Ecumenical
Corner
MONTHLY
REFLECTIONS ON ECUMENISM
BY FR. ERNEST FALARDEAU,
S.S.S.
From the Bulletin of Saint Jean Baptiste Catholic Church, New York City
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May 25, 2008
Upper East Side Clergy Gather
Reverend Bill Shillady, the Pastor of Park Avenue United Methodist Church, and Rabbi Jonathan Stein, the Senior Rabbi at Temple Shaaray Tefila, invited clergy from Manhattan’s Upper East Side for breakfast on Tuesday, May 6. Many attended the meeting which had no other agenda than "to find common ground and schedule future meetings."
Reverend Shillady was the preacher at the Annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service at Temple Shaaray Tefila on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving Day, November 20. He invited Rabbi Stein to breakfast as a "follow-up," to explore what they might do together. They decided to ask the other Pastors in the neighborhood for their advice.
Among those attending were a good number of rabbis from different synagogues, three Catholic priests from Saint Ignatius, Saint Monica, and Saint Jean Baptiste, an Episcopal priest, and a Christian Church (Disciples) minister. In all, about a dozen clergy were present.
Common Ground
Common ground emerged as those attending recalled some of the times when the
clergy had worked together or had shared a common concern. Actually, a
meal had been shared with police officers from our precinct for better working
relations. After September 11, 2001, several ecumenical memorials were
celebrated in the neighborhood to comfort the families of victims of the
tragedy. A drop-in center for the homeless was established by the Upper
East Side churches and synagogues on East 77 Street. A coalition was
formed to press for affordable housing in the neighborhood. Over 20 local
parishes serve meals to the poor and homeless each week. The Yorkville Common
Pantry collects and distributes non-perishable food items at the churches
throughout the year.
These are just a few of the projects of the past or currently sponsored by the Upper East Side parishes. In addition, the Thanksgiving Interfaith Service is celebrated each year and is well attended, although wider attendance will be encouraged in the future.
Future Meetings
Participants in the meeting appreciated the opportunities for fellowship and
collaboration. Yet, Pastors already have many meetings to attend because
of their various ministries; it is difficult to expand an already busy schedule.
They agreed to explore what can be done. A follow-up breakfast meeting was
scheduled for June 17 at Park Avenue United Methodist Church, hosted by Reverend
Shillady.
Thank You
Father Anthony Schueller, the Pastor of Saint Jean Baptiste, was in Ohio for
ministry at the time of the meeting. He asked me to replace him at the
breakfast meeting, which I was very happy to do. I had previously met some
of the clergy who were present, and was glad to see them again as well as to
meet others who were there. I was especially pleased that this initiative
was taken by others and that I could "go along for the ride." I thanked
Rabbi Stein and Reverend Shillady for inviting us to this gathering and for its
promise.
At the National Workshop on Christian Unity in April of this year, I attended a seminar discussing interfaith collaboration on Chicago’s north side. Christian, Jewish, and Moslem clergy meet regularly simply to keep the lines of communication open. When something critical happens, whether on the local, national, or international scene, they already have a bond that helps them take necessary action. I asked them what we might do in New York. Their answer was: do anything, but do something. Keeping the lines of communication open is already a significant first step.
April 6, 2008
Another interesting tidbit is that the Jewish calendar and the Christian calendar are different. In fact, it was the cause of one of the earliest schisms in the church. The Quartodecimans got their name because they thought the Christian Easter should be celebrated on the same day as the Jewish Passover, namely, the fourteenth day of the month of Nisan. The Jewish calendar is a lunar or "moon" calendar with each month having 28 days. The Christian calendar is a solar or "sun" calendar with a different number of days in each month.
This may seem esoteric for most readers, but it has been an ongoing discussion since the beginning. The Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (325 A.D.) decided ― among other questions ― the date of the Christian Easter and it has stayed firm, namely, the first Sunday after the first full moon of the vernal equinox. Actually, the church was interested in accuracy: to celebrate Easter as closely as possible to the time Jesus died, was buried, and rose from the grave. The compromise was to use the Julian calendar (which was very accurate for its time) and the lunar calendar followed by the Jewish community, in an effort to determine the date of Easter as closely as possible.
Sign of Division ― Sign of Unity
The date of Easter is only one sign of the divisions which exist among
Christians. While most Christians are agreed on the way they calculate
Easter, it still doesn’t guarantee that they will celebrate on the same date
each year. With Easter so early, and almost "out of date" this year, we
can begin to appreciate the many attempts to get Christians and their churches
to agree on a single date for Easter. Instead of being a sign of division,
the date of Easter could be a practical and readily available sign of Christian
unity. The United Nations has gotten into the act and has proposed that
Easter be celebrated on the same date each year (for example, on the second
Sunday of April). At the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church
indicated it would be favorable to such a common determination of the date of
Easter.
Does it matter? It does matter if you are looking to unite people in a common project or showing signs of unity. Fixing the date of Easter could be that kind of project or sign. Shakespeare asked: "What’s in a name?" Similarly, we might ask how important is it to celebrate Easter on the same day? Christians should agree on the essentials and allow diversity for non-essentials. The date of Easter has a long history and created no small amount of controversy. We should study that history, appreciate our diversity, and continue to pray for greater unity in our faith and practice.
February 24, 2008
Sorrow and contrition are part of the spiritual context of Lent, and so it is fitting during this season to reflect on the reasons why we should lament our divisions as Christians. We should beg God to help us to remedy this painful situation as we join in the prayer of Jesus that all may be one so that the world may believe (Jn 17:20).
The Blame Game vs. Sharing
of Gifts
There was a time when churches blamed one another for the division of
Christians. Vatican II realized this was not only unproductive, it was
also not helpful. Both sides share the blame for the existing divisions of
Christians. Misunderstanding, lack of communications, differing
perspectives, and cultures all contributed to the separation of Christians.
And in the widening gap between Christians, misinterpretations and
misrepresentations further aggravated the rift.
Cardinal Kasper pointed out that Christians should feel a genuine sense of scandal that divisions exist. They should pray to remedy the situation and help Christians to forgive one another and to learn from the past. For more than a hundred years, Christians have been meeting together, dialoguing together, asking questions of each other in an atmosphere of profound respect and desire to recognize each other as brothers and sisters. The Holy Spirit has given each of the Christian churches gifts that complement and enrich one another. The exchange of gifts is the paradigm that better explains where Christian relations are and how they can improve.
In his address to the cardinals, Cardinal Kasper has drawn the broad picture of progress made in modern times. Not only is there a greater civility in the discourse, there is a genuine desire to see that God’s will is done in the pursuit of a unity that would have been unthinkable a hundred years ago. He states that over the centuries there have been many groups and individuals who have prayed for Christian unity, long before the modern ecumenical movement ever began. Their prayers have been answered to a remarkable degree. Yet there is still much to be done. Indeed, new obstacles to unity arise even as successful progress is made. History does not stand still.
The movement for Christian unity is also a movement for peace and justice. It is a movement for respect for human rights and the dignity of persons. The movement for Christian unity promotes religious freedom and truth in faith. This explains why the movement for Christian unity is both "faith and order" and "life and work."
The irrevocable commitment of the Catholic Church and other churches to pursue Christian unity answers the prayer of Jesus Christ himself. Our prayer is an extension and actualization of his own.
The season of Lent is a time of repentance, prayer, and good deeds which bring new life and hope to all Christians. In that spirit, we find new strength and hope for the future and for our journey toward the realization of God’s kingdom in a troubled world. The journey leads us together to the home of our Father.
January 20, 2008
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2008
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
The Faith and Order Commission of the National Council of Churches completed its current quadrennium with the approval of a text on Authority of the Church in the World. This text followed a four-year study on Authority in the Church which the commission was asked to produce earlier. I joined the Faith and Order Commission as a Catholic member representing the Catholic bishops’ Committee on Ecumenism and Interreligious Affairs, one of six Catholic members who are religious men and women. It has been a wonderful learning experience.
The other members of the working group represent a much wider spectrum of churches than I had experienced before. It ranged from Ancient Orthodox to Holiness and Pentecostal churches, and the product was not only approved by the Faith and Order Commission but was recommended to the National Council of Churches as a theological reflection that might well serve as a basis for a policy statement on the subject in the future.
How can the church speak with credulity to a world that grows more and more secular and less religious in modern times? Can the church be the moral conscience of society? Can the church be a beacon of light in a world darkened by war, poverty, and violence? Steeped in biblical reflection on the mission of the church and the dichotomy of being in the world but not chained to its agenda, the document suggests that God sent his Son to save the world from sin and death, he loved and cared for the poor and marginalized and indicated God’s preferential option for the oppressed which is expressed in the beatitudes.
The document makes a series of affirmations which stress that the church loves people, and the world is especially human beings who need to be saved from sin and enriched by the grace of Jesus Christ, who became poor for our sakes.
"With joy, the churches confess that Jesus Christ is the head of every rule and power and authority (Col 2:10). With a deep sense of responsibility, the church receives the authority Christ has given it to preach the good news of salvation, to offer healing in his name, and to teach the world the way of God’s reign. With the humility of a people called to serve even as Christ came to serve, the church exercises the authority of Christ until his return in glory" (ACW, lines 19-23).
The document expresses a convergence that is not without differences. The church as visible and invisible communion, the institutional church, prophetic individuals, Christian organizations and para-church groups all have their role to play in making visible the authority of Christ through the church. Various models of church authority can be found in Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholic and Anglican emphases, Lutherans, Calvinists, radical reformation, and other focuses appear as well as individual believers who show charismatic ways of speaking with authority in the world at critical times in history.
Past history and modern ecumenical endeavors indicate a variety of approaches to the topic at hand. However, the commission, among other affirmations, asserts the following:
"The world is the good gift of God."
"The world is fallen and therefore in need of redemption."
"The church is distinct but not separable from the world."
"The world is the arena of the church’s prophetic, compassionate witness."
"The world is being transformed by God."
In the same vein, the document makes the following statements about the exercise of authority of the church in the world:
"The authority of the churches is founded in God, who has been revealed in Jesus Christ and is present through the Holy Spirit."
"The authority of the church is not only the authority of the church’s leaders, but of the whole community of disciples."
"In exercising authority, the church must practice vigilant discernment."
"For the church to speak authoritatively, it must speak with the voice of him who came not to be served but to serve (Mt 20:24-28)."
"The churches need to work much further than they have toward visible unity."
"In a world distrustful of institutions and authority generally, the personal witness of Christians to the transforming effect of the triune God in their lives may be more effective than doctrines and arguments."
"The churches need to discern the difference between what constitutes core teachings of the Christian faith and what does not."
"The churches need to clarify how they arrive at positions taken on particular issues."
"The churches need to make credible arguments for any points of view adopted on an issue being faced."
"The churches need to be open to the possibility that positions taken in the past need modification or even reconsideration in certain cases."
"Jesus commissioned the church to evangelize, that is, to proclaim the Gospel to all people and to make disciples of all who respond to his call (Mt 28:19-20)."
"The matter of who has the competence to articulate the position of the church is exceedingly difficult to determine today."
In the process of drafting this document and discussing its content, I have come to know and appreciate many good friends and fellow Christians. My prayer is that the discussion of this text will widen that circle of friends who are united in Christ.
September 2, 2007
Oberlin 2007
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
The Reformation is generally dated as beginning in 1517 with Luther’s posting of his 95 theses on the cathedral door. Anglicans and Lutherans take pride in their Catholic roots and are usually distinguished from continental Protestants. Reformed churches, however, began with a real revolution in Switzerland around 1515 when the people declared they wanted to be ruled by God. They invited John Calvin to come to Geneva to write and to preach at the Cathedral of Saint Pierre which now fell into Protestant hands. Ulrich Zwingli’s "reformation" was much more radical than Calvin’s and was called Anabaptist (born again). Today it is more easily recognized as part of the Baptist tradition. John Calvin codified his theology and faith in the Institutes of the Christian Religion (1536) which is essentially a catechism following the outline of the Apostles’ Creed.
Churches of the Reformed tradition in the United States are: the Reformed Church in America, the Presbyterian Church in the USA, the United Church of Christ, and the Christian Reformed Church. The Dutch Reformed Church merged with the Reformed Church in America many years ago. (It was founded in the Netherlands and was transplanted by Dutch settlers to the United States.) The World Alliance of Reformed Churches is the worldwide federation of Reformed churches which has been in dialogue with the Catholic Church since the 1970s.
Presbyterians
Americans do not always connect Presbyterians with the Reformed churches, but
they come from the same roots. Madison Avenue Presbyterian (Madison Avenue
at 65 Street) is the closest neighbor to Saint Jean Baptiste. The Reverend
Fred Anderson is its Pastor. He loves the liturgy of the Lord’s Supper and
actively promotes Christian unity.
I met some wonderful members of both the Reformed Church in America and the Dutch Reformed Church many years ago when I was assigned to our minor seminary at Hyde Park in the 1960s and 1970s. The Reverend Herman Harmelink III was the Pastor of the Reformed Church in Poughkeepsie in those years. He is a member of the National Council of Churches’ Faith and Order Commission, and it is a pleasure to be working with him again.
I am better acquainted with Presbyterians like the Reverend Richard Parker of First Presbyterian Church in Poughkeepsie with whom I worked to establish the Dutchess (County) Interfaith Council in 1970. Later, in New Mexico, I met many Presbyterians as we established the New Mexico Conference of Churches. The presence of Presbyterians in northern New Mexico is historic and fostered a very strong dialogue between the Archdiocese of Santa Fe and the Presbytery of Santa Fe in the late 1990s.
Celebrating Forty Years of
Progress
In 2005, the U.S. Roman Catholic-Reformed Consultation published Journey in
Faith: Forty Years of Reformed-Catholic Dialogue: 1965-2005. This
report summarizes the dialogue progress of the last four decades and shows the
wide range of topics discussed by the official dialogue teams since their
founding on July 27, 1965. A similar "Final Report" was published by the
International Dialogue entitled The Church as a Communion of Common Witness
to the Kingdom of God.
The Road Ahead
Only a wide-eyed optimist would think Christian unity is around the corner.
The Second Vatican Council believes it will be achieved gradually, especially
through conversion of all Christians. The progress made in the major
ecumenical dialogues does give us much hope. The climate is definitely
more friendly, hopeful, and cooperative. There are many obstacles
preventing full communion, but many issues which were believed to be church
dividing have been resolved.
The friendships established between those who engage in dialogue and those who gather to pray for Christian unity are the most promising result of the half-century of ecumenical progress. They encourage continued effort, discussion of issues, and prayer. And prayer will open our hearts to God’s grace and goodness and love.
May 13, 2007
A report on the international Methodist-Roman Catholic dialogue entitled Speaking the Truth in Love: Teaching Authority Among Catholics and Methodists, Report of the Joint Commission Between the Roman Catholic Church and the World Methodist Council 1997-2001, can be read at the Vatican web site. A report on the national dialogue, Thirty Years of Mission and Witness (2001), is available at the USCCB site. These provide a wonderful summary of the issues discussed and the progress made since Vatican II in this dialogue. What emerges from the conversation is the overwhelming number of issues that both churches are in complete agreement about. If one starts with the Apostles’ Creed and works through the affirmations made in it, one finds a great deal that Methodists and Catholics hold in common.
The final document published by the Methodist-Roman Catholic (U.S.) Dialogue is entitled Through Divine Love: The Church in Each Place and All Places (2005), and in the conclusion the members plead for a reception of the work done by the theologians and participants in the dialogue and their recommendations for forward motion in the years ahead. They particularly encourage work at the parish level to insure that such reception occurs and it becomes the heritage of the people in the pews.
Friends
In many of the articles I’ve written for the Ecumenical Corner, I have
emphasized the importance of friends. Ecumenical dialogue is not just a
head trip. More importantly, it is a process of making friends who help us
to understand how the living of the Gospel makes us one in Christ. I had
many such friends in New Mexico. One of them, Reverend Douglas Mills, is
now the Assistant Director of the Methodist Office for Christian Relations at
475 Riverside Drive in New York. Another is Dr. Geoffrey Wainwright.
Geoffrey impressed me very much by his presentations at the National Workshop on
Christian Unity. When we decided to study the famous Lima document
Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry (1982), Geoffrey came to New Mexico to lead
us through our study of baptism. He did a masterful job. His works
on Orthodoxy and Eucharist and Eschatology are classics today.
I had the pleasure of hearing him again at the NWCU in January 2007 when he
reported on Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry: Twenty-Five Years Later,
and we had an opportunity to chat briefly.
Where Are We?
The dialogue reports make clear that we have not ended our journey to Christian
unity. There is still some distance to travel. Indeed, Pope Benedict
XVI has stressed that dialogue itself cannot produce unity. It can only
remove obstacles to unity. It can prepare the way for the moment when
God’s grace makes it evident the churches must decisively move forward in a
courageous ecumenical action. Such an action took place in October 1999
when the Lutheran World Federation on behalf of all Lutherans, and the Vatican
on behalf of all Catholics, signed the Joint Declaration on Justification
which placed the two churches in a different place from where they had been for
over 500 years. The Methodist Church could not simply "sign on" to the
joint declaration, but it did prepare a document containing the same truths
which it co-signed with the Lutheran World Federation. Lutherans and
Methodists also agreed to have interim Eucharistic sharing with each other at
this time.
Where are we going? Our churches are irrevocably committed to pursue full communion which is shared decision making, and shared mission and witness. While these are already achieved to some degree, there is still greater progress to be made. For this we hope and pray.
March 18, 2007
There are many indications that while the rate of change in the churches has slowed since Vatican II, and it is taking longer time to produce the kind of agreed statements that proliferated for nearly 40 years, there is still much to do on the road to Christian unity. Ecumenists call it "reception." In theology, the name has a technical meaning when it refers to ecumenical councils. It is the Christian response to the teachings of the magisterium. If a teaching is "received," there is confirmation that the Holy Spirit inspired the teaching and that it will not change with the passing of time.
In the ecumenical sense, reception means that what theologians have hammered out is accepted by the legitimate authority of the church and by the people in the pews. Or, as Pope John Paul II put it, the fruits of the dialogue have become a part of the heritage of the people. John Paul insisted that this is the work of the present generation, to integrate the insights of ecumenical dialogue into the life and culture of the church.
IARCCUM
The International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission
was formed because reception of the progress made by the Anglican-Roman Catholic
Dialogue at the international level (ARCIC) was seen to be sufficient for
practical pastoral application at the level of the Dioceses and parishes of both
communities. At a meeting of Anglican primates and presidents of Roman
Catholic bishops’ conferences in 13 countries in Mississauga, Ontario, in May
2000, the primates together with the Right Reverend George Carey, Archbishop of
Canterbury, and Cardinal Edward Cassidy of the Vatican established IARCCUM to
proceed with the implementation desired in the coming years.
At the National Workshop on Christian Unity in Arlington, Virginia, January 29-February 1, Bishop Brian Farrell, L.C., Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity at the Vatican, stressed the essential work of reception as emphasized by Pope Benedict XVI and why reception needs to be the primary focus of ecumenical ministry in the near future.
Receptive Ecumenism
Closer to home, Reverend Keith Pecklers, S.J., speaking on "Receptive
Ecumenism: What Catholics Can Learn from Episcopalians" at Saint Thomas
Episcopal Church in New York on February 26, developed four major areas where an
exchange of gifts continues to be fruitful between Anglicans and Catholics.
The understanding of church, worship, authority, and spirituality are areas
where Anglicans and Catholics have learned from each other in the recent past
and which can prove fertile areas for ministry in the future.
In the area of worship, the development of the Book of Common Prayer by the Anglican Communion proved to be a resource for Catholics when it began the work of converting Latin texts of the new sacramentary and breviary into English. Vernacular hymns were borrowed outright by the Catholic Church in desperate need of text and music for the new Vatican II liturgy.
The Anglican Church has a highly developed sense of collegiality and decentralized authority. The synodal approach to decision making is characteristic, especially in the United States where the Episcopal Church developed its bicameral structure of government (House of Bishops and House of Deputies) and where separation of church and state is the law of the land. The Catholic Church, on the other hand, has developed a strong central authority and primacy, which is a strength for unity.
In the area of spirituality, the Benedictine influence on the English spirituality and its monastic flavor are well known and continue to flourish. The Catholic tradition has much to offer, going back to the patristic age through medieval history and development in modern times in many cultures and in many religious communities.
A Work in Progress
Father Pecklers described many practical ways in which "on the ground" in
several Diocesan settings, bishops, priests, and laity are working together to
make visible the unity we already possess as Christians. This is a work of
reception and a work in progress to which we can all contribute, and from which
we can all draw profit.
February 18, 2007
Holiness of Life
The essence of spiritual ecumenism is holiness of life, drawing closer to
God. The more deeply we are united with the Father, Word, and Spirit, the
more deeply and easily we will be able to grow in mutual brotherly love.
And this love and holiness is at the heart of the ecumenical effort.
Drawing near to God, we draw near to the holy. We share God’s life, and become what we are and what God wants us to be. Holiness of life is what all Christians have in common and what they are called to be. It is a life-long task and a demanding one. Our unity in Christ is not our work; it is God’s. It is ours to receive. And we receive it as a gift.
A Change of Heart
It is not easy to change one’s patterns of thought and habits. Yet
this kind of change is what Christian unity requires from everyone. Popes
John Paul II and Benedict XVI stated that theological dialogue alone cannot
produce Christian unity. It can only remove some of the obstacles in the
way. In other words, such dialogue prepares the way for God’s grace and
enables the church to discover a moment of truth when it is clear that a step
forward for Christian unity must be made in fidelity to God. Until the
Second Vatican Council, there was a general feeling that other Christians needed
to change. As a result of the dialogue that took place within the council
and after it, Christians realize that everyone must change. "A new heart
create in me, O God," we pray in the psalms.
Spiritual ecumenism involves a change in attitude and a new evaluation of history and of our fellow Christians. Unity in Christ and his Spirit is God’s work. It is already given to us in baptism. But to overcome the obstacles to Christian unity, we must be open to the action of the Holy Spirit who makes us one.
Lent is an ideal time for this conversion. In the peaceful and quiet atmosphere of this liturgical season, we are able to hear God’s word and receive his grace. The Spirit, who brings about unity among Christians and in the church, transforms us into Christ and members of his body. In this way, we have the light and peace to discover what "the Spirit says to the churches" (Rv 2:29).
Prayer
Prayer is vital to Christian unity because it places us in God’s hands and
allows God to mold us into one church, one body of Christ. This is the
work of the Eucharist, the sacrament of unity. It is God’s action in his
church in our time. This movement has been described as the work of the
Holy Spirit, and the Catholic Church is irrevocably committed to it. Other
Christians long for it as well. They work and pray for it. God
continues his work of transformation in them as well.
January 21, 2007
"Open Our Ears and Loosen Our Tongues" (Mk 7:37)
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.
Too Strong for a Divided Church
In 1993, Archbishop Desmond Tutu said "apartheid is too strong for a divided
church." Today, faced with the HIV/AIDS pandemic and other dehumanizing
forces, it is acknowledged that they also are too strong for a divided church.
In Umlazi, there is one courthouse, one hospital, one post office, one clinic,
one set of shops ― and one cemetery. In Umlazi, the people adhere to the
Scriptures which profess that there is one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord,
one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all (cf. Eph 4:4-6). Yet
there are many churches, which are not in full communion with each other and
which remain a sign of a divided Christianity. There is an impatience and
a frustration here with inherited divisions generated many centuries ago in
other lands.
The PCPCU encourages local adaptation of the theme and materials it develops. The Graymoor Ecumenical and Interfaith Institute in the United States has adapted these materials over the years, and the adaptation of this year’s theme is "Open our ears and loosen our tongues."
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.
November 26, 2006
Interfaith Thanksgiving Service
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 three years, the Episcopal Church USA meets in General Convention. This year, it meets at Columbus, Ohio, June 13-21. The General Convention is the highest authority in the Episcopal Church and meets to pray, to reflect, and to make decisions for Episcopalians in the Dioceses of the United States and overseas Dioceses.
The first General Convention met in 1785 in Philadelphia. That convention began work on a constitution and a revision of the Book of Common Prayer, the church’s book of worship. Within ten years, the General Convention had agreed on its form of governance and its pattern of worship, both of which endure to the present day. Uniquely for its time, the first General Convention determined on a bicameral house in which elected (rather than royally appointed) bishops would make up one house, and lay and ordained deputies (equally represented) would make up the other house.
All bishops of the Episcopal Church, active and retired, are entitled to seat, voice, and vote in the House of Bishops. Each of the Episcopal Church’s domestic and overseas Dioceses is entitled to elect eight deputies ― four lay persons and four priests and/or deacons ― to the House of Deputies. (The Diocesan electors of deputies are themselves elected representatives from local parishes.) Deputies vote their conscience for the good of the church. They cannot be instructed to vote one way or another, for to do so would preclude debate and preempt the work of the Holy Spirit.
The House of Bishops and House of Deputies meet, deliberate, and vote separately. To be enacted, resolutions must pass both houses in the same language. Both houses have the right to amend legislation, but the amendment must be accepted by the other house. Resolutions presented to convention come from four sources: committees, commissions, agencies, and boards of the church; bishops; Dioceses and provinces; and deputies.
A New Presiding Bishop
The House of Bishops is chaired by the Primate of the Episcopal Church,
Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold. At this General Convention, the House
of Bishops will elect a new Presiding Bishop, whose election must be confirmed
by the House of Deputies. The 26th Presiding Bishop will take office on
November 4, 2006, at a service at the Washington National Cathedral. His
term of office is for nine years.
The General Convention meets every morning for Bible study and Eucharist. The theme for this year’s General Convention is Come and Grow. "General Convention is a combination of legislative assembly, bazaar of goods and services, and family reunion. It is one of the most exciting and, truth be told, one of the most awe-inspiring gatherings of the world," according to the Reverend Dr. Gregory S. Straub, its Executive Officer.
Reflections
Even before the United States had written and ratified its Constitution, the
Episcopal Church had approved its own constitution. Many American citizens
at the time were Episcopalians, and in most of the 13 colonies, the Church of
England had a prevailing influence. With the Declaration of Independence
in 1776, the citizens of the United States became a free people. It seemed
appropriate to establish a more democratic governance in the Episcopal Church to
reflect the freedom of the people.
The Episcopal Church in the United States has shared a large part of the history of the country. Its first Presidents and many of its founding fathers worshiped in the Episcopal Church. And so, in spite of its relatively small numbers today, it continues to have a considerable impact.
Over the years, I have had the privilege of working closely with ecumenical officers of the Episcopal Diocesan Ecumenical and Interreligious Officers (EDEIO), and recently I was appointed by Cardinal Edward Egan to the Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue in New York City (ARCNY). These contacts have been enlightening and most rewarding.
The Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue is a "flagship" dialogue in the estimation of many Catholic ecumenists because of its "special place" (Unitatis Redintegratio, 13) in the Catholic Church’s understanding of ecumenical relations, its ecclesial structure, and its history. A special International Commission has been established in recent years to promote the implementation of agreed statements by Rome and Canterbury, so that the real though imperfect communion of our churches becomes ever more visible.
May 28, 2006
The National Workshop on Christian Unity
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.
The National Association of Diocesan Ecumenical Officers (NADEO) sponsored three seminars. I was able to attend two. The first was on Evangelical-Roman Catholic Relations with Dr. Mouw presenting. The second was A Christian Response to the Abrahamic Relations with Father John Pawlikowski, O.S.M., and Dr. Scott Alexander as the presenters. This second seminar reviewed the importance of inter-religious collaboration among Catholics, Jews, and Muslims.
Impressions
I have been attending the NWCU for over a quarter-century and have found them
very helpful, informative, and inspiring. They are filled with prayer,
celebration, Bible study, and sharing among ecumenical officers and others
involved in the movement for Christian unity. Colleagues have been meeting
to compare notes and sometimes to organize local efforts to promote the unity
that Christ prayed for his church. An often repeated axiom for ecumenists
is that "it is all about friendship." And across church lines, many
friendships were formed. The goal of Christian unity is shared, and common
efforts at the local level are forged.
One returns from such gatherings with a sense of movement, sometimes not as evident outside this national and international context. Sometimes progress is made in one dialogue rather than another, and this is encouraging.
New ecumenical officers continue to be assigned by Dioceses and Archdioceses, even though clergy are in short supply. The commitment of many Dioceses is quite evident in the effort to provide ecumenical leadership. Men and women, religious and lay persons are recruited to assure that the church’s aim for unity progresses.
This year’s theme underscored the presence of Jesus wherever two or three are gathered and pray for anything. Their prayer for Christian unity is united to the prayer of Christ himself, who prayed "that all may be one . . . so that the world may believe" (Jn 17:21).
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.
October 23, 2005
The North American Academy of Ecumenists
The North American Academy of Ecumenists is a voluntary association of academic persons involved in teaching Christian unity (ecumenics) in universities and colleges. A meeting of the academy is held each year in the United States or Canada, and represents a very wide spectrum of Christian churches.
This year’s meeting was held at the Bishop Molloy Retreat Center in Jamaica, Queens. The local hosts chose this site because of its convenient size and location. Another consideration was the possibility of a second North American Conference on Faith and Order in the New York area. That conference has been rescheduled for 2007 in Oberlin, Ohio, where the first North American Faith and Order Conference took place 50 years ago in 1957.
As is customary at these meetings, a tour of local churches was organized at the beginning of the conference. This year’s tour was especially interesting because it included visits to places of worship of other religions as well as to Christian churches. It was quite an "eye opener" to see so many new Hindu, Moslem, and Buddhist temples interspersed with Christian churches of all denominations in this vibrant borough of New York City.
This year’s theme was Forgiveness and the Healing of Memories: The Ecumenics of Reconciliation. The keynote presentation was given by Dr. John Roth who spoke on "Healing of Memories from an Anabaptist Perspective." Dr. Roth is a Mennonite and is Professor of History at Goshen College and the Director of its historical library. He spoke eloquently of the reality of persecution in the early history of Mennonites in Europe. Martyrdom is part of the fabric of faith which continues to influence Mennonites today and characterizes them as a peace church. (The finalist in an essay contest, Jeremy Bergen, comes from the same tradition, and he read a major portion of his prize-winning essay to the gathering on Sunday morning.)
Father Leonid Kishkovsky spoke of "Healing of Memories among Orthodox in North America." Father Kishkovsky is Dean of Saint Vladimir’s Seminary in Crestwood, New York. He helped us to understand the divisions among Russian Orthodox and Greek Orthodox caused by the Soviet takeover of Russia and Eastern Europe; these serious divisions persist even after the end of the Soviet domination. There is great hope that with the return of freedom and peace, old divisions will be forgiven and reconciled.
A panel of speakers (Michael Banks, Angelika, Piché, and Ellen Scully) presented their reflections on "Minority Perspectives in Healing of Memories." This presentation rounded out the overview of issues and questions needing reconciliation and the healing of memories and approaches to this process.
Evaluation
The North American Academy renders a great service to Christian unity by
providing a space for theological reflection and inter-change of ideas by those
who continue to be involved very deeply in the Faith and Order discussions in
official dialogues and other venues promoting Christian unity. At the
annual meetings, ideas can be probed and suggested in a calm and friendly
atmosphere. Papers presented are usually published in the Journal of
Ecumenical Studies, whose editor is an ex-officio member of the academy’s
Board of Directors. Shorter summaries also appear in Ecumenical Trends,
published by the Graymoor Ecumenical and Interreligious Institute.
I have enjoyed being a member of the academy and serving as its President and as a member of the Board of Directors. The presentations are always stimulating and informative. Being able to get to the meeting on the F train on the subway rather than having to fly to California or Canada made it a special treat this time around.
September 18, 2005
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