A Panorama of the Current State of Ecumenical Dialogue in Canada

by Gilles Routhier

Gilles Routhier is Assistant Dean of Studies and Secretary of the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies at Université Laval in Quebec City, and has been a full professor since 2001. He has a B.A. in Theology and an M.A. in Theology from Université Laval as well as a Ph.D. in history of religion and religious anthropology from the Sorbonne and a Ph.D. in theology from the Institut catholique de Paris. He is a member of the Canadian Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue.

Ce document est aussi disponible en français : Dialogue oecuménique au Canada.

When Cardinal Walter Kasper visited Université Laval to receive an honorary doctorate, the university's Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies organized a study day on April 4, 2003 to review developments on the Canadian ecumenical scene. Although the primary objective of the day, entitled "Our Pilgrimage Towards Church Unity," was to give Cardinal Kasper an overview of ecumenical initiatives in Canada, a secondary aim was to give the people active in ecumenism an opportunity to meet and inform each other of their respective achievements. In fact, and this was the highlight of the event, the day made good on its promise to bring together people from every part of the country, from the Atlantic Provinces, Quebec, Ontario and Western Canada, so that we could share our achievements, our hopes and our frustrations. What is more, the day broadened the participants' horizons, making them aware of other initiatives beyond their own. Ecumenical dialogue often has a bilateral character, to the extent that the individual initiatives taking place within this vast movement risk developing along parallel lines, some people becoming more specialized in contacts with the Orthodox, others in the dialogue with the Anglican Church, etc. Ecumenism, which always runs the risk of becoming too specialized, needs spaces for dialogue so that people involved in specific areas can encounter each other. In this regard, the day provided such a space for interaction between people active in the Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue, the United Church-Roman Catholic dialogue, etc. It succeeded in presenting a picture of the ecumenical movement as a whole in Canada.

The day also brought down another barrier. Each level of dialogue was honoured, through the participation of various centres dedicated to ecumenism (the Montreal-based Emmaus Centre and the Canadian Centre for Ecumenism, as well as the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism from Saskatoon), of representatives from national organizations such as the Canadian Council of Churches and the Ecumenical Office of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, as well as of persons working at the local level of a diocese or city, such as the Conseil interconfessionnel de Québec. In addition, the various levels of ecumenical dialogue were highlighted, such as dialogues between bishops, and dialogue commissions made up of designated representatives of the churches.

The result was a panorama of the current state of ecumenical dialogue in Canada, its characteristics and achievements, its aspirations, its problems, its obstacles, its frustrations and its desire for action. The day provided a venue, not just for one-way communications, but for many discussions and conversations; in fact, the day itself was a genuine experience of dialogue. Like any ecumenical experience, the experience of encounter was supported by an experience of prayer and encounter with God. The day began with prayer according to the Eastern tradition and closed with a liturgy celebrated jointly by the Anglican bishop of Quebec City, Bruce Stavert and the Catholic archbishop of Quebec City, Marc Ouellet, former secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

This overview gave us an idea of the state of health of ecumenism in Canada almost 40 years after Unitatis redintegratio. The movement, although it is not going forward with the same euphoria that characterized the 1960s, at the time of the 1963 Faith and Order assembly in Montreal, still has solid roots. Since its first stirrings, it has been purified by trials and testing, especially the test of time. While this has led some to cynicism or disillusionment, the test of time and the difficulties encountered have planted the desire for unity even more deeply in others. For his part, Cardinal Kasper repeated the Roman Catholic Church's irreversible resolve and commitment to work towards ecumenism, and encouraged the participants to persevere in the patient labour that paves the way to Christian unity. One thing is for certain, the day proved that ecumenism is still alive and well in Canada, and even though the bloom may be off the rose, the plant has deep roots. It is an enduring plant, despite the springtime that is reluctant to give way to the long-awaited summer.

When Cardinal Walter Kasper visited Université Laval to receive an honorary doctorate, the university's Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies organized a study day on April 4, 2003 to review developments on the Canadian ecumenical scene. Although the primary objective of the day, entitled "Our Pilgrimage Towards Church Unity," was to give Cardinal Kasper an overview of ecumenical initiatives in Canada, a secondary aim was to give the people active in ecumenism an opportunity to meet and inform each other of their respective achievements. In fact, and this was the highlight of the event, the day made good on its promise to bring together people from every part of the country, from the Atlantic Provinces, Quebec, Ontario and Western Canada, so that we could share our achievements, our hopes and our frustrations. What is more, the day broadened the participants' horizons, making them aware of other initiatives beyond their own. Ecumenical dialogue often has a bilateral character, to the extent that the individual initiatives taking place within this vast movement risk developing along parallel lines, some people becoming more specialized in contacts with the Orthodox, others in the dialogue with the Anglican Church, etc. Ecumenism, which always runs the risk of becoming too specialized, needs spaces for dialogue so that people involved in specific areas can encounter each other. In this regard, the day provided such a space for interaction between people active in the Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue, the United Church-Roman Catholic dialogue, etc. It succeeded in presenting a picture of the ecumenical movement as a whole in Canada.

The day also brought down another barrier. Each level of dialogue was honoured, through the participation of various centres dedicated to ecumenism (the Montreal-based Emmaus Centre and the Canadian Centre for Ecumenism, as well as the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism from Saskatoon), of representatives from national organizations such as the Canadian Council of Churches and the Ecumenical Office of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, as well as of persons working at the local level of a diocese or city, such as the Conseil interconfessionnel de Québec. In addition, the various levels of ecumenical dialogue were highlighted, such as dialogues between bishops, and dialogue commissions made up of designated representatives of the churches.

The result was a panorama of the current state of ecumenical dialogue in Canada, its characteristics and achievements, its aspirations, its problems, its obstacles, its frustrations and its desire for action. The day provided a venue, not just for one-way communications, but for many discussions and conversations; in fact, the day itself was a genuine experience of dialogue. Like any ecumenical experience, the experience of encounter was supported by an experience of prayer and encounter with God. The day began with prayer according to the Eastern tradition and closed with a liturgy celebrated jointly by the Anglican bishop of Quebec City, Bruce Stavert and the Catholic archbishop of Quebec City, Marc Ouellet, former secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

This overview gave us an idea of the state of health of ecumenism in Canada almost 40 years after Unitatis redintegratio. The movement, although it is not going forward with the same euphoria that characterized the 1960s, at the time of the 1963 Faith and Order assembly in Montreal, still has solid roots. Since its first stirrings, it has been purified by trials and testing, especially the test of time. While this has led some to cynicism or disillusionment, the test of time and the difficulties encountered have planted the desire for unity even more deeply in others. For his part, Cardinal Kasper repeated the Roman Catholic Church's irreversible resolve and commitment to work towards ecumenism, and encouraged the participants to persevere in the patient labour that paves the way to Christian unity. One thing is for certain, the day proved that ecumenism is still alive and well in Canada, and even though the bloom may be off the rose, the plant has deep roots. It is an enduring plant, despite the springtime that is reluctant to give way to the long-awaited summer.