical movement centers on what unites us.  The path to Christian unity is through reconciled diversity.  We must reconcile our differences in our common faith.  Our faith unites us in a common mission to the world.

Hope and Joy
On December 8, 1965, the Second Vatican Council brought down the curtain on its deliberations.  The council was over.  The final and crowning document of the 16 published by Vatican II was Gaudium et Spes (Joy and Hope): The Church in the Modern World.  This document is the blueprint of the church’s mission to the modern world.  As its opening words suggest, the mission of the church is to bring hope and joy to the world.  This hope springs from the good news that Jesus is the Son of God who saves the world from sin and death.

Our mission is to proclaim the Gospel not only in words, but in deeds.  This is the witness of our lives.  It is giving evidence that Jesus spoke the truth.  By his very being, he proclaimed that God is with us, Emmanuel.  All Christians, by their very being and baptism, share his mission to the world.

A Communion of Salvation
Since Vatican II, the international dialogue of Christians has focused on "What is the church?"  The best answer is that the church is a communion (koinonia) of salvation.  Salvation comes to us through Jesus Christ in the church.  The church continues the saving work of Jesus Christ in time and space.  "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col 1:27).  The church is the body of Christ, head and members, who continue his mission in the world.  Salvation is its mission, its business, and its goal.  God does not abandon the world; he saves it.

A Common Mission
Proclaiming joy and glad tidings in the spirit of Christmas is another way of saying we are Christians.  We share a common mission, a common calling, and a common feast.  Merry Christmas!

November 27, 2005
The Authority of the Church in the World

The Faith and Order Commission of the National Council of Churches of Christ USA met at the Bangor Theological Seminary in Portland, Maine, October 13-15.  As a member of the commission approved by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, I represent religious communities of men and women in this country.  It has been my pleasure to serve on the commission for two years.  During this time, I have served on a working group studying The Authority of the Church in the World.  This work is part of the discussion on the nature and mission of the church which has been the focus of a worldwide consultation on the subject.

For the person in the pew, the question might easily be asked: "Why is this subject being treated?"  One answer is because the church seems to have lost its ability to speak to the world today.  Given the secularization of the world, the division of the churches, and the continuing tale of scandals of abuse, the edge with which the church could affect world events seems to have dulled.

There are other reasons for the study, especially to have the churches speak with one voice and in a way in which the church can be heard above the many voices claiming attention in our very complex world ― media, politics, culture, etc.

Theologians from a wide spectrum of persuasions have met under the auspices of the NCCC/Faith and Order Commission to study the question.  At the meeting in Portland, our working group studied an earlier draft and prepared for a publication at our next meeting in March 2006.  Theologians from Orthodox, Catholic, Lutheran, Episcopalian, United Church of Christ, Holiness, Evangelical, Black Baptist churches, and the Society of Friends (Quakers) sat around the table and shared their perspective on what is happening and what might help the cause of promoting the kingdom of God.  The discussion has been fruitful, enlightening, and challenging.

Biblical Roots
In this context, a study of authority in the Bible is paramount.  (An earlier quadrennial working group studied authority in the church.)  What does the Bible say about authority and the world?  Dr. Arland J. Hultgren, Lutheran Co-chair, teaches New Testament Studies at Concordia Lutheran Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and did much of the research on this aspect of the question.  The other Co-chair is Terry Nichols, a Catholic layman who teaches theology at Saint Thomas Seminary in the same city.  He has contributed the lion’s share of the theological insight into the question.

In a section called "Affirmations," the draft text says that the churches need to root their arguments in Scripture if they are to be heard by Christians who recognize no other authority (sola Scriptura).  An added reason for a solid grounding in Scripture is that the proclamation of the Gospel is precisely the mission of the church and flows from its very nature.

Speaking to the World
While the study is a work in progress, it is already taking final shape.  After the final draft is completed, the study will be sent to the churches for response.  Accompanying the core text will be a series of papers written by representatives of various churches indicating initial responses from these perspectives.

It is a pleasure to be part of this work.  One of the important reasons for the study is to help the churches to speak with one voice in a world of cacophony.  Another reason, the authenticity of moral leadership will be the acid test of whether or not the message is heard as the voice of the Shepherd.

September 18, 2005
Christian Church (Disciples)

It is now two and a half years since I arrived in New York City, and I have yet to visit many churches in my first effort to visit at least one church of each denomination.  A number of these churches are a short walking distance from Saint Jean’s.  My most recent visit was to Park Avenue Christian Church, located on Park Avenue at East 85th Street.  The congregation is part of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

I first learned about the Disciples in New Mexico.  Dr. Wallace Ford, who was Executive Secretary of the New Mexico Council of Churches, was one of the ecumenical colleagues I got to know best during my years in the Southwest.  He is a very dedicated ecumenist who served NMCC for 18 years.  We are very good friends and came to appreciate each other and what we were able to do together for Christian unity.

A Bit of History
Unlike many of the dialogue partners of the Catholic Church, the Christian Church (Disciples) did not stem from the Reformation.  Indeed, Thomas Campbell and his son Alexander were Presbyterians who did not want to establish a denomination.  They wanted to reform Presbyterians and bring them back to the fundamental views of John Calvin, especially his understanding and practice of the Eucharistic celebration (Lord’s supper).  The division within the Presbyterian Church and indeed among all Christians was something the Campbells saw as a scandal.  Unwillingness to allow a sharing of the Eucharist by baptized Christians was particularly harmful in their eyes.

One of the outstanding members of the Christian Church (Disciples) I met along the way and came to admire greatly is Dr. Paul Crow, who was President of the Disciples for many years.  Paul was able to convince the Vatican that a dialogue with the Disciples would be profitable and instructive.  It would raise issues that are independent and beyond the age-old questions connected with the Reformation and its struggles.  It would focus particularly on what the church needs to be today for Gospel witness.  Paul is one of many Disciples who are professional ecumenists.  His church gives Christian unity very high priority as did its founders.

Park Avenue Christian Church
Park Avenue Christian is an impressive Gothic building in our fashionable uptown neighborhood.  It is just north of Saint Ignatius Loyola Church at Park Avenue and East 84th Street and a few steps from Park Avenue Methodist Church at Park Avenue and East 86th Street.  The Pastor of Park Avenue Christian is the Reverend Joseph R. "Bo" Crowe.  He is a graduate of Southern universities and seminaries and is a teacher and preacher who loves to study the parables.

We had a lovely conversation about our family backgrounds and our concerns about our neighborhood.  We spoke of the coalition of parishes in Upper East Side Manhattan that pray and work together for common projects, especially for the poor and homeless.  We also discussed plans for the fourth anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center of September 11, 2001.  Park Avenue Christian Church hosted a memorial service and a discussion about the future last Sunday evening.

Reverend Crowe is a learned man whom I already consider a friend and colleague.  I look forward to working with him and his congregation in the coming months.

August 7, 2005
Our Methodist Neighbors

What do Methodists and Roman Catholics have in common?  Perhaps a lot more than we realize.  John and Charles Wesley started a movement within the Church of England for greater reverence and devotion in the celebration of the liturgy.  They met for prayer in Anglican churches and extended their influence across the Atlantic to the United States.  John Wesley died a devout clergyman of the Anglican Communion.  When he could not find an Anglican bishop to ordain the priests he was sending to this country, he decided to ordain them himself.  John Asberry was one of the first such missionaries sent to the New World.

The polity of the Methodist Church, especially in the United States, is very similar to Anglican polity.  The House of Bishops is part of the Annual Conference (the name for the national church), with the other house being composed of clergy and lay members.  The bishops have similar authority to assign clergy after consideration with the local congregation, and they exercise authority in matters of doctrine.

One of the outstanding similarities with Roman Catholics is the stress on piety and personal morality.  The Methodist movement was historically grounded in the mystical experience of John Wesley at a prayer meeting on Aldersgate Street, London.  In Philadelphia, then the capital of the United States, Methodists attended Anglican services until a time came when they felt the need to have their own worship space.  At the present time, especially under Archbishop of Canterbury Michael Ramsey (1961-1974), there is a continuing effort to reunite Anglicans and Methodists.  Though the first effort failed in the 1970s, the current one seems to be succeeding and "full communion" seems possible in the near future.

Neighbors to the North
Here at Saint Jean Baptiste, our immediate neighbors to the north are Park Avenue United Methodist Church.  The Pastor is Reverend William S. Shillady.  I had the pleasure of visiting with him on Wednesday, July 20.  We had met when I first arrived in New York two and a half years ago; he hosted a clergy gathering concerning low-income and available housing on the Upper East Side.  This recent visit provided me with an opportunity to reconnect with the housing effort and other issues which we share together in ministry.  We also talked about our churches and Christian unity.

One of the points we discussed was interchurch families and how we might work together to support them.  We also talked about our common concern for housing in our neighborhood.  Faith and order, life and work are the two focal points for ecumenical sharing.  Both provide wide avenues for cooperation.

We spoke of common experiences.  Mine were of friends and colleagues in New Mexico, and Dr. Shillady’s of his Roman Catholic friends.  I also recalled my experience in Charleston, South Carolina, where the Diocese collaborated in a quadrilateral ecumenical effort called LARCM (Lutheran-Anglican-Roman Catholic-Methodist).  In the Bible Belt, it is imperative that Christians hold together.  I was invited to give a weekend of study to parish ecumenical representatives (PER) of the Diocese of Charleston and learned of this rather unique collaborative effort.  Parish ecumenical representatives are important for a sustained effort to promote Christian unity at the parish level.

Future Relations
The future of Methodist-Roman Catholic relations is quite positive.  Geoffrey Wainwright is Co-chair of the International Dialogue on the Methodist side.  The Catholic Co-chair is Bishop Michael Putney of Townsville, Australia.  Their latest joint statement is Speaking the Truth in Love: Teaching Authority Among Catholics and Methodists.  This is a report of the international dialogue (seventh series) from 1997 to 2001.  It is a significant contribution to the ongoing discussion on this topic.

My own insight into this relationship is that if Anglicans are one of our nearest cousins among the churches of the Reformation, the Methodists are our cousins "once removed."  And should full communion occur on their side and ours, we will be a united family.

July 17, 2005
An Ecumenical Baptism at Saint Jean Baptiste

Doing baptism ecumenically should be frequent.  However, in my nearly 50 years of priesthood, I have not often had the opportunity to do so.  This is because for many years I served as a seminary professor, which limited the number of baptisms I celebrated.  Another and more obvious reason was because prior to Vatican II doing a baptism ecumenically was not possible.  The Second Vatican Council made ecumenical baptism possible and desirable.

June 26, 2005
Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ

On March 16, 2005, in Seattle, Washington, the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission released the text of its latest agreed statement on Mary and what Anglicans and Roman Catholics can affirm together about her role in salvation and Christian belief and devotion.  For some time, this topic has been under discussion by the International Commission, and after devoting considerable time to drafting this document of 16,000 words, the time had come to publish its findings.

The document will have few surprises for Roman Catholics.  It affirms that the two Marian dogmas concerning the immaculate conception and the assumption are "consonant with Scripture" and "follow the trajectory of grace and hope" which Christian tradition continues to affirm both before and after the Reformation.

Reports of reaction from Anglicans are positive, though a group of evangelical Anglicans finds fault with some of the methodology and sees a problem in the conclusions, given the evangelical emphasis on the unique mediatorship of Jesus Christ for salvation, "solus Christus."

What is encouraging for all those who work and pray for Christian unity is the fact that the Marian dogmas are no longer considered to be "communion dividing" and that there is much that can be affirmed "together" by Anglicans and Roman Catholics which seemed to divide them in the past.

Also encouraging is the very careful study of Scripture which outlines the "trajectory" of grace underpinning the immaculate conception and the instances of "assumption" of champions into heaven in the Hebrew Scriptures (Enoch and Elijah) and the "special place" mentioned in the New Testament (Book of Revelation/Apocalypse) for Mary.

Early Christian tradition, fathers of the church (Athanasius, Irenaeus, etc.) and early ecumenical councils (Nicaea, Constantinople, and especially Ephesus) confirm the insights from Scripture.  The title Theotokos (Bearer of God/Mother of God), which was defended at the Council of Ephesus and became the standard appellation for Mary in the liturgy of the East, bears witness to the special role of Mary in salvation history. Similar witness to Mary’s sharing in the glory of Christ’s triumph over death is affirmed in the liturgical feasts of the Assumption and the Dormition of Mary in the West and the East.

Mary’s Intercession
One of the "church dividing issues" of the past that has been laid to rest is the taboo against praying to the saints found in the Thirty-nine Articles and other Protestant confessional statements.  The document states simply that such prayer is not "adoration" of the saints nor does it make them like gods.  We ask our friends to pray for us; why not the saints?  Indeed, why not the mother of Jesus and our spiritual mother, Mary?

As the document repeats, such honoring of Mary does not detract from the central importance of Jesus as our Redeemer or of his singular role in the distribution of saving grace.  However, Mary’s role and distinctive ministry in the history of salvation and in the power of her intercession does need to be affirmed by Catholics and Anglicans alike.

Future Progress
For many, this agreed statement after a winter of discontent is like a breath of spring.  Some have affirmed that Christian unity was not possible given some of the actions and positions taken by some member churches of the Anglican Communion.

Others felt that the dialogue was "dead in the water," but Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ is a sign of the resiliency of ecumenical dialogue and of the "irrevocable commitment" which drives the movement forward.  As the angel explained to Mary in the annunciation, "Nothing is impossible for God."

May 15, 2005
The Church: Communion of Salvation

Just when it seems that nothing is happening, another important breakthrough is achieved in dialogues between Lutherans and Roman Catholics.  The United States Lutheran-Roman Catholic Dialogue has just published its tenth report entitled The Church as Koinonia of Salvation: Its Structures and Ministries (Washington, DC: USCCB, 2005).  This study is significant for several reasons.

First, the study interprets remaining issues between the Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation in the light of the agreed statement on justification signed in October 1999.  Second, the study uses koinonia theology as a lens through which it examines remaining issues separating our churches.  Communion (koinonia) theology has been developing steadily since the Second Vatican Council.  The report on this tenth round of dialogues emphasizes that this theology is not an end to be achieved, but a focus that clarifies the remaining issues that divide us.

Dr. Susan Wood, who teaches theology at Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota, highlighted the report in a workshop in New Orleans, Louisiana, at the National Workshop on Christian Unity, April 4-7.  The issues of authority, ministry, and papacy continue to need much work.  The agreed statement on justification by grace in faith is a major break-through in the dialogue with Lutherans.  A way was found which respects Lutheran values and Catholic doctrine.  At the same time, this method distinguishes fundamental disagreements and mere theological points of view.

One thing becomes clearer in the ecumenical dialogue, namely, the need for reception of the progress made at the theological level.  It is useless to pile up documents and agreed statements if they are not received by the highest authority and implemented "on the ground."  The implementation at the level of Diocese and parish is wanting.  For 40 years, the dialogues have produced many important documents that clarify the points of convergence and divergence between our churches.  Now, the people in the pews need to assimilate these new understandings.

Pope Benedict XVI underscores in recent statements that the Catholic Church is "irrevocably committed" to Christian unity.  It has high priority on his agenda for the church in the coming years.  He prays, as we do, "that all may be one . . . so that the world may believe" (Jn 17:21).

Universal Church and Local Congregation
One of the distinct contributions of the tenth round of U.S. dialogues is the development of the theology of the universal church and the local congregation.  While the Catholic Church is very strong in its teaching about the universal church, especially in the First and Second Ecumenical Vatican councils, the Lutherans have developed a rich theology of the local congregation.  The local congregation is where most people experience salvation.  It is where the Gospel is preached and the sacraments are celebrated.  For Lutherans, these are the outstanding signs of the church.  Similarly, most Catholics experience salvation and the church in the proclamation of the Gospel and the celebration of the sacraments.  These are gifts that Catholics and Lutherans share.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America established a network of synods with supervisors who are called bishops.  The authority and function of these bishops is one of the subjects presently under discussion.  Authority and ministry are the focus of much of the discussion between our churches.

Immanuel Lutheran Church at Lexington Avenue and 88th Street is the closest Lutheran neighbor to Saint Jean Baptiste.  (Saint Peter Lutheran Church is very well known for its ministry to jazz musicians.)  I had the pleasure of meeting the Pastor of Immanuel Lutheran, the Reverend Gregory Fryer, at the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity service at Saint Monica’s in January 2005.  I look forward to seeing him again soon.

April 17, 2005
The Church and the World

Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, has been called the birthplace of the civil rights movement in the United States.  Martin Luther King, Jr., was one of its most distinguished alumni. Jesse Jackson also attended this prestigious school for Afro-American students.

It was a privilege to meet at the Martin Luther King, Jr., International Chapel for meetings of the National Council of Churches’ Faith and Order Commission, March 17-19.  Dr. Edward Lawrence Carter, Sr., Dean of the chapel, is a member of the Faith and Order Commission and invited us to meet there.  Currently, the commission is working on the World Council of Churches’ Faith and Order paper (n. 181) entitled The Nature and Purpose of the Church: A Stage on the Way to a Common Statement, dated November 1998.  As the subtitle states, this is a document "in progress," and the World Council of Churches has asked national commissions to study the document and suggest ways of improving the text so that a final draft may be sent to the churches for adoption.

In addition to working with the commission as a whole, I am working with the group discussing "The Authority of the Church in the World."  A working group which preceded us worked on the subject of the authority within the church.  The present group is more concerned with the credibility of the church in the world and how the church can witness more effectively to the values and truths of the Gospel in our modern world.  We worked on a paper, The World, written by R. Keelan Downton, who teaches at Messiah College and Rockland County Community College.  (He is a native of Suffern, New York, where the Blessed Sacrament Congregation had Eymard Seminary for over 50 years.)  His paper helped us to define the "world" we want to address.

At our working sessions, we were able to hear from a number of Afro-American Baptist churches, as well as staff members of the National Council of Churches who met in Memphis, Tennessee, in January 2004.  Ann Riggs, Director of NCCC/Faith and Order, thought that meeting was very significant and it would be important for us to hear from these voices.  I was particularly struck by the presentation of Brenda Mitchell of the Washington Office of Social Justice of the National Council of Churches.

She attended the Memphis meeting and reported on a stirring address given by the Reverend Jesse Jackson. Four major Baptist Afro-American churches participated in and hoped that the meeting would move them to greater unity among themselves.  Jesse Jackson emphasized that what made the civil rights movement strong and effective in the 1960s was the clarity of vision and the strong bond of unity among blacks.  Jackson noted that there was no disagreement about the major issues then.  As for the controversial issues of today, the audience agreed they were of little or no concern to blacks.  Jackson encouraged the black churches to concentrate on the major issues on which all can agree and to forget about the very controversial and marginal issues that divide society today.

Jackson’s advice was at the heart of what the representatives from the Afro-American churches had to say to the Faith and Order Commission.  We need to focus again on the central issues on which the churches agree.  We need to find our strength in the things that unite us, rather than dissipate it on the things that divide us. It is good advice, and we need to heed it.

It was good to be in Atlanta, to ride the wonderful rapid transit system (MARTA) from our hotel (Buckhead Crowne Plaza) to Morehouse, and to enjoy the marvelous Southern hospitality.  But more importantly, it was great to be inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Afro-American community to move forward with the work of speaking for the church to the world with a voice that rings with the authority of Jesus.

March 20, 2005
It’s a Small World After All

Rabbi Jonathan Stein is the chief rabbi at Temple Shaaray Tefila at East 79th Street and Second Avenue.  He is Rabbi Paul Citrin’s classmate and served Congregation Beth Israel in San Diego, which Paul now serves.  Paul Citrin and I began the Jewish-Catholic Dialogue in Albuquerque, New Mexico, 20 years ago.  At that time, Congregation Albert and Saint Charles Borromeo Church were both on Lead Avenue only a few blocks apart.  Since then, much proverbial water has flowed under the bridge.

On March 1, I was invited by the Jewish-Catholic Dialogue of New Mexico to return "home" to give some of the story of our beginning at the Twelfth Annual Colloquium, whose theme was Looking Back, Looking Forward.  I was the luncheon speaker.  It was good to be back for this walk down memory lane.  Thanks for the memories!

In my talk and also in my conversations with Paul Logan of the Albuquerque Journal, I emphasized the uniqueness of our dialogue.  It was a gathering of friends.  We "built bridges" not in brick and mortars, but in relationships.  And thus we were able to establish a unique atmosphere for conversation on a profound level.  We were able to discuss our faith, spirituality, and hopes for the future as well as current problems. Indeed, the level of conversation was truly unique.

Paul Citrin and I were convinced that the Jewish-Catholic Dialogue was important.  We both had experience in New England and New York State of a continuing dialogue and collaboration.  My experience in Dutchess County, New York, was with the establishment of the Dutchess Interfaith Council.  Paul Citrin’s experience was in the Boston, Massachusetts, area.  Our first meeting opened an avenue of friendship that continues (Paul left a message on my e-mail a couple weeks ago.  He was delighted to know that I was returning to Albuquerque for the Twelfth Annual Colloquium).

Jewish-Catholic Dialogue
Vatican II, in Nostra Aetate, speaks of the unique relationship between Christians and Jews.  We are all "children of Abraham, our father in faith."  Christians are children by adoption; Jews are children by birth and God’s covenant.  We have much to share.  We worship the same God.  Our liturgical year is centered on the paschal feast of Easter and Passover.  Our moral code is very similar.  In the United States, we struggled together against religious prejudice.  Our struggle continues today.

Over the years, the Jewish-Catholic Dialogue in New Mexico was able to develop an excellent educational program.  This program was the first foundation for the annual colloquia that began in 1994.  We also shared worship together over the years.  These worship services were both Jewish and Christian.  At times, we attended the High Holy Days at Congregation Albert.  At other times, we celebrated our faith in a Catholic parish or a Jewish synagogue.  Worship and learning were the twin pillars of our progress together in dialogue.  Monthly meetings of the dialogue team and annual meetings with the Archbishop of Santa Fe and Jewish leaders helped us to keep the conversation going and to deepen our relationship.

There are those who believe that theology divides.  Our experience is that theological dialogue unites.  But to be able to discuss theology seriously, an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect needs to be developed.  In that climate, friendships are made and the truth emerges.

February 20, 2005
The Billy Graham Evangelical Crusade for New York

Billy Graham will be coming to Madison Square Garden June 23-25.  What has that to do with Saint Jean Baptiste Church?  Probably, not a whole lot.  Billy Graham may be a household word because so many millions of people have seen him on television or in the local press.  However, his Evangelistic Society and his crusades are less well known.

I had the privilege of working with the Billy Graham folks in Albuquerque, NM, about four years ago when a very successful campaign was held in the basketball arena of the University of New Mexico known as "The Pit."  The goal of the campaign/crusade was to gather 25,000 participants at the high point of the week.  This was done successfully by filling The Pit and having the 10,000 additional participants view the proceedings on closed circuit television in the football stadium across University Avenue.  During the course of the three-day evangelistic campaign, over 100,000 people took part in the prayer, singing, and listening, including youth, senior citizens, and others.  Special events were designed for various groups in addition to the daily services in the evenings.

My involvement was due to my position as Ecumenical Officer of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe and the request of Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan that I do what I could to collaborate with the Graham team.  For a while, I served on the steering committee which got the campaign started.  Later, I asked Deacon Juan Barajas of the Archdiocesan Office for Evangelization to accept to serve on the central committee of the campaign.  He kept me informed, and we worked together.

The campaign received extensive coverage (front page, usually) in the local press during the celebration.  After the campaign was over, the Archdiocese received 2,000 names of Catholic Christians who requested they be contacted by local churches.

The campaign itself was a deeply religious experience.  Members of local choirs added their voices, and among them were a good number of Catholics, reflecting the Catholic majority of New Mexico.  The Graham people were delighted with the results.  We all felt it was a successful ecumenical effort.

Plans for New York
Our Pastor, Father Schueller, passed me a letter from the Graham Evangelistic Society some months ago and asked me to look into the matter.  I attended a morning breakfast meeting on January 4 at the Southgate Hotel (near Madison Square Garden), where I met other Pastors and persons from Manhattan who will be working with the Graham organizers.  Unfortunately, I was the only Roman Catholic there, but there were many similar meetings for Pastors in the Tri-state area to get support for this evangelistic crusade.  Many additional meetings will follow, especially to organize and train volunteers.

Saint Jean Baptiste may not be very involved in the Billy Graham Crusade, but as an ecumenically-sensitive parish and a place where so much is happening, especially to spread the Gospel, it is appropriate that we be aware of what is happening on our doorstep.

The Catholic Church and Evangelical Christians
The Catholic Church in the United States does not have an official dialogue with evangelical churches.  However, a conversation has been going on for many years with representatives of this Christian community.  Cooperating with the Billy Graham Crusade is one way we can continue the movement toward Christian unity that we all desire.

January 23, 2005
Christ, the One Foundation of the Church (1 Cor 3:1-23)

The theme for this year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (January 18-25) is Christ, the One Foundation of the Church.  It was proposed by the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity of the Vatican.  The Theological Commission of the Ecumenical Council of Churches in Slovakia developed this theme.  The preparatory group reflected on the following questions: 1. What is the foundation on which the new "existence" of their churches is being built? 2. Is there a space to grow in unity as the respective confessional communities grow? 3. What are the means for strengthening the service of the church?

December 19, 2004
Christian Churches Together

On November 17, the Catholic bishops of the United States took a historic step toward Christian unity by joining the new ecumenical forum called Christian Churches Together in the USA. This new initiative in the ecumenical movement in this country began with a meeting of church leaders in September 2001 in Baltimore, MD.  The leaders lamented the absence of any one place where the wide diversity of Christian churches can officially come together to strengthen their unity in Christ and empower their mission. They were determined to expand and broaden fellowship, unity, and witness among the diverse expressions of Christian faith.

The approval of the USCCB is a critical and first step in the establishment of Christian Churches Together.  Had the bishops not approved this step, the idea would have folded.  However, by a more than two to one margin (151-73), the bishops approved joining the CCT.  This organization is still in its initial phase of seeking 25 or more denominations/churches to represent five families identified as Evangelical/Pentecostal, Historic Protestant, Historic Racial/Ethnic, Orthodox, and Roman Catholic.  The new organizational plan provides for 20% of the membership in the General Assembly to be representatives from participant national Christian organizations (selected according to criteria to be developed by the Steering Committee of CCT).

The first phase of CCT will be one of seeking participant members and beginning the work of prayer, dialogue, and building trust and confidence among its members.  In a second phase, CCT will seek ways and means of proclaiming and witnessing to Christian values and concerns.

The first phase provides for modest financial contributions from the participating members, enough to provide for staff (a Director and Assistant) and initial costs of operation.  This will come from the annual budget of the USCCB’s Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs for the Catholic Church.

An Important Step Forward
The Catholic Church is not a member of the World Council of Churches or of the National Council of Churches.  Indeed, it was not a part of the worldwide ecumenical movement before Vatican II.  However, with a sea change in its attitude toward this movement, the Catholic Church is now "irrevocably committed" to pursuing Christian unity.  Joining the CCT is considered to be a step toward promoting this unity which the Catholic Church desires.

Though there has been some reluctance among the American bishops to join ecumenical agencies at the Diocesan level, this move is significant for the United State Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Catholic Church.  The Vatican indicated its desire for the USCCB to vote positively for CCT because it is a means of promoting Christian unity worldwide.

CCT is not the goal, but it is an important step forward.  Though bishops in 70 countries (and regions) have approved joining ecumenical agencies at the national and regional levels, the bishops of many countries have not done so.

Evaluation
The positive endorsement of Catholic participation in the CCT is a breath of fresh air to the ecumenical movement in the United States.  It demonstrates the trust and confidence that have developed between the Catholic Church and mainline Protestants as well as with Evangelicals and Pentecostals.  This new forum will permit the Catholic Church to engage in a multilateral dialogue which to date has not been possible anywhere.  This was the driving force in the reorganization of the World Council of Churches in recent years.  Beyond the churches in that organization and its national counterpart, the CCT enlarges the table to include Christians who have been reluctant to engage in ecumenical dialogue until now.

While it would be premature to indicate the expectations from this agency, it does open a new vista to the movement for Christian unity and brings fresh energy to a cause that was close to the heart of Jesus ("May they be one . . . so that the world may believe," Jn 17:20), yet has not been achieved by Christians for more than a thousand years.