As of Jan. 2, the Anglican Church of Canada will have a dedicated new advocate for ecumenism.

Archdeacon Bruce Myers, missioner of communications in the diocese of Quebec, will assume a one-year, part-time position as coordinator for ecumenical relations with the Faith, Worship and Ministry department of General Synod.

"I've always had a passion for ecumenism even if I didn't always call it that," says Myers, who is manager of the Quebec diocese's website and editor of its newspaper, Gazette. "Early on, I recognized that it was not right that the body of Christ was divided into so many pieces."

Myers, who holds a master's degree in ecumenical theology from the The Ecumenical Institute of Bossey in Switzerland, now brings that passion to healing the divisions in Christendom, so much of which was united as one church for 15 centuries. "I think ordinary Christians of every denomination are questioning whether the differences are all that important when we share so much in common," he says. "The overarching ecumenical task is how to mend those broken fences and relations."

As coordinator for ecumenical relations, Myers will provide staff support to Anglicans engaged in bilateral dialogues, including the Anglican-Roman Catholic Theological Dialogue, the Anglican-Roman Catholic Bishops' Dialogue, and the Joint Anglican-Lutheran Commission the United Church of Canada (with which the Anglican church discussed union in the 1970s).

Also falling within his purview is monitoring developments in the Canadian Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches as well as all aspects of the Anglican Church of Canada's relations with other denominations. He will provide what clergy and volunteers need to carry out that work as well as staff ecumenical meetings and support the network of diocesan ecumenical officers.

Since most of this work can be done remotely, Myers will remain based in Quebec, where he will continue to serve as incumbent at St. Michael's Sillery until Jan 8.

Vacant for the past year, the coordinator's role was previously filled by Canon Alyson Barnett-Cowan, former director of faith, worship and ministry, now Director for Unity, Faith and Order at the Anglican Communion office in London, and after her, by theologian Natasha Klukach, who currently serves with the World Council of Churches in Geneva.

The fundamental rights of freedom of religion or belief are often violated by both governments and individuals, acting either on their own behalf or as members of majority groups. Despite significant initiatives taken by states and the international community, religious minorities in several parts of the world are becoming the targets of discrimination, acts of violence or hostility and persecution because of their religion.

The extent to which freedom of religion or belief can be considered as an absolute right in pluralistic societies, as well as its relation to various aspects of human rights, was the centre of discussion among experts who participated at an international consultation organized by the WCC's Commission of the Churches on International Affairs (CCIA).

Equal rights of all individuals in any society should be the broader parameter which should be seen beyond legal measures when addressing the issue of the Freedom of Religion and belief in today's global context: This was the principle emphasized by thirty experts from 23 countries in Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Middle East.

The consultation was held in Istanbul, Turkey from 28 November to 2 December and hosted by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.

Ambassador Theodoros J. Theodorou of Greece said in his keynote presentation that "Nations must take seriously the provisions of international human rights treaties by integrating them into their own legal systems. More systematic efforts need to be made so that governments around the world enact the meaningful legislation designated to curb religious persecutions."

Religious freedom a historic focus of WCC

The history of the WCC's contributions in addressing concerns related to freedom of religion and human rights was recalled by CCIA director Dr Mathews George Chunakara.

He pointed out that the CCIA, which was formed in 1946 jointly by the International Missionary Council and the structure preparing the foundation of the WCC, undertook as one of its first tasks to press for international standards on religious freedom. WCC's contribution to drafting article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) has been widely recognized.

"All countries and their governments which ratified various human rights declarations or conventions and covenants, including the 1981 UN Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief, are obliged to uphold the human rights of all citizens. But in reality this is not being observed and more and more people are facing serious threats to their right to freedom of religion and the right to exist as religious minorities," said Mathews George.

A report on religious freedom will be presented to the next CCIA meeting which is to be held in the People's Republic of China in June 2012.

Christina Papazoglou, WCC programme executive for human rights, said that the "study consultation has analyzed reports from 27 countries in five regions, and several examples of violations have been highlighted from various countries as well as positive responses showing ways to protect freedom of religion."

"In moving forward," Papazoglou added, "the participants in the consultation have encouraged the full participation of church leaders in public life and the involvement of political, religious and social institutions in upholding the right of religious freedom. Furthermore, they emphasized the need for strengthening the existing protection mechanisms and devising effective safeguards against violations of national and international law relating to religious freedom."

The study process on Freedom of Religion and Rights of Religious Minorities was initiated by the CCIA in its 50th meeting held in Albania in 2010, and a special working group has been formed by the CCIA to evaluate the study.

Read also:
• More information on the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs
• Ecumenical Patriarch highlights freedom of religion and minority rights (WCC press release of 1 December 2011)

The document "Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious World: Guidelines for Conduct" was launched by the World Council of Churches (WCC), the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the World Evangelical Alliance in June. It was commended to the churches for reflections in their own particular contexts.

The meeting brought together eighty participants from a wide diversity of church traditions, university students and interfaith partners.

The event was initiated by the WCC and jointly organized by the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Canadian Council of Churches, and the Canadian Churches Forum for Global Ministries.

Natasha Klukach, WCC programme executive for North America, asked participants not to shy away from difficult questions, especially in regard to Canada's history of mission and the tragic legacy of church-run native residential schools in the 19th century, where children were mistreated in the name of "cultural assimilation".

She said, "The text of the document does not assume the end of a conversation, but the beginning of one."

Two panel discussions offered perspectives on the guidelines. The first, including Bruce Clemenger, president of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, Patti Talbot, programme coordinator for People in Partnership at the United Church of Canada, and Fr. Damian MacPherson, director of the Office for Ecumenical and Interfaith Affairs in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto, examined applications of the text in different Christian traditions.

Initiating conversations among faith communities

Many participants shared that the guidelines accurately reflect current practices in their churches. However, some noted that churches in Canada are often reluctant to talk about evangelism, and the text could be a good tool for facilitating conversation and building together a common vocabulary.

There was a wide agreement that churches were not active enough in finding opportunities for building relationships with other faiths, and the text can serve as a valuable avenue for entering into dialogue.

A second panel examined the implications of the guidelines. The Rev. Jim Foster, vice-president of Global Ministries for the Christian and Missionary Alliance, Dr Johnson Mbillah, advisor for the Program on Christian-Muslim Relations in Africa, and Pandit Roopnauth Sharma, president Hindu Federation of Canada, asked intriguing questions about inter-religious relations in Canada.

During the discussions Mbillah challenged Canadians to reflect critically on how their mission activities in other parts of the world may encourage conflict.

He said, "The value of the document is related to our Christian identity. It is about what is expected of us and not what is expected of the other."

As a Hindu, Sharma spoke passionately about his experience, saying that his faith community has often been victim of the attempts of conversion. He advocated greater awareness of the text in this context and encouraged further inter-religious conversations.

The event concluded by identifying the need for engaging in ecumenical dialogue about mission and evangelism, stressing greater commitment to inter-religious dialogue, and encouraging churches to reflect critically on mission history and present practices, as well as initiating more opportunities of such encounters. Canadian churches are also looking forward to hold similar events in other cities.

Rev. Jeremy Bell of the Canadian Baptists of Western Canada, reflecting on the text and the day's conversation, said, "The text is not intended to be a mirror of ourselves. It's a catalyst, not a catechism. What we need is persistence in dialogue and the courage to keep talking to each other."

Clare Amos, the WCC programme executive for inter-religious dialogue and cooperation, commended the efforts of Canadian churches. She said, "The willingness of such a wide range of Christians to participate in this process is a very significant development. The key task now is to ensure that recommendations of the document are widely known and adopted through the whole Christian constituency."

Read also:
• Full text: Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious World: Guidelines for Conduct
• Christians reach broad consensus on appropriate missionary conduct
• Press release from Canadian Council of Churches

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, from the [Lutheran] Church of Norway. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.

by Charles Lewis, National Post

Rabbi Roy Tanenbaum marvels at the idea that the first mainstream Jewish seminary in Canada will be housed inside a Catholic school of theology and be part of seven Christian schools that comprise the Toronto School of Theology.

"I have never heard of a situation like this in the world in which a Jewish seminary is among Christian theological schools and seminaries," said Rabbi Tanenbaum, president of the recently founded Canadian Yeshiva & Rabbinical School.

"The creation of this school really marks the coming of age for Canada's Jewish community. It's a sign of our maturity and will be an important part of Judaism's future in this country."

The school, which will be officially launched at a ceremony Sunday on the University of Toronto campus, will be housed inside the University of St. Michael's College, on St. Joseph Street, a school renowned for its graduate program in Catholic theology.

Professor Ann Anderson, the school's president and a Catholic nun, sits on the rabbinical school's board and was instrumental in bringing the Jewish seminary to the campus, Rabbi Tanenbaum said.

Rabbi Tanenbaum retired from congregational life in Toronto two years ago and since then has put his energy into creating a Jewish seminary, something that has been a longtime dream of many Canadian Jewish leaders.

"In Great Britain, you have six seminaries, but the Jewish population is smaller than ours. That's because in Britain, they are more isolated. Here, it is very simple to go to the rabbinical schools in the U.S."

As a result, Canadian Jews who want to be rabbis usually go to New York, Cincinnati or Israel for training ­ and many never make it back to Canada. Not having a seminary here has also led to the majority of rabbis in Canada being American.

That has been seen as a problem on multiple levels, many observers note.

At its most basic, Americans will not understand they are in a different culture and miss the kind of links, such as an obsession with hockey, that can create bonds between rabbis and young students. Others have pointed to Canadian Jews being more conservative in their beliefs than American Jews.

Rabbi Tanenbaum, who was born in Erie, Pa., but is now a Canadian citizen, said that having Canadian rabbis is important for the health of the country's Jewish community and preventing assimilation.

"We have always looked to the United States to see what Judaism in Canada will look like in 10 to 15 years. But when we see things that we want to avoid ­ such as the high rate of intermarriage ­ we've never been able to do it. And why is that? Because we continue to bring our top religious leadership from another country."

The new rabbinical school will follow a form of the religion known as Classic Judaism ­ a decision that will make it distinct from the American Jewish experience.

In the United States the three main branches are Reform, Conservative and Orthodox. Classic Judaism, he said, follows the European Judaism of the 1700s in which those denominational differences were absent.

"We don't think the struggle between Reform, Conservative and Orthodox is a good thing for Jewish life. We believe that it is destructive. There's reasons why during the Enlightenment these groups began but it is important to go back to when Jews were just Jews."

The school will not have female rabbis though women will be able to attend and receive a degree in Jewish theology.

The opening of the seminary comes at a time when some see attendance at synagogues dropping.

But Rabbi Howard Voss-Altman of Calgary said that would not preclude opening a seminary now.

"Even if that's the case the effort to produce home-grown rabbis is something of value for Canadian congregations," said Rabbi Voss-Altman, who said attendance in Calgary is declining. "Besides, having Canadian rabbis could have a positive impact on the Jewish community and help bring people back. How many young people decide not to become rabbis because they can't afford to go outside the country for training?"

The linking of the rabbinical school with Christian institutions fits with a greater trend of Christians seeking out the roots of their faith through Judaism and the Old Testament. Pope Benedict has made it a large part of his teaching to emphasize the Jewish roots of Catholicism.

The yeshiva is now operating and acts as a place for the Jewish community to learn more about their faith. The actual rabbinical school will open at the earliest in September but it could be later, Rabbi Tanenbaum said.

Alan Hayes, director of the Toronto School of Theology, said moving from just Christian schools to a multi-faith milieux completes a process started in the 1960s.

After Vatican II Catholic schools were allowed to share space with Protestants, which took place very quickly in Toronto, he said.

He believes that the interaction between Jews and Christians will enrich the experience of both groups.

"Christian study of the Old Testament tends to be historical where as Jewish interpretation tends to be more theological and richer. That could be a big help to all of us," Mr. Hayes said.

"Jews and Christians often study many of the same things but they don't always talk to each other. This will be a place for people to meet. We still have a lot to learn from each other."

Of all the challenges faced by the Vatican in organizing the 25th anniversary of the historic interreligious gathering in Assisi in 1986, the hardest was how to make it newsworthy. The 176 delegates—representing, said the Vatican, "not only the world's religions, but all people of good will, everyone seeking the truth"—whom Pope Benedict XVI led by train from Rome to the town of St Francis were comprehensive in their diversity. But if the Christian delegations on October 27 included the top men—Pope Benedict himself, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomew I—the delegates from Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and others included no obvious celebrities, or even organizations whose presence might have raised an eyebrow. Even the inclusion of four non-believers failed to create a stir, for it was not Richard Dawkins or Christopher Hitchens standing with the pope but little-known academic philosophers.

• Read the complete web-only article on the America Magazine website.

A number of church leaders gathered for an early morning meeting Oct. 12 at St. George Anglican parish in Saskatoon, to receive an update about Station 20West and discuss plans for another ecumenical Advent campaign in support of Good Food Junction Cooperative Grocery Store.

Good Food Junction continues to work to raise funds to equip and stock the cooperative grocery store, which is one part of Station 20 West, now under construction in the city's core neighbourhood. During an Advent campaign undertaken by a number of Christian churches in Saskatoon last year, some $150,000 was raised for the project.

An estimated $350,000 to $400,000 is still needed to equip and stock the grocery store, permitting it to open without debt, something that the business plan deems necessary to ensure the Good Food Junction's ongoing viability, said Ralph Winterhalt, the cooperative grocery store's business development manager. "If that grocery store can open without debt for equipment, and has its inventory paid for, it's going to be a very successful project in the core neighbourhoods."

Winterhalt, who is also the project manager of Station 20 West, described how the Good Food Junction will be just one of the tenants located in the community enterprise centre. Others will include Quint, involved in creating housing in core neighbourhoods; CHEP, which works to place good food in schools and in the community; and Saskatoon Health Region, which will operate a Mother Centre and the Kids' First health centre; as well as a University of Saskatchewan community service outreach program.

Eventually, CHEP took a leadership role especially in bringing people together to develop plans for including a grocery store in Station 20 West, finding resources for the feasibility study and a business plan. Good Food Junction was incorporated six years ago as a cooperative grocery store, owned by members of the community. Plans are in place for a membership drive in the near future, to add to those memberships that have already been pledged, said Sanford Beck.

"The fundraising that the churches did last year was a huge boost for the grocery store," Sanford Beck said, as well as for Station 20 West as a whole. "It really drew people's attention to the project, and brought it into the minds and hearts of people who might otherwise not have had known about it, or might otherwise not have been as supportive."

The lack of a full service grocery store makes shopping for healthy, inexpensive food a huge challenge for those living in the core neighbourhoods, especially those without access to a vehicle, she described.

"We all know how important food is to good health, and we also know that it is often the heaviest and most expensive foods that are the healthiest for us. And so things like milk, fresh fruits and vegetables, are things that are heavy to carry home from the store, and they are also things that don't keep for a long time," she said of the situation.

Ideas for bulletin inserts, events and fund raising ideas, and a proposed ecumenical outdoor nativity pageant to launch another Advent campaign in Christian churches were discussed during the meeting.

Saskatoon Health Region chief medical officer Dr. Cory Neudorf also spoke during the meeting, stressing the ongoing gospel call to address income and health disparity, and tackle poverty and the suffering it causes. He noted that there are over 3,000 verses in scripture that address poverty, calling for justice and mercy.

Neudorf was one of those who worked on a 2008 health disparity report addressing the health status of residents within Saskatoon's six low income neighbourhoods, compared to the rest of the city – a report that showed a clear connection between low income and poor health.

It is important to recognize that the problem is ongoing, and calls for a long-term ongoing response to poverty issues, he said. The "poverty issue" is never done, he said. For instance, with the income health disparity study, it has been suggested it be repeated every few years to continue to "keep this in front of the community," and determine what progress has been made.

Neudorf suggested that a system of networking be established, whereby concerned individuals and groups can work together to share ideas, support each other, and coordinate their responses and initiatives. "There does seem to be a movement of God's Spirit working in this across many denominations," he said. "This is bringing churches together across the spectrum."

As an example, Neudorf suggested local churches might sponsor an event "to bring people together to give some feet to the words." Facilitators of such an event might guide the process, but it would permit people with similar projects, concern or interests to actually work together on practical responses to problems such as housing, hunger, support for single parents, and so on, he said. Neudorf said that he envisioned such a process including business leaders, entrepreneurs, and philanthropists.

"There is this sense that people want to make a difference, they just don't know how."

Bishop Cindy Halmarson of the Saskatchewan synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada said there is a need to focus on building relationships as a way to address issues. Neudorf agreed.

"Many people's misconceptions and judgments (about poverty) start from a lack of relationship," said Neudorf. "Take that first step and get to know others in your own congregation, because it may be you are sitting beside that person already, they just hide it. But beyond that, reaching out and actually getting to know someone, getting to know 'the other' breaks down those walls of judgments and preconceptions."

Teams from the Baptist World Alliance and the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople held exploratory talks Oct. 30-Nov. 2 that could lead to formal dialogue between Baptist and Orthodox Christians internationally.

BWA General Secretary Neville Callam, who led the Baptist delegation, described aims of the meeting held on the island of Crete as responding to the Lord's prayer in John 17:21 for his disciples "that they may all be one ... that the world may believe."

"Facing this challenge today, we believe that we should continue to explore our common ground in biblical teaching, apostolic faith and tradition as well as practical Christian witness, together with our remaining differences," Callam said.

Representing Orthodox Christians were Gennadios of Sassima of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and professor of Orthodox theology and canon law; George Tsetsis, a former permanent representative of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to the World Council of Churches; and Konstantinos Kenanidis, general director of the Orthodox Academy of Crete.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate is ranked "first among equals" in the Eastern Orthodox communion and is widely regarded as the representative and spiritual leader of the world's 300 million Orthodox Christians.

According to a BWA press release, the two teams reviewed earlier discussions between the BWA and the Orthodox Church and proposed that any international dialogue should be aimed, among other things, at increasing mutual understanding and knowledge of each other; the exploring of a common witness to the world; and the encouragement of common action on ethical and moral issues.

A decision on whether formal dialogue will take place is expected by March 2012.

In its most important piece of work the Council finalized the text of a joint statement on ecclesiology and mission Belonging Together in Europe. An earlier version of the text was the major focus of the International Old Catholic and Anglican Theological Conference held in Neustadt, Germany from August 29 to September 2, 2011.

The joint declaration fulfils two points of the Council's mandate in offering a joint reflection on the ecclesiological and missiological implications of the Bonn agreement and the relationship between our churches. It is intended to provide a platform on which our two churches might make further progress to full visible unity. The Council will submit this to our parent bodies.

The Council participated in the annual meeting of the Society of St Willibrord. The Bishop of Lichfield presided at the festival eucharist in York Minster, and the Bishop of Haarlem preached. Bishop David Hamid presented a paper "From anomaly to opportunity: diaspora and national churches with a common mission."

This was the final meeting under the Council's current mandate. The Council's report to the archbishops of Canterbury and Utrecht includes recommendations to be considered in a new mandate.

For further information, please contact the Revd Professor Dr Angela Berlis, tel +41 (0)31 631 4193, email , or Canon Dr Alyson Barnett-Cowan at the Anglican Communion Office, tel +44 (0)20 7313 3930, email . Websites: www.utrechterunion.org and www.anglicancommunion.org

Present at the meeting:

Anglicans
The Rt Revd Jonathan Gledhill, Co-chair
The Rt Revd David Hamid
Mrs Maryon Jägers
The Revd Dr Jeremy Morris
The Revd Carola von Wrangel, Consultant
Canon Dr Alyson Barnett-Cowan, Co-secretary
Mr Neil Vigers, Anglican Communion Office

Old Catholic
The Rt Revd Joachim Vobbe, Co-chair
The Revd Professor Dr David R Holeton
The Rt Revd Dr Dirk Jan Schoon
The Revd Professor Dr Angela Berlis, Co-secretary
The Revd Lars Simpson, Administrative Support and Interpreter

The Revd Henriette Crüwell (not able to be present at this meeting)

Internationaler Anglikanisch/Alt-Katholischer Koordinierender Rat

Der Internationale Anglikanisch/Alt-Katholische Koordinierende Rat (AOCICC) traf sich vom 4. bis 8. November 2011 in York (England).

Als wichtigsten Teil seiner Arbeit vollendete der Rat den Text einer gemeinsamen Erklärung über Ekklesiologie und Mission, Belonging Together in Europe. Eine frühere Textversion war das Hauptthema der Internationalen Alt-Katholischen und Anglikanischen Theologenkonferenz vom 29. August bis 2. September 2011 in Neustadt/W. (Deutschland).

Die gemeinsame Erklärung erfüllt zwei Punkte des Mandats, indem sie eine gemeinsame Reflexion der ekklesiologischen und missiologischen Implikationen des Bonner Abkommens und der Beziehung zwischen unseren beiden Kirchen darstellt. Sie will eine Grundlage sein, auf der unsere beiden Kirchen zu voller sichtbarer Einheit weiter voranschreiten. Der Rat wird sie den zuständigen Organen übermitteln.

Die Mitglieder empfingen Berichte über die Entwicklungen in der Anglikanischen Kirchengemeinschaft und in den Alt-Katholischen Kirchen der Utrechter Union und nahmen laufende ökumenische Dialoge zur Kenntnis, an denen unsere Kirchen beteiligt sind.

Der Rat nahm am Jahrestreffen der Willibrord-Gesellschaft teil. Der Bischof von Lichfield präsidierte die festliche Eucharistiefeier in der Kathedrale von York, der Bischof von Haarlem hielt die Predigt. Bischof David Hamid hielt einen Vortrag mit dem Titel "From anomaly to opportunity: diaspora and national churches with a common mission" [Von der Anomalie zur Gelegenheit: Diaspora- und Nationalkirchen mit einem gemeinsamen Missionsauftrag].

Diese Sitzung war die letzte dieser Mandatsperiode des Rates. Der Bericht des Rates an die Erzbischöfe von Canterbury und Utrecht enthält Empfehlungen, die für ein neues Mandat berücksichtigt werden sollen.

Weitere Informationen sind erhältlich bei Prof. Dr. Angela Berlis, Tel. +41 (0)31 631 4193, email bzw. bei Canon Dr. Alyson Barnett-Cowan, Tel. +44 (0)20 7313 3930, email . Webseiten: www.utrechterunion.org und www.anglicancommunion.org

Bei der Sitzung waren folgende Mitglieder anwesend:

Alt-Katholische Kirchen
Bischof em. Joachim Vobbe – Ko-Präsident
Prof. Dr. Angela Berlis – Ko-Sekretärin
Prof. Dr. David R. Holeton
Bischof Dr. Dick Schoon
Administrative Unterstützung und Übersetzung: Pfr. Lars Simpson

Anglikanische Kirchengemeinschaft
Bischof Jonathan Gledhill – Ko-Präsident
Canon Dr. Alyson Barnett-Cowan – Ko-Sekretärin
Bischof David Hamid
Frau Maryon Jägers
Pfarrerin Carola von Wrangel (Beraterin)
Administrative Unterstützung: Neil Vigers, Anglican Communion Office

Abwesend: Pfarrerin Henriette Crüwell (alt-katholisch)

Archbishop's Seminary, Rabat (Malta)
31 October – 5 November, 2011

Communiqué

The island of Malta located in the Mediterranean Sea between Italy and the shores of Tunisia and Libya was the setting for the last plenary meeting of the Joint Working Group between the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) and the World Council of Churches (WCC) before the forthcoming WCC assembly in 2013 in Busan (Korea). Malta has been at the crossroads of Europe, Northern Africa and the Middle East throughout its history. According to Acts 28, the Apostle Paul stayed three months on the island following his shipwreck on the way to Rome. While a prisoner, he established the Church in Malta that remains faithful to its apostolic origins until today. Meeting in Rome and Damascus before, the members of the JWG were again reminded of the breadth of St. Paul's missionary vision of the church and community in Christ. Our deliberations were guided by the words of St. Paul to "receive one another just as Christ has received you, for the glory of God" (Rom 15:7).

This verse of St. Paul's letter has guided the work of the JWG in the present mandate. Under the leadership of the two co-moderators Archbishop and Metropolitan Nifon of Targoviste (Romania) and Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin (Ireland), the group finalized its work on two study documents on Reception and the Spiritual Roots of Ecumenism and reflections on the current issues of An Ecumenical Response to Migration and on The Church in the Life of Youth and Youth in the Life of the Church. The texts are addressed to the two parent bodies to inspire and activate the ecumenical life of the churches.

Both the harvesting of the fruits of many years of ecumenical dialogue and attention to the important role of shared spiritual life and values for ecumenism are vital for the future of the ecumenical movement and progress towards the goal of visible unity.

Hosted by the Archbishop's seminary in Rabat, the group experienced the warm hospitality of leadership, staff and students of this school, which guaranteed an excellent working environment. Having the chance to meet Archbishop Paul Cremona OP of the Roman Catholic Church of Malta with other clergy of the Church, representatives of the Church of Scotland and the Church of England, and the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Tommaso Caputo, the JWG members witnessed a fresh spirit of ecumenical openness and cooperation in this predominantly Catholic island, not least because of a common response to the steady arrival of migrants.

The group also visited the President of the Island, Dr George Abela, in the presidential palace in the capital, Valetta. Recalling the images of the recent Day of Reflection and Prayer for Peace in Assisi, the president underlined the role of religious leaders in the support of the peaceful resolution of conflicts and encouraged the ecumenical cooperation of Christian churches. Societies need the inspiration that unity in diversity is possible. Churches need to support Europe in the search for common values in this moment of the financial crisis.

On the last evening, the JWG participated as special guests at a concert "Singing for Peace" at St. John's Co-Cathedral. Co-moderators and JWG members from different regions and Christian traditions led prayers for peace during this event.

It's sometimes been said in recent years that the Church of England is still used by British society as a sort of stage on which to conduct by proxy the arguments that society itself doesn't know how to handle. It certainly helps to explain the obsessional interest in what the Church has to say about issues of sex and gender. It may help to explain just what has been going on around St Paul's Cathedral in the last couple of weeks.

The protest at St Paul's was seen by an unexpectedly large number of people as the expression of a widespread and deep exasperation with the financial establishment that shows no sign at all of diminishing. There is still a powerful sense around – fair or not – of a whole society paying for the errors and irresponsibility of bankers; of messages not getting through; of impatience with a return to 'business as usual' – represented by still soaring bonuses and little visible change in banking practices.

So it was not surprising that initial reactions to what was happening at St Paul's and to the welcome offered by the Cathedral were quite sympathetic. Here were people – protesters and clergy too, it seemed – saying on our behalf that 'something must be done'. A marker had been put down, though, comfortingly, not in a way that made any very specific demands.

The cataract of unintended consequences that followed has been dramatic. The Cathedral found itself trapped between what must have looked like equally unpleasant alternative courses of action. Two outstandingly gifted clergy have resigned. The Chapter has now decided against legal action. Everyone has been able to be wise after the event and to pour scorn on the Cathedral in particular and the Church of England in general for failing to know how to square the circle of public interest and public protest.

As I said, the demands of the protesters have been vague. Many people are frustrated beyond measure at what they see as the disastrous effects of global capitalism; but it isn't easy to say what exactly we should be doing differently. I believe it is time we tried to be a bit more specific.

There is help to be had from a bold statement on our financial situation emerging last week from the Vatican. This document, from the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, is entitled 'Towards Reforming the International Financial and Monetary Systems in the Context of Global Public Authority'. It contains, along with some sharp critical analysis a rather utopian vision of global governance and regulation. But, more importantly, it offers three quite specific recommendations that seek not to change everything at once but simply to minimize the damage of certain current practices and assumptions in the immediate future.

One is something we have now heard clearly from many sources – a plea now endorsed by the Vickers Commission that routine banking business should be clearly separated operationally from speculative transactions. The rolling-up of individual and small-scale savings into high-risk and high-return adventures in the virtual economy is one of the more obvious danger areas in the light of recent years. Early Government action in this area is needed.

A second plea is for the recapitalization of banks with public money to be accompanied by obligations on the banks to help re-invigorate the real economy.

But the third suggestion is probably the most far-reaching. The Vatican statement strongly backs the proposal of a Financial Transaction Tax – a 'Tobin Tax' or, popularly, a 'Robin Hood Tax' in the form in which it has been talked about most recently. This means a comparatively small rate of tax (0.05%) being levied on share, bond, and currency transactions and their derivatives, with the resulting funds being designated for investment and development in the 'real' economy, domestically and internationally. The modest rate of taxation conceals the high levels of return that could be expected (some $410bn globally on one estimate).

This has won the backing of significant experts who cannot be written off as naïve anti-capitalists – George Soros, Bill Gates and many others. It is gaining traction among European nations, with a strong statement in support this week from Wolfgang Schaüble, the German Finance Minister. The objections made by some who claim that it would mean a substantial drop in employment and in the national economy generally seem to rest on very much exaggerated and sharply challenged projections – and, more importantly, ignore the potential of such a tax to stabilise currency markets in a way that would boost rather than damage the real local economy.

The UK Government currently prefers the model of a direct taxation of bank assets, and it looks as though that will be their position at the impending G20 summit. But we need some robust public discussion enabling us to compare the relative merits of these structures, to assess the advantage of a co-ordinated approach across Europe, and to probe how far the Government's preferred option will guarantee the domestic and international development goals central to the 'Robin Hood ' proposals.

These ideas – ideas that have been advanced from other quarters, religious and secular, in recent years – do not amount to a simplistic call for the end of capitalism, but they are far more than a general expression of discontent. If we want to take seriously the moral agenda of the protesters at St Paul's, these are some of the ways in which we should be taking it forward. The Church of England and the Church Universal have a proper interest in the ethics of the financial world and in the question of whether our financial practices serve those who need to be served – or have simply become idols that themselves demand uncritical service.

The best outcome from the unhappy controversies in the City of London's Cathedral will be if the sort of issues raised by the Pontifical Council can focus a concerted effort to move the debate on and effect credible and hopeful change in the financial world. If religious leaders and commentators in the UK and elsewhere could agree on these three proposals, not as a fixed agenda but as a common ground on which to start serious discussion, the struggles and questionings alike of protesters and clergy at St Paul's will not have been wasted.

The Episcopal Church's Executive Council has rejected the Anglican Covenant.

On 24 Oct 2011 the council unanimously endorsed a resolution recommending the General Convention – the governing body of the Episcopal Church – not endorse the covenant as it now stands. The Anglican Covenant was a political and theological threat that would alter the American church's power base and undo the advances made by the church's liberal wing in recent years.

The US recommendation to reject the covenant likely spells the death blow to the Archbishop of Canterbury's plan to forge an agreement that sets limits on the acceptable parameters of doctrine and disciple within the Anglican Communion, and follows upon last week's vote by the Sydney synod to reject the agreement. With liberals and conservatives united in opposition to the proposed agreement – though for different reasons – the political future of the covenant is grim.

While Sydney [Australia] rejected the covenant out of concern for its theology, the executive council rejected it for not being sufficiently welcoming of diversity. A report submitted by an executive committee task force stated the Episcopal Church must heed "the work of the Spirit in new understandings of how we are called to be in community and relationships. We believe our unity is best expressed in our efforts to be a church that fully welcomes those who have not always been welcomed. This understanding of who we are as a church does not allow the Executive Council to support any covenant that might jeopardize this vocation."

According to the task force report, 29 of the church's 110 dioceses responded to requests for comments about the covenant. A press release noted that some dioceses had endorsed the covenant, but their views were not included in the report as they had not been transmitted to the executive council.

Suggestions the Episcopal Church adopt those portions with which it agreed were rejected by the task force in the belief that "this would not honor the intention of the covenant's creators that the document stand as a whole. We also do not believe that using language such as 'receive' the covenant without approving it honors the intention of the document."

The report further noted that "to adopt the current version would mean changes to both the Constitution and Canons which would significantly alter our current understanding of what it means to be an autonomous province."

While the executive council remained committed to "continuing engagement in thoughtful dialogue within the Anglican Communion around issues that may be divisive," it could not "recommend adoption of the covenant in its present form."

The resolution adopted by the executive council calls for the Episcopal Church to "recommit itself to dialogue with the several provinces when adopting innovations which may be seen as threatening the unity of the communion." It also pledges "continued participation in the wider councils of the Anglican Communion" and dialogue "with our brothers and sisters in other provinces to deepen understanding and to insure the continued integrity of the Anglican Communion."

Tveit was speaking on a "Day of reflection, dialogue and prayer for peace and justice in the world" on 27 October, an interfaith meeting called by the pope titled "Pilgrims of truth, pilgrims of peace."

The event brought religious leaders from diverse backgrounds, and is a continuation of a tradition initiated by Pope John Paul II, who held this meeting in the town of Assisi 25 years ago.

Following the example of Francis of Assisi, Tveit highlighted the role of "young change makers."

"Francis was a young man when he surrendered his life to God. His passion for the goodness of creation and example of radical daring for peace show the significance of faith and the courage of young people," he added.

"Peace in the world requires the perspectives and the contributions of young people. A great obstacle to a just peace today is the high level of unemployment among young people all over the world. We need the vision and the courage of young people for the necessary changes, as we see how they lead processes of democratization and peace in many countries today."

"People are suffering due to clashes of interests as a consequence, since conflicts around Jerusalem are not solved. This city, holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims, is a visible symbol of our longing, our highest desires, our love of beauty and our desire to worship God. But it is also a powerful reminder of how this best can also go wrong."

Tveit goes on to say, "Let us as religious leaders pray for justice and peace for Jerusalem and for all who live there. In a mysterious way, Jerusalem does not simply unveil these realities about the human condition but also challenges us at the same time to address them."

Tveit was accompanied by Clare Amos, WCC programme executive for the Inter-religious Dialogue and Cooperation, who considers Assisi a significant event with a potential for dialogue contributing to peace and justice in the world.

"It is very good that this gathering is seen as a pilgrimage. We come together here sharing a pilgrim spirit of humility, and like all pilgrims we travel in the hope that we will transformed through our journey, and that we will eventually return to our everyday situations with renewed vision and determination to work for both truth and peace," said Amos.

Read also:
• Full text of WCC general secretary's speech at Assisi, 27 October 2011
• Address of Pope Benedict XVI at Assisi, 27 October 2011
• No peace without justice, no justice without forgiveness, reflection by Clare Amos, the World Council of Churches (WCC) programme executive for Inter-religious Dialogue and Cooperation

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, from the [Lutheran] Church of Norway. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.

[Lindsay Ann Cox • CCC] Faith communities throughout Canada believe they have a moral responsibility to address global warming. As a result, religious leaders have prepared a Canadian Interfaith Call for Leadership and Action on Climate Change. This is among the first times that such a broad interfaith effort at a faith leaders' letter has been undertaken in Canada.

From Sunday October 23 to Monday October 24, faith leaders, politicians and members of the public gathered in Ottawa to engage in a panel discussion and national dialogue on climate change. Responding to the Canadian Interfaith Call for Leadership and Action on Climate Change, participants discussed climate change as the root of a spiritual crisis, the values necessary for a sustainable economy, and the challenge of climate justice.

Participants from diverse faith and public perspectives joined their voices with the interfaith signatories of this document in addressing the larger context of the United Nations: "As you carry out your responsibilities at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate (COP 17), we urge you to honour the values and adopt the policy goals we have described… [because] we believe these to be practical and critical measures necessary to secure the well-being of the planet for future generations of life."

Signatories of the Canadian Interfaith Call for Leadership and Action on Climate Change included leaders representing a diverse gathering of religious traditions and faith-based organizations including: Anglican Church of Canada, Armenian Holy Apostolic Church, Canadian Diocese, Association of Progressive Muslims of Canada, Canadian Council of Imams, Canadian Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Canada, Christian Reformed Church in North America, The Ethiopian Orthodox Church of Canada, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, Federation of Hindu Temples in Canada, Greek Orthodox Church of Canada, Diocese of North America and Europe of the Mar Thoma Syrian Church, Mennonite Church of Canada, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada, Polish National Catholic Church, Presbyterian Church of Canada, The Salvation Army, Canada and Bermuda Territory, Regional Synod of Canada, Reformed Church in America, The Turtle Lodge, The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada, United Church of Canada, Canadian Churches Forum for Global Ministries, Citizens for Public Justice, Faith and the Common Good, Interfaith Social Assistance Reform Coalition, and KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives.

The Canadian Council of Churches is a non-profit organization of Christian unity in diversity. In existence for over 65 years, we are 23 denominations from the Anglican, Evangelical, Catholic, Historic Reform, Free Church, and Eastern and Oriental Orthodox traditions, representing in those 23 denominations 85% of the Christians in Canada.

[Manado, Indonesia • ENInews] An estimated 275 Christian leaders are meeting in Indonesia from 4 to 7 October to plot an ecumenical future in what one veteran of the ecumenical movement called a watershed gathering.

Leaders of the fledgling Global Christian Forum (GCF) will gather evangelical, Pentecostal, mainline Protestant, Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christians here to assess recent changes in global Christianity, Religion News Service reports.

"We plan to examine the global trends that are changing Christianity, listen to the reports of developments and struggles of the church in various regions of the world, and discuss how our fellowship can be strengthened for the purpose of our common witness," said the Rev. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, a GCF organizer and adviser for ecumenical relations at the Reformed Church in America.

Rumors of the demise of Christianity are premature, said Granberg-Michaelson, especially across Africa and Asia. "The fact is that today there are probably 560 million Pentecostals, meaning one out of every four Christian is of a Pentecostal background," said Granberg-Michaelson.

"Christianity in Africa in the last 100 years has grown from just a few million to 375 to 380 million (adherents), making Christianity in Africa the fastest-growing center of Christian witness," he said.

Granberg-Michaelson called the GCF an all-embracing ecumenical fellowship. It was founded during the World Council of Churches' eighth assembly in Zimbabwe in 1998, but is more representative than the WCC. "The World Council, as it exists, only includes one-fourth of global Christianity," said Granberg-Michaelson, who was the WCC's director of church and society from 1988-1994. "As great as the World Council is, it's unable to build a table that is broad. This is the only place that will have the full breadth of world Christianity represented in a meaningful way."

This is the first time a Canadian Lutheran pastor has been appointed dean in an Anglican cathedral in Canada. A dean is the priest in charge of a cathedral ("mother church") and occupies a senior position in a diocese.

The Anglican Church of Canada and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) have been in full communion since 2001, which means their clergy may serve in one another's churches.

In an email sent to clergy Sept. 27, the bishop of the diocese of Rupert's Land, Don Phillips, informed clergy of Rev. Johnson's appointment and said that the diocese was "looking forward to this new beginning in the life of our church."

"In addition to being heavily involved in ecumenical work locally, nationally and internationally, Paul served several years as an Honorary Assistant at our Cathedral," said Bishop Phillips.

Ordained a pastor in the Saskatchewan Synod of the ELCIC in 1987, Rev. Johnson also served pastorates in Regina, Winnipeg, and Emerson, Manitoba.

Rev. Johnson begins his appointment on Jan. 16, 2012. He succeeds Dean Robert "Bob" Osborne, who retired last year.

A unique and ambitious web-based theological resource was launched in Geneva on 23 September by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and Globethics.net. It aims to redress a global imbalance of access to research materials in theology and related disciplines.

The Global Digital Library on Theology and Ecumenism (GlobeTheoLib) contains several hundred thousand articles, documents and other academic resources that can be accessed online free-of-charge by registered participants from anywhere in the world via Internet (www.globethics.net/gtl).

"The time has come to launch a new model of ecumenical sharing of theological resources in order to prepare world Christianity for the 21st century," said the WCC general secretary, the Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit.

GlobeTheoLib is intended to use new digital models of information exchange to make the theological voices and resources of the global South more visible and accessible, across national, cultural and denominational barriers.

It uses the electronic platform of Globethics.net, the Geneva-headquartered organization that already holds more than 650,000 full-text documents in its Global Digital Library on Ethics.

Prof. Dr Christoph Stückelberger, the founder and executive director of Globethics.net, said GlobeTheoLib represents a determined attempt to redress the balance in global knowledge transfer.

"GlobeTheoLib harnesses the potential of the internet to offer theological research and education new possibilities for international networking, exchange and digital sharing," said Stückelberger.

GlobeTheoLib provides access to journals, books, training materials, and theses and dissertations on theology and ecumenism. It also gives registered participants the opportunity to submit their own documents and publications to share with others from around the world.

The project is supported by a consortium that includes associations of theological libraries and seminaries, as well as mission organizations, foundations, Regional Ecumenical Organizations, and Christian World Communions. The project has been co-initiated and planned by the WCC programme on Ecumenical Theological Education (ETE).

"GlobeTheoLib offers a new and creative opportunity to promote the sharing of theological perspectives between fast-growing churches in the global South as well as with churches and theological institutions in the North," said the Rev. Dr Dietrich Werner, the international project coordinator for ETE.

Content for GlobeTheoLib comes from four major sources: commercial publishers with whom GlobeTheoLib has subscriptions to make content available to registered participants; rapidly growing Open Access repositories; partner institutions that make their own resources available via GlobeTheoLib; and registered participants who are able to submit their own documents to the library.

The technical implementation of the Globethics.net libraries has been undertaken by Pointsoftware in Zürich, specialists in online libraries and data management.

For more information - GlobeTheoLib media contact: Dr Stephen Brown, programme executive, GlobeTheoLib ( +41-78 639 2905, )

The World Council of Churches brings together 349 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church.

Globethics.net is a global network that promotes the exchange of insights and research on ethics and values between experts, institutions, and individuals, and whose International Secretariat is based in Geneva.

[Jerusalem • ENInews] Religious leaders in Jerusalem are more willing than ever before to take part in dialogue with members of other faiths despite growing political turmoil in the region, said Daniel Milo, the director of the Jerusalem Center for Ethics, prior to the start of the third annual Interfaith and Ethics Symposium on 14 September.

Religious leaders now realized "that the alternative to dialogue is not acceptable," Milo said, noting that attendance at the annual symposium, which delves into interfaith challenges, has grown over the past three years. Still, he admitted, some Palestinian religious leaders from East Jerusalem declined an invitation this year, largely due to internal community pressures.

"The leaders need to use stronger tools now to reach their communities. Before they just spoke in their churches, synagogues and mosques; now they have the Internet and Web social networks and they must use them," he added.

Following a roundtable discussion where some of the 50 participants in the symposium split into small groups and discussed issues relating to these challenges, representatives of the three faiths participated in an afternoon panel discussion. They were Archbishop Aristarchos, Chief Secretary of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem; Abdul Rahman Kbha, Chief Imam, Inspector of the Holy Muslim Places in Israel and Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, Chief Rabbi of the city of Efrat.

The symposium was initiated by Polish businessman Aleksander Gudzowaty, who said he chose Jerusalem as the locale because of continuing unrest. "Everybody has forgotten that they need to restore the childhood to the children here," he said. "Everyone here lives in fear. Politicians speak in the language of hate and violence and I wanted some social action which would counteract that. Religious leaders should set aside their religious disputes and join the mission."

Two years ago, he said, he would "not have even dreamed" to have Arab representatives take part in the seminar. This year, Muslim imams in long robes mingled with rabbis wearing black yarmulkes and long black coats, Druze religious leaders in traditional dress and Christian priests and pastors with collars and crosses.

We talk about unity a lot, but what do we really mean by it? What will unity look like? Does ecumenism mean that we will all be the same? Where are we going, and how are we going to get there? There are different models and methods of unity which influence our churches' ecumenical priorities. This workshop will lay out some of the more significant positions. Presenters will include Bishop Donald Bolen (Roman Catholic), Bishop Cindy Halmarson (Lutheran) and Rev. Ron McConnell (United).

For further details email the PCE at or phone 306-653-1633.

Having withdrawn the permit for the Church's annual Conference the evening before the event was due to start, the interim government has now notified the Church in a letter from the Fiji Military Council that all other meetings of the Methodist Church are forbidden. All Methodist ministers are also forbidden from leaving the country for any meeting. The Church is responding with prayer and fasting. A planned press conference had to be cancelled last week because of the fear of further arrests. The Methodist Church is the largest faith group in Fiji and the only group to receive this treatment by the Government.

"We are gravely concerned about how this situation is developing," said Michael King, World Church Relationships Team Leader for the Methodist Church in Britain. "Our brothers and sisters in Fiji are asking us to keep them in our prayers and to tell the world their story. We are worried for Fiji. We are not only worried about religious freedom, but also about what the loss of other freedoms might mean for all Fijians in this traditionally democratic island nation."

Prayer for Fiji from the Methodist Prayer Handbook 2010/11:

We pray for the people of Fiji following the country's suspension from the Commonwealth;

Amen.

For four days representatives of both world communions exchanged ideas and perspectives centering on the theme of "Living the Christian Life in Today's World." After each group presented an overview of the history of their communion, papers were also presented by each group on the topics of peace, non-violence and military service; discipleship and non-conformity; health, healing/salvation and ecology; and the nature and mission of the church.

Mennonite World Conference was represented by Jack Suderman (Canada), assistant secretary of the MWC General Council Peace Commission and co-chair of the SDA/MWC conversation; MWC President Danisa Ndlovu (Zimbabwe); Tom Yoder Neufeld (Canada) and Valerie Rempel (USA) of the Faith and Life Commission; Henk Stenvers (Netherlands) of the Deacons Commission, and Patricia Urueña (Colombia/Ecuador).

During the past several years, said Suderman, the SDA interest in investigating and recovering their Anabaptist affinities led them to seek these conversations. Anabaptist-Mennonites have likely been less aware of their common ground with Adventists, but the affinities were immediately evident in the conversations.

Adventists and Anabaptists come from diverse historical backgrounds—Mennonites from the Anabaptist movement during the Reformation in the sixteenth century and Adventists from the Second Great Awakening in the United States in the nineteenth century.

They share a desire to recover the authenticity and passion of the New Testament church, a commitment to be people nurtured by the Bible, a sense that obedience implies non-conformity, a similar understanding of Christian history, and a strong commitment to be followers of Jesus in their personal lives and in their corporate witness to the world.

Each communion brought to this conversation a deep experience of what it means to live the Christian faith often as a minority voice in the world and stressed the importance of discipleship and the practical living out of the Christian life. Together they understand that Christians live "in the world" but are not "of the world." In its early days the Adventist church stressed the importance of community, was pacifist, advocated adult baptism, and encouraged discipleship to Jesus as Lord in ways that were very similar to Anabaptism.

The discussion also included honest and candid sharing of challenges facing both churches in the areas of non-conformity with the world, peace-making and military service, ecclesiology, health and healing and the respect for the environment. Both communions thus face a challenge in maintaining the importance of historic practices and beliefs. Adventists and Anabaptists left with an appreciation of the diversity of the gifts they each bring and contribute to the Body of Christ.

"By sitting down and talking with those of other faiths, we gain a deeper understanding of who they are," said John Graz, Public Affairs and Religious Liberty director for the Adventist Church, whose department organized the June 28 to July 1 event at its world headquarters.

Danisa Ndlovu expressed his thanks to the Adventist Church for hosting the conversation. "When you see people from a distance you can't say that you know them," he said. "But it is different when you sit down with someone and exchange ideas -- now we can say 'We know you.'"

Three topics that Adventists focus on more than Mennonites include the theology of Sabbath, a concern for healthy living based on a vegetarian framework, and the Second Coming of Christ. Adventists hold their Sabbath day of worship from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown. The MWC delegation requested an opportunity to experience how Adventists keep Sabbath, and they stayed an extra day to attend a Friday evening supper and a church service on Saturday.

MWC delegation members said they were interested to learn of the Adventist Church's focus and commitment of resources to issues of healthful living and religious freedom. The Adventist Church incorporates health as part of its faith and operates the largest integrated network of Protestant hospitals worldwide.

MWC representatives also compared the structure of their global communion to that of the Adventist Church. Most Anabaptist-related congregations are autonomous, which generates more diversity, noted Suderman, former general secretary of the Mennonite Church Canada.

In the Adventist Church, theology and direction is offered at the General Conference world headquarters and then trickles down through the rest of its five levels of administration: divisions, unions, conferences and local congregations. The administrative structure may have been responsible for some of the Adventist Church's numerical success, Suderman said.

The next conversation, to be convened next year in Switzerland, will explore further subjects, such as interpretation of Scripture, eschatology, Sabbath and worship, and areas of common witness and mission.

From reports from the Adventist News Network and Mennonite World Conference

Mennonite World Conference (MWC) is a global community of Christian churches rooted in the 16th-century Radical Reformation in Europe, particularly in the Anabaptist movement. Today, more than 1,600,000 believers belong to this faith family; more than 60 percent are African, Asian, or Latin American. MWC represents 100 Mennonite and Brethren in Christ national churches from 57 countries on six continents.

«C'è un sostanziale accordo tra le Chiese cristiane su ciò che noi crediamo, e noi abbiamo una percezione più forte del fatto che siamo veramente fratelli e sorelle in Cristo. Ora è giunto il tempo di costruire su queste basi e di chiederci cosa possiamo fare insieme per avvicinarci sempre più al Regno di Dio». È stato questo il filo conduttore del convegno Acting together: from Dialogue to common mission, che si è svolto presso il Lutheran Theological Seminary, a Saskatoon, in Canada, dal 6 al 9 luglio. L'incontro costituisce ormai uno degli appuntamenti più importanti del ricco calendario delle iniziative ecumeniche in Canada, con una consolidata tradizione alle spalle, visto che si tratta della XX edizione.

Proprio per il rilievo del tema scelto, che va ben al di là della dimensione canadese del dialogo ecumenico, il convegno è stato aperto dal vescovo cattolico di Townsville, in Australia, Michael Ernest Putney, noto per la sua intensa attività ecumenica a livello internazionale, come presidente del Consiglio delle Chiese dell'Australia e co-presidente del gruppo per il dialogo cattolico-metodista. Nel suo intervento, oltre che tracciare un quadro delle principali questioni teologiche che ancora dividono i cristiani, ha sottolineato l'importanza di promuovere sempre nuove forme di testimonianza ecumenica, come avviene in Australia, ponendo l'accento sui quei temi, come l'accoglienza dell'altro, sui quali i cristiani possono rivendicare una posizione comune dalla quale interagire con le istituzioni pubbliche.

La seconda relazione è stata tenuta dal canonico Alyson Barnett-Cowan, direttore del dipartimento Unity, Faith & Order nella Comunione anglicana, che ha provato a delineare la dimensione ecumenica della missione della Chiesa, pur in un momento non facile nella vita del dialogo ecumenico, anche per il nascere di nuove divisioni all'interno delle stesse Chiese.
Altri interventi hanno riguardato temi più specifici, con riferimento al contesto canadese. Monsignor Donald Bolen, vescovo cattolico di Saskatoon, è intervento sul tema centrale del convegno, cioè l'unità vitale che deve animare il rapporto tra unità e missione. Cam Harder, docente al locale Lutheran Theological Seminary, si è soffermato su cosa stanno facendo, insieme, le comunità cristiane canadesi, soprattutto quelle che vivono nelle vaste distese lontano dalle città, per la promozione dell'unità a partire dall'assistenza materiale nei confronti dei poveri. Successivamente ha delineato anche cosa i cristiani insieme potrebbero fare nel campo dell'edilizia sacra, nella formazione dei ministri e nell'amministrazione economica. Tra gli altri temi affrontati vanno anche ricordati i progetti per nuove iniziative ecumeniche per la salvaguardia delle terra «che costituisce una parte urgente della missione della Chiesa».

The theme "We will all be changed by the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ" is based on the apostle Paul's first letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor 15:51-58). It promises a transformation of human life, with all its apparent "triumph" and "defeat", through the victory of Christ's resurrection.

Traditionally celebrated between 18 and 25 January (in the northern hemisphere) or at Pentecost (in the southern hemisphere), the week of prayer mobilizes countless congregations and parishes around the world. During that week, Christians from different confessional families get together and - at least on that occasion - pray together in special ecumenical celebrations.

Both football and Polish history, marked by military invasions and freedom struggles, have inspired the preparatory group to "spare a thought for the losers", coming to the conclusion that "There is room for everyone in God's plan of salvation."

The production of the liturgical and biblical material for the week of prayer has been coordinated jointly since 1968 by the World Council of Churches (Faith and Order Commission) and the Roman Catholic Church (Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity).

Resources for the week are available in English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish, and include: an introduction to the theme; a suggested ecumenical celebration which local churches are encouraged to adapt for their own particular liturgical, social and cultural contexts; biblical reflections and prayers for the "eight days"; and additional prayers from, and an overview of, the ecumenical situation in Poland.

• More information on the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

• WCC member churches in Poland

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, from the [Lutheran] Church of Norway. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.

Aware of the tensions between people and communities of different religious convictions and the varied interpretations of Christian witness, the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID), the World Council of Churches (WCC) and, at the invitation of the WCC, the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), met during a period of 5 years to reflect and produce this document to serve as a set of recommendations for conduct on Christian witness around the world. This document does not intend to be a theological statement on mission but to address practical issues associated with Christian witness in a multi-religious world.

The purpose of this document is to encourage churches, church councils and mission agencies to reflect on their current practices and to use the recommendations in this document to prepare, where appropriate, their own guidelines for their witness and mission among those of different religions and among those who do not profess any particular religion. It is hoped that Christians across the world will study this document in the light of their own practices in witnessing to their faith in Christ, both by word and deed.

Read the complete document in PDF.

Anglicans from the diocese of Qu'Appelle and Roman Catholics from the archdiocese of Regina celebrated Pentecost Sunday together at Holy Rosary Cathedral in Regina. The joint service was the result of the covenant between the two dioceses, signed in January 2011. The two dioceses occupy roughly the same geographic area in southern Saskatchewan.

The covenant was signed by Anglican Bishop Gregory Kerr-Wilson and Roman Catholic Archbishop Daniel Bohan. The agreement commits the dioceses to specific initiatives. These include annual shared services with the two bishops, keeping and upholding each church and its leaders in prayer, working together on various issues, and jointly working with First Nations elders to promote reconciliation and healing. The bishops commit to maintaining communications, especially when new developments in one church may present challenges for the other. Anglican and Roman Catholic parishes are encouraged to undertake joint activities in worship, mission, education and social justice.

During the Pentecost service, Deacon Michael Jackson reported on developments in the early stages of the covenant relationship. Jackson is the Anglican co-chair of the committee to lead and monitor implementation of the covenant. At least two parishes in Qu'Appelle have held services with their Roman Catholic neighbours. The two dioceses held a workshop for readers, and plan a similar training session for intercessors. Roman Catholic deacons joined the semi-annual meeting of Anglican deacons with Bishop Kerr-Wilson. There are plans for an annual service on Pentecost and possibly another service, alternating between the two cathedrals.

The Pentecost service began with the renewal of the baptismal covenant and featured scripture readings and intercessions by lay people from both denominations, and homilies by both bishops.

The National Council of Synagogues and the Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) discussed "Sources of Authority in Catholicism and Judaism" at their semi-annual consultation in New York City on May 17. Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta, Chairman of the Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, and Rabbi Alvin Berkun of Pittsburgh, Chairman of the National Council of Synagogues, presided.

Father James Massa, executive director of the USCCB Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, spoke on the "sources of authority" in the Catholic theological tradition. He noted both similarities and differences between Catholic and Jewish ways to interpret sacred texts and pass on religious beliefs and practices.

"One of the obvious differences between our two faith communities is that while no one rabbi or religious body can speak for all Jews, the Church has a 'Magisterium' made of bishops in communion with the pope, whose interpretation and application of the word of God can be binding on all Catholic believers," Father Massa said.

His presentation highlighted the levels of authoritative teaching in the Church, to which are owed corresponding degrees of assent. Father Massa noted that some teachings on Jews and Judaism found in Nostra aetate, the Second Vatican Council's Declaration on Non-Christian Religions, reaches the level of dogma or defined doctrine. "One cannot hold to the charge that the Jewish people, either in the first century or at any other time, are responsible for the death of Jesus (the so-called charge of deicide) without falling out of communion with the Catholic Church. It contradicts both Vatican II (1962-1965) and the Council of Trent (1548-1563), not to mention a proper reading of the New Testament," Father Massa stated.

Father Massa suggested that when Blessed John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI affirmed that for Catholics the Jewish covenant remains a living and positive reality today, they were not speaking on the same level as an ecumenical council like Vatican II. "However, their teaching reflects the deeper impulses of the council, which were directed at laying to rest the teaching of contempt (that God had rejected the Jewish people) and at putting Jewish-Catholic relations on a new course of friendship and shared commitment to healing the world. Such authentic teaching could achieve—God willing—an even more authoritative and solemn expression by some future pope or council," he noted.

At only one point in Jewish history did Judaism ever have a body of authoritative teachers that approximates what Catholics mean by a Magisterium. Reisner pointed out that this was the period of the Sanhedrin (200 B.C.E.—70 C.E), the Pharisaical council that ruled on matters of the Torah from Jerusalem. "Is it any coincidence that the Christian community emerges from Judaism precisely at the time when such a body of authoritative teachers is in place for the parent religion?" Reisner asked.

Throughout the medieval period and into the modern age, authority in Judaism resides in majority practice and in the judiciary. Reisner spoke about the importance of the responsa in forming schools of interpretation. Local rabbis would make a ruling on a particular religious ritual or obligation, and then solicit a confirmation of the ruling or a better opinion from other legal scholars. Over time the "responses" to these inquires were collected and formed the great legal codes of Maimonides (d. 1204) and Joseph ben Ephraim Caro (d. 1575), which remain classic sources of religious rulings till this day.

Reisner also examined different contemporary approaches to religious law and ethics within the various denominations of Jewry. The Orthodox view the first five books of Moses as "God's literal word" having divine authority, he noted; whereas the Conservatives place the Torah within a tradition of unfolding interpretation that includes modern historical perspectives. For the Reform and Reconstructionists, Jewish history and law inform religious practice but in a manner that allows for a wide degree of interpretation based on contemporary needs.

The group also discussed recent uprisings in the Middle East. Members expressed concern for the large Christian minorities in Egypt and Syria, where the situation is volatile. Regime change in many of these countries poses particular challenges for Israeli security and peace efforts with Palestinians, they noted.

The beatification of the late Pope John Paul II on May 1 was acknowledged as a cause for celebration for both Catholics and Jews. The late pope made extraordinary gestures of friendship, culminating in the historic visit to the Wall in Jerusalem where he asked pardon of God for past sins committed by Catholics against Jews.

Catholic participants at the consultation also included Bishop Basil H. Losten, former bishop of Stamford for Ukrainians; Auxiliary Bishop Denis Madden of Baltimore; Christian Brother David Carroll, former associate director at Catholic Near East Welfare Association; Atonement Father James Loughran, Graymoor Ecumenical Institute; Msgr. Guy Massie, Ecumenical Office of the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York; Father Dennis McManus, special assistant to Archbishop Dolan; Father Robert Robbins, Ecumenical Office of the Archdiocese of New York; and Jesuit Father Drew Christiansen, America Magazine.

Jewish participants included Rabbi Jerome Davidson, Rabbi Emeritus of Temple Beth El, Great Neck, New York; Rabbi Lewis Eron, Cherry Hill, New Jersey; Judith Hertz, NCS Advisor; Rabbi Richard Marker, chairman of the International Committee for Jewish-Christian Consultation; Rabbi Joel Meyers, executive vice-president emeritus of the (Conservative) Rabbinical Assembly; Mark Pelavin of the Reform Action Center, Washington; Rabbi Jonathan Waxman, Temple Beth Sholom, Smithtown, New York; Rabbi Jeffrey Wohlberg, past president of the (Conservative) Rabbinical Assembly; Rabbi David Straus, Central Conference of American Rabbis; Rabbi Gilbert Rosenthal, National Council of Synagogues; Jack Fein, United Synagogue ofConservative Judaism; Rabbi Richard Hirsh, Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association; Rabbi Moshe Birnbaum, Rabbinical Assembly.

Within its secluded walls, the two teams of Catholic and Anglican experts are gathered from May 17th to 27th focusing on the theme 'Church as Communion – local and universal.' The discussions will look back at achievements of the previous ARCIC dialogues and explore pressing ethical issues that are challenging the teaching of both Churches.

To find out more, Vatican Radio spoke to the two co-secretaries of the meeting - Msgr. Mark Langham of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity and Canon Alyson Barnett-Cowan, head of the Unity, Faith and Order office of the Anglican Communion. Listen here: Real or MP3 or visit the Vatican Radio site here

The Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission is spending its first few days reviewing the work of the previous phases of work, particularly looking at what ARCIC I and II said about ecclesiology and ethics. It is doing this within a context of regular community prayer with the members of the Monastery of Bose. Biblical study of the Epistle to the Ephesians, led by the co-chairs, provides a biblical framework for the days' discussions.

Today, Friday, the Commission looked particularly at the mandate given to it, which is to engage in theological dialogue and reflection with the tasks of:

• Re-examining how the goal (to seek "restoration of complete communion in faith and sacramental life" is to be understood today
• Presenting the work of ARCIC II for reception
• Continuing to work in the established dialogue method
• Discussing the Church as communion, local and universal, and
• How in communion the local and universal Church discern right ethical teaching

The Commission was blessed by a visit from Bishop Gabriele, bishop of the local diocese of Biella. He said that in his cathedral there is a baptistery with a font which is older than the division of Christianity in 1054. He has given permission for all Christians to use this baptistery, for baptism is common to us all. The more we love our Lord, he said, the easier it is for us to come closer to one another.

Religious leaders are hailing Queen Elizabeth II's historic state visit to Ireland next week as a sign of reconciliation following centuries of sectarian hatred and violence.

Arriving in Dublin on May 17 for a four-day visit, the queen will be the first British monarch to set foot in the republic since its founding in 1923 and the first to travel to Dublin since King George V in 1911. She is scheduled to visit Dublin's Garden of Remembrance, which honors those who died fighting to free Ireland from British rule. She also will visit Croke Park Stadium, where British troops killed 14 people in 1920, and attend a state dinner in Dublin Castle, long a symbol of British power in Ireland.

The visit "will sustain a momentum of reconciliation," Archbishop Alan Harper, primate of the (Anglican) Church of Ireland, told ENInews. "It is an ... indication of the transformation of the relationship between the two countries. It has been very widely welcomed in the Republic and in Northern Ireland and is being looked forward to with genuine enthusiasm."

He also said that "a huge amount of work among the main churches has also gone into transforming relationships. From the point of view of sectarian divisions in Ireland, not just Northern Ireland, the queen's visit is another opportunity to build more bridges and further heal divisions. In the end it as much about human relationships of trust and respect as it is about differences of practice and doctrine."

O'Flynn noted that "the Republic of Ireland has more people per head of population under the age of 30 than any country in Europe. These young people want their children to grow up in a peaceful and prosperous country free from the curse of sectarian violence and religious hatred ... The royal visit will go a long way towards healing a relationship that has been very divisive and difficult over centuries."

However, not everyone welcomes the visit. "As Republicans, Sinn Fein is very aware of the symbolism of a state visit by Queen Elizabeth of England and the offence it will cause Irish citizens, particularly victims of the British rule and those with legacy issues in this state and in the north," said Gerry Adams, leader of Sinn Fein, the pro-independence political party historically linked to the armed Irish Republican Army.

The queen has visited Northern Ireland several times and Prince Charles, her son and heir, privately visited Dublin in 1995. Up to 10,000 policemen and soldiers will provide security during the queen's visit, the Irish Times reported May 9. While the possibility of a direct attack is limited, concerns remain that groups, including dissident republicans, may stage major protest actions or set off explosive devices, the newspaper said.

"Regrettably, the dissidents pose not just a threat to that [royal] visit, but they pose a threat more generally, " Irish President Mary McAleese said during a visit to the Netherlands last week. "They are what I might call the tail end of a very old, tired, failed culture of trying to resolve political problems through para-militarism."

Irish-British conflict has a long history. In 1169, King Henry II sent Norman knights to defeat an Irish rebel chieftain. In the 16th century, Henry VIII broke off relations with the Roman Catholic Church, but Ireland remained Catholic. Subsequently, Henry, his daughter Queen Elizabeth I, and Oliver Cromwell organized persecutions against Irish Roman Catholics. An armed rebellion in Dublin in 1916 called the Easter Rising eventually led to the Republic of Ireland's independence in 1922. However, six counties in Northern Ireland remained under British rule and sectarian violence between Protestants loyal to Britain and Catholics in favor of independence continued for many years in the north.

The Good Friday peace agreement signed in 1998 removed the last obstacle to a state visit by the queen, Mary Kenny, Roman Catholic journalist and author, told ENInews. Today, she noted, "most Irish people are too enraged by bankers' bonuses and the Catholic Church's mishandling of abuse and scandals to be too concerned by old grievances."

Reconciliation -- between the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches and between Inuit and Dene students who attended residential schools in the North -- will be the major focus of the 2nd Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) event June 28 to July 1.

The event is being held in Inuvik, NWT, which has the highest ratio of residential school students per capita. There is an aboriginal majority population in two of the three territories.

The Northern event "presents an opportunity and potential for powerful reconciliation gestures," TRC Commissioner Marie Wilson said in a recent meeting with church representatives. The majority of Inuit children attended Anglican-run residential schools, while most Dene children attended Catholic-run schools in the North. Rivalry between them was encouraged and friction continues to this day, said Wilson.

The TRC Commissioners have recommended that this event and future events organize an honouring ceremony for former students who died while in the schools and were not able to return home. Churches and community groups are also being invited to bake cupcakes for a common celebration of birthdays, because one of the things that many students lost was "a sense of individual celebration," said Wilson.

Fourteen residential schools in the territories have been identified in the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement involving churches, the federal government and former students. That agreement led to the creation of the TRC, whose core mandate is "to educate all Canadians about the complete history of [the residential schools] and to inspire reconciliation for individuals, families, communities, religious entities, government and the people of Canada."

Before its five-year term ends, the TRC has to hold seven national events that will contribute to the healing of residential school survivors, their families and the country.

The Anglican Church of Canada will be represented at the event by the primate, Archbishop Fred Hiltz, the National Indigenous Anglican Bishop Mark MacDonald, and some national church staff. Its national archives will also take part in the Learning Tent, where residential school documents and photographs will be on display. It has also agreed to contribute funds that will go into a common pool to support travel, food and accommodations for former students and their families who will attend the event. The Presbyterian and United churches -- which operated residential schools elsewhere in Canada -- have offered financial support for the event and will be sending their own representatives.

The new pastoral letter reflects on these full communion relationships and is signed by Archbishop Fred Hiltz, Primate of the ACC; Bishop Susan Johnson, National Bishop of the ELCIC; Archbishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church; and Bishop Mark Hanson, Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

On May 1 simultaneous celebrations of full communion will be held at 3:00 pm EST at St. Paul's Anglican Church, Fort Erie, Ont. and Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Buffalo, N.Y. Bishop Johnson will preside at St. Paul's Anglican and Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori will preach. Presiding Bishop Hanson will preside and Archbishop Hiltz will preach at Holy Trinity Lutheran.

All Anglicans and Lutherans in Canada and the U.S. are encouraged to mark this celebration in their own communities.

May 1, 2011

Grace to you and peace.

Ten years ago, when Lutherans and Anglicans in Canada and in the United States embarked on journeys of full communion with one another, we pledged our commitment to unity in Christ for the sake of the mission of Christ's church. On this anniversary, we rejoice and give thanks for those places of cooperation and ministry that our agreements have enabled. We are mindful that our commemorations in Buffalo and Fort Erie this day take place during the great Fifty Days of Easter. As the Resurrected Lord breathed his Spirit onto his disciples and commanded them to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth, we continue to ask for God's Holy Spirit to empower us continually to live together into that call.

We have chosen a place near the border between our countries to celebrate our historic agreements, to provide a unified witness to the saving grace of our Lord Jesus, to share our commitment for renewal in Christ's Church and God's creation, and to serve our neighbor in need.

As we continue this journey, we call upon our pastors, bishops, and denominational and congregational leaders to active engagement in God's mission and an increase in their capacity for multiplying ministry in the world.

We recognize God's call to serve and protect Earth in the face of unprecedented global threats to our air, land, and water. Principles of justice call us to live more sustainably as individuals and in community, and to work for systemic changes that support care for God's creation and for our neighbors. We acknowledge that our economy is based upon a worldview that sees creation as "resource" rather than sacred, of intrinsic worth, and "very good." As a result we often plunder creation, and the well-being of low-income and minority communities, as well as other-than-human communities, suffer. We call upon our congregations and institutions to advocate for and embody a more sustainable, compassionate economy. We also challenge our congregations and institutions to make choices and support policies to reduce our collective consumption of energy, thereby reducing the pollution and climate change that stems from the burning of fossil fuels. We call upon our four churches to work together in matters of environmental justice.

As people of faith, we have a strong tradition of helping our neighbor in need. These acts of charity are an integral expression of our faith and help meet the immediate needs of people living in poverty and those hit by disaster. Now is the time to work for justice as well, to advocate for more substantial long-term solutions that will create an anti-poverty agenda which we can all support. We will continue to encourage members of our congregations to meet immediate needs but also ask them to join together and pressure our governments to focus seriously on reducing poverty. We must continue to advocate for decent employment and to enhance our social safety net -- and to ensure that all have the opportunity to access both. Working together on matters of poverty and economic justice is an area where our four churches can forge an important common witness.

Meeting along the border of our countries, we are painfully aware of the issues of immigration and of people who lack lawful immigration status along other borders in the world. In our own context, we are mindful of those who have migrated to our countries to join their families, to work, or to seek refuge from persecution or violence. Countless families are separated by stringent immigration laws. As Christians, we are compelled by Christ's life and teachings to welcome the stranger as neighbor, serving, as Christ did, those who are marginalized. In our national and international ministries with and for migrants and refugees, we continue to advocate for comprehensive immigration reform.

We acknowledge that almost all of us are immigrants ourselves: we live in nations built on land taken from others. Our churches have long involvement in mission and evangelism among First Peoples. Sadly we have an equally long history of marginalization and oppression, often through church-run boarding schools, whose main goals were assimilation and the eradication of First Peoples' culture and heritage. As we atone for the past, we call upon our churches to continue processes of dialogue, healing, and reconciliation. Today, the definition of Evangelism and Mission has transformed into partnerships with First Peoples and their ministries walking side by side with Christ.

We are also aware that our own full communion arrangements reflect this border between our two countries: The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Anglican Church in Canada are in full communion, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Episcopal Church are in full communion. We ask our four churches to explore ways to formalize our relationships and deepen the partnerships between all four of our churches. On the basis of Called to Common Mission and the Waterloo Declaration, we look forward to the development of fuller relationships that will lead to a common mission, ministry, and witness in the world.

We put our trust and hope in Christ, who has led us thus far in these relationships. With boldness we venture now with a time of breaking new ground, planting more seeds, and tending them in the spirit of authentic partnership in the Gospel. With humility we offer all our labors to the Lord, hoping they take us and all our brothers and sisters in Christ towards a fuller realization of that unity for which he prays.

In the words of the Waterloo Declaration, "We rejoice in our Declaration as an expression of the visible unity of our churches in the one Body of Christ. We are ready to be co-workers with God in whatever tasks of mission serve the Gospel. We give glory to God for the gift of unity already ours in Christ, and we pray for the fuller realization of this gift in the entire church."

In the words of Called to Common Mission, "We do not know to what new, recovered, or continuing tasks of mission this Concordat will lead our churches, but we give thanks to God for leading us to this point. We entrust ourselves to that leading in the future, confident that our full communion will be a witness to the gift and goal already present in Christ, 'so that God may be all in all.'"

The Rev. Mark S. Hanson
Presiding Bishop
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

The Most Rev. Fred Hiltz
Archbishop and Primate
The Anglican Church of Canada

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop and Primate
The Episcopal Church

The Rev. Susan C. Johnson
National Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada

The difference between East and West reflects the choice between two different calendars, the Julian and the Gregorian. The Julian calendar, developed by Julius Caesar, is the basis for the entire Christian calendar. As Christianity grew outside of the Jewish homeland the Greek Christians used the Roman calendar based on solar observations rather than the lunar calendar of Judaism. The Julian calendar provided a more accurate account of the year, and allowed for greater precision in predicting seasons, harvests, and spring rains. The early church did not make this transition easily, with numerous factions defending each of the two calendars. As a result, Easter was celebrated at different times across the Christian world.

The Council of Nicaea in AD 325 was called to address disputes within the Christian churches that set Christians against each other. Along with its very important work on the divinity of Jesus, Nicaea also offered an important development in the Christian calendar. Nicaea determined that Easter is to be celebrated on the Sunday that follows the first full moon after the spring equinox. This decision blends the solar and lunar calculations of the Roman and Jewish calendars, and is seen by historians and theologians as an acceptance of further adoption of Greek and Roman philosophy, science, and wisdom within a Judeo-Christian system of belief and life.

Vatican II recommended that agreement between the churches on the date of Easter should be a priority, and that a new system of calculating the date would be acceptable as long as it was a consensus of the Christian churches. Proposals for a fixed date of Easter, such as the 2nd Sunday of April, were rejected by a number of churches, because of the difficulty in reaching a consensus.

More recently a proposal has been developed in the Middle East that was adopted by an international consultation in 1997 at Aleppo, Syria. The new proposal is that the calculations of Nicaea be followed carefully, but that the date of the spring equinox should not be fixed on March 21st. Astronomical observations are to be used, and the actual date of the equinox will be determined scientifically. The Nicene formula can then be followed.

In much of the discussion of this proposed agreement since 1997 a comparison of the projected dates of Easter plays an important part. The projected dates for the Western church would only change a few times in the next 50 years, while the dates for the East would change almost every year. This appears to place a greater burden of change on the East. However, the change that is asked of the East is actually a more precise application of the Nicene formula, which is not a difficult change to make.

There is one other change that is also reflected in the proposed agreement. In 325, the bishops ruled that when Easter falls on the Jewish Passover, Easter is postponed by a week. This remains the firm practice in the Eastern churches, but not in the West. In the Western liturgical tradition the Last Supper is understood as a Passover meal (as described in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke). The Eastern tradition does not make a direct connection between Passover and the Last Supper (following the gospel of John), and thus not between Passover and the Eucharist or Easter. This difference between the Eastern and Western traditions touches upon a number of Western doctrines, particularly how we understand the connection between the sacraments and salvation, and between the death and resurrection of Jesus and salvation.

The Eucharist is the most obvious connection for Western churches between Easter and Passover. In Western sacramental theology, there is a strong tendency to view the Eucharist as a sharing in the Passover and therefore a sharing in the covenantal promises of Israel and the spiritual gift of salvation. Other sacraments are related in a similar fashion. For the Eastern churches, however, the sacraments are a sharing in the divine life of the Trinity. They lead to salvation because they transform us into the image and likeness of God.

In the Western church, since Easter is about sharing in the Passover, the emphasis is placed on the death and resurrection Jesus, which is understood as Jesus' own passover from death into life. In the East, greater emphasis is placed on Jesus' whole life, and particularly on the doctrine of the incarnation. The incarnation unites the human and divine natures in the person of Jesus, and thus makes possible our sharing in the divine nature through the sacraments and other spiritual disciplines. The Western idea of vicarious atonement, that remains popular in certain Evangelical circles, is simply inconsistent with the Eastern understanding of Easter.

The 1997 Aleppo agreement on the date of Easter has not been formally adopted by any church. No church wants to introduce new divisions by adopting a system without universal agreement. But how is such an agreement to be enacted? The opportunity to celebrate together in 2011 gives us an encouragement to continue working on this important sign of the unity given to us in Christ.

The next generation of Canadian rabbis will be able to point to the Catholic roots of their training — or at least of their school. The Canadian Yeshiva and Rabbinical School will begin offering classes this fall in a classroom at the University of St. Michael's College Faculty of Theology, part of the Toronto School of Theology (TST).

Canada's future imams will have a similar story. A master's program in Muslim studies is taking shape at the United Church of Canada's seminary, Emmanuel College [also at TST].

The Toronto School of Theology is reconsidering its mission statement so the consortium of seven Christian theological schools can accommodate the emerging interfaith reality.

The expansion beyond the boundaries of Christian faith is "the right move at the right time," said TST director Alan Hayes.

Adding the other Abrahamic monotheisms to TST injects broader and richer theological thinking, he said.

"We're not trying to convert each other... It's more that we're trying to understand each other better."

"We have a definite stance. We have a world view," he said. "By calling it classic, that classic means something. It has substance."

The rabbinical school already has 40 applications, even as it waits for the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities to grant it a licence to award master's degrees and a doctorate in Hebrew letters.

Toronto has one of the most diverse and vibrant Jewish communities in North America, but a preponderance of its rabbis were trained either in New York or Israel. One of the goals of the new school will be to train Canadians to lead and found congregations, said Tanenbaum.

The young and booming Muslim population in Canada faces the same problem — too many imams are preaching and teaching in Canada without recognized credentials, a poor grasp of English and a hazy understanding of Canadian law, customs and culture, said Imam Habeeb Alli.

"Those who are foreign trained might not understand the Canadian context," he said. "And those who are living in Canada, of course they understand the realities of everyday life and what Canadian culture is and Canadian law, but they may not have traditional Islamic training."

The median age of Canada's 940,000 Muslims is 28. They're having children and immigration from Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, the Middle East and Africa is not slowing down. By 2030 Muslims will be 6.6 per cent of Canada's population, according to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.

Like the Yeshiva at St. Michael's College, the Islamic program at Emmanuel College seeks an identity separate from Islam's various denominations — Sunni, Shia, Sufi, Ismaili, etc.

"This course is not meant to delve into the differences in each others' denominations but to acquire training on issues that affect Canadian Muslims," said Habeeb.

The Canadian Yeshiva and Rabbinical School takes right-leaning Orthodox and left-leaning conservatives and brings them together with a common understanding of Jewish law, or halakha. While unafraid of engaging the modern world, the school will produce rabbis with traditional training. To get in, students will need an undergraduate degree and a demonstrated mastery of Hebrew and Aramaic.

Rabbis of the 21st century will face a different reality from rabbis of his own generation, said Tanenbaum. Tanenbaum's generation was trained to lead large, existing congregations with institutional roots in the Jewish school system, cemeteries, health care, etc. The next generation of rabbis will address Jews who are more mobile, with shallower roots in the community and who may not feel at home in big, institutional synagogues.

"They (younger Jews) are looking for the small, rather than the large. The rabbi of the future will have to build that congregation from scratch," he said.

For Muslims, Toronto is the natural place to find yourself at home in the entire ummah — the world-wide community of Islam. A school of Islamic thought with roots in the history of a particular country or culture may be less relevant to Canadian-born Muslims, said Habeeb.

Toronto isn't just a mosaic of cultures from around the world, it's a melting pot of Muslims.

"This is Toronto. You can't get better," he said.

Both programs will offer theological studies to people not necessarily interested in full-time ministry.

Working under the theme "Growing Together," the councils will meet together for Bible study, Eucharists, and several items of business including a proposed joint Anglican-Lutheran office and the joint Anglican-Lutheran national meeting planned for 2013 in Ottawa.

The ACC and ELCIC councils will also meet separately to address committee reports, strategic planning, and pensions, among other matters.

At the end of the joint council meeting, Anglicans and Lutherans will plant a tree on the grounds of the Queen of the Apostles Renewal Centre to symbolize their hope for future cooperation. Members have been encouraged to bring vials of water from their home communities to sprinkle on the tree after it is planted.

In Canada, the ACC and ELCIC allow interchangeability of clergy and confirmations are mutually recognized. Led by the Primate, Archbishop Fred Hiltz (ACC) and National Bishop Susan Johnson (ELCIC), the churches have sought more cooperation in national program work and have collaborated on initiatives including the promotion of the Millennium Development Goals. Archbishop Hiltz and Bishop Johnson offer joint Christmas and Easter greetings, often in the form of web videos.

On May 1, 2011, the leaders of Anglican and Lutheran churches in Canada and the U.S. will celebrate 10 years of full communion with parallel services in Fort Erie, Ont. and Buffalo, N.Y. They will mark the anniversaries and honour the possibility for future collaboration.

All Anglicans and Lutherans across Canada are encouraged to find ways to celebrate 10 years of this unique full communion relationship.

The accepted axiom is, as the climate changes so the world, too, will change in dramatic and sometimes undesirable ways.

What does this often rapid change mean to Christians whose faith is intertwined with the glory and beauty of God's creation, but challenged when that creation is corrupted and irreversibly altered?

Is the churches' current theological reflection on stewardship and climate change ready for the rapid shifting of winds, weather, and life on earth as we know it and our grandparents knew it?

These questions were enough to prompt a variety of churches in Argentina to explore the "Christian faith and ecology: towards an eco-ecumenical theology" in a recent seminar held 28 - 29 March at the Protestant theological school Instituto Universitario ISEDET in Buenos Aires.

The event was sponsored by ISEDET, the non-governmental Argentina-based Rural Reflection Group and the World Student Christian Federation (WSCF) Latin America and Caribbean region and was supported by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the United Church of Canada.

"Climate changes occur very rapidly and have astonishing consequences," said Dr Alfredo Salibian, an Argentinian biologist in an address to the group. "We are witnessing changes in our own lives, not only in relation to the context in which our parents or grandparents lived, but in relation to twenty, ten or five years ago."

Salibian proposed the addition of the prefix "eco" to theology, reflecting an imperative, urgent concern for nature.

"We have to recall that the redemption offered by Jesus Christ is bidirectional," he said.

"On one side it is vertical because it allows for the restoration of relations of human beings with the Creator. But we tend to neglect the other part of this relationship, which is horizontal, which aims to heal the damaged relations between human beings and the rest of God's creation."

Therefore Salibian said it is time to update Latin American theology, incorporating the prefix "eco" to redefine the meaning of "creation", "Christ", "human being" and "ecumenism" in light of stewardship for creation.

But it goes even further than that, says the father of the Kyoto Protocol, Raul Estrada Oyuela, who spoke on the international diplomatic framework linked to the theme of climate change at the event.

Theology and politics

Oyuela warned that the lack of mutual understanding between theology and politics could be damaging.

"If we do not understand what happens in politics, it will be very difficult to interfere in the construction of policies," he said.

Oyuela chaired the group created by the First Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to negotiate a legally binding instrument on climate change today known as the Kyoto Protocol.

"There are many people from the member churches of the World Council of Churches in international diplomatic circles that deal with environmental issues," he said, pressing the issue that the church can influence power. "If theologically, the WCC proposes ethical reference points, why not strengthen the process of awareness raising and advocacy among these actors, so that the agenda has a more significant impact on the final results of the negotiations?"

"We, Christians, warned, some years ago, about the urgent need to promote an ethic of social responsibility on the management of natural resources and care for creation, something we called 'stewardship for creation'", Salibian reminded the audience.

"This concept still is in opposition to the current dominant school of thought asserting the supremacy of economy over nature, which becomes oppressive to many humans, and breaks the relationships of people with nature."

Reinforcing the need for a review of the Latin American theology, the WCC programme executive on climate change, Dr Guillermo Kerber, from Uruguay, added that one of the main impacts of climate change on theology is the emerging need to reform the theological understanding of creation.

"What is the place of the human being in creation and in relation to it? We need an epistemological change of our theology in relation to ecology," Kerber said.

"Peace with the earth"

One of the methodological efforts made during the event has been the attempt to explain the links between violence, peace-building and care for creation. This reflects one of the main themes, "peace with the earth", of the upcoming International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (IEPC) being held 17-25 May in Kingston, Jamaica and sponsored by the WCC, the Caribbean Conference of Churches and the Jamaica Council of Churches.

Emerging from the seminar in Argentina is a holistic view trying to build on the acknowledgement that the environmental crisis resulting from climate change has economic, political and spiritual components.

The impact of climate change, particularly on migration, is leading to an ethically-based debate on the issue of justice involving the testimony of the most vulnerable groups such as women, impoverished and indigenous people.

"We must recognize that justice is a central theme in the Bible. The God of the Bible is a God of justice who does justice. Therefore, we include in our theology the issue of 'eco-justice'", said Kerber.

This is not the first time that the WCC and its member churches have been supporting dialogue and reflection on ecology and theology in Argentina.

In addition to an event under the theme "Man and His Environment" in 1974, there was also a seminar in 1990 on "Crisis, Ecology and Social Justice". The seminar, hosted by ISEDET, was held in preparation of the Call for Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC), held that year in Seoul, South Korea.

Dr Marcelo Schneider has been working as assistant to the WCC Central Committee moderator since 2006. He lives in Porto Alegre, Brazil and writes for several Latin American ecumenical and church-related news agencies.

More on WCC climate change advocacy: www.oikoumene.org/climatechange

International Ecumenical Peace Convocation website: www.overcomingviolence.org

Clarification: The major archbishop is the most senior bishop in the Ukrainian Catholic Church worldwide. At times this post has been described as "patriarch" although under current canonical provisions the See of Kyiv-Halych has not been erected as a patriarchate.

[Lviv, Ukraine] Most Reverend Sviatoslav Shevchuk has been elected Major Archbishop at an Electoral Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Lviv/Bruhovitchi 21-24 March 2011, in accord with the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches and the Particular Law of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC).

His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI confirmed and blessed the election of Bishop Sviatoslav according to the decision of the Electoral Synod of Bishops of the UGCC on 23 March.

Since March 2010, Bishop Sviatoslav, 40 years old, has been the Apostolic Administrator of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy (Diocese) of the Protection of the Mother of God in Argentina.

His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the newly elected Head of the UGCC made his profession of faith and promise to carry out faithfully his office in the presence of the bishops of the Electoral Synod.

The ceremonies of the enthronement of His Beatitude Sviatoslav as Major Archbishop of Kyiv-Halych will take place in Kyiv (Ukraine), on Sunday, 27 March, during the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at the patriarchal Sobor of the Holy Resurrection of Christ. This Divine Liturgy beginning at 10:00 AM will bring to completion the Electoral Synod.

Diptychs, an arcane liturgical term that describes the order in which Orthodox churches commemorate each other at their services, is one of the tangled issues blocking plans for what could be the first great church council in 1,200 years.

Some Orthodox leaders say the churches need to get together to discuss common issues and speak with one voice on such important topics as bioethics, sexuality and the environment, but differences over arcane church issues such as diptychs and autocephaly (the independent status of Orthodox churches) run deep.

There are about 250 million Orthodox Christians in the world, belonging to 14 or 15 independent Orthodox churches, depending on which church is counting. The Patriarchate of Constantinople, for example, does not recognize the autocephaly (independence) granted by Moscow to the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) in 1970, and does not commemorate the OCA in its diptychs.

Diptychs are not a question of dogma, but they are at the heart of church protocol. A leader of the Georgian Orthodox Church cited its founding in the fifth century in explaining why his church won't back down in its demands for greater recognition.

If the Georgian church agrees to the current ninth place it holds in the diptychs of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, or Ecumenical Patriarchate, and most other Orthodox churches, Metropolitan Theodore of Akhaltsikhe and Tao-Klarjeti told ENInews, "This means that we cross out our entire history. That is why we cannot agree with this under any circumstances."

The Patriarchate of Georgia is sixth in the diptychs of the Russian Orthodox Church, with which it is very close despite overall Georgian-Russian tensions.

Consultations to hold a modern-day council began in the 1970s, with a hiatus following Communism's collapse as churches struggled with newfound freedom and jurisdictional issues.

The post-Soviet Russian Orthodox Church has emerged as the largest in the world and chafes at any suggestion that the Patriarch of Constantinople, also known as the Ecumenical Patriarch for his role as the symbolic leader of Orthodoxy, is comparable to a pope. The Russian church received its independence from Constantinople in the 16th century. Seven great councils, known as ecumenical councils, at which doctrine was confirmed, are Orthodoxy's foundation. The last was held in 787.

Both Moscow and Constantinople agree that Orthodoxy needs to streamline procedures for making statements and granting independence.

"This is exactly why the Catholic Church had the Second Vatican Council, because it clarified many questions," Metropolitan Emmanuel of France, who represented Constantinople at Chambesy, told ENInews. "It's not because the Catholic Church had its synod that we have got to have ours, but I think everyone agrees to the need for a clear unanimous position of our church. We cannot just be preparing for 50 years and not come to an agreement."

Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, who represented the Russian church at Chambesy along with Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, told ENInews that statements that are presented as the unified position of Orthodoxy should not come across as solely the initiative of the Ecumenical Patriarch.

"In order for the Ecumenical Patriarch to speak on behalf of all the churches, they should be convened before to exchange opinions," he said. Emmanuel said the procedure for granting independence discussed at Chambesy would have the Ecumenical Patriarch proclaim autocephaly and sign a tomos, or declaration of independence, that would then be forwarded for signing by primates of all the other churches.

He said that not all the churches agreed with the form the signatures would take. That question appeared to raise, once again, tensions between Moscow and Constantinople that seem minor to outsiders but are of great symbolic importance within Orthodoxy and a vestige of its tumultuous history. The Georgian church's 11th century tomos, for example, disappeared during 13th century wars with Turks and Persians.

Balashov said Moscow has no qualms with the Ecumenical Patriarch signing first, but that discussion arose over whether his signature "should in some other way fundamentally stand out from that of all the other primates."

Archbishop Jeremiasz of Wroclaw and Szczecin of the Polish Orthodox Church cautioned that Orthodoxy should not necessarily emulate Rome in articulating positions on politics, sexuality and other social issues. "If each local church is a full, universal, united apostolic church, it means that God's grace is present in it, the Holy Spirit is moving in it, and the Holy Spirit will show the Polish church, the churches of Alexandria, Constantinople and Russia how to act in given conditions," he told ENInews.

Ecclesiology, or the theological self-understanding of the church, sets out to define the role of the church, its nature and mission, and in the ecumenical setting to explain issues and difficulties that divide churches from one another.

The inter-Orthodox consultation took place from 2 to 9 March and produced an eleven-page report as well as a communiqué detailing highlights of the discussion. It was held at the invitation of the WCC to facilitate the Orthodox churches' discussion of The Nature and Mission of the Church.

The consultation noted that the Faith and Order document draws on a variety of ecclesial traditions and is organized in accordance with western philosophical methods. This approach makes the text "difficult to recognize as characteristically Orthodox" and in the end "it fails to reach the level of a 'convergence text'", cautioned the final report.

The communiqué from Cyprus recognizes the 2005 text as a step in the long journey toward the visible unity of the One Church, adding, "We are grateful for the efforts of the Faith and Order Commission and acknowledge all those who worked under difficult circumstances to draft this ecumenical document."

The consultation stressed the urgency of overcoming separation among churches, quoting St Basil the Great (330-379 A.D.): "I think then that the one goal of all who are really and truly serving the Lord ought to be to bring back to union the churches who have at different times and in diverse manners divided from one another."

The report of the consultation will be presented to the commission with a compilation of suggestions for re-drafting the study document as the quest continues for ecumenical consensus in matters of ecclesiology.

Read also:
• Communiqué of the inter-Orthodox consultation
• Report of the inter-Orthodox consultation
• More information on "The Nature and Mission of the Church" study process
• Press release: Inter-Orthodox consultation begins discussion on the nature of the church (4 March 2011)
• Feature article: Text and Context: The Nature and Mission of the Church (13 October 2009)

Photo: Diocese of Constantia and Ammochostos

The theme was determined by the WCC Central Committee on Tuesday 22 February following periods of discussion spread over several days. A "theme" is not merely a slogan or motto for a WCC assembly but provides a focus for theological reflection, worship and meditation surrounding the assembly, as well as for planning of programmatic activities before, during and after the event.

The theme of the 9th Assembly, held in Porto Alegre, Brazil in February 2006, was "God, in your grace, transform the world." The theme for the 10th Assembly is also phrased in the form of a prayer.

The proposal of the 2013 theme was accompanied by the citation of a biblical text: Isaiah 42:1-4, depicting the servant of the Lord who neither breaks a bruised reed nor quenches a dimly burning wick (verse 3) and who will not be crushed "until he has established justice in the earth" (verse 4).

During the course of deliberations, several attempts were made by Central Committee members to combine the emphases of justice, peace and life, on the one hand, and of unity on the other hand.

Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the WCC, in the final moments before the decision, asserted that "seeking justice and peace is a call to unity – and may be clearly interpreted as such."

Carmencita Karagdag from the Philippine Independent Church reminded the Central Committee that neither the word "justice" nor "peace" has appeared in any "theme" of the previous nine WCC assemblies since the council was founded in 1948.

In the end, "God of life, lead us to justice and peace" was adopted by consensus. The wording was adopted in its English-language formulation. Official translations of the theme into many languages, including Korean, will be coordinated by the WCC and announced in the coming days and weeks.

"We are addressing the whole world," said Metropolitan Mor Eustathius Matta Roham in regard to the theme. A member of both the Central Committee and the Assembly Planning Committee, he represents the Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, located near the other end of the Asian landmass from South Korea. "This will be read in many different places, by Christians and non-Christians. We must be sure that the theme will be clearly stated in all languages."

Meeting in Cape Town, South Africa, the members of the Anglican-Methodist International Commission for Unity in Mission (AMICUM) could not forget the courage, conviction and determination of those who had fought against the sin of apartheid and had then set about a process of truth and reconciliation. On a visit to Robben Island where the members heard a commentary by a former political prisoner, the Commission was left in no doubt of the need to be honest with each other if the painful divisions that deny the Gospel call to unity are to be overcome.

The Commission recognises that, if the goal of fuller communion is to be realised, in the course of the next two years significant work will need to be undertaken on some specific areas. These include issues relating to the interchangeability of ordained ministries and the ministry of oversight (episkope). Our hope is to find ways in which, in every place, the churches of our two world families may work as one in the urgent task of mission.

The Commission took careful note of the bilateral conversations between our communions. These are taking place in the United States, England, Ireland, and New Zealand, and in Canada and Australia between Anglicans and the united or uniting churches. In listening to the experience of two United Churches (Church of South India/Church of North India) the Commission has become more aware that questions of identity and belonging to wider Christian fellowships require ongoing attention. The Commission would welcome hearing news of any other bilateral conversations.

The Commission is aware that Anglicans and Methodists also speak and act together in many places in the world in multi-lateral ecumenical relationships. In the course of this meeting the Commission paid particular attention to the work of the Church Unity Commission in South Africa. This included a visit from the Archbishop of Cape Town, the Most Revd Thabo Makgoba, the Revd Yvette Moses, vice-chair of the Cape District of the Methodist Church, and other local church leaders. On the Sunday members of the Commission attended worship at the Parish of St Cyprian's, in the township of Langa. The Commission is very grateful to the Anglican Church of Southern Africa for much practical assistance during its stay.

The Commission will meet again in February 2012, in Maryland, USA, hosted by the World Methodist Council.

Members of AMICUM are,

Methodists

The Revd Professor Robert Gribben (Australia) (Co-Chair)
Dr Elizabeth Amoah (Ghana)
Bishop Thomas L Hoyt Jr (USA)
The Revd Dr Wong Tik Wah (Malaysia)
The Revd Professor Sarah Lancaster (USA)
The Revd Gareth Powell (England) (Acting Co-Secretary)

Anglicans

The Rt Revd Harold Miller (Ireland) (Co-Chair)
The Revd Canon Professor Paul Avis (England)
The Very Revd Flavio Irala (Brazil) (not present at the meeting)
The Revd Garth Minott (Jamaica)
The Revd Canon Lulama Mtanjiswa Ntshingwa (Southern Africa)
The Rt Revd Dr P Surya Prakash (India)

Lutheran World Federation Observer
The Rt Revd Walter Jagucki (England)

Staff

The Revd Canon Dr Alyson Barnett-Cowan (Co-Secretary) (Anglican Communion Office)
Mr Neil Vigers (Anglican Communion Office)

Last month, the national Canadian ARC Bishops' Dialogue celebrated 40 years of bringing Anglican and Roman Catholics closer together. "The Canadian Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue is one of the longest running in the world," says Bishop Michael Ingham of the Anglican diocese of New Westminster in Vancouver.

Unity headed the agenda as five Roman Catholic and four Anglican bishops (one was absent due to illness) met over three days in Pickering, Ont., to discuss -- among other things -- Growing Together in Unity and Mission, a document produced by the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission.

Growing Together encourages practical co-operation at local levels between Anglican and Roman Catholic churches and visible signs of religious unity. "For example, it recommends that the two churches consider offering baptismal preparation together, using the same baptismal certificates or making public professions of faith together at Pentecost or on other significant occasions," says Bishop Ingham.

It also encourages other joint ventures such as non-Eucharistic worship, pilgrimages and social justice initiatives. Religious collaborations are not common now, but Bishop Ingham is optimistic that they may become so. "We discussed how to develop this co-operation in Canada. The bishops will be taking the recommendations back to the House of Bishops. If the bishops are supportive, then they have to go out to the dioceses and encourage the clergy there."

In some areas, however, co-operation is already a reality, especially in sparsely populated regions such as the North. "Several Anglicans have joined a Pro-Life group that we started and Anglicans attend a series of five lectures featuring top theologians hat sponsor five times a year," says Bishop Gary Gordon of the Roman Catholic diocese of Whitehorse, Yukon. "We're basically looking at fundamental creedal things that we share in common such as Christology and ecclesiology."

Bishop Gordon also participates in special services at the Anglican cathedral. The ARC spirit is also emerging in urban areas. "In Kingston, Ont., for example, we've been involved with Roman Catholics on social justice issue such as human trafficking," says Bishop George Bruce, of the diocese of Ontario in Ottawa.

As a visible sign of unity and an exercise in ecumenical liturgy, all the bishops participated in an ARC vespers service in the Pickering parish of Isaac Jogues.

A five-year veteran of the ARC Dialogue, Bishop Bruce says, "Over time a level of trust gets built up, and we discuss common issues such as buildings, heritage and careers." Adds Bishop Gordon, "There's a tremendous sense of camaraderie and you realize that bishops all face the same problems, whether they are Anglican or Catholic."

Another item discussed was the setting up in Canada of the papal ordinariate for Anglicans, known in Latin as Anglicanorum Coetibus ("For the Anglican Groups"). Announced in 2009 by Pope Benedict, this is a canonical provision within the Roman Catholic Church that allows disaffected Anglicans to fully rejoin the Roman Catholic Church while preserving elements of their distinct spiritual, liturgical and pastoral tradition. "This arrangement is directed primarily at the Church of England where there are a number of Anglo-Catholics who are dissatisfied with women bishops," says Bishop Ingham. "The number of people affected in Canada is expected to be very small."

The implications of Coetibus, which raised Anglican eyebrows and caused some confusion when first released, were explained at the meeting by Fr. Damian MacPherson, director for Ecumenical and Interfaith Affairs at the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto. The Rome-based Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has appointed the Most Rev. Thomas Collins, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Toronto, to head the initiative in this country.

The dialogue will continue at the next ARC meeting scheduled for November in Montreal. "For me, as a Catholic bishop, I come away from this with a deeper understanding and appreciation of the Anglican communion and its governance structure," says Bishop Gordon. "There's a great sense of camaraderie and a profound commitment to the ongoing dialogue."

The official dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion is undertaken by the Anglican–Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC), sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and the Department for Unity, Faith and Order of the Anglican Communion. The dialogue has taken place over forty years, in two phases of the Commission.

The co-Chairmen and co-secretaries of the new phase of the Anglican–Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC III) have drawn up a plan for the first meeting of the Commission. This will be hosted by the Monastery of Bose, northern Italy, from 17 to 27 May 2011. The new phase of ARCIC's work was mandated by Pope Benedict XVI and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, at their meeting in Rome in November 2009.

The co-Chairmen are the Most Reverend Bernard Longley, Archbishop of Birmingham, England (Roman Catholic) and the Most Reverend David Moxon, Archbishop of the New Zealand dioceses (Anglican).

The task of this third phase of ARCIC will be to consider fundamental questions regarding the 'Church as Communion - Local and Universal', and 'How in communion the Local and Universal Church comes to discern right ethical teaching'. These interrelated topics emerged from the Common Declaration of the Pope and the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The international membership of this new phase of ARCIC represents a wide range of cultural settings, and brings to the Commission a variety of theological disciplines.

The Most Reverend David Moxon, co-Chair, is the Bishop of Waikato and Archbishop of the Dioceses of New Zealand in the Province of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia.

Dr. Paula Gooder, biblical scholar, is Canon Theologian of Birmingham Cathedral, Visiting lecturer at King's College, London, Associate lecturer at St Mellitus College, London, an Honorary Lecturer at the University of Birmingham and Senior Research Scholar at the Queen's Foundation, Birmingham, England.

The Rt Reverend Christopher Hill is the Bishop of Guildford and the Chair of the Council for Christian Unity of the Church of England.

The Reverend Dr Mark McIntosh is Van Mildert Canon Professor of Divinity in the Department of Theology and Religion at the University of Durham in England.

The Rt Reverend Nkosinathi Ndwandwe is Bishop Suffragan of Natal, Southern Area, in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa.

The Rt Reverend Linda Nicholls is Area Bishop for the episcopal area of Trent-Durham in the Diocese of Toronto, Anglican Church of Canada.

The Reverend Dr Michael Poon is director and Asian Christianity coordinator of the Centre for the Study of Christianity in Asia at Trinity Theological College in Singapore, Province of South-East Asia.

The Reverend Canon Nicholas Sagovsky is retiring as Canon Theologian at Westminster Abbey in the Church of England. An ecclesiologist, he served on ARCIC II.

The Reverend Dr Peter Sedgwick is Principal and Warden of St Michael's College in Llandaff in the Church in Wales, where he teaches theology and social ethics.

The Reverend Dr Charles Sherlock is a consultant to ARCIC III. He has recently retired as Registrar of the Melbourne College of Divinity and lives in the Diocese of Bendigo, Anglican Church of Australia.

ROMAN CATHOLIC MEMBERS OF ARCIC

The Most Reverend Bernard Longley, co-Chair, is Archbishop of Birmingham, England, and has previously served as Moderator of the Steering Committee of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, as well as Assistant General Secretary of Catholic Bishops' Conference with responsibilities for Ecumenism and Interfaith Affairs.

The Right Reverend Arthur Kennedy is auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston, Massachusetts, and rector of St John's seminary. He has previously been executive director of the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Professor Paul D. Murray is professor in the department of Theology and Religion at Durham University, and is a major proponent of receptive ecumenism.

Prof Janet E. Smith is professor of moral theology and the Fr. Michael J. McGivney Chair of Life Issues at the Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Michigan, and is a consultant to the Pontifical Council for the Family.

The Reverend Vimal Tirimanna CSsR, from Colombo, Sri Lanka, is professor of systematic moral theology at the Alphonsianum University in Rome.

The Very Reverend Dom Henry Wansbrough OSB, from Ampleforth Abbey, England, is a biblical scholar, and was General Editor of the New Jerusalem Bible.

Sister Teresa Okure SHCJ is academic dean and professor of New Testament studies at the Catholic Institute of West Africa, based in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

Fr Adelbert Denaux is professor emeritus at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, where he taught biblical studies and ecumenism. He served on ARCIC II.

The work of the Commission is supported by the Co-Secretaries, Monsignor Mark Langham (PCPCU) and Canon Alyson Barnett-Cowan (Anglican Communion Office) and by Canon Jonathan Goodall, the Archbishop of Canterbury's Secretary for Ecumenical Affairs.

Nineteen Canadian Christian evangelical pastors are spending nine days on a study tour of Israel that is intended to provide them with information and perspectives that could be used to defend Israeli government policies.

The tour, a project of the Modern Israel Studies Department at Canada Christian College in Toronto in conjunction with the B'nai Brith World Center in Jerusalem, was funded by private donors.

"The evangelical movement has been very supportive of Israel. They are the ally we can rely and depend upon in Canada," said Dr. Frank Dimant, an orthodox Jew who is dean of the Modern Israel Studies Department of the college and chief executive officer of B'nai Brith Canada, part of the international community service organization. According to its website, B'nai Brith International is also a "national and global leader in the fight against anti-Semitism and anti-Israel bias."

"Knowledge is the key weapon. You can't merely say because the Lord willed it, it is thus," said Dimant, adding that organizers and speakers were presenting the position of the Israeli government and mainstream Israeli society to the pastors. "You have to respond in the lexicon of the day; you have to know the political jargon. It is important to see the facts on the ground to understand," he said.

The 25 January-3 February tour is to provide evangelical clergy with the tools to counter various accusations from pro-Palestinian groups such as those which label Israel as a apartheid state and are opposed to Israeli settlements in "Judea and Samaria," said Dimant, using the official Israeli government term for the West Bank.

Dr. Pat Francis, who heads the Kingdom Covenant Ministries in Mississauga, Ontario, said the tour provided her with a clearer understanding of "true Zionism" and the Jewish passion for and connection to Israel. While Palestinian supporters equate Zionism with racism, Francis, an Afro-Canadian who is originally from Jamaica, said she saw the movement as a Jewish nationalist movement fighting for its roots.

"It is good to hear the other side and to get at true perspective of what is true Zionism. To me Zionism is a more fighting for their roots, fighting for the establishment of Israel as a nation ... to keep alive Israel as a ... nation that is recognized with the freedom to stand in this world without the threat of annihilation," said Francis, noting that she also disagreed with the comparison of Israel to an apartheid state.

Having worked in South Africa, she said she doesn't believe the word "apartheid" applies to Israel's treatment of Palestinians. "It is not the right word to use. To me the domination, the one with the force and the aggressor is the Arabs, is (the use) of terrorism. 'Either you bow down or we will kill you.' That is beyond apartheid," Francis said.

In addition to visiting Jewish settlements, archaeological sites, museums (including the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum in Jerusalem) and a tour of Galilee and the Old City of Jerusalem, the group also visited shopping malls in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and Jerusalem's famed open air market, to get a feel for "real life" in Israel, Dimant said.

They also listened to lectures by archaeologists, professors and a representative of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs who spoke about legal issues and history of negotiation agreements and the status of Palestinian Christians. They also spoke about the ramification of the protests in Egypt.

Though the participants did not meet with any peace activists or Palestinian representatives, they did not feel they were missing out on hearing the other side, they said.

"We've heard the other side," said Pastor Peter Marshall of Victory International Church and Faith International Church of Hamilton, Ontario. "This is seeing the other perspective."

The Rev. Dominic Tse said the study tour had been "eye-opening" and would spur him on to write articles based on the tour and speak to his Chinese congregation at the North York Chinese Community Church in North York, Ontario.

If the program proves itself to be successful, and more participants follow Tse's lead, Dimant said they hope to emulate it for other groups. Dimant also said he envisions college-aged children from evangelical families joining forces with Jewish students at universities to confront anti-Israeli activities on campus.

In the U.S., many evangelical clergy have traveled to Israel since the 1980s, often hosted by the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, wrote author Timothy Weber in a 2004 book, On the Road to Armageddon: How Evangelicals Became Israel's Best Friend.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Regina and the Anglican Diocese of Qu'Appelle have entered into a covenant committing themselves to prayer together and for each other, to work together for justice, peace, and aboriginal reconciliation and healing, and to consult regularly where developments affect the other. Archbishop Daniel Bohan and Bishop Gregory Kerr-Wilson signed the covenant on behalf of their churches in a joint worship service on Sunday, January 23rd at St. Paul's Anglican Cathedral in Regina.

The full text of the covenant can be found on the websites of the two dioceses.

The covenant was developed to mark the 125th anniversary of the Anglican diocese and the 100th anniversary of the Roman Catholic archdiocese, celebrated over the past year. The close friendship between the bishops of the two churches goes back at least 40 years since Archbishop Frederic Jackson and Archbishop Michael Cornelius O'Neill began regular meetings in 1970.

The covenant is not simply a commitment between the two bishops, it also calls for the parishes and other ministries of each church to engage with each other in a variety of new ways. Drawing upon the work of an international Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue text Growing Together in Unity and Mission, the bishops affirmed:

"we have only just begun to give tangible expression to the incontrovertible elements of shared faith" (§7). In that document, we express our conviction that "it is the time to bridge the gap between the elements of faith we hold in common and the tangible expression of that shared belief in our ecclesial lives" (§10). "Even in a time of uncertainty, the mission given us by Christ obliges and compels us to seek to engage more deeply and widely in a partnership in mission, coupled with common witness and joint prayer" (§7).

Looking forward to a larger covenant

Recognizing the close relationship that already exists between Lutherans and Anglicans, and mindful of the opportunities for ecumenical renewal that this covenant presents, the bishops extend an invitation to the Saskatchewan Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and to the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saskatoon, as well as to the other Anglican and Roman Catholic dioceses in Saskatchewan, to enter into a broader multilateral covenantal relationship. Work towards a multilateral covenant will begin soon.

"It's a new thing in Canada," said Margaret O'Gara, a theology professor at Toronto's University of St. Michael's College who has been involved in Protestant, Anglican and Orthodox dialogue for the past 35 years. She will be among the Catholic participants.

"We all have the expectation that this will be a personally enriching experience and that, hopefully, we will contribute to the strength of the Church in Canada," said David Freeman, who is strategic interface vice president for the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada.

Freeman will be the Evangelical co-chair of the dialogue, with Regina Archbishop Daniel Bohan as the Catholic co-chair.

The first set of meetings will take place March 24-25 in Toronto.

But Freeman admits not all Evangelicals will understand the reasons for a formal dialogue with Catholics.

"Some would have great concern about theological differences and others would question the ability of Catholics to be culturally relevant, something which Evangelicals have tried to address," he said.

"However, there are many Evangelicals who appreciate the continuity they see in the Catholic Church and there is an increasing appreciation of historic expressions of spirituality reflected in Catholic worship."

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada have participated together in interventions before various courts, and have also participated side by side in the public square on issues such as traditional marriage.

But O'Gara said the theological discussions will not be issue-driven but probe the theological foundations both share as well as explore where they disagree. It will explore questions such as "Who is Jesus Christ?" "What does it mean to believe in God?" and "How can the Christian faith be preached in Canada?"

Catholics and Evangelicals agree on the basics of the Christian faith: they share the same beliefs in Christ, in the Trinity, in the nature of God, in what it means to be human and that God created the world, she said.

"Catholics and Evangelicals share a strong emphasis on the truth," she said. "Both are interested in truth claims: the Christian teaching is true; it's not just a nice way to live."

The Catholic members of the official dialogue include co-chair Bohan, O'Gara, Sr. Susan Mosteller, CSJ, Fr. James Hutton, Brett Salkeld and CCCB ecclesial and interfaith relations senior advisor Jonas Abromaitis.

The EFC participants are Alan Anderson, Rev. Scott Doggart, Freeman, David Guretzki, Victor Shepherd and EFC vice-president of ministry services Aileen Van Ginkel.

A gathering to improve relations between the many Protestant denominations in the Netherlands recently took place on the site of an earlier historic synod, though any idea of complete church unity taking place was said to smack of "an unrealistic utopia."

About 700 Christians from 50 Prot­estant churches attended what was billed as a "national synod" December 10–11 in the main church in the town of Dor­drecht.

The gathering's name echoed that of the Synod of Dordt, a six-month-long assembly held in the same building from November 1618 to May 1619. That synod was called to settle a dispute between Calvinists and Arminians.

Calvinists believe that God preordains only some people for salvation; Armin­ians say that all can be saved. Calvinism won the day at the 17th-century Dordt synod and has held sway in the Nether­lands ever since. Still, the country's history has been marked by disputes that have resulted in distinct, rival Reformed de­nominations. Today, Protestant Chris­tians, mainly Cal­vinist, make up about one-third of the Netherlands' 16.3 million population.

"Our society can rely on us to be people who seek to go on their way in faith, hope and love," the latest synod said in a statement presented during the meeting to the government's home affairs minister, Piet Hein Donner.

The country's ecumenical broadcaster, IKON, reported that the establishment of a single Protestant church was not one of the assembly's aims. One participant was quoted saying that to hope for such an outcome would be to envision "an unrealistic utopia."

Barend Kamphuis, one of the organizers, said that a national synod would not be an annual event, though there will "certainly" be two more such synods before 2018. On that 400th anniversary year of the Synod of Dordt, many have hoped that not only will a synod be held, but that it will also make binding decisions.

Gerrit de Fijter, a former president of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands who is credited with the idea of a modern-day national synod, said that the next step will be to involve denominations that refused to attend the December meeting. Absentees included both liberal and conservative de­nominations. Notable among the former was the Remonstrant Brother­hood.

The 17th-century synod condemned the Remonstrants as heretics and banished them from the Reformed churches. The Protestant Church in the Nether­lands was founded in 2004 as a result of the merger of the nation's two largest Reformed denominations and the smaller Lutheran church.

The president of the Lutheran World Federation, Bishop Munib Younan has said before meeting Pope Benedict XVI that their churches should issue a common statement on Holy Communion to mark the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation that Martin Luther began in 1517.

"Our [the Lutheran federation's] intention is to arrive at 2017 with a common Roman Catholic-Lutheran declaration on eucharistic hospitality," Younan told the Italian Protestant news agency NEV the day before his audience with the Pope Dec. 16.

In a speech at his meeting with Younan, Pope Benedict praised the progress that he said had taken place in Catholic-Lutheran dialogue but did not make any reference to the bishop's Eucharist proposal.

"Eucharistic hospitality" means that Catholics would be able to receive Communion at a Lutheran celebration of the Lord's Supper, and Lutherans would be able to do the same at a Catholic Mass.

Catholic doctrine currently forbids such bilateral acceptance. The Second Vatican Council, held from 1962 to 1965, said that Protestants, "did not keep the genuine and integral substance of the eucharistic mystery."

In 1999, the Catholic Church and the LWF signed a joint declaration on the doctrine of justification (how a person is saved), which was one of the main points of contention between Catholics and Lutherans in the 16th century.

At the audience with Bishop Younan, Pope Benedict described the 1999 declaration as, "a significant step along the difficult path towards re-establishing full unity among Christians and a stimulus to further ecumenical discussion."

The Pope added, "In these years leading up to the 500th anniversary of the events of 1517, Catholics and Lutherans are called to reflect anew on where our journey towards unity has led us and to implore the Lord's guidance and help for the future."

Younan is bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, based in Jerusalem.

After several years of informal talks, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the Seventh-day Adventist Church held their first formal dialogue in late-October in Chicago.

Last summer, the 219th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) voted to enter into an official dialogue with the Seventh-day Adventist Church and to invite other churches from the Reformed tradition to take part. The Chicago gathering was the first meeting of the dialogue. The Christian Reformed Church (CRC) sent an observer to the meeting.

Representing the PCUSA were the Rev. Carlos Malave, the Rev. David Cortes, the Rev. Sheldon Sorge, and former Auburn Theological Seminary President Barbara Wheeler. The Seventh-day Adventist delegation consisted of: the Rev. Halvard Thomsen, the Rev. Denis Fortin, the Rev. William Johnsson, the Rev. Ekkehart Mueller, and the Rev. Theresa Reeve. The observer from the CRC was the Rev. Bruce Adema.

"The meeting was characterized by friendliness and respect," said Malave, associate for ecumenical relations in the Office of the General Assembly, "with candid sharing and cordial exchanges."

The dialogue clarified the goals for future conversations. Some of them are:
• to reach a clearer understanding of each other, removing false stereotypes and misconceptions;
• to explore areas of possible cooperation, but without any intention for eventual institutional unity;
• to better understand each other's traditional values with the intention of incorporating appropriate ones into each church's ethos; and
• to explore ways to approach the Lord's Table together.

Theological topics for future discussion include the law, atonement, prophecy, Sabbath, social justice, religious liberty, worship and communion, education and screening of clergy, and ways to maintain unity within each denomination.

A second round of the dialogue will convene in the Washington, DC area in 2011, when the Seventh-day Adventist Church will function as host.

Information for this story furnished by the Rev. Carlos Malave.

The head of the World Council of Churches in his first official meeting with Pope Benedict XVI has said he wants to strengthen cooperation with the Roman Catholic Church, especially in the Middle East.

No official statement was released after the 4 December audience at the Vatican, but the WCC general secretary, the Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit, told journalists in Rome there had been a "a very open and friendly" conversation.

He noted that at the meeting, he and Pope Benedict had stressed that there are many levels at which the WCC and Roman Catholic Church already cooperate.

Tveit said he asked the Pope: "How can we strengthen the already strong cooperation we have?"

The WCC leader said he had presented to Pope Benedict a wooden box from Syria, as a reminder of the Middle East, and a book of poetry by Norwegian poet Olav H. Hauge.

He had also offered the pontiff a pair of Norwegian woollen gloves "because in winter they protect well from the cold. So, in this time, which, according to some people is an ecumenical winter, they are as a symbol of the possibility to go ahead, despite the difficulties, and to continue patiently our work for Christian unity."

These include the WCC's Faith and Order Commission, which seeks to advance the unity of the Church, and its Commission on World Mission and Evangelism. There is also a Joint Working Group between the Catholic Church and the WCC.

Tveit's visit took place shortly after the Vatican's chief unity official, Cardinal Kurt Koch, was reported as saying there is a crisis of ecumenism because of two "profoundly different mentalities" that shape the way Catholics and Protestants describe the nature of the Church.

Koch was in July named president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

Tveit noted that as a theologian from Germany, Joseph Ratzinger, who became Pope Benedict XVI in 2005, had belonged in the early 1970s to the WCC's Faith and Order Commission, "so he knows very well a very important dimension of our work".

The Pope showed great interest in how the WCC will "strengthen the work of visible unity between the churches," Tveit said. "He emphasised in a very kind and also a very strong way the importance of the World Council of Churches' work and the ministry I am called to do as general secretary."

Tveit said that from his perspective having the Catholic Church become a member of the WCC is not a pressing issue.

Still, the relationship between the Catholic Church and the WCC, "is much more than the link between Rome and Geneva", said Tveit, a Norwegian Lutheran who took up his WCC post in January.

"The WCC is a fellowship of Churches around the world, and when I travel and meet with the member churches, in many cases they describe to me how they cooperate with the Roman Catholic Church on the local level and national level," he stated.

The WCC leader said he had discussed with the Pope the situation in Sudan, and of the importance of all churches in Africa's biggest country working together to defend peace and justice and to not exacerbate any conflict between Muslims and Christians.

The two Christian leaders also discussed how to support Christians in the Middle East, particularly in Iraq, where they are fleeing the country.

"We talked about the situation in Israel and Palestine. And the churches there need to have a united witness. I mentioned the great importance of the Roman Catholic Church there and how it is also contributing to the one ecumenical voice in Jerusalem," Tveit continued.

Tveit said he discussed the possibility of Pope Benedict visiting Geneva in the near future. Pope Paul VI visited the WCC in Geneva in 1969, and John Paul II in 1984.

No date had been scheduled, but Tveit told ENInews he would soon be issuing an official invitation through the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

During his visit to Rome, Tveit also preached at the main Methodist church in the Italian capital, and met leaders of the Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy. Protestants are a small minority in Italy, where 90 percent of its 50 million people belong to the Catholic Church.

• Read the rest of the Catholic Register article here

The Saskatoon Church Leaders: Bishop Donald Bolen, Bishop Bryan Bayda, Jay Cowsill, Rev. Harry Strauss, Rev. Ron McConnell, Rev. Jeremiah Buhler, Bishop Cindy Halmarson, Bishop David Irving, Peter Guenther, and Rev. Amanda Currie Photo courtesy of The Prairie Messenger

The leaders of many Saskatoon churches gathered on Wednesday, November 24th to sign a letter of support for Station 20 West's Good Food Junction grocery store. The churches have agreed to work together as an ecumenical advent project, to raise much-needed funds for the equipment required by the store.

At today's public event, the Rev. Amanda Currie (Presbyterian Church in Canada) and Bishop Donald Bolen (Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon) offered their reflections on this project. Speaking about the dream of having a full-service grocery store in the core neighbourhoods, Currie said: "What may come as a surprise to many people across Saskatoon is that many of the families and individuals who live in the core neighbourhoods are not dreaming that they'll get to move to the East side. Their dream is the transformation of their own neighbourhoods. And that is a dream that can become a reality."

"We do have differences which separate us as Christian communities, but nevertheless we chose to stand together today," said Bolen, the Roman Catholic bishop of Saskatoon. "We hope this is an invitation to all of Saskatoon to rise above differences, political differences, differences of neighbourhoods or perspective, to join in support of people of Pleasant Hill."

"The only politics that really belongs here is the politics of providing food to people who need food, to providing food security for this neighbourhood," said Bolen.

To find out more about Station 20 West and the Good Food Junction grocery store, watch the video "Station 20 West – Sustainable Good Food Health Centre."

This Christmas season many churches in Saskatoon seek to enhance the momentum of a vital project – the community-owned Good Food Junction cooperative store located at Station 20 West. It is a community project that the churches seek to support as a concrete expression of God's love.

Christians share the conviction that in Jesus Christ God has drawn near to us. The Advent and Christmas seasons remind us that when God in Christ came to dwell among us he was born and lived in poverty and simplicity. In Jesus' ministry, we see his profound concern for those who were in need. He gave dignity to those who were poor, suffering or oppressed. He identified himself with those who were hungry or thirsty, saying that whatever we do for those most in need, we do for him (Matthew 25:31-40). As his disciples we have a moral imperative to follow his example.

Church groups serve in many projects which support the people of the core neighbourhoods, such as the Food Bank, the Bridge, the Salvation Army and Friendship Inn, among others.

Saskatoon's core neighbourhoods are the heart of the city. For our city to be healthy, it needs a healthy heart. Maintaining good health is a challenge for many in the area whose needs are high and whose resources are limited. Access to healthy food is vital for wellness and self-reliance. Since 1997, no full-service grocery store has operated in our core neighbourhoods. Many residents have no cars and thus have little access to healthy, affordable food.

The Good Food Junction, at 20th St. and Ave. L, will provide in-store nutrition education and offer healthy food at reasonable prices, close to home. Equipping the store will cost approximately $650,000. Being able to accomplish this without going into debt is crucial to the store's success.

Together we can bring this essential service to the people of our core neighbourhoods. This is not specifically a church initiative: neither is it the project of a single political party, nor should we as Christian communities allow it to be so. The potential for good is immense.

As church leaders and as individuals we commit ourselves to making the Good Food Junction a priority for the weeks leading up to Christmas. We will express support through our prayers, practical assistance, and where appropriate through fundraising to equip the store. We do this in the name of Jesus Christ who is Emmanuel, God-with-us.

Signatories:

• Most Rev. Bryan Bayda, C.Ss.R., Bishop, Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saskatoon
• Most Rev. Donald Bolen, Bishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon
• Rev. Jeremiah Buhler, Area Church Minister, Mennonite Church Saskatchewan
• Jay Cowsell, Saskatoon Monthly Meeting, Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
• Rev. Amanda Currie, Minister, Presbytery of Northern Saskatchewan, Presbyterian Church in Canada
• Rev. Claire Ewert-Fisher, Executive Director, Mennonite Central Committee
• Rev. Cynthia Halmarson, Bishop, Saskatchewan Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
• Rt. Rev. David Irving, Bishop, Anglican Diocese of Saskatoon
• Rev. Ron McConnell, Chair, Riverbend Presbytery, United Church of Canada
• Rev. Harry Strauss, Chair, Saskatoon Evangelical Ministers Fellowship

[Rome • Zenit.org] The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity just marked its 50th birthday. The council's president saw this as an opportune moment to look at what progress has been made in five decades of dialogue and prayer.

Cardinal Kurt Koch presented a report last week at the council's plenary assembly called "Harvesting the Fruits."

The first fruit, he said, is within the Church itself.

Ecumenism "is no longer a foreign reality" in the life of parishes and dioceses, the cardinal affirmed. "This 'ecumenism of life' is of fundamental importance, as without it, all the theological efforts directed to reaching a lasting agreement on basic issues of faith between the different churches would be in vain."

Cardinal Koch admitted, however, that although the Catholic Church is irreversibly committed to the search for unity, in some respects the problem is still the same as it was at "the point of departure," at the Second Vatican Council.

In this regard, he spoke of the crux of the issue being ecclesiology -- the concept of the nature of the Church.

Cardinal Koch noted how ecumenism and ecclesiology are intimately connected: "Ecumenism was an important theme of the renewal of the Catholic Church herself and of her self-understanding," he said.

He pointed to one of the key issues of the council: the relationship between the universal Church and the local Churches.

But in the realm of ecumenism, the prelate explained, the plural "churches" refers not to local Churches, but to the ecclesial communities not in communion with the Catholic Church.

The ecumenical problem "consists in pointing out how the Catholic Church can and must conduct herself in face of this plural 'churches,' which exist outside of her," he said. This issue arises both in the dialogue with the Orthodox Churches as well as, though in a different way, in the dialogue with the communities of the Reformation.

Orthodox

In regard to the Orthodox, Cardinal Koch explained: "The definition that is most adapted to Orthodox ecclesiology is 'Eucharistic ecclesiology,' a concept developed above all by exiled Russian theologians in Paris after World War I, in clear opposition to the centralism of the papacy of the Roman Catholic Church."

This concept "stresses that the Church of Jesus Christ is present and realized in each particular Church gathered around her bishop, in which the Eucharist is celebrated," he said.

Hence, the cardinal continued, for the Orthodox, with the exception of an ecumenical council "there can be no other visible principle of unity of the universal Church, to which are attributed juridical powers, such as those the Catholic Church recognizes in the Petrine ministry."

According to Catholic ecclesiology, however, the Church is fully present in the concrete Eucharistic communities, but one Eucharistic community alone "is not the Church in her fullness," he explained. "Because of this, the unity between each Eucharistic community united in turn with her own bishop and with the Bishop of Rome is not an external ingredient to Eucharistic ecclesiology, but its essential condition."

The heart of the ecumenical problem between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church lies in the fact that "an ecclesiology linked to the national culture and a Catholic ecclesiology oriented to the concept of universality find themselves one before the other, up to now, in disagreement," Cardinal Koch stated.

Obstacle or opportunity?

Cardinal Koch noted that Pope Paul VI saw this issue as the "greatest obstacle" for reaching full communion with the Orthodox. However, the prelate said, Benedict XVI has also detected in this issue an opportunity for union.

According to the thought of the present Pope, he said, "without primacy, the Catholic Church would also have disintegrated a long time ago in national and sui iuris Churches, which would have confused and complicated the ecumenical landscape."

The council president affirmed that ecumenical dialogue between Catholic and Orthodox has given "encouraging steps," even if more work remains to be done.

Reformation

Cardinal Koch also observed that progress with the Orthodox can have a positive influence in ecumenical relations with the communities of the Reformation.

In fact, "the ecclesiology of the Reformation also pivots around the local concrete community, as appears clearly in Luther himself," he stressed.

Because of this, Protestant ecclesiology "also finds its gravitational point in the concrete local community: The Church of Jesus Christ is fully present in the concrete communities that gather in the liturgical celebration."

Each community is in a relationship of reciprocal exchange with the others, he continued. "The trans-community dimension of the Church exists implicitly, but is secondary, as is the universal dimension of the Church."

Hence, the cardinal said, the greatest difficulty on this point is "how to relate, on one hand, Catholic ecclesiology, with its dialectic between plurality of local Churches and unity of the universal Church, and on the other, Protestant ecclesiology, which sees in the concrete community the most authentic realization of the Church."

The situation is even more complicated in the case of Protestants because of the controversy over the sacramental dimension of the Church, a topic that marks a profound difference between the Catholic Church and the communities of the Reformation, the cardinal clarified.

Finally, in regard to ecclesiology, another issue to be clarified by Protestants regards the way in which these ecclesial communities conceive themselves: as a break with the 1,500 years of Christianity prior to the Reformation, or as a development in fundamental continuity with it.

In this internal Protestant debate, Cardinal Koch expressed the hope that the second understanding would take root, "and that with it, a satisfactory answer is found, also in view of the anniversary of the Reformation, which will be observed in 2017."

Last week, the Vatican published a new papal letter from Benedict XVI entitled Verbum Domini, the Word of the Lord. Technically called an "apostolic exhortation," this letter is the final contribution from the 2008 synod. At over 190 pages in the English text, the new letter is a fitting successor to Dei Verbum. Like the earlier conciliar text, Verbum Domini understands the word of God in incarnational terms, focusing its discussion on the life and mission of the church. This text is a "must read" for all ecumenists.

• Pope Benedict XVI, Verbum Domini: Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation on the Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church, September 30, 2010 (HTML or PDF 1 Mb)
• Summary of the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Verbum Domini, produced by the Commission for Doctrine, Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops

We have already been reminded this afternoon that the calling of the Pontifical Council is not primarily one of ecclesiastical diplomacy. Its task is not solely, not even primarily, one of negotiation. The Council has always been and it still is – very valuably – a place where the very idea of unity can be thought about. And one proper hope for this celebration is that time should be given to thinking about the very notion of unity as a theological concept. That work has already been sketched this afternoon and in other discussions at the plenary meeting of the Council. What I hope to do in the first part of my remarks this afternoon is to say a few words outlining what I believe to be the biblical foundations for a theology of Christian unity. I hope then to draw out some of the implications for the practice of the Church of such a theology, and then to relate it to the very specific challenges that our ecumenical dialogues face at the present moment.

• Read the rest of the address on the Archbishop's own webpage

At the end of the meeting the participants (seven in the delegation led by Mohammad Baqer Khorramshad and six in the delegation led by Cardinal Tauran), agreed upon the following:
(1) Believers and religious communities, based on their faith in God, have a specific role to play in society, on an equal footing with other citizens.
(2) Religion has an inherent social dimension that the State has the obligation to respect; therefore, also in the interest of society, it cannot be confined to private sphere.
(3) Believers are called to co-operate in the search for common good, on the basis of a sound relation between faith and reason.
(4) It is necessary for Christians and Muslims as well as all believers and persons of good will, to co-operate in answering modern challenges, promoting moral values, justice and peace and protecting the family, environment and natural resources.
(5) Faith, by its very nature, requires freedom. Therefore, religious freedom, as a right inherent to human dignity, must always be respected by individuals, social actors and the State. The cultural and historical background of each society which is not in contradiction with human dignity should be taken into consideration in applying this fundamental principle.
(6) Education of the young generation should be based on the search for truth, spiritual values and promotion of knowledge.

The participants also emphasised the necessity of continuing on the path of a genuine and fruitful dialogue. The next colloquium will take place in Rome in 2012.

Advent is a season which awakens our memory: memory of God's coming among us as a people, memory of God's action in our own lives. Memory taps us into the depths of our being; as William Faulkner writes: "Memory believes before knowing remembers, believes longer than recollects, longer than knowing even wonders." It is also a season when we focus liturgically on the writings of the prophets, and on the call to be a people of justice. It invites us to see the present as it is, and to respond with justice and mercy to those most in need. Finally, and most fundamentally, Advent reminds us that we live in the presence of a promise. With Mary, we are attentive to that which God is doing within us; we are invited to live with a spirit of joyful expectation, invited to be a people of hope. The weekend retreat will offer and invite reflection on remembering, seeing, hoping, in preparation for the celebration of the incarnation.

People of faith face the same problems and opportunities in the contemporary world, according to Prince Ghazi. Coming together to fulfill our shared commitment to love God and love one's neighbour, he added, "is the right thing to do."

Prince Ghazi was one of two keynote speakers on the theme "Transforming Communities: Christians and Muslims Building a Common Future." The prince serves as personal envoy and special advisor to King Abdullah II of Jordan and as chairperson of the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought.

The second keynote address was given by the Right Rev. Dr Anders Wejryd, archbishop of Uppsala in the Church of Sweden. He affirmed the two great commandments of love as common teachings of the religions descended from Abraham, although he suggested that people of different cultures could also find inspiration in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, "a grand achievement and a piece of good theology."

Archbishop Wejryd observed that "there is no relevance for our religions without identity – but on the other hand, there is no identity without relevance. It is part of the identity both of the Prophet and of Jesus Christ that they were totally relevant for the people they met."

The dialogue is taking place at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, site of the WCC central offices. Delegates to the conference and diplomats invited to the opening session were joined by representatives of Christian world communions who are meeting in Geneva this week. Church bodies and organizations represented on Monday included the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Protestant, Evangelical and Pentecostal traditions.

At the start of the proceedings, a welcome was offered by the Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the WCC. He commented on the varying situations of the many societies from which participants have come.

Tveit remarked, "We are living in communities locally, nationally and globally that are changing rapidly. More than that: as religious leaders we are ourselves transforming communities. The question to all of us is not whether we have an influence in the transformation of communities, but what kind of influence do we have? We are here to talk to one another to discover the kind of influence that we want to have together."

Another welcoming statement was read from Dr Muhammad Ahmed Sharif, general secretary of the World Islamic Call Society (WICS), whose arrival at the consultation had been delayed. The statement was read by Dr Ibrahim Ali Rabu, the WICS director of conferences and institutions. Dr Sharif encouraged participants in the dialogue to express their concerns clearly and frankly: "Make sure that we understand each other."

Greetings also were offered to the consultation members by leaders of the Protestant and Muslim communities in Switzerland. Sheikh Yousef Ibram, imam of the Geneva mosque, and the Rev. Dr Thomas Wipf, president of the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches as well as of the Swiss Council of Religions, welcomed participants and briefly described the current state of Muslim-Christian relations across Switzerland.

On Thursday morning, the Inter-religious Platform of Geneva will facilitate orientation sessions on local interfaith relations during group visits to St Pierre cathedral (Protestant Church of Geneva) and the Geneva mosque.

The opening events were moderated by Metropolitan Mor Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim, archbishop of Aleppo in the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch.

• Further news from the consultation is available from the consultation website

[Washington • USCCB] Members of the Lutheran-Roman Catholic Dialogue in the United States approved by unanimous consent on October 17 the dialogue's final report on "The Hope of Eternal Life." The 65-page report represents the fruit of the dialogue's four-and-a-half-year study. It explores issues related to the Christian's life beyond death, such as the communion of saints, resurrection of the dead, and final judgment, as well as historically divisive issues such as purgatory, indulgences, and prayers for the dead.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) sponsored this 11th round of talks. The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) was invited to participate in the conversation. Although they were represented in the dialogue, the final report was only agreed to on the Lutheran side by the ELCA.

This most recent round of dialogue began in December 2005, but Catholics and Lutherans have been in formal dialogue in the United States since 1965. The choice of topic emerged from principles of life-after-death developed in the "Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification," which the Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church signed October 31, 1999, in Augsburg, Germany.

This investigation "has resulted in another substantial contribution to the ecumenical endeavors of the participating churches," said the Rev. Lowell G. Almen, Lutheran co-chair and retired secretary of the ELCA.

The report was finalized at the dialogue's meeting October 13-17 at St. Paul's College in Washington, and will be made public November 15, when it is presented to the Bishops' Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the USCCB.

"The careful precision brought to this past meeting of the dialogue by the members, and their knowledge of history, have been a great blessing for all of us," Auxiliary Bishop Richard J. Sklba of Milwaukee, Catholic co-chair of the dialogue, said. "Simply tracing the unfolding practices which have marked our respective Lutheran or Catholic prayers on the occasion of the death of a believer brought light to our conversation."

The topic took a poignant turn during the course of this round with the deaths of two of the dialogue's original members. Assumptionist Father George Tavard, who had been a peritus at Vatican II, died on August 13, 2007, and Dr. John H. P. Reumann, a well known Lutheran New Testament scholar, died on June 6, 2008. Each served continuously on the dialogue since 1965 and made important contributions to all of the dialogue's ten agreed statements. They also offered early contributions to what emerged as the final text of this 11th round.

The report was written in a tone to provide a resource for study by pastors as well as lay members since the topic holds deeply personal and pastoral dimensions for all members of the participating churches.

Additional Catholic participants in the dialogue include Margaret O'Gara, Ph.D., University of St. Michael's College, Toronto; Jesuit Father Joseph Fitzmyer, professor emeritus, The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.; Christian Brother Jeffrey Gros, Memphis Theological Seminary, Memphis, Tennessee; Father James Massa, USCCB staff; Christian David Washburn, Ph.D, Saint Paul Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota; Jesuit Father Jared Wicks, John Carroll University, University Heights, Ohio; and Sister Susan Wood, a Sister of Charity of Leavenworth, Marquette University, Milwaukee.

Lutheran members include The Rev. Winston D. Persaud, Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa; Michael J. Root, Ph.D., professor of systematic theology and dean, Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Columbia, S.C.; Rev. Dr. Lowell Almen, co-chair of the Lutheran-Catholic Dialogue; Rev. Stephen J. Hultgren, assistant professor, Department of Theology, Fordham University, Bronx, N.Y.; Rev Theodore W. Asta, associate to the bishop (ecumenism and administration), New England Synod–ELCA; Rev. Marcus J Miller, president of Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Columbia, S.C.; Rev. Paul Schreck, ELCA staff.

• Information regarding the U.S. Lutheran-Roman Catholic Dialogue is at http://www.usccb.org/seia/lutheran.shtml
• The final report "The Hope of Eternal Life" is now available online

[Cape Town • ENInews] The head of the World Council of Churches has reached out to a global gathering of Evangelicals saying Christians of different traditions need to learn from each other to participate together in God's mission.

"We are called to be one, to be reconciled, so that the world may believe that God reconciles the world to himself in Christ," the WCC general secretary, the Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit, said in a 17 October address on the opening day of the 3rd Lausanne Congress for World Evangelization.

The WCC and the Lausanne Movement have often been seen as representing different strands of Christianity - the WCC being seen as focussing more on social action, and the Lausanne movement known for its promotion of evangelism.

The 1974 International Congress on World Evangelization in Lausanne resulted from an initiative by the U.S. evangelist, the Rev. Billy Graham, and produced the "Lausanne Covenant" as a statement of beliefs of participants.

"Although not intended to be simply a reaction to the World Council of Churches (WCC), [the congress] did serve as an evangelical counterpart to the ecumenical WCC by establishing and fostering an international network of evangelical leaders," the Lausanne Movement notes on its Website www.lausanne.org.

The second Lausanne congress, held in Manila, Philippines, in 1989, issued a manifesto that urged the WCC to, "adopt a consistent biblical understanding of evangelism".

In his address, Tveit, a Lutheran theologian from Norway, said he had read the Lausanne Covenant for the first time when he was 15 years old. "I was struck by the clarity of its vision: We are called to share the gospel of reconciliation with all," he said.

Tveit noted how the congress is taking place in Cape Town, the city in which Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu was Anglican archbishop during the apartheid period of white minority rule. He recalled how Tutu had once said, "Apartheid is too strong for a divided church."

Tveit added, "The needs of the world for reconciliation with God, with one another, and with nature are too big for a divided church."

He noted how many of those at the Cape Town gathering had taken part with WCC representatives at a meeting in Edinburgh in May to mark the 100th anniversary of the World Missionary Congress held in the Scottish capital.

"I can see how much we share a common vision of the holistic mission of God," said Tveit. "I am very encouraged by how Evangelicals, churches and individuals share our calling as the WCC to address the needs of the whole human being and the whole of creation."

The WCC groups 349 churches, predominantly Anglican, Orthodox and Protestant. The Roman Catholic Church is not a member but works with the WCC on some programmes.

• Tveit address: www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/general-secretary/speeches/greetings-to-the-3rd-lausanne-congress-for-world-evangelization.html

• Lausanne Movement: www.lausanne.org/

In this information age, traffic on the eight-language Congress website is expected to be high, and radio networks will relay programmes across Africa and Latin America, on the themes of the Congress.

The 1974 Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization produced The Lausanne Covenant, widely regarded as one of the most significant documents in recent church history. Reflecting on this, Archbishop Henry Orombi, Chair of the Africa Host Committee, declared: 'Under God, the legacy of The Third Congress is up to us!' The Cape Town Commitment: a statement of belief and a call to action, will be published out of the Congress. Dr Chris Wright, Director of Langham Partnership International, is the chief architect of the new statement, working in partnership with senior theologians from all continents.

Each of the six days of the Congress will begin with a study in Ephesians, led by pastor-theologians from around the world. 'We will be studying Ephesians as a global community,' said Blair Carson, Congress Director. 'We want it to be a grounding for a whole new movement of communicating the gospel of Jesus Christ.'

John Stott and Billy Graham have sent personal greetings, assuring the Congress of their daily prayer. Both are now becoming frailer, but have lost none of their passion for Christ and his gospel. Billy Graham, reflecting on the huge scale of changes in the world, wrote from his home in North Carolina, 'One of your tasks during Cape Town 2010 will be to analyze those changes, and to assess their impact on the mission to which God has called us in this generation.'

John Stott expressed his particular pleasure that the Congress is being hosted in Africa: 'I pray that you will be able to share richly in the blessing God has poured out on the Church in that continent, as well as sharing in the pain and suffering of his people there.'

Participants in the Congress truly stand on the shoulders of giants.

Tuesday 19 October 2010 marks the 100th anniversary of the Faith and Order movement. "Faith and Order" seeks Christian unity through theological dialogue among representatives of various churches.

The beginnings of Faith and Order are closely linked to the World Missionary Conference of June 1910 in Edinburgh, Scotland. The focus of the Edinburgh Conference was cooperation in global Christian mission. Questions around church-dividing issues and controversial points of doctrine were intentionally avoided during public discussions in Edinburgh, yet they were in the minds of many who attended.

One participant in the conference was Charles Brent, a Canadian by birth, a missionary bishop then serving in the Philippines on behalf of the Episcopal Church of the United States of America. The idea of a Faith and Order conference began with Bishop Brent, who made the link between the Edinburgh Conference with its call for Christian unity and the need to resolve issues of faith and order in the divided churches.

At the end of the Edinburgh Conference, Brent said:

During these past days a new vision has been unfolded to us. But whenever God gives a vision He also points to some new responsibility, and you and I, when we leave this assembly, will go away with some fresh duties to perform.

Delegates at the First World Conference on Faith and Order in Lausanne, 1927

This action of a church – not a theological faculty or missionary society – ensured an ecclesial commitment to overcome past histories by means of theological dialogue and to prepare the way for the Church's unity in faith, order, life, work, worship and mission so that the world may believe in Christ.

As Günther Gassmann, a former director of Faith and Order for the World Council of Churches (WCC), has written: "Faith and Order was and is a movement of and in the churches. All theological efforts on all levels within churches and between churches towards closer and, finally, full communion are, in a way, Faith and Order efforts."

There were other significant American calls for the resolution of church-dividing issues around the same time as the General Convention of the Episcopal Church, notably from the National Council of Congregational Churches and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), both on 18 October 1910.

However, the date of 19 October 1910 marks the institutional beginning of the Faith and Order movement that would lead directly to the First World Conference on Faith and Order in Lausanne, 1927. Bishop Charles Brent presided over the 1927 event. Faith and Order, along with the Life and Work movement, became a constitutive element of the World Council of Churches at the inauguration of that body in 1948. The Commission on Faith and Order continues to be a vital dimension of the work of the WCC.

(*) The Rev. Dr John Gibaut is the director of the WCC Commission on Faith and Order.

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, from the [Lutheran] Church of Norway. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.

Canadian ecumenist takes talents to international stage
by Ali Symons, Anglican Church of Canada

[Anglican.ca] Natasha Klukach, General Synod's coordinator for ecumenical relations, has been appointed to an international role that will make the most of her strong theological and relationship-building skills.

The Executive Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC) has approved her appointment as Programme Executive: Church and Ecumenical Relations / North American Regional Relations at the WCC office in Geneva, Switzerland. Ms. Klukach is ready to take up her appointment in January 2011.

"I'm excited to be part of an organization that is so essential to the ecumenical movement," said Ms. Klukach in an interview. "The WCC has 349 member churches from around the world and is so broadly representative. This position is a chance to engage with a huge diversity of people, backgrounds, and theologies."

Ms. Klukach will also oversee relations with, and among, the 31 member churches in the North American region, which includes the Anglican Church of Canada. She will attend church meetings in North America and stay abreast of important issues including mission, theology and social justice.

Ms. Klukach notes that one of the most pressing current topics for North American churches is interfaith relations.

"We've seen in North America, and especially in the past few months, the conversations that have been going on around interfaith issues," she said, "In particular the mosque being proposed in New York near the site of the Twin Towers and the issue of an independent pastor in Florida declaring that he was going to burn Qurans."

"This has illustrated a tension that exists in North America around interfaith issues," she said, "but it has also highlighted how the churches have worked together to promote a more positive and harmonious religious existence."

Strong tradition of Canadian ecumenists

Since January 2010, Ms. Klukach has served as half-time coordinator for ecumenical relations for the Anglican Church of Canada. In this position she has staffed several Canadian dialogues including the Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue in Canada, the Joint Anglican-Lutheran Commission, and the Anglican-United Church dialogue.

Ms. Klukach currently serves on several international theological commissions, including the WCC's Standing Commission on Faith and Order, and the International Commission for Anglican-Orthodox Theological Dialogue.

Ms. Klukach's WCC appointment continues a long tradition of Canadian Anglican ecumenists who have gone on to serve with international Christian organizations. This tradition includes former Primate Michael Peers who served on the WCC's central committee and more recently the Rev. Dr. John Gibaut, director of Faith and Order, WCC, and the Rev. Alyson Barnett-Cowan, director for Unity, Faith and Order at the Anglican Communion Office.

Ms. Klukach is currently researching Eastern Orthodox theology and spirituality as a doctoral student at the University of Toronto, Trinity College. She will continue her work with General Synod until December 2010.

"She's one of the very few Canadian theologians under the age of 60 who has the training and experience in ecumenical theology and skills that are necessary for fostering that dialogue," said the Rev. Dr. Eileen Scully, General Synod's interim director of Faith, Worship and Ministry. "She brings an incredible energy, enthusiasm, passion for relationships, and theological acumen—that is a rare combination of gifts."

[Washington • USCCB News] Representatives of the Orthodox and Catholic Churches have issued two new documents outlining immediate steps they can take to overcome their thousand-year separation. The North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation finalized these agreed statements when it met at Georgetown University in Washington, September 30 to October 2. The Consultation is co-chaired by Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond of New Orleans and Metropolitan Maximos of Pittsburgh.

The first statement, "Steps Towards a Reunited Church: A Sketch of an Orthodox-Catholic Vision for the Future," is an unprecedented effort to begin to visualize the shape of a reunited Catholic and Orthodox Church that would result from the reestablishment of full communion. The text acknowledges that the role of the Bishop of Rome in the Church is a central point of disagreement and outlines the history of this divergence between East and West. It goes on to summarize the many elements of the Christian faith and ecclesial life that the two churches share, and emphasizes the urgency of overcoming our divisions.

The agreed statement lists some of the features that would characterize a fully reunited Church and then focuses on the role the papacy would play within it. This role would need to be carefully defined, "both in continuity with the ancient structural principles of Christianity and in response to the need for a unified Christian message in the world of today." The document then suggests several aspects of the Pope's ministry in a reunited Church that could be both faithful to Catholic teaching and acceptable to the Orthodox. The document also lists several "preparatory steps" that could be taken even now as a prelude to the future unity of the churches, such as shared prayer and social ministry, and enumerates several questions and problems that remain outstanding.

The text concludes that "The challenge and the invitation to Orthodox and Catholic Christians … is now to see Christ authentically present in each other, and to find in those structures of leadership that have shaped our communities through the centuries a force to move us beyond disunity, mistrust, and competition, towards that oneness in his Body, that obedience to his Spirit, which will reveal us as his disciples before the world."

The complete text of this statement is available here: [Steps Towards a Reunited Church]

The second statement, "Celebrating Easter/Pascha Together," is a re-affirmation of the Consultation's 1998 document, "A Common Response to the Aleppo Statement on the Date of Easter/Pascha." In this new text, the members emphasize the importance of a united witness to the Resurrection of Christ, which lies at the very center of the Christian faith, and the scandal caused by the inability to celebrate this feast day consistently on the same date.

The Consultation joins many other expressions of support for a recent proposal that would re-calculate the date of Easter for all Christians based strictly on the teaching of the First Council of Nicaea (325), which determined that Easter be celebrated on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the Spring Equinox. Determining the Equinox from the Jerusalem meridian and using the most accurate scientific instruments and astronomical data available would require a change for both traditions, but would also represent greater faithfulness to the teaching of Nicaea.

"For the mission of the Church," the document states, "a common celebration would support the unity we already share and help to build it further in the future."

The full text is available at: [Celebrating Easter/Pascha Together]

This 79th session of the Consultation was hosted by the Office of the President of Georgetown University, which made the historic Riggs Library available for the meeting. The members were the guests of Father John P. Langan, SJ, rector of the Georgetown Jesuit Community for dinner on September 30, and Dr. John J. DeGioia, the president of the university, hosted a dinner for the Consultation and several members of the faculty and staff in the Philodemic Room on Friday evening October 1.

In addition to the co-chairs, the Consultation includes Orthodox representatives Father Thomas FitzGerald, dean of the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts (Secretary); Father Nicholas Apostola, pastor, St. Nicholas Romanian Orthodox Church in Shrewsbury, MA; Father John Erickson, former dean and professor of canon law and church history at Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary in Crestwood, NY; Susan Ashbrook Harvey, Ph.D., Willard Prescott and Annie McClelland Smith Professor and Chair of Religious Studies, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island; Father James Dutko, pastor of St. Michael's Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Church in Binghamton, NY; Paul Meyendorff, Ph.D., Alexander Schmemann professor of liturgical theology and associate dean for academic affairs, St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, Crestwood, NY; Father Alexander Golitzin, professor of theology at Marquette University, Milwaukee; Robert Haddad, Ph.D., Sophia Smith Professor Emeritus of History at Smith College in Northampton, MA; Father Robert Stephanopoulos, pastor emeritus of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, New York; Father Theodore Pulcini, associate professor of religion at Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania; and Father Mark Arey, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, New York, (staff).

Additional Catholic members are Jesuit Father Brian Daley (Secretary), Catherine F. Huisking professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana; Thomas Bird, Ph.D., associate professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures, Queens College, City University of New York, Flushing, NY; Sylvain Destrempes, Ph.D., faculty of the Grand Seminaire in Montreal; Father Peter Galadza, Kule Family Professor of Liturgy at the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies, Ottawa; Chorbishop John D. Faris, pastor of St. Louis Gonzaga Maronite Church, Utica, New York; Father John Galvin, professor of Systematic Theology, The Catholic University of America (CUA), Washington; Father Sidney Griffith, professor in the Department of Semitic and Egyptian Languages and Literatures, CUA; Father Joseph Komonchak, professor emeritus of religious studies at CUA; Monsignor Paul McPartlan, Carl J. Peter Professor of Systematic Theology and Ecumenism at CUA; Father David Petras, spiritual director and professor of liturgy at the Byzantine Catholic Seminary of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, Pittsburgh; Sister of Charity of Leavenworth Susan K. Wood, professor and chair of the Department of Theology at Marquette; Vito Nicastro, Ph.D., associate director of the Office for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, Archdiocese of Boston; and Paulist Father Ronald Roberson, Ph.D., associate director of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, staff. In addition, Father Stephen Wojcichowsky, director of the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies at Saint Paul University in Ottawa, Canada, served as an alternative representative of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops at this session.

Since its establishment in 1965, the North American Consultation has now issued 25 agreed statements on various topics. All these texts are now available on the USCCB website at www.usccb.org/seia/orthodox_index.shtml and the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA) website at www.scoba.us/resources/orthodox-catholic.html.

1. Prologue. For almost forty-five years, the North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation has been meeting regularly to discuss some of the major pastoral and doctrinal issues that prevent our Churches from sharing a single life of faith, sacraments, and witness before the world. Our goal has been to pave the way towards sharing fully in Eucharistic communion through recognizing and accepting each other as integral parts of the Church founded by Jesus Christ.

2. A Central Point of Disagreement. In the course of our discussions, it has become increasingly clear to us that the most divisive element in our traditions has been a growing diversity, since the late patristic centuries, in the ways we understand the structure of the Church itself, particularly our understanding of the forms of headship that seem essential to the Church's being at the local, regional and worldwide levels. At the heart of our differences stands the way each of our traditions understands the proper exercise of primacy in the leadership of the Church, both within the various regions of the Christian world and within Christianity as a whole. In order to be the Body of Christ in its fullness -- to be both "Orthodox" and "Catholic" -- does a local community, gathered to celebrate the Eucharist, have to be united with the other Churches that share the Apostolic faith, not only through Scripture, doctrine, and tradition, but also through common worldwide structures of authority -- particularly through the practice of a universal synodality in union with the bishop of Rome?

3. Divergent Histories. The historical roots of this difference in vision go back many centuries. Episcopal and regional structures of leadership have developed in different ways in the Churches of Christ, and are to some extent based on social and political expectations that reach back to early Christianity. In Christian antiquity, the primary reality of the local Church, centered in a city and bound by special concerns to the other Churches of the same province or region, served as the main model for Church unity. The bishop of a province's metropolitan or capital city came to be recognized early as the one who presided at that province's regular synods of bishops (see Apostolic Canon 34). Notwithstanding regional structural differences, a sense of shared faith and shared Apostolic origins, expressed in the shared Eucharist and in the mutual recognition of bishops, bound these local communities together in the consciousness of being one Church, while the community in each place saw itself as a full embodiment of the Church of the apostles.

In the Latin Church, a sense of the distinctive importance of the bishop of Rome, as the leading although not the sole spokesman for the apostolic tradition, goes back at least to the second century, and was expressed in a variety of ways. By the mid-fourth century, bishops of Rome began to intervene more explicitly in doctrinal and liturgical disputes in Italy and the Latin West, and through the seventh century took an increasingly influential, if geographically more distant, role in the Christological controversies that so sharply divided the Eastern Churches. It was only in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, during what is known as the Gregorian reforms, that the bishops of Rome, in response to centuries-old encroachments on the freedom and integrity of Church life by local secular rulers, began to assert the independence of a centrally-organized Catholic Church in a way that was to prove distinctive in Western society. Gradually, a vision of the Church of Christ as a universal, socially independent single body -- parallel to the civil structure of the Empire, consisting of local or "particular" Churches, and held together by unity of faith and sacraments with the bishop of Rome -- developed in Latin Christianity, and became, for the West, the normative scheme for imagining the Church as a whole.

Even in the Middle Ages, however, this centralized vision of the universal Church was not shared by the Orthodox Churches. In April, 1136, for instance, a Roman legate – the German bishop Anselm of Havelberg -- visited Constantinople and engaged in a series of learned and irenic dialogues on issues dividing the Churches with the Byzantine Emperor's representative, Archbishop Nicetas of Nicomedia. In the course of their conversations, Nicetas frequently expresses his love and respect for the Roman see, as having traditionally the "first place" among the three patriarchal sees – Rome, Alexandria and Antioch – that had been regarded, he says, since ancient times as "sisters." Nicetas argues that the main scope of Rome's authority among the other Churches was its right to receive appeals from other sees "in disputed cases," in which "matters which were not covered by sure rules should be submitted to its judgment for decision" (Dialogues 3.7: PL 1217 D). Decisions of Western synods, however, which were then being held under papal sponsorship, were not, in Nicetas's view, binding on the Eastern Churches. As Nicetas puts it, "Although we do not differ from the Roman Church in professing the same Catholic faith, still, because we do not attend councils with her in these times, how should we receive her decisions that have in fact been composed without our consent -- indeed, without our awareness?" (ibid. 1219 B). For the Orthodox consciousness, even in the twelfth century, the particular authority traditionally attached to the see of Rome has to be contextualized in regular synodal practice that includes representatives of all the Churches.

By the mid-nineteenth century, the Western emphasis on the Church's political and social autonomy had become a central feature of a distinctively Catholic ecclesiology. Reformation disputes about the nature of the Church's institutions and the importance of ecclesial traditions had led Catholic theology to emphasize the Church's institutional self-sufficiency in a way unprecedented in patristic thinking, and unparalleled in the Christian East. The challenges of the Western Enlightenment to religious faith, and the threats of the new secular, absolutist forms of civil government that developed in nineteenth-century Europe, challenged the competence and even the right of Catholic institutions to teach and care for their own people. In this context, the emphasis of the First Vatican Council's document Pastor Aeternus (1870) on the Catholic Church's ability to speak the truth about God's self-revelation in a free and unapologetic way, and to find the criteria for judging and formulating that truth within its own tradition, can be understood as a reaffirmation of the apostolic vision of a Church called by Christ to teach and judge through its own structures (see, e.g., Matt 16:18; 18.15-20; Lk 10.16). Yet Vatican I's way of formulating the authority of Catholic Church officials -- particularly its definition of the Pope's "true and proper primacy of jurisdiction" over each local Church and every Christian bishop (DS 3055, 3063), and its insistence that the Pope, "when acting in the office of shepherd and teacher of all Christians... possesses... that infallibility with which the divine Redeemer willed his Church to be endowed in defining doctrine" -- shocked critics of the Catholic Church, and has remained since then a focus of debate and further interpretation within the Catholic world. Despite the attempt of the Second Vatican Council (Lumen Gentium 23-25 [1964]) to contextualize and refine this portrait of papal authority and Church structure, the Catholic Church's vision of a teaching authority and a practical decision-making power vested in the Pope, who faces few wider institutional checks, has been a principal cause of division between it and the Churches outside its communion.

In the Eastern world, structures of authority and community in the Church developed in a somewhat different pattern from the fourth century onwards. The bishop of Constantinople was recognized in 381 as "patriarch," and second in order of precedence after the bishop of "the old Rome"; after the Council of Chalcedon (451), he exercised supra-metropolitan authority in the northern part of the Eastern Empire, and was responsible for Christian missionary efforts outside the imperial borders. His see, along with the patriarchates of Rome, Antioch, Alexandria and Jerusalem, was recognized in the legislation of the Emperor Justinian, in the sixth century, as forming a "pentarchy" of primatial leadership among all the Churches. But while the Western Church went on to develop its own institutional independence in late antiquity and the early Middle Ages under the headship of the bishop of Rome, the Eastern Churches remained fully integrated into the religious and political fabric of the late Roman Empire, even as the Empire's territory dwindled under the domination of Arab and Turkish peoples. The Church's main doctrinal definitions remained imperial law; maintaining Christian unity was an important imperial priority. And when the Eastern Roman Empire finally fell before the Turkish invaders in 1453, the Churches of the eastern patriarchates shared the political and social role of unifying and protecting the Christian minorities in lands dominated by a variety of Muslim rulers. In the Slavic territories to the north and east, new metropolitan sees and new patriarchates continued to develop after the fall of Constantinople, carrying out the mission of unifying newly converted Christian peoples, who largely shared the same geographical, linguistic and ethnic characteristics. Primacy had a less supra-national character than it had acquired in the Latin Church; what we presently call autocephaly -- ecclesiastical independence correlative to the emerging nation-state -- had become the underlying pattern for ecclesiastical organization.

Custom and habit, in all human societies, tend to become law. Structures that had come into being gradually, under the pressures of changing cultural and political conditions, came to be seen in both Eastern and Western Christianity as normative for the life of the Church. Yet precisely in our times, when centralized power is increasingly felt to be oppressive, and national identities and traditions are increasingly overwhelmed by the complexities of migration, mass communication, and supranational forces, questions continue to be raised about the enduring value of these structures. In our discussions, and indeed in discussions within our two Churches, such basic questions about the normativity of our current structures are inescapable.

4. What We Share. Despite disagreement on the place of the bishop of Rome in the worldwide cohesion of Christianity, however, it seems to us obvious that what we share, as Orthodox and Catholic Christians, significantly overshadows our differences. Both our Churches emphasize the continuity of apostolic teaching as the heart of our faith, received within the interpretive context of the historical Christian community. Both believe our life as Churches to be centered on the Divine Liturgy, and to be formed and nourished in each individual by the Word of God and the Church's sacraments: baptism, the anointing with chrism, and the reception of the Eucharist mark, in each of our Churches, the entry of believers into the Body of Christ, while ordination by a bishop sets some of them apart for permanent sacramental ministry and leadership, and the marriage of a Christian man and woman within the liturgical community forms them into living signs of the union of Christ and the Church. Both our Churches recognize that "the Church of God exists where there is a community gathered together in the Eucharist, presided over, directly or through his presbyters, by a bishop legitimately ordained into the apostolic succession, teaching the faith received from the apostles, in communion with the other bishops and their Churches" (Joint International Dialogue, Ravenna Statement [2007] 18). Both our Churches, too, recognize the importance of various kinds of primacy, as the Ravenna statement further affirms: "Primacy at all levels is a practice firmly grounded in the canonical tradition of the Church," even though "there are differences of understanding with regard to the manner in which it is to be exercised, and also with regard to its scriptural and theological foundations" (ibid. 43). Both our Churches venerate Mary, the Mother of God, as the foremost among those transformed by the grace of Christ's redemption, and both also honor a whole range of holy men and women from every age, many of them common to our two traditions. Both our Churches cherish ancient practices that help the faithful grow in holiness, value personal asceticism and fasting, reverence sacred images, promote the monastic life, and set a high value on contemplative prayer. In all of these ways, our lives as Churches are enriched by the same spiritual resources. A significant degree of communion already exists between us.

5. A Matter of Urgency. In light of the divine gifts that we share, then, it seems all the more urgent to us that our Churches grow closer together, in ways that the men and women of our time can see. The fact that our two Christian families have been separated in some central points of theology and Church discipline for almost a thousand years, and as a result no longer share in the sacramental communion that bound us together during the first millennium, is not only a violation of the will of God, as expressed in the prayer of Jesus at the Last Supper that his disciples "may be one" (John 17.21), but is also a serious impediment to effective Christian engagement in the world, and to the effective realization of our common mission to preach the Gospel. Marriages involving members of both our traditions are increasingly common, especially in ethnically pluralistic countries, creating serious problems in Christian education and practice for the families involved. All of these factors urgently call our Churches to overcome their division. As our largely secular world reaches constantly for new technical means of communication, and for mutual understanding within all its cultural and political diversity, it is urgent that Orthodox and Catholic Christians find an effective way to realize our common tradition of faith together, and to present the world with a unified testimony to the Lordship of Jesus. To be what we are called to be, we need each other. In the words of the Second Vatican Council, "The divisions among Christians prevent the Church from realizing in practice the fullness of catholicity proper to her" (Unitatis Redintegratio 4). To become what we are, effectively and permanently, we cannot stop short of re-establishing full Eucharistic communion among ourselves. Clearly, this cannot be achieved without new, better harmonized structures of leadership on both sides: new conceptions of both synodality and primacy in the universal Church, new approaches to the way primacy and authority are exercised in both our communions.

6. The Shape of Communion. It is difficult to predict what a structure of worldwide ecclesial communion, sacramental and spiritual, between our Churches, might look like. Some of its main features, however, would include the following:

a) Mutual Recognition: the larger units of Orthodox and Catholic Christianity, including patriarchates and other autocephalous Churches, would explicitly recognize each other as authentic embodiments of the one Church of Christ, founded on the apostles. This would include the recognition of our fundamental agreement on central Christian dogmas, as revealed in Scripture and articulated in mutually recognized ecumenical Councils, despite variations in our theological and liturgical traditions.

b) A Common Confession of Faith: both our Churches would confess the same basic Christian faith, as expressed in the Christian canon of Scripture and in the Churches' traditional creeds. The "faith of Nicaea," professed by the ancient councils as the foundation of Christian faith and practice, is received most fully in the original form canonized at the Council of Constantinople in 381, as understood through the canons and prescriptions of the other ecumenical councils received by Orthodox and Catholic Christians. As we have suggested in our 2003 statement "The Filioque: a Church-Dividing Issue?" the original Greek form of the Creed of 381, because of its authority and antiquity, should be used as the common form of our confession in both our Churches.

c) Accepted Diversity: different parts of this single Body of Christ, drawing on their different histories and different cultural and spiritual traditions, would live in full ecclesial communion with each other without requiring any of the parts to forego its own traditions and practices (see Unitatis Redintegratio 16).

d) Liturgical Sharing: members of all the Churches in communion would be able to receive the sacraments in the other Churches; priests and bishops would express their unity in concelebration, and the heads of the other Churches would be commemorated liturgically in the diptychs. In addition, other forms of common liturgical prayer would be encouraged as a regular practice involving both our Churches.

e) Synodality/Conciliarity: the bishops of the reunited Churches would meet regularly in regional synods, which would regulate the common life and relationships of the Churches in a particular region and provide an occasion for mutual correction and support. Bishops of all the Churches would be invited to participate fully in any ecumenical councils that might be summoned. Synodality would operate at various levels of ecclesial institutions: local, regional and worldwide. Aside from episcopal structures of synodality, the laity would be active participants in this dimension of Church life.

f) Mission: all the Churches would share a common concern for what directly affects their unity, as well as for their mission to non-Christians. As sister Churches, they would also engage in common efforts to promote the realization of a Christian moral vision in the world.

g) Subsidiarity: following the ancient principle recognized as normative for well-organized human structures, "higher" instances of episcopal authority would only be expected to act when "lower" instances were unable to make and implement the decisions necessary for continuing union in faith. This would mean, among other things, that in the Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, at least, bishops would be elected by local synods or by other traditional methods of selection. Those elected to major episcopal or primatial offices would present themselves to other Church leaders at their level, to their own patriarch, and to the bishop of Rome as first among the patriarchs, by the exchange and reception of letters of communion, according to ancient Christian custom. The bishop of Rome would also inform the Eastern patriarchs of his election.

h) Renewal and Reform. Ordered growth is essential to the health and well-being of the Church, and this means both continuity and change. For the Church, an essential aspect of this growth is renewal: the continual rediscovery of its fundamental identity as the Body of Christ, based on its experience of the Paschal Mystery, in the constant readiness to take on new forms of common life and witness and to adapt itself to new historical situations. In the words of a late medieval aphorism, "The Church is always in need of reform (ecclesia semper reformanda)." By making their catholicity concrete through full communion, the Catholic and Orthodox Churches would be realizing this life of reform in a new, undreamed-of way, and would be committing themselves to continuing renewal and growth – but now together. Life in communion with each other would be a life lived in readiness for a new Pentecost, in which people of many nations and cultures are formed anew by the living Word of God.

7. The Role of the Papacy. In such a communion of Churches, the role of the bishop of Rome would have to be carefully defined, both in continuity with the ancient structural principles of Christianity and in response to the need for a unified Christian message in the world of today. Although the details of that role would have to be worked out in a synodal way, and would require a genuine willingness on both sides to accommodate one another's concerns, a few likely characteristics of this renewed Roman primacy would be these:

a) The bishop of Rome would be, by ancient custom, the "first" of the world's bishops and of the regional patriarchs. His "primacy of honor" would mean, as it meant in the early Church, not simply honorific precedence but the authority to make real decisions, appropriate to the contexts in which he is acting. His relationship to the Eastern Churches and their bishops, however, would have to be substantially different from the relationship now accepted in the Latin Church. The present Eastern Catholic Churches would relate to the bishop of Rome in the same way as the present Orthodox Churches would. The leadership of the pope would always be realized by way of a serious and practical commitment to synodality and collegiality.

b) In accord with the teaching of both Vatican councils, the bishop of Rome would be understood by all as having authority only within a synodal/collegial context: as member as well as head of the college of bishops, as senior patriarch among the primates of the Churches, and as servant of universal communion. The "ordinary and immediate" jurisdiction of every bishop within his particular Church, would be "affirmed, strengthened and vindicated" by the exercise of the bishop of Rome's ministry (Vatican II, Lumen Gentium 27; cf. Vatican I, Pastor Aeternus 3). In a reunited Church, this understanding of papal and episcopal authority, as complementary and mutually enhancing, would have to be expanded to include the much more complex patterns of local, primatial, and patriarchal leadership that have developed in the Eastern Churches since patristic times.

c) The fundamental worldwide ministry of the bishop of Rome would be to promote the communion of all the local Churches: to call on them to remain anchored in the unity of the Apostolic faith, and to observe the Church's traditional canons. He would do this as a witness to the faith of Peter and Paul, a role inherited from his early predecessors who presided over the Church in that city where Peter and Paul gave their final witness.

d) His universal role would also be expressed in convoking and presiding over regular synods of patriarchs of all the Churches, and over ecumenical councils, when they should occur. In the Western Church, this same presiding function would include convoking and leading regular episcopal synods. In harmony with the Pope's universal ecumenical ministry, the Roman curia's relationship to local bishops and episcopal conferences in the Latin Church would become less centralized: bishops, for instance, would have more control over the agenda and the final documents of synods, and the selection of bishops would again normally become a local process.

e) In cases of conflict between bishops and their primates that cannot be resolved locally or regionally, the bishop of Rome would be expected to arrange for a juridical appeal process, perhaps to be implemented by local bishops, as provided for in canon 3 of the Synod of Sardica (343). In cases of dispute among primates, the bishop of Rome would be expected to mediate and to bring the crisis to brotherly resolution. And in crises of doctrine that might occasionally concern the whole Christian family, bishops throughout the world would have the right to appeal to him also for doctrinal guidance, much as Theodoret of Cyrus did to Pope Leo I in 449, during the controversy over the person of Christ that preceded the Council of Chalcedon (Ep. 113).

8. Preparatory Steps. To prepare for an eventual restoration of full communion within a reunited Church formed from the Orthodox and Catholic traditions, a number of steps might be helpful.

a) Delegations of Orthodox and Catholic bishops in a nation or region could begin to gather regularly for consultation on pastoral issues. Patriarchs and representatives of the autocephalous and autonomous Orthodox Churches could also meet with the Pope and leading Catholic bishops and curial officials on a regular basis for consultation and planning.

b) The Pope and the Orthodox primates could invite all the faithful under their jurisdiction to recognize each other's Churches as "sister Churches" that fully realize the Apostolic faith in doctrine, sacraments and ecclesial life, despite the historically different forms in which our liturgy is celebrated, our doctrine taught, and our community life structured.

c) Special liturgical services and activities of common prayer and social ministry, involving lay people of both communions, could be organized as a way of drawing Orthodox and Catholic Christians into a deeper practical awareness of their common faith and dependence on God.

d) Ultimately, new structures of authority, in which the relationships of local and regional primates are concretely regulated, would need to be instituted by common consultation, perhaps by an ecumenical council.

9. Outstanding Questions and Problems. Confronted by these long-term prospects of growth towards ecclesial unity, we are aware that many serious theological, liturgical and structural questions remain unsolved, and need to be considered further. For example:

a) To what extent is the distinctive role of the pope rooted in the New Testament? How far is the role of Peter in the New Testament to be taken as setting out a pattern of leadership "inherited" by the bishops of Rome, whose Church rests on the ancient site of Peter's martyrdom? While some of the Church Fathers present the Peter of Scripture as a model for all bishops, or even for the whole believing community, others – especially some fourth- and fifth-century bishops of Rome – have stressed the unique, even mystical connection between Peter and the later Popes who led Peter's local Church. To what extent do these Scriptural interpretations simply reflect differing ecclesiologies?

b) What limits should be acknowledged, canonically and theologically, to the exercise of initiatives by the bishop of Rome in a universally reunited Church? What limits should be acknowledged to the authority and jurisdiction of the other patriarchs? Who has the authority to define these limits? To what extent can the formula of Apostolic Canon 34, from the late fourth century, serve as a model for the universal Church as well as for the local Churches: "The bishops of each national group should recognize the one who has first place among them, and consider him as head, and do nothing out of the ordinary without his agreement;... but neither should he do anything without the agreement of all"?

c) What kind of accountability can be canonically demanded of the bishop of Rome in his primatial role? What relevance does the ancient western principle used later by the defenders of papal authority, "the first see is to be judged by no one else," have in today's world of constitutionally regulated authority? What does the synodal or collegial dimension of papal authority imply for the Pope's concrete exercise of his proper jurisdiction?

d) Can the bishop of Rome, as the one responsible for convening synods and councils of the universal Church, compel attendance and participation by representatives of particular Churches? Can he overrule those councils' initiatives? Can he lay down rules of procedure?

e) What limits should be set to the common Orthodox practice of recognizing the autocephaly or autonomy of particular churches on ethnic, linguistic and geographical grounds? By what primatial and synodal authorities does such independence need to be recognized? Should diversity of national background continue to determine the structures of church life in a world that is increasingly shaped by the migration of peoples? What should the effect of today's ethnic and cultural pluralism be on the unity and diversity of local Church organization, in countries representing the Orthodox "diaspora"? What aspects of the ancient principle of "one bishop, one place" can be reclaimed in contemporary society?

f) Beyond these technical questions, how much formal agreement on doctrine and Church structure is necessary before the Orthodox and Catholic Churches permit local communities to begin at least some degree of sacramental communion with each other? If diversity within our own Churches on theological issues is usually not seen as a barrier to Eucharistic sharing, should we allow the differences between Orthodox and Catholic Christians to overrule the substantial agreement our Churches already enjoy on most of the fundamental issues of faith, and keep us from receiving each other at the Eucharistic table, at least on some occasions? Would it be acceptable to both of our Churches to allow priests of one Church at least to care for the dying in the other, when no priest of their own is available? The extraordinary practice of shared communion has been carried on, at various critical points of recent history, in some parts of the world, and is occasionally carried on today. Can this serve as a precedent for wider Eucharistic sharing? Can such occasional sharing of communion serve as a concrete step towards deeper and more lasting unity?

10. One Body. In his Commentary on the 17th Chapter of St. John's Gospel, St. Cyril of Alexandria argues that the unity of the Church, modeled on the unity of Father and Son and realized through the gift of the Spirit, is primarily formed in us through the Eucharist in which the disciples of Jesus share:

For by liturgically blessing (eulogōn) those who believe in him into a single body – namely, his own – through sacramental participation, [Christ] has made them completely one body with himself and with each other. Who, after all, could divide, or alienate from natural unity with one another, those who are bound through the one holy body into unity with Christ? For if 'all of us partake of the one loaf' (1 Cor 10.17), all of us are formed into one body. It is impossible to divide Christ. That is the reason that the church is called the Body of Christ, and we are individually his members, as Paul understands it. For since we are all united with Christ through his holy Body - which we take, one and undivided, into our own bodies - we owe our own limbs more to him than to ourselves... How, then are we all not clearly one [Cyril goes on to ask] in each other and in Christ? For Christ is himself the bond of unity, existing at the same time as God and as a human being... And all of us who have received one and the same Spirit – I mean the Holy Spirit – are blended together, in a certain way, with each other and with God... For just as the power of his holy flesh forms those to whom it comes into a single body, in the same way, I believe, the one Spirit of God, who dwells in all of us undivided, brings us all to a spiritual unity (Comm. on John 11.11 [ed. Pusey 2.735-737]).

Conscience holds us back from celebrating our unity as complete in sacramental terms, until it is complete in faith, Church structure, and common action; but conscience also calls us to move beyond complacency in our divisions, in the power of the Spirit and in a longing for the fullness of Christ's life-giving presence in our midst. The challenge and the invitation to Orthodox and Catholic Christians, who understand themselves to be members of Christ's Body precisely by sharing in the Eucharistic gifts and participating in the transforming life of the Holy Spirit, is now to see Christ authentically present in each other, and to find in those structures of leadership that have shaped our communities through the centuries a force to move us beyond disunity, mistrust, and competition, and towards that oneness in his Body, that obedience to his Spirit, that will reveal us as his disciples before the world.

The center of our faith, the center on which all Christians agree, is the kerygma that Jesus is Risen, Jesus is Lord:

Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ, let us worship the Holy Lord Jesus, the only Sinless One. We venerate Your Cross, O Christ and we praise and glorify Your Holy Resurrection. You are our God. We know no other than You, and we call upon Your Name. Come, all faithful, let us venerate the holy Resurrection of Christ for behold, through the Cross, joy has come to all the world. (Matins of the Resurrection)

Despite this agreement Catholics and Orthodox in fact celebrate Easter on different days, fracturing the proclamation of this Good News of the Resurrection.

In 2010, Eastern and Western Church Calendars coincided so that all Christians celebrated the Feast of the Resurrection on the same day. The dates for the Holy Day will coincide again in 2011, but will vary again after that. As we remember the joys of a common date this year, we look forward to the entire Christian world proclaiming the joy of the Resurrection together again next year. We are convinced that the time is at hand for a permanent resolution of this issue.

We, the members of the North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation, urgently join our voices to those of many others calling for leadership to agree on a continued, unified determination for the celebration of the Resurrection. As Melkite Patriarch Gregorios III of Antioch has said of the Paschal date in the context of the Christian witness in the Middle East, "Is it permissible to turn a deaf ear to the voice of our sons and daughters? .... Today more than ever, we need to recognize the signs of the times, the outstanding initiatives to which our people aspire, a thirst for Christian unity and for making progress in realizing it, whatever the measures, great or small, needful to bring it about."

We echo the recent calls of our own Consultation in 1998 and many others to close this wound once and for all: the Inter-Orthodox Theological Consultation (1971), the Pan-Orthodox Conference in Chambesy (1977), the Orthodox Theological Society of America (1992), The Aleppo Consultation (1997), the Lambeth Conference, the Lutheran World Federation, and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (shortly after 1997), the United States Orthodox-Lutheran Dialogue (2000), The Orthodox Church of Finland (2001), the International Seminar at the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv (2009), the National Council of Churches in the USA (2010), the Melkite Patriarch Gregorios III (2010), and others.

The First Council of Nicaea (325), touchstone of Christian theology through the ages, was gathered largely to resolve two major questions: the Arian controversy and the date of Easter—so consequential were those two issues for the unity and life of the Church.

Our Consultation reaffirms the decision of the Council of Nicaea to celebrate the Paschal Feast on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the Spring Equinox.

As we said in response to the Aleppo Statement of 1997:

The Council of Nicaea was willing to make use of contemporary science to calculate the date of Easter/Pascha. We believe that this principle still holds valid today. Scientific observations about the cosmos reveal the goodness and wonder of God's creation, which he embraced in the incarnation of his Son. Moreover, to deny an observable truth about the world is to reject God's gift to us. As they witness to God's love for the world, our churches need to use the findings of contemporary science as did the Fathers of Nicaea.

The key today to resolving the issue in accordance with the mandate of Nicaea is to determine the Equinox from the meridian of Jerusalem (Longitude 35° 13'47.1) using the most accurate scientific instruments and astronomical data available. This will resolve the conflict in our liturgical observance by aligning existing Church calendars to the Nicene formula-- not just the calendar from one set of Churches, but from both Eastern and Western traditions. As disciples of the Risen Lord who all profess adherence to the mandate of the Council of Nicaea, we find a profound need to adhere to Nicaea's formulae, and to calculate the yearly date accurately. As Churches whose faith is rooted in Scripture and Tradition, let us ensure we stay rooted in The One Who is Truth.

This method to resolve the problem according to Nicaea has already been supported at the Aleppo Consultation of 1997 by representatives of the World Council of Churches and of the Middle East Council of Churches (both of which Councils were the sponsors of the Aleppo Consultation). It was also supported by representatives of the Catholic Church, of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and of many Christian communities.(1)

In 1998, our own consultation made several points in support of Aleppo's recourse to Nicaea, including:

The Aleppo Statement accurately presents historical circumstances relating to such matters as the Council of Nicaea's treatment of the relationship between the Christian Pascha and the Jewish Passover. The practice of continuing to celebrate Pascha according to the ancient Julian calendar has often been defended, by some Eastern Christians, as resting on a decision associated with that council prohibiting the churches from celebrating the Paschal feast "with the Jews." As scholars of both our traditions have very clearly demonstrated, this prohibition was directed against making the calculation of the date of Easter depend upon contemporary Jewish reckoning, not against a coincidence of date between the two festivals. In fact, a coincidence of Passover and Easter dates continued to occur from time to time as late as the 8th century. Only later, when the increasing "lag" of the Julian Calendar made any coincidence impossible, did the prohibition come to be misinterpreted as meaning that the Jewish Passover must necessarily precede the Christian Passover each year.

The need for such unity is great, for our world has changed drastically since the Aleppo Statement was published in 1997. We have witnessed the growth of secularism and the global effects of tyranny and war. More than ever, there is a need for a unified Christian proclamation and a witness of the core of our common faith: the Resurrection of Our Lord.

Time is of the essence. In the short term, the Easter dates will coincide again in 2011, 2014, and 2017. Then seventeen years will pass before a unified Pascha is celebrated in 2034.

There is great need for careful education and pastoral sensitivity as we move forward together. We appeal as well to the media of both our churches to take care to report on this issue with accuracy and fairness. We emphasize the hope and joy that a united Easter/Pascha witness will bring the world. There are significant pastoral needs at stake: Can the members of our interchurch families celebrate Easter together? Can we prevent the undesirable possibility of a fixed date recurring every year, which would contravene Nicaea, our biblical theology, and our sacred tradition? For the mission of the Church, a common celebration would support the unity we already share and help to build it further in the future.

Like the Fathers of Nicaea, our hierarchs are called to be agents of healing to resolve once and for all this ancient dispute in the life of the Church. We, the members of the North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation appeal to the Episcopal Assembly of Orthodox Bishops in the U.S.A., to the Episcopal Assembly of Orthodox Bishops in Canada, to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops to add their voices to press for this change that we feel would benefit all Christians. Enable all of us to proclaim together, with one voice, heart and mind, "Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!"

Endnote

1. http://www.oikoumene.org/resources/documents/wcc-commissions/faith-and-order-commission/i-unity-the-church-and-its-mission/towards-a-common-date-for-easter/towards-a-common-date-for-easter.html

[Washington • USCCB] The United States Oriental Orthodox-Roman Catholic Consultation held its 2010 meeting at the Passionist Spiritual Center in Bronx, New York, on September 20 and 21. The meeting, co-chaired by Catholic Bishop Howard J. Hubbard of Albany, New York, and the Right Reverend Chor-Episcopos John Meno of the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch, focused primarily on pastoral issues facing both churches.

The members also heard a report from Brother David Carroll, FSC, on the policy of the Holy See regarding the Holy Land and the final status of Jerusalem. In his talk, Brother Carroll reviewed the history of this issue, the major negotiations that have taken place in recent decades, and the Holy See's position, which advocates the preservation of the religious characteristics of Jerusalem, equality of rights of the communities of the three major religions found in the city, the preservation of the holy places, and freedom of worship and access to them for residents and pilgrims alike.

The meeting also included reports on the situation of the individual Oriental Orthodox Churches, information about the January 2010 meeting of the International Catholic-Oriental Orthodox dialogue, the theological dialogues between the Catholic Church and the two Oriental Orthodox churches in India, as well as the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus, which foresees the establishment of Personal Ordinariates in the United States and elsewhere for former Anglicans.

The members had an opportunity to pray together during a Vespers service celebrated in the Coptic Orthodox tradition. In addition Bishop Hubbard announced that Father Aelred Cody, OSB, a longtime member of the Consultation, had resigned due to his age. Father Columba Steward, OSB, Director of the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library at St. John's Benedictine Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota, replaces him as a permanent Catholic member.

The Oriental Orthodox-Roman Catholic Consultation was established in 1978, and is sponsored jointly by the Bishops' Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs and the Standing Conference of Oriental Orthodox Churches America, which includes representatives from the Armenian (Catholicossate of Etchmiadzin), Coptic, Ethiopian, and Syrian Orthodox Churches. For more information, visit: http://www.usccb.org/seia/oriental_orthodox.shtml

The Commission worked under the direction of its two co-presidents, Archbishop Kurt Koch and Metropolitan Prof. Dr John of Pergamon, assisted by the co-secretaries, Metropolitan Prof. Dr Gennadios of Sassima (Ecumenical Patriarchate) and Rev. Andrea Palmieri (Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity).

At the opening plenary session on Wednesday, 22 September, the Commission was welcomed very warmly by the host, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna, and by Metropolitan Michael of Austria of the Ecumenical Patriarchate on behalf of all Orthodox Churches present in Austria. Both emphasized the importance of holding the meeting in Vienna, which occupies a particular place in the history of the whole of Christianity. In the evening a reception was given by the Mayor of Vienna, Dr. Michael Häupl, at the Vienna Town Hall. The co-presidents announced that His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI had urged intense prayer for the Commission meeting at his Wednesday General Audience and they read a Message to the participants from His All Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. A letter was sent by the co-presidents on behalf of the Joint Commission to the former President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and co-president of the dialogue, Cardinal Walter Kasper, expressing gratitude and appreciation for his service and for his significant contribution.

On Thursday, 23 September, the Ecumenical Council of Churches in Austria met the members of the Joint Commission at Kardinal König Haus. On Saturday, 25 September, the Catholic members celebrated the Eucharist in the Stephansdom in Vienna presided over by Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, in the presence of the Orthodox members. In his homily he said that "we have and we need a primacy in the canonical sense, but above all there is the primacy of charity. All canonical dispositions in the Church serve this primacy of love (agape)". Afterwards a reception was offered in the Courtyard of the Archiepiscopal Palace of Vienna.

On Sunday, 26 September, the Orthodox members celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity of the Greek Orthodox Metropolitanate of Austria in Vienna, presided over by Metropolitan John of Pergamon, in the presence of the Catholic members. In addressing those present, Metropolitan Michael of Austria conveyed "the greetings of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and underlined the role and the contribution of the Greek Metropolitanate to the history of Vienna with great eminent personalities". He also referred to "the close collaboration between Orthodox and Catholics in Austria and in Vienna in particular, expressing the wish that the Lord's prayer 'that all may be one' (Jn 17:21) be a reality in the search for the unity of His Church".

During the afternoon, the members paid a visit to the Cistercian Abbey of Heiligenkreuz and attended the service of Vespers. Later in the evening, they visited the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Nikolaus.

On the first day of the meeting, as is customary, the Roman Catholic and Orthodox members met separately to coordinate their work. The Orthodox meeting discussed among other things the unfinished draft text produced by the 11th plenary session in Paphos, Cyprus last year, and much time was given to the methodology of the dialogue. The Catholic meeting also considered the draft text, seeking specific ways to improve the text, and reflected on methodological questions.

As was decided at the 10th plenary session in Ravenna, 2007, the Commission is studying the theme "The Role of the Bishop of Rome in the Communion of the Church in the First Millennium", on the basis of a draft text prepared by the Joint Coordinating Committee, which met in Aghios Nikolaos/Crete, Greece, 2008. During its meeting in Vienna, the Commission continued the detailed consideration of the text which began at last year's plenary session at Paphos, Cyprus. At this stage, the Commission is discussing this text as a working document and it decided that the text must be further revised. It was also decided to form a sub-commission to begin consideration of the theological and ecclesiological aspects of Primacy in its relation to Synodality. The sub-commission will submit its work to the Joint Coordinating Committee of the Commission which will meet next year.

During the meeting the members received the sad news that Msgr. Eleuterio Fortino, co-secretary of the Joint Commission since its inception, passed away, after a long period of illness, and prayers were offered for the repose of his soul.

The meeting of the Joint Commission was marked by a spirit of friendship and trustful collaboration. All members greatly appreciated the generous hospitality of the host Church, and they strongly commend the continuing work of the dialogue to the prayers of the faithful.

In the first part of their meeting they both addressed the Anglican and Roman Catholic Diocesan Bishops of England, Scotland and Wales, in the Great Hall of the Archbishop's Library, before moving to a private meeting.

In the course of their private conversation, they addressed many of the issues of mutual concern to Anglicans and Roman Catholics. They affirmed the need to proclaim the Gospel message of salvation in Jesus Christ, both in a reasoned and convincing way in the contemporary context of profound cultural and social transformation, and in lives of holiness and transparency to God. They agreed on the importance of improving ecumenical relations and continuing theological dialogue in the face of new challenges to unity from within the Christian community and beyond it.

They reflected together on the serious and difficult situation of Christians in the Middle East, and called upon all Christians to pray for their brothers and sisters and support their continued peaceful witness in the Holy Land. In the light of their recent public interventions, they also discussed the need to promote a courageous and generous engagement in the field of justice and peace, especially the needs of the poor, urging international leadership to fight hunger and disease.

Following their meeting they travelled together to the Palace of Westminster and to Evening Prayer at Westminster Abbey.

[Catholic News Service • London] Pope Benedict XVI and Anglican Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury knelt together before the tomb of an 11th-century Christian king after affirming the need for Catholics and Anglicans to give a united witness to society.

St. Edward the Confessor, who is buried in the Anglicans' Westminster Abbey, reigned five centuries before English Christians became divided. The pope and the primate of the Church of England paid homage together to the Christian king Sept. 17 at the end of an afternoon that included public speeches, a 30-minute private meeting and a joint ecumenical prayer service in Westminster Abbey.

Beginning in the afternoon with a visit to Lambeth Palace, the archbishop's residence, the pope told Anglican and Catholic bishops that he did not intend to discuss the difficulties the two communities have encountered on the path toward full unity, but rather to recognize the progress made in ecumenical relations and to encourage closer cooperation for the good of British society.

In his talk to the pope and bishops, Archbishop Williams made similar points, emphasizing particularly the need for Christians to give their neighbors concrete examples of what it means to live a faith- and hope-filled life.

Speaking in the library of Lambeth Palace before having tea with Archbishop Williams and his wife, Jane, Pope Benedict said that over the last 50 years society has grown "ever more distant from its Christian roots, despite a widespread hunger for spiritual nourishment."

At the same time, he said, the increasingly multicultural and multireligious makeup of modern societies gives Christians a chance to explore with members of other religions "ways of bearing witness to the transcendent dimension of the human person and the universal call to holiness, leading to the practice of virtue in our personal and social lives."

Still, the pope said, "we Christians must never hesitate to proclaim our faith in the uniqueness of the salvation won for us by Christ."

The ecumenical events were held just two days before Pope Benedict was scheduled to beatify Cardinal John Henry Newman, a 19th-century theologian and intellectual who began his ministry as an Anglican and later joined the Roman Catholic Church.

Pope Benedict told Archbishop Williams and the others gathered at Lambeth that Cardinal Newman's vision of the church "was nurtured by his Anglican background and matured during his many years of ordained ministry in the Church of England."

"He can teach us the virtues that ecumenism demands: On the one hand, he was moved to follow his conscience, even at great personal cost; and on the other hand, the warmth of his continued friendship with his former colleagues" led them to explore the questions they differed on, "driven by a deep longing for unity in faith," the pope said.

Archbishop Williams told the pope and bishops that in 1845 when Cardinal Newman "finally decided that he must follow his conscience and seek his future in serving God in communion with the See of Rome," one of his closest Anglican friends "wrote a moving meditation on this 'parting of friends' in which he said of the separation between Anglicans and Roman Catholics: 'It is what is unholy on both sides that keeps us apart.'"

The archbishop said Catholics and Anglicans may not reach full unity quickly, "but no obstacles stand in the way of our seeking, as a matter of joyful obedience to the Lord, more ways in which to build up one another in holiness by prayer and public celebration together, by closer friendship" and by working together to help the poor and to spread the Gospel.

Arriving at Lambeth, Pope Benedict got out of his car with both his arms extended to greet the archbishop, who was waiting with a big smile. The two embraced and kissed each other on both cheeks.

A joint statement issued after the pope and archbishop's private meeting said, "They affirmed the need to proclaim the Gospel message of salvation in Jesus Christ, both in a reasoned and convincing way in the contemporary context of profound cultural and social transformation, and in lives of holiness and transparency to God."

It also said, "They agreed on the importance of improving ecumenical relations and continuing theological dialogue in the face of new challenges to unity from within the Christian community and beyond it."

During evening prayer in Westminster Abbey, which included Methodists and Presbyterians as well as other Christians, the pope said that in a society "increasingly indifferent or even hostile to the Christian message," Christians must learn how to articulate together the reasons they believe and why faith in Christ fills them with hope.

At the same time, Pope Benedict said, the desire to present a united witness cannot mean that Christians take shortcuts to unity.

"Fidelity to the word of God, precisely because it is a true word, demands of us an obedience which leads us together to a deeper understanding of the Lord's will, an obedience which must be free of intellectual conformism or facile accommodation to the spirit of the age," he said.

Decisions were made regarding the production of a draft of the first section of the document and further studies that remain to be undertaken.

During the course of the meeting the members were able to visit St. Francis Xavier Cathedral in Alexandria, and were presented with materials commemorating the centenary of the founding of the Diocese of Alexandria (1910-2010). The sixty-ninth meeting was set for February 28 and March 1, 2011, at a place to be determined.

In addition to the co-chair, Catholic members of the dialogue are Msgr. David A. Bohr, Rector of St. Peter's Cathedral in Scranton, Pennsylvania; Father Charles Caccavale, Professor of Moral Theology at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception; Dr. Therese Lysaught, Associate Professor in the Department of Theology at Marquette University; Theresa Notare, Ph.D., of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Secretariat for Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth; Jesuit Father Thomas P. Rausch, Ph.D., Department of Theological Studies of Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles; and Paulist Father Ronald G. Roberson, Ph.D., Associate Director of the USCCB Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs and staff to the dialogue.

Representatives of The Episcopal Church, in addition to Bishop Bauerschmidt, include the Rev. Matthew S. C. Olver, Church of the Incarnation in Dallas, Texas; Mary Reath, governor of the Anglican Center in Rome and author of "Rome and Canterbury: The Elusive Search for Unity" (2007); Dr. Timothy Sedgwick, Professor of Christian Ethics at Virginia Theological Seminary; the Rev. Canon. J. Robert Wright, Ph.D, Professor of Church History at the General Theological Seminary in New York, New York; and the Rev. Thomas Ferguson, Ph.D., Ecumenical Officer of The Episcopal Church and staff to the dialogue.

A complete list of the agreed statements released by the consultation as well as links to earlier press releases can be found on the USCCB website at: http://www.usccb.org/seia/anglican.shtml

"The presence of committed believers in various fields of social and economic life speaks eloquently of the fact that the spiritual dimension of our lives is fundamental to our identity as human beings", the Pope told his audience.

"The human and natural sciences", he explained, "cannot satisfy the deepest longings of the human heart, they cannot fully explain to us our origin and our destiny, why and for what purpose we exist, nor indeed can they provide us with an exhaustive answer to the question, 'why is there something rather than nothing?'

"The quest for the sacred", the Pope added, "does not devalue other fields of human enquiry. On the contrary, it places them in a context which magnifies their importance, as ways of responsibly exercising our stewardship over creation". God "entrusted us with the task of exploring and harnessing the mysteries of nature in order to serve a higher good. ... In the Christian faith [this] is expressed as love for God and love for our neighbour. And so we engage with the world wholeheartedly and enthusiastically, but always with a view to serving that higher good, lest we disfigure the beauty of creation by exploiting it for selfish purposes.

"So it is that genuine religious belief points us beyond present utility towards the transcendent. It reminds us of the possibility and the imperative of moral conversion, of the duty to live peaceably with our neighbour, of the importance of living a life of integrity. ... It motivates us to cultivate the practice of virtue and to reach out towards one another in love, with the greatest respect for religious traditions different from our own".

Referring then to the importance of dialogue and collaboration with followers of other religions, the Holy Father made specific mention of "situations in some parts of the world, where co-operation and dialogue between religions calls for mutual respect, the freedom to practise one's religion and to engage in acts of public worship, and the freedom to follow one's conscience without suffering ostracism or persecution, even after conversion from one religion to another. Once such a respect and openness has been established, peoples of all religions will work together effectively for peace and mutual understanding, and so give a convincing witness before the world".

And he went on: "This kind of dialogue needs to take place on a number of different levels, and should not be limited to formal discussions. The dialogue of life involves simply living alongside one another and learning from one another in such a way as to grow in mutual knowledge and respect. The dialogue of action brings us together in concrete forms of collaboration, as we apply our religious insights to the task of promoting integral human development, working for peace, justice and the stewardship of creation. Such a dialogue may include exploring together how to defend human life at every stage and how to ensure the non-exclusion of the religious dimension of individuals and communities in the life of society.

"Then at the level of formal conversations, there is a need not only for theological exchange, but also sharing our spiritual riches, speaking of our experience of prayer and contemplation, and expressing to one another the joy of our encounter with divine love. In this context I am pleased to note the many positive initiatives undertaken in this country to promote such dialogue at a variety of levels".

Pope Benedict concluded his remarks before the multi-religious gathering by giving assurances that the Catholic Church "follows the path of engagement and dialogue out of a genuine sense of respect for you and your beliefs. Catholics, both in Britain and throughout the world, will continue to work to build bridges of friendship to other religions, to heal past wrongs and to foster trust between individuals and communities".

[ENI • Geneva] An international grouping of churches and Christian organizations says that if one sixth of the world's population is hungry when there is sufficient food to feed the world, then action to address the problem's root causes is needed.

The Geneva-based Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, which campaigns for food justice, said in a statement on September 14 that new figures on world hunger highlight that the food crisis is still acute for one-sixth of the world's population.

The release of the statistics from the U.N. organizations came in advance of New York's 20-22 September United Nations Millennium Development Goals summit and the publication of FAO's annual flagship report, "The State of World Food Insecurity", known as SOFI.

The U.N. meeting is to examine eight development goals to be achieved by 2015 that include halving the proportion of people who suffer from hunger compared to 1990.

The full SOFI report, jointly published with the WFP, includes a section focusing on hunger in countries experiencing protracted crises and will be published in October.

Reacting to the statistics, members of the Food for Life group of the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, renewed calls for addressing the root causes of the food crisis.

"The underlying structural and systemic issues that allow people to go hungry in a world of plenty are still there and still need to be resolved," said Malcolm Damon, executive director of the Economic Justice Network of the Fellowship of Christian Councils in Southern Africa.

"We have enough food to feed everyone," stated José Pablo Prado Córdova of the World Alliance of YMCAs. "It is not a problem of quantity; it is a problem of distribution."

Carolin Callenius, coordinator for the Food Security Campaign for Brot für die Welt (Bread for the World) in Germany highlighted the role of the continuing volatility in food prices in contributing to high levels of world hunger, which "have nothing to do with production".

"The strategies to fight hunger should not only go into producing more, or trying to produce more efficiently and at a bigger scale," Callenius said. "Investment needs to go to the people who grow food on less than two hectares, producing their own food for their families and those around them. That is where the hungry people are."

Paul Hagerman, policy manager for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank called for investment in agriculture "focusing on people's right to food rather than just using food as a commodity, or land as a commodity, for those with the means to control it".

The Rev. Tolbert Jallah, general secretary of the Fellowship of Councils of Churches in West Africa said riches surround communities in Africa suffering from hunger, but "in the midst of abundant resources, God's people are still dying of hunger".

The Southern Province of the Moravian Church in America voted last week to enter into a covenant relationship with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

With the Northern Province of the church having taken a similar vote in June, the PCUSA is now in covenant relationship with all North American Moravians except those in Alaska, which is a separate province.

The 2008 PCUSA General Assembly approved covenant relationship with the Moravians and the presbyteries ratified the relationship the following year.

The Moravians trace their roots to the Reformer Jan Hus, who was burned at the stake for heresy by the Roman Catholic Church in 1415. Within fifty years of Hus's death, a contingent of his followers had become independently organized as the Bohemian Brethren or Unity of the Brethren in what is now the Czech Republic.

The church, which emphasizes Christian unity, spiritual renewal and global missionary activity, first came to the U.S. in 1735. The church currently numbers 825,000 members worldwide. Like the PCUSA, the Moravian Church in America is in full communion -- a more formal tie but with basically the same agreements as covenant relationship -- with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It is also in full communion with the Episcopal Church and the United Methodist Church.

The Northern Province of the Moravian Church in America is based in Bethlehem, Pa. The Southern Province is headquartered in Winston-Salem, N.C.

According to Winbush, "covenant relationship will be established and a service of worship celebrating and formally entering into Covenant Relationship will be held by 2011."

• bilateral conversations with the World Conference of Seventh Day Adventists on "lifestyles as Christians," particularly the biblical understandings and practices of peace;

• tri-lateral conversations on baptism between the Lutheran World Federation, the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity of the Catholic Church, and MWC.

Both dialogues will begin in 2011.

Representatives from Latin America, while approving, urged caution. "Given the reservations that some of our churches have, because of persecution from the Catholics in the past and statements which continue to this day, it's very important that the objectives for dialogue be very clear," said Edgardo Sanchez.

Larry Miller, general secretary of the MWC, noted that one reason for some interchurch conversations, such as those with both Catholics and Lutherans, is to talk about the past and memories of the past. "Because of our history, we Anabaptists have often seen ourselves as heirs of martyrs, and we need to come to terms with how that affects our view of the world," he said. "We also need to see ourselves as members of the wider body of Christ, called to give an account of our convictions and practices, and to receive others as they do likewise."

The Mennonite-Catholic dialogue produced a report entitled "Called Together to Be Peacemakers" in 2003. The central theme of this dialogue was the healing memories.

The WCC Central Committee meets every 18 months in Geneva, Switzerland to monitor and set directions to the Council's work. The meeting brings together about 150 church representatives, advisers and observers from WCC member churches and associated organizations worldwide. Twenty stewards will help to make this event happen.

The International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (IEPC) will gather some 1000 participants from all over the world in Kingston, Jamaica. Participants of many different backgrounds will witness to the peace of God as both gift and responsibility of the entire human family. The IEPC stewards programme will have 45 participants, with one third of them coming from Jamaica and the Caribbean.

Before the meetings, stewards follow an ecumenical learning programme which exposes them to the key issues of the ecumenical movement worldwide. The last phase of the stewards programme, following the meeting, focuses on designing ecumenical projects which stewards will implement back home.

Being a steward means hard work, but it is also a unique ecumenical experience of togetherness with young people from different churches, countries and cultures.

Applicants are invited to send in the application form:
* by 30 September 2010 for the Central Committee
* by 30 November 2010 for the IEPC

More information on the WCC stewards programme

Download the information brochure (pdf, 275 KB)

Download the application form as pdf (60 KB) or as MS Word document (263 KB)

Sign up to receive WCC news by email

[by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, adapted from an earlier news release]

Construction began last winter on Holy Family Cathedral and Pastoral Centre, the largest project in the history of the RC Diocese of Saskatoon, and the first Catholic cathedral to be built in Canada since St. Boniface cathedral in Winnipeg was rebuilt after a 1968 fire. A webcam is now available to view the progress of the construction. The image updates every 30 seconds.

Construction on the 65,000-square-foot project in northeast Saskatoon is expected to take about two years. According to Leah Perrault, director of pastoral services for the diocese, "This new building is much more than a structure. It represents the growing and vibrant Catholic community in the diocese of Saskatoon. It represents the presence of God among us."

"As a Catholic community, we have a long history here of serving those who are sick, those who are in need and those who look to us for an education. This Cathedral and Pastoral Centre will be the home of our ministry and our service for the next 100 years."

The parish, which includes some 1,600 families, has been waiting for several years to begin construction of a much-needed replacement for its overcrowded building in Sutherland. Holy Family parish committed itself to raise $16 million for its new home, while parishes from across the diocese are raised $12.5 million for the Cathedral and Catholic Pastoral Centre through the Uniting in Faith campaign.

"The most distinctive feature of our cathedral is the soaring spiral roofline and the large central cross, which reaches to a height of over 175 feet. The cathedral's design is inspired by the traditional hymn 'Lift High the Cross' with the building proudly proclaiming itself as a house of God," Nakoneshny said. "In the main body of the church, curved hardwood pews will surround the low sanctuary, providing for an intimate seating arrangement. Seating capacity is around 1,200, yet no one is further than 70 feet from the altar. When using overflow seating areas, we will be able to accommodate over 2,000 people for Christmas masses or special diocesan celebrations," he described.

"The main aisle, as well as the stone wall on which hangs the cross, will be laid in Jerusalem limestone, shipped to us from quarries in Israel. This physical connection to the Holy Land gives us a link to our spiritual beginnings and is a constant reminder of the significance of our faith journey."

Bringing in plenty of natural light was an important part of the building design, he added. "One item of great importance in this project is the issue of environmental stewardship. Our design team has worked to implement sustainable and forward-thinking design principles wherever possible. Special care has been taken in the design of the heating and cooling systems, windows, and insulation. Overall, this will be a very green building," he said, adding that the environmentally sensitive site will also be protected. "Our landscape architects will also work to ensure that the natural prairie landscape developed by the MVA (Meewasin Valley Authority) and St. Joseph High School is respected and maintained."

See also:
Dec 19, 2009 • Ground officially broken for new diocesan home: sod-turning held Dec. 17 for Holy Family Cathedral and Catholic Pastoral Centre in northeast Saskatoon
Nov 19, 2009 • New diocesan Cathedral and Catholic Pastoral Centre project goes to tender Nov. 13, Uniting in Faith campaign nearing conclusion
May 13, 2009 • Understanding of baptism mirrored in architecture says RCIA coordinator Fr. Michael Koch, reflecting on how design of new cathedral will make meaning clear
Apr 13, 2008 • Frequently Asked Questions about the Holy Family Cathedral and Catholic Centre project
Feb 2, 2008 • Diocese of Saskatoon moves forward with Catholic Centre / Cathedral project

Three hundred and sixty registered delegates voted, representing 140 member churches from 79 countries. Rt Rev. Dr Younan received 300 votes affirming his election, 23 against; there were 37 abstentions. There were no other nominees.

Younan, 59, succeeds Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, who has been President of the LWF since the organization's last Assembly in Winnipeg, Canada, in 2003.

The president-elect has headed his church body since 1998 and was the third Palestinian bishop of the church founded by Germans in the nineteenth century and previously led by clergy from Germany. A member of the LWF since 1974, the ELCJHL has about 3,000 members.

The bishop was the first to translate the Augsburg Confession, a key document of the Lutheran Church, into Arabic.

Younan is a former vice-president of the LWF, is president of the Fellowship of Middle East Evangelical Churches and serves with three Jerusalem patriarchs and nine other bishops on the International Christian Committee of Jerusalem. He is also a co-founder of the Council of Religious Institutions in the Holy Land, made up of the two chief rabbis of Israel, heads of the local churches, the Chief Judge of the Islamic Court in Palestine and other Muslim leaders.

He is the author of Witnessing for Peace, a book about the search for peace in his homeland and numerous articles on churches and the search for peace in the Holy Land.

His wife, Suad, is Director of the Helen Keller School in the Jerusalem suburb of Beit Hanina, which educates visually-impaired children. She is also the chair of the women's committee of the ELCJHL.

The couple has three children and one grandchild.

*******

See the Assembly Web site for more information and resources including the theme video for downloading and other video reflections; news stories, features, photos and blog feeds; the handbook, Assembly Updates and Study Materials: www.lwf-assembly.org

About 1,000 people - including 418 delegates from member churches - are participating in the Assembly which takes place in the Liederhalle convention center in Stuttgart. Participants also include invited ecumenical observers, official visitors, interpreters and translators, stewards, members of the LWF staff and co-opted staff, accredited journalists and volunteers. The event is hosted by the Lutheran Church in Württemberg.

The Assembly is the highest decision making body of the LWF, held approximately every six years. The last Assembly was held in Winnipeg, Canada in July 2003 on the theme For the healing of the world.

The Lutheran World Federation is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF now has 145 member churches in 79 countries around the world, representing more than 70 million Christians. LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in areas of ecumenical and interfaith relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication and the various aspects of mission and development. Its secretariat is based in Geneva, Switzerland.

Strasbourg, France (MWC) -When Lutherans from around the world gather in July, they will seek a historic reconciliation with Mennonites and other Christians of the Anabaptist tradition. On July 22, the third day of the eleventh assembly of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) to be held in Stuttgart, Germany, delegates are expected to ask "forgiveness-from God and from our Mennonite sisters and brothers-for the harm that our forebears in the sixteenth century committed" in persecuting Anabaptists.

The resolution acknowledges that in the centuries since then, Lutheran scholars and authors have often portrayed Anabaptists in misleading and hurtful ways. It also spells out commitments to continue working with contemporary Anabaptists in fostering greater understanding and fellowship.

The action, representing 70 million Lutherans worldwide, comes after several years of conversation between representatives of the LWF and of Mennonite World Conference. In July last year, LWF general secretary Ishmael Noko of Zimbabwe-son of a Brethren in Christ mother-attended the MWC assembly in Asuncion, Paraguay. In an emotional moment for many delegates, he announced the resolution that would be presented at Stuttgart.

"This wound," Noko told the delegates, "needs the deep healing possible only when it can be seen, in the bright sunlight of memory, for the ugly wound that it is. Then we can seek for it the healing of God's forgiveness and reconciliation."

A "service of repentance" will then follow, in which the MWC delegation and representatives of the Association of German Mennonite Congregations (a MWC member church) will participate. A choir from a German Mennonite church will sing. The assembly activities also include an opportunity for delegates to take a tour of local sites of Anabaptist interest.

Besides Ndlovu, the MWC delegation includes general secretary Larry Miller of France, vice president Janet Plenert of Canada, treasurer Ernst Bergen of Paraguay, past president Mesach Krisetya of Indonesia, and Rainer Burkhart of Germany, co-chair of the LWF/MWC International Study Commission (2005-2008) which laid the groundwork for the LWF action.

Live streaming of the plenary session and the service of repentance, along with other information about the LWF assembly, will be available at www.lwf-assembly.org.

Mennonite World Conference is a communion (koinonia) of Anabaptist-related churches linked to one another in a worldwide community of faith for fellowship, worship, service, and witness.

[ENI • Rome] The Vatican has officially confirmed the appointment of Swiss Bishop Kurt Koch to replace Cardinal Walter Kasper as head of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, after widespread speculation that such a move was to take place.

A Vatican announcement on 1 July said that Pope Benedict XVI had accepted the resignation of 77-year-old-Kasper and had named in his place Bishop Kurt Koch of Basel, aged 60.

"We stood up from our separate tables and embraced - a spontaneous act of celebration," recalled LWF general secretary the Rev. Ishmael Noko in a 1 July statement. "We knew that this was not only a warm personal moment but also the beginning of a new level of reconciliation for our churches."

The Vatican announcement followed media reports the previous day citing a letter by Koch to members of his diocese announcing his imminent move to Rome.

The appointments included that of Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet, aged 66, archbishop of Québec, to be president of the Congregation for Bishops, which helps the pontiff select bishops. Another appointment was that of Italian Bishop Salvatore Fisichella to head a new Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation.

Pope Benedict said on 28 June that this body had been created to work in Western societies with long-standing Christian traditions but which, are now experiencing "a progressive secularisation of the society and a kind of eclipse of God".

"The new evangelisation will try to speak to countries that still believe, but where indifference, estrangement from the Church and ethical relativism are growing," the Milan-based Corriere della Sera newspaper quoted Fisichella as saying on 1 July.

Pope Benedict XVI has been one of several church leaders who have acknowledged the newly organized World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC). The pope sent a letter to the new organization as well as a representative of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

The message was read to delegates to the Uniting General Council who are attending the founding meeting of the WCRC in Grand Rapids, a city in the Midwest United States. Representatives of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches and the Reformed Ecumenical Council agreed on 18 June to merge to form a new organization representing 230 churches worldwide. The meeting concludes on 26 June.

In the letter addressed to Clifton Kirkpatrick, president of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, and Peter Borgdorff, president of the Reformed Ecumenical Council, the leader of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church expressed his "warm greetings" and "prayerful good wishes" to the delegates assembled at the Uniting General Council.

In his letter, Benedict XVI affirmed the theme of the council, "Unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace," words drawn from the Letter to the Ephesians attributed to the Apostle Paul (4:3). The Roman Pontiff assured the delegates that the "Lord will never abandon his disciples in the quest for unity," and commended the Reformed churches for the "ecumenical progress" signaled by the emergence of their new communion.

He concluded his remarks with the prayer that the commitment to Christian unity expressed through the formation of WCRC would "serve as a sign of hope and encouragement to all those who strive for that full unity which the Lord wills for his followers."

"This is really a welcome signal that the Vatican has taken interest in what we are doing," said Borgdorff.

Jerry Pillay, the newly elected president of the WCRC, said that the letter and the fact that the Vatican sent it was an important gesture of unity "that speaks volumes" for the possibility of further interactions between the WCRC and the Vatican in the future.

More than 80 million Reformed Christians in 108 countries around the world formally united Friday when the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) and the Reformed Ecumenical Council (REC) approved articles of union and a constitution bringing them together as the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC).

The merger of the two organizations took place at the Uniting General Council, which is meeting through June 28 on the campus of Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in the northeastern United States.

"We had a very vigorous and intense conversation. It may have taken us longer than we thought it would," but God remained with delegates and the Holy Spirit helped to guide the discussion, said Clifton Kirkpatrick, president of WARC who chaired the discussions for his organization that led to the formation of the WCRC.

By late afternoon, the two separate ecumenical bodies became one. Afterward, delegates gathered around tables to sign the documents passed by the assembly.

REC was represented by 79 delegates from 28 of its member churches. WARC had 301 delegates from 132 member churches present.

Kirkpatrick noted that 73 participants, including 46 delegates, were denied visas to attend the event by the US government. "We need to acknowledge the deep pain we feel about the absence of these brothers and sisters," he said.

The daylong series of events included separate meetings of the REC and WARC, an opening worship service, recognitions of several leaders who have been instrumental in the unification process, an exchange of greetings and gifts between WCRC officials and Native American leaders and a gala reception celebrating the union.

The articles of union affirm "that such an act of union is implemented not only in order to carry out the major aims for which both organizations have existed separately, but also in order to respond to God's call for service in the church and the world."

The 64-year-old REC -- with 41 member churches in 25 countries representing 12 million members -- approved the union unanimously with no debate.

It was a different story with WARC, which dates back to 1875 and numbers 214 member churches in 107 countries representing 75 million members. The intense discussion over representation by women was led by delegates seeking assurance that the organization's longstanding commitments to racial and women's justice will go forward.

Speaking for the Pre-Assembly Women's Conference, the Rev. Dora Arce-Valentin of the Presbyterian Reformed Church in Cuba, said, "During these past years we have seen many advances in the role and status of women -- we must not retreat."

Those underlying tensions rose again during consideration of the draft constitution Friday afternoon. After more than 90 minutes of debate, the group amended the document to provide that "when a church sends four or more delegates (to General Council meetings), half shall be women." The drafting committee's recommendation was one-third women.

In a related action designed to ensure the participation of youth as well as women, the group increased from two to three the number of delegates accorded to churches with less than 100,000 members. Larger delegations were already mandated to include at least one delegate 30 years of age or younger.

Some delegates expressed hope that the new organization would make sure to show sensitivity to its member churches as it moves forward.

Charity Majiza, of the Uniting Church in Australia, referred to the suspension of three South African churches. In 1972 WARC declared apartheid a sin and those churches that supported it heretical. She sought assurance that WCRC would address the "woundedness in our separation and not gloss over it."

Kirkpatrick responded that racial justice is "a bedrock commitment" that will go forward, noting that the REC has committed to support of the Accra Confession: Covenanting for Justice in the Economy and the Earth, adopted by WARC in 2004 that reaffirms its commitment to global economic and climate justice.

Peter Borgdorff, president of REC, called the day's events a "construction zone," proof that God is using all Reformed Christians to "build a new spiritual house for God."

Kirkpatrick said, "I do believe it is God's intention that we live together in unity and I thank God for this momentous day -- in which we are not just called to be more cooperative, but to be one in Jesus Christ."

A fully integrated meeting with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) is planned to take place at the Anglican Church of Canada's General Synod 2013 in Ottawa.

Lutheran National Bishop Susan Johnson and Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, jointly announced plans for the synod, and the intention to study the feasibility of together developing a shared national office in Ottawa sometime in the future.

What will the Anglican General Synod and Lutheran Convention look like in three years time? It should include joint worship, Bible study and keynote speakers. "We hope to be doing most things together," said Archbishop Hiltz, "and only doing those things apart which our constitutions absolutely require."

"A massive amount of planning will have to go into that gathering but it's going to be an exciting process," said Bishop Johnson.

The idea of establishing a shared national office has come from the joint Lutheran-Anglican Commission. Ottawa is under consideration, the two revealed. The head office of the Anglican Church of Canada is currently in Toronto; the Lutheran national office is in Winnipeg.

"We would both have to move to form a new office," said Bishop Johnson, and there are advantages to being in the national capital. "Our churches need to be there because governments aren't listening to us any more," she added.

Christ Church Anglican Cathedral in Ottawa is considering developing property downtown, and building a "green" environmentally friendly building. The proposal will be presented to a joint meeting of the Anglican Council of General Synod and the National Church Council of the Lutherans in the near future.

The two churches have been in full communion since coming together at a joint meeting in Waterloo, Ont. in 2001. The primate and Dean Peter Wall of the diocese of Niagara, chair of the Canadian's joint Lutheran-Anglican Commission, listed ways since that cooperation has increased. "It is a relationship that helps us to nurture each other," said Dean Walls.

The Anglican Church of Canada's governing body has approved a landmark resolution today repudiating and renouncing the Doctrine of Discovery. It also pledged a review of the church's policies and programs to expose the doctrine's historical impact and to end its continuing effects on indigenous peoples.

The resolution, passed at the 2010 General Synod meeting here, said the Doctrine of Discovery is "fundamentally opposed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and our understanding of the inherent rights that individuals and peoples have received from God."

The Doctrine of Discovery was a principle of charters and acts developed by colonizing Western societies more than 500 years ago.

It begins with "the very simple idea in the Western tradition that is if you discover place, you have control and ownership over that place," said National Indigenous Anglican Bishop Mark MacDonald speaking to the resolution. "It had to be an uninhabited place. How do you apply that to the Americas where there were millions and millions of people?"

"It's a kind of thinking, a way of life that has clouded the minds and hearts of people around the world far too long. Today, if we repudiate the idea that this land was uninhabited, we will say something very important."

Ironically, the vision of Elijah Harper, considered one of Canada's grand chiefs, and other elders was that "this great land could accommodate many peoples... and that if we all came together and worked together, we would indeed create one of the greatest nations for all time." This is still the vision and dream of the elders, said Bishop MacDonald.

Repudiating the Doctrine of Discovery means that Canada will now be able to "recognize its destiny, both in church and state, to be a nation of first nations and of all the people who have come since then," said Bishop MacDonald. "It's not about saying, 'everybody go back to Europe or any other place.' It is about is [the fact] that we can live together in honesty, truthfulness and hope."

The Episcopal Church as well as Quaker and Unitarian congregations in North America passed similar resolutions repudiating the Doctrine last year. A number of synod members spoke in support of the resolution.

The Rev. Susan Hermanson, Anglican Parishes of the Central Interior (APCI), said she realized the import of the resolution, particularly as it relates to the struggles of First Nations people opposed to mining in Williams Lake. "If I vote in favour of this resolution, I must stand with my First Nations brothers and sisters who know what's right for the territory they live on," she said.

Catherine Speechly-Pell, diocese of British Columbia, said she was "absolutely astounded" that the General Synod had not, during the start of its meeting, recognized the aboriginal land it was standing on. "We walked in here like we own this place," she said.

The diocesan bishop of New Westminster, Michael Ingham, called the Doctrine of Discovery a "Eurocentric and arrogant idea," adding, "I'm happy to repudiate it even though I never did believe it."

The resolution also requests that every diocesan bishop of the church issue the synod's proclamation in every parish and to share this "with all the nations and peoples located within their dioceses." It also requested the primate to share the declaration with the United Nations.

In a related development, the synod approved a resolution endorsing the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2007. It also requests that the church's General Secretary call on the Canadian government to endorse this declaration "in compliance with the will of the majority of the Members of Parliament," which endorsed it in 2008.

Synod also voted to establish June 21 as the National Aboriginal Day of Prayer in the church's calendar. This day is to be celebrated on June 21 "or the nearest convenient Sunday," and liturgy will be developed and authorized.

Two ecumenical partners greeted the Anglican Church of Canada's General Synod members on Wednesday. The Archbishop of Halifax Anthony Mancini represented the Roman Catholic Bishops of Canada, and Moderator Mardi Tindal represented the United Church of Canada.

The Archbishop affirmed Archbishop Fred Hiltz' observation that the Anglican and Catholic communities of faith have grown over the last 40 years as a result of their ecumenical dialogue.

Archbishop Mancini also took the opportunity to address an issue that caused a stir in Anglican-Catholic relations in the last year, the Vatican's release of the Anglicanorum Ceotibus, the Apostolic Constitution. The constitution outlined a process for incorporating Anglicans who requested admission to Full Communion with the Catholic Church. The news came just as the primate was meeting with the Catholic bishops. "I don't know who was more surprised – the Roman and Eastern Catholic Bishops of Canada or the Anglican Primate of Canada!" Archbishop Mancini recalled. "And yet, Archbishop Fred continued in his address to call for continued dialogue and collaboration between our Churches, and especially between Anglican and Catholic bishops."

He said he was pleased to report that the Anglican-Roman Catholic Bishops Dialogue met shortly afterwards to start clarifying the intent and consequences of the Apostolic Constitution. He assured General Synod members that "its intent was not to encourage a mass exodus of faithful from the Anglican Church to the Catholic Church, but rather it as a pastoral response to those already seeking admission."

Following his remarks, General Synod passed a resolution recognizing that 2011 marks the 40th anniversary of the Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission and gives thanks for the progress it has made in strengthening the relationship between the two churches.

Later in the day, Mardi Tindal, moderator of the United Church, greeted synod members as church family. "When I call you sisters and brothers in Christ, I hope you know how much I mean that," she said.

In the 1970s talks about merging the Anglican and United Churches in Canada broke down and there was a long silence. But in 2003, a new ecumenical dialogue began. Tindal said, "It is a delight to see the fruits of the Anglican-United Church dialogue, as evidenced in the St. Brigid Report: Drawing from the Same Well. What a lovely metaphor and concept for that report." The new dialogue has helped the two churches to be more aware of each other's work, to pray for one another and work with one another, Tindal said.

"Efforts such as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission work, such as our upcoming religious leaders summit on the United Nations Millennium Development Goals in preparation for our statement to the leaders of the G8 and G20... these are among the things that I hope our congregations will continue to find ways in which to work together as well," she said.

Following her address, General Synod passed a resolution welcoming the renewal of dialogue with the United Church of Canada and authorizing continued dialogue for three years, focusing on an examination of both church's doctrinal identities. The resolution also congratulated the United Church of Canada on its 85th anniversary.

At the end of the meeting Sheikh Muhammad Abd al-Aziz Wasil, "wakil" (representative in juridical issues) of al-Azhar and president of the Permanent Committee for Dialogue, and Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, signed a joint declaration.

During its meeting the joint committee examined the theme: "The phenomenon of confessional violence: understanding the phenomenon and its causes, and proposing solutions with particular reference to the role of religions in this field".

At the end of the meeting, the participants agreed on the following recommendations: "to pay greater attention to the fact that the manipulation of religion for political or other ends can be a source of violence; to avoid discrimination on the basis of religious identity; to open hearts to mutual forgiveness and reconciliation, which is a necessary condition for peaceful and fruitful coexistence".

They also called "for similarities to be recognised and differences respected as the prerequisite of a culture of dialogue, based on shared values; for both sides again to commit themselves to recognising and respecting the dignity of each human being, without distinction of ethnicity or religion; for religious discrimination in all fields to be opposed (just laws should guarantee fundamental equality); for ideals of justice, solidarity and co-operation to be promoted in order to ensure a peaceful and prosperous life for everyone".

The participants likewise undertook "to oppose with determination any act that tends to create tension, division and conflict in societies; to promote a culture of mutual respect and dialogue through education in families, schools, churches and mosques, spreading a spirit of fraternity between all persons and the community; to oppose attacks against religions by social communications media, especially satellite channels, considering the dangerous effects these transmissions can have on social cohesion and peace among religious communities".

Finally, the members of the joint committee called for steps to be taken "to ensure that the preaching of religious leaders, as well as school education and textbooks, do not contains declarations or references to historical events that, directly or indirectly, may arouse violent reactions among the followers of different religions".

The joint committee also announced that its next meeting will be held in Rome on 23 and 24 February 2011.

Our most holy Orthodox Church today commemorates its own feast day, and – from this historical and martyric See of the Ecumenical Patriarchate – the Mother Church of Constantinople directs its blessing, love and concern to all of its faithful and dedicated spiritual children throughout the world, inviting them to concelebrate in prayer.

Blessed be the name of the Lord! Those who endeavored over the ages to suppress the Church through various visible and invisible persecutions; those who sought to falsify the Church with their heretical teachings; those who wanted to silence the Church, depriving it of its voice and witness; they all proved unsuccessful. The clouds of Martyrs, the tears of the Ascetics, and the prayers of the Saints protect the Church spiritually, while the Comforter and Spirit of Truth leads it to the fullness of truth.

With a sense of duty and responsibility, despite its hurdles and problems, as the First-Throne Church of Orthodoxy, the Ecumenical Patriarchate cares about protecting and establishing the unity of the Orthodox Church, in order that with one voice and in one heart we may confess the Orthodox faith of our Fathers in every age and even in our times. For, Orthodoxy is not a museum treasure that must be preserved; it is a breath of life that must be transmitted and invigorate all people. Orthodoxy is always contemporary, so long as we promote it with humility and interpret it in light of the existential quests and needs of humanity in each historical period and cultural circumstance.

To this purpose, Orthodoxy must be in constant dialogue with the world. The Orthodox Church does not fear dialogue because truth is not afraid of dialogue. On the contrary, if Orthodoxy is enclosed within itself and not in dialogue with those outside, it will both fail in its mission and no longer be the "catholic" and "ecumenical" Church. Instead, it will become an introverted and self-contained group, a "ghetto" on the margins of history. This is why the great Fathers of the Church never feared dialogue with the spiritual culture of their age – indeed even with the pagan idolaters and philosophers of their world – thereby influencing and transforming the civilization of their time and offering us a truly ecumenical Church.

Today, Orthodoxy is called to continue this dialogue with the outside world in order to provide a witness and the life-giving breath of its faith. However, this dialogue cannot reach the outside world unless it first passes through all those that bear the Christian name. Thus, we must first converse as Christians among ourselves in order to resolve our differences, in order that our witness to the outside world may be credible. Our endeavors for the union of all Christians is the will and command of our Lord, who before His Passion prayed to His Father "that all [namely, His disciples] may be one, so that the world may believe that You sent me." (John 17.21) It is not possible for the Lord to agonize over the unity of His disciples and for us to remain indifferent about the unity of all Christians. This would constitute criminal betrayal and transgression of His divine commandment.

It is precisely for these reasons that, with the mutual agreement and participation of all local Orthodox Churches, the Ecumenical Patriarchate has for many decades conducted official Panorthodox theological dialogues with the larger Christian Churches and Confessions. The aim of these dialogues is, in a spirit of love, to discuss whatever divides Christians both in terms of faith as well as in terms of the organization and life of the Church.

These dialogues, together with every effort for peaceful and fraternal relations of the Orthodox Church with other Christians, are unfortunately challenged today in an unacceptably fanatical way – at least by the standards of a genuinely Orthodox ethos – by certain circles that exclusively claim for themselves the title of zealot and defender of Orthodoxy. As if all the Patriarchs and Sacred Synods of the Orthodox Churches throughout the world, who unanimously decided on and continue to support these dialogues, were not Orthodox. Yet, these opponents of every effort for the restoration of unity among Christians raise themselves above Episcopal Synods of the Church to the dangerous point of creating schisms within the Church.

In their polemical argumentation, these critics of the restoration of unity among Christians do not even hesitate to distort reality in order to deceive and arouse the faithful. Thus, they are silent about the fact that theological dialogues are conducted by unanimous decision of all Orthodox Churches, instead attacking the Ecumenical Patriarchate alone. They disseminate false rumors that union between the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches is imminent, while they know well that the differences discussed in these theological dialogues remain numerous and require lengthy debate; moreover, union is not decided by theological commissions but by Church Synods. They assert that the Pope will supposedly subjugate the Orthodox, because they latter submit to dialogue with the Roman Catholics! They condemn those who conduct these dialogues as allegedly "heretics" and "traitors" of Orthodoxy, purely and simply because they converse with non-Orthodox, with whom they share the treasure and truth of our Orthodox faith. They speak condescendingly of every effort for reconciliation among divided Christians and restoration of their unity as purportedly being "the pan-heresy of ecumenism" without providing the slightest evidence that, in its contacts with non-Orthodox, the Orthodox Church has abandoned or denied the doctrines of the Ecumenical Councils and of the Church Fathers.

Beloved children in the Lord, Orthodoxy has no need of either fanaticism or bigotry to protect itself. Whoever believes that Orthodoxy has the truth does not fear dialogue, because truth has never been endangered by dialogue. By contrast, when in our day all people strive to resolve their differences through dialogue, Orthodoxy cannot proceed with intolerance and extremism. You should have utmost confidence in your Mother Church. For the Mother Church has over the ages preserved and transmitted Orthodoxy even to other nations. And today, the Mother Church is struggling amid difficult circumstances to maintain Orthodoxy vibrant and venerable throughout the world.

From the Ecumenical Patriarchate, this sacred Center of Orthodoxy, we embrace all of you lovingly and bless you paternally, praying that you may journey in health through the holy period of contrition and asceticism known as Holy and Great Lent in order that you may become worthy of celebrating the pure Passion and glorious Resurrection of our Savior Lord with all faithful Orthodox Christians throughout the world.

Sunday of Orthodoxy 2010

+ Bartholomew of Constantinople
Fervent supplicant to God for all

+ Constantine of Derkon
+ Evangelos of Perge
+ Kallinikos of Lystra
+ Michael of Austria
+ Alexios of Atlanta
+ Joseph of Proikonnisos
+ Demetrios of Sevasteia
+ Irenaios of Myriophyton and Peristasis
+ Chrysostom of Myra
+ Emmanuel of France
+ Makarios of Gortyna and Arkadia
+ Amphilochios of New Zealand

[Geneva • ENI] The Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomeos I, a key leader for the world's 300 million Orthodox Christians, has written a Lenten encyclical that stresses the need for greater unity for churches, and counters accusations from some of his bishops that ecumenism is heresy.

At the same time, a letter from the head of the U.S. National Council of Churches to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton shows that Bartholomeos also faces pressure in Turkey. His See is in Istanbul, the capital of Turkey, and his official title is "Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome, and Ecumenical Patriarch."

Quoting from the 17 February letter of the church grouping's general secretary, Michael Kinnamon, to Clinton, a press statement on the council's Web site says, "The government of Turkey may wish to minimise the significance of the Ecumenical Patriarch in Istanbul but the National Council of Churches asserts that U.S. Christians regard Patriarch Bartholomeos 'as a world leader whose spiritual and moral authority has influenced us all".

The press statement says that Kinnamon urged Clinton to use the moral authority of the United States to assure the safety of the Patriarch, who is, "isolated and often threatened with violence" in Turkey.

The encyclical will be read on the day known as the Feast of Orthodoxy. In it Bartholmeos notes, "If Orthodoxy is enclosed within itself and not in dialogue with those outside, it will both fail in its mission and no longer be the 'catholic' and 'ecumenical' Church. Instead, it will become an introverted and self-contained group, a 'ghetto" on the margins of history."

A senior Orthodox official told Ecumenical News International that the Patriarch's letter is significant because it unequivocally states a commitment to the ecumenical movement, and does so in the face of many pressures from church circles bitterly opposed to global church unity.

During 2009, a group of Orthodox clergy in Greece, led by three senior archbishops, published a manifesto pledging to resist all ecumenical ties with Roman Catholics and Protestants. The group said, "The only way our communion with heretics can be restored is if they renounce their fallacy and repent."

The senior clergy behind the manifesto, who fall under the jurisdiction of the Constantinople partriachate, said in their document that they wished to preserve, "irremovably and without alteration" the Orthodox faith that the Early Church had "demarcated and entrenched," and to shun communication, "with those who innovate on matters of the faith".

By contrast, in his Lenten letter, Bartholomeos says, "Today, Orthodoxy is called to continue this dialogue with the outside world in order to provide a witness and the life-giving breath of its faith."

He continues, "However, this dialogue cannot reach the outside world unless it first passes through all those that bear the Christian name. Thus, we must first converse as Christians among ourselves in order to resolve our differences, in order that our witness to the outside world may be credible."

Many Orthodox churches belong to the World Council of Churches, a grouping of some 560 million Anglican, Orthodox and Protestant Christians. The general secretary of the WCC, the Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit, said in a statement on 19 February that he was, "very grateful to the Ecumenical Patriarch for his strong commitment to dialogue and the unity of the Church".

Tveit added, "This encyclical reminds me of another famous text: the 1920 encyclical letter in which the [then] Ecumenical Patriarch proposed the foundation of a fellowship of churches, providing a major impulse for the formation of the WCC."

The letter of the U.S. church council leader tells Secretary of State Clinton, "The Ecumenical Patriarch now experiences threats to his safety that require police protection and barbed-wire barriers." It also describes the situation other Christians in Turkey face, "His All Holiness himself has told a recent 60 Minutes interviewer that Greek Christians in Turkey are treated as second class citizens with diminished rights and freedom of expression."

"We are grieved that his [Bartholomeos'] safety and freedom are constantly threatened," Kinnamon told Clinton. Writing on behalf of the 36 member communions of the National Council of Churches, he added, "Despite the many traditions and histories that our member churches bring to our council, we are emphatically agreed that a threat to the Ecumenical Patriarchate is a threat to Christians everywhere."

• Full text of Bartholomeos' letter

• NCC letter to Clinton

By Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A Vatican official has floated the idea of a shared "ecumenical catechism" as one of the potential fruits of 40 years of dialogue among Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists and members of the Reformed churches.

"We have affirmed our common foundation in Jesus Christ and the Holy Trinity as expressed in our common creed and in the doctrine of the first ecumenical councils," Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, told representatives of the churches.

Opening a three-day symposium at the Vatican to brainstorm on the future of ecumenism, Cardinal Kasper said it is essential "to keep alive the memory of our achievements" in dialogue, educate the faithful about how much has been accomplished and prepare a new generation to carry on the work.

He said the members of his council "proposed an ecumenical catechism that would be written in consultation with our partners," but "we do not yet have any idea how such a catechism could be structured and written."

One thing for sure, he said, is that there is a need for "an ecumenism of basics that identifies, reinforces and deepens the common foundation" of faith in Christ and belief in the tenets of the creed. The churches may hold those positions officially, but if their members do not hold firmly to the basics of Christian faith, the dialogue cannot move forward, the cardinal said.

He called for "a people-centered ecumenism" that would support and give new energy to the theological dialogues.

The symposium was a follow-up to the publication in October of "Harvesting the Fruits," a book complied by Cardinal Kasper and his staff summarizing the results of 40 years of official Catholic dialogue with the Anglican Communion, the Lutheran World Federation, the World Methodist Council and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches.

As for questions that still must be tackled in order for Christians to reach full unity and be able to share the Eucharist, the cardinal identified two basic areas: a common understanding of the church and its structure; and a common approach to applying the Gospel to modern social and moral concerns without falling into relativism.

Ethical issues, such as homosexuality and women's equality, not only divide churches, he said, they raise more fundamental questions for modern and post-modern society, such as, "What is man, and what does it mean to be a man or woman in God's plan?"

In the area of church structure and ministry, he said, the dialogues have seen progress toward a common agreement on the sacramental nature of ordination and on apostolic succession in the ministry of bishops, and have taken initial steps toward discussing the primacy of the bishop of Rome, the pope.

But on a more basic level, the dialogues must get into "not only what is the church, but where is the church? Has God given his church a specific structure or has he left the church to find its own structure, in such a way that a pluralism of structures is possible?" Cardinal Kasper asked.

The cardinal said the Vatican needs to better explain to its dialogue partners the Catholic conviction that "the Catholic Church is the church of Christ and that the Catholic Church is the true church," even while "there exist many and important elements of the church of Christ outside the visible boundaries of the Catholic Church."

The Catholic Church does believe "there are deficits in the other churches," he said. "Yet on another level there are deficits, or rather wounds stemming from division and wounds deriving from sin, also in the Catholic Church."

Ecumenical dialogue is the place where all Christians "learn to grow and mature in their faithfulness to Christ," he said, and as each moves closer to Christ, they naturally will move closer to each other.

Pope Benedict XVI's appointment of Bolen as bishop was announced Dec. 21 in Rome. The diocese of Saskatoon has been without a bishop since September, when former bishop Albert LeGatt was inaugurated as Archbishop of St. Boniface, Manitoba.

Bolen, 48, is presently serving as vicar-general of the Archdiocese of Regina, and pastor of St. Joseph parish, Balgonie; St. Agnes at Pilot Butte; and St. Peter's Colony, Kronau.

Bolen is also the chair of the Archdiocesan Ecumenical Commission, a position that reflects his strong background in ecumenical study and service, including seven years serving in Rome on the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, from 2001 to 2008.

Saskatoon Diocesan Administrator Rev. Ron Beechinor said the appointment of Bolen is great news for the diocese of Saskatoon. "The Lord has done great things for us. We are filled with joy," Beechinor said. "We are very fortunate. It's a wonderful appointment."

In choosing Bolen to be bishop of Saskatoon, the Holy Father has selected a gracious and deeply spiritual leader, said Archbishop Daniel Bohan of the Archdiocese of Regina.

"Msgr. Bolen has been truly generous in his service to the Church both in his home archdiocese of Regina and at the level of the universal Church in his years with the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity in Rome," Bohan said. "I am confident will be welcomed gladly by the people of the diocese of Saskatoon. He will leave Regina with our warm congratulations and prayers."

Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity greeted the news of Bolen's appointment with "great joy and profound thankfulness" noting that Bolen's strong faith in Christ, together with his vision and energy will equip him to lead his new flock in the diocese of Saskatoon.

Bolen said that he is honoured and humbled by the appointment, which brings with it many mixed feelings.

"I have heard wonderful things about the Diocese of Saskatoon, and while it is going to take a little while to get my mind around all that is involved in being a bishop, it will be a great privilege to serve there, and I look forward to all that lies ahead," he said.

"At the same time, I am saddened at the thought of leaving the parishes of Balgonie, Pilot Butte and St. Peter's Colony, and the generous and welcoming people of those faith communities. Likewise, the Archdiocese of Regina, its archbishops, priests and faithful, have nurtured my priesthood, giving me a home, constant support, and endless opportunities to learn and to serve. I treasure the many friendships in Christ which have nurtured me there and which I will carry with me."

Bolen's priestly, academic and ecumenical work has been marked by a passionate concern for Christianity's dialogue with contemporary culture, and the need to "give an account of the hope that is within us as Christian community " (1 Peter 3:15).

"Many in our day struggle with doubts, and there are no shortage of external challenges to our faith. But God is faithful, and the Holy Spirit is moving us to rediscover old and chart out new ways to give an intelligent, articulate and convincing account of our hope, our faith," said Bolen.

The son of Joseph and Rose Bolen, Donald Bolen spent the first years of his life on a farm in a German Catholic area west of Gravelbourg. The family moved into the town of Gravelbourg after the death of his father in 1968, when Donald was seven years old.

After high school he studied English and Religious Studies at Campion College at the University of Regina, completing a BA Honours in 1982.

In 1986 he entered Saint Paul Seminary in Ottawa for the Archdiocese of Regina, eventually completing a B.Th., M.Th. and L.Th. through Saint Paul University. He was ordained to the priesthood Oct. 12, 1991.

In September 1994 he began doctoral studies at Oxford University in England, exploring theology of the agreed statements of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission. Before he could finish the thesis, he was asked to take up a teaching post at Campion College, and was subsequently appointed to the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity for a five-year period 2001-2006, which was eventually extended to 2008, working in the area of relations with the Anglican Communion and World Methodist Council.

"Without doubt, the research into Anglican - Roman Catholic relations which was carried out at Oxford has been put to good use in my work in Rome, and I had the privilege of serving on the dialogue commission which was the subject of my research," says Bolen.

In November, 2008 Bolen was awarded the Cross of Saint Augustine by the Archbishop of Canterbury for his service to relations between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion.

Bolen's ministry assignments in the Archdiocese of Regina have included associate pastor at St. John the Baptist Parish in Estevan, administrator at Church of Our Lady, Moose Jaw, as well as at parishes in Milestone and Lang; and priest moderator of Paroisse St. Jean Baptiste, Regina. He has served as a faculty member in the department of Religious Studies at Campion College, teaching courses in Christology, Contemporary Christianity, and Ecumenical Dialogue, as well as an introductory courses in Religious Studies, and Religious Studies Methodology. He has served several years as chair of the archdiocesan Ecumenical Commission, and since August has served as vicar-general in the Archdiocese of Regina.

From January to May of this year Bolen also held the Nash Chair in Religion at Campion College. He is an Associate Priest of the Madonna House Apostolate, and an Oblate of St. Peter's Benedictine Abbey in Muenster, Saskatchewan.

by Steve Plenert, Mennonite World Conference News Service

[Strasbourg, France] How and where does the global church discuss issues such as the nature and mission of the church, sources of authority and moral discernment in the churches? One long-standing forum for important discussions such as these is the Faith and Order Plenary Commission of the World Council of Churches. This body, while not officially decision-making, gathered in Kolympari, Crete, 7-13 October 2009.

The topics mentioned were the key themes of the conference under the heading, "Called to be the One Church." More than 150 participants from many countries and a wide range of church traditions gathered to listen, discuss and dialogue.

"I was impressed about the seriousness of the theological discussion and the very earnest search for unity and agreement in theological issues. In Mennonite circles lately there is great hesitation about dogmatics and creedal discussions. But creeds and theology are the software according to which to a large extent churches tick. The search for unity in the body of Christ definitely also has to do with a search for believing and confessing together," says Neufeld.

His comments are echoed by the opening words of Patriarch Bartholomew who stated, "Because unity is finally a gift of God, it demands a profound sense of humility and not any prideful insistence." His call to the "never-ending search" for unity of the church, also pointed out that it "is also an ever-unfolding journey."

Marianela de la Paz Cot, of the Episcopal Church of Cuba, described interchurch and interfaith dialogue as sources and meeting points of opposing views and potential polarization, but she argued that this provides "an opportunity to develop a deeper unity."

The argument raised familiar questions on the issue of interfaith and interchurch dialogue: When must respect for others' beliefs give way to a prophetic critique of idolatry? At what point is faith in Christ compromised?

Neufeld comments, "I am sure that the three big topics of Faith and Order - moral discernment in the church, sources of authority, and the nature and mission of the church - are as relevant for Mennonites as for any other Christian denomination. Moral discernment on peace issues and gender issues has been a topic for decades for us. Till now we are far too humble to discuss forces of authority or even use the word 'authority.'

"Structural and sacramental unity do not seem to be key issues at this moment in the Faith and Order movement," says Neufeld. Participants noted a tendency to give more space to an "ecclesiology from below" based on the concrete experience of "being church in a particular context" rather than describing the church theoretically "from above."

Neufeld suggests that "reconciled diversity, humble recognition of the limitations of our own denominational convictions and traditions, as well as an appreciation for the gifts in history entrusted to the different denominations seems to be a way not to fear dialogue. The better dialogue partners are informed and convinced about their convictions, the more free they can speak with each other and to each other."

Mennonites have things to learn from and contribute to gatherings such as the Faith and Order Plenary Commission as the themes are clearly relevant to our on-going task of being faithful to our calling as the church of Christ in the world.

***
Mennonite World Conference is a communion (Koinonia) of Anabaptist-related churches linked to one another in a worldwide community of faith for fellowship, worship, service, and witness.

[Mennonite Church Canada • Winnipeg] Mennonite Church Canada leaders have logged another event towards the denomination's collective "1,000 Acts of Peace" initiative.

On Oct. 17, Bruce Adema, Director of Canadian Ministries for the bi-national CRC and current president of the Canadian Council of Churches (CCC), and Robert J. Suderman, General Secretary of Mennonite Church Canada hosted a Symposium on War and Peace together with the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) of Canada at Bethel Mennonite Church in Winnipeg.

The Symposium was the product of discussions between Suderman and Adema, after a May 2008 CCC event in which Suderman presented a paper entitled Faith and the Public Square: The church's witness to peace (see www.mennonitechurch.ca/tiny/1203).

If any conclusion can be reached, it would be that the CRC practices "selective pacifism" (the use of weapons of mass destruction – such as nuclear weapons – is never just), while Mennonites do not justify the use of violence even when it promises to be redemptive.

Adema said that CRC adherents live in a tension: in one hand they hold a deep desire to "never want war," and in the other hand they hold a desire to stand up for the weak and vulnerable – using redemptive, violent force by serving one's country's military if no other solution is evident. But, "If just war happens, we have not been effective agents of peace," he acknowledged.

Seating arrangements for the 43 participants mixed Mennonites and Christian Reformists – and generated much passionate conversation when the participants were paired up and assigned the task of creating a Remembrance Day service palatable to both denominations. A common theme that emerged was that such a service would need to focus on lament for all war dead rather than honouring only those who gave up their lives in military service.

Position papers from each denomination were also presented. Herman Keizer, a theologically trained, retired military chaplain from Grand Rapids, Mich. and long time high level pentagon ethical advisor said, "... as we walk through some of our history on war and peace, we have gained a deeper appreciation of the peace churches and what they can contribute to our efforts to be peace makers," citing a recommendation from a 2006 Synod calling for the CRC to work more closely with peace churches and learn from one another.

Keizer also noted doctrinal statements from a 1939 Synod which dictate that "... as a general rule, the orders of the government are to be obeyed," and "... a Christian who cannot be certain that his government is waging war justly ought therefore to do as ordered." Moreover, "in a sinful and imperfect world, it may even be necessary to submit to an unjust law." But conditions that define the justified use of military force were surprisingly absent from the 1939 document, Keizer said. The 1939 document eschews both militarism and pacifism.

With a Purple Heart pinned to his lapel, Keizer advocated for a re-examination of attitudes and conventional weapons. "In WWII only 20% of the fighting force shot to kill, today that is up to 85%... We, the US and Canada, have trained and have fielded the deadliest and most lethal force in the history of war fighting. I am concerned because soldiers are more concerned with killing than being killed," he said.

Helmut Harder, Emeritus Professor of Theology, Canadian Mennonite University, and former General Secretary of Mennonite Church Canada, presented a paper that addressed the question, of how Mennonites have responded to contemporary challenges on issues of war and peace, and how this has shaped and reshaped its identity. In a Q&A after the presentation, challenges to absolute pacifism were rewarded by Harder's simple explanation that "extermination of life is always wrong." Keizer's and Harder's papers can be found at www.mennonitechurch.ca/tiny/1198.

Christian Reformists would not disagree with Harder's assertion that "We believe that peace is the will of God" and is most fully revealed in Jesus. However, exegetical differences showed fissures on how peace can be achieved; scripture citations, such as Jesus' claim that he came to bring peace by the sword (Matthew 10:34), were filtered through both CRC and Mennonite lenses. Mennonites interpret this story as the suffering servant model: Jesus sought to bring peace be making himself a sacrifice of the sword, not by wielding the sword, while the CRC understand that the text does not forbid the use of violent force.

But just how far towards the Jesus model is it possible for humans to move? CRC theology intimates that this is a complex issue that requires a carefully nuanced response – a simple answer would not do it justice. But the hope is for ultimate and lasting peace, said Adema. Mennonites see it as a goal to ever strive toward.

The event inspired better understanding between the two denominations – and perhaps a renewed valuing of those who have different understandings of peace and how to achieve it. Many Christian Reformed members have very recent memories from World War II that continues to shape their thinking. Some Mennonites also share that story, but more are shaped by a collective 500 year history of migration prompted by violent religious persecution –illustrated when Janet Plenert Executive Secretary of Mennonite Church Canada witness, read excerpts from The Martyr's Mirror.

Jeremy Segsto, a CRC representative in grade 12 at a Mennonite school said, "Before today I saw very different and distinct views of Christianity but they're actually very similar and they're exactly the same in the most important aspect of it in that we all have the same goal in mind."

Herman Keizer expressed a desire to learn more about the Mennonite history and practice of conscientious objection to war, and could see "selective" conscientious objection as a possibility in cases where a war would be deemed unjust. "[This] is very disturbing for the government because it could mean they declared war and nobody showed up," he said to chuckles from others.

Natasha Plenert, a Mennonite student at Canadian Mennonite University (CMU), observed that among her peers it was very easy for her to write-off people with non-pacifist viewpoints as being "pro-war." "There's a very big distinction to be made between not thinking war is wrong and thinking war is the right answer."

Janelle Dykxhoorn is a CMU student who grew up in CRC schools and churches. "I found out today how much going to a Mennonite university has already changed my thinking. In the discussion we've had I felt like I was half Mennonite and half CRC."

Both denominations led in common worship that framed the opening and closing of the day. Before adjourning for a communal supper meal, Adema reflected in his worship mediation that, "When I look in your Mennonite eyes, I see Christ looking back at me."

The Commission has been established by the Lambeth Conference, the Primates' Meeting, and the Anglican Consultative Council. It builds on previous work done by the Inter-Anglican Theological and Doctrinal Commission, the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Ecumenical Relations, and the Windsor Continuation Group. It reports to the Standing Committee of the Anglican Communion.

The Commission devoted this first meeting to developing a vision that gives expression to its mandate. It sees its role as being a communicative and connection-making body which models and promotes communication and connection-making in the Anglican Communion, within a confident and vibrant expression of our shared faith and life, participating by God's grace in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ.

1. to undertake a reflection on the Instruments of Communion and relationships among them;
2. to make a study of the definition and recognition of 'Anglican Churches' and develop guidelines for bishops in the Communion;
3. to provide supporting material to assist in promoting the Anglican Covenant;
4. to draft proposals for guided processes of 'reception' (how developments and agreements are evaluated, and how appropriate insights are brought into the life of the churches);
5. to consider the question of 'transitivity' (how ecumenical agreements in one region or Province may apply in others).

These tasks, which will be taken forward by working groups consulting electronically between meetings, aim to strengthen the unity, faith and order of the Communion.

An Episcopal election in Los Angeles, which remains to be confirmed or rejected by The Episcopal Church, took place during the meeting and was discussed by the Commission. It noted the words of the Archbishop of Canterbury that 'the bishops of the Communion have collectively acknowledged that a period of gracious restraint in respect of actions which are contrary to the mind of the Communion is necessary if our bonds of mutual affection are to hold'. The Commission expressed the fervent hope that 'gracious restraint' would be exercised by The Episcopal Church in this instance.

Members of the Commission were enriched by sharing accounts of the life of the Anglican Church in each of their own contexts. The Commission also greatly valued an afternoon spent with the Archbishop of Canterbury, during which he shared his own vision for the work of the Commission and his hope that it might act creatively in addressing vital issues for the Church and the world.

Canterbury Cathedral sustained the Commission throughout the meeting through its ministry of prayer and hospitality. The Commission was also strengthened by sharing in daily Eucharist and in Bible study. The Commission is grateful for the hospitality of the International Study Centre and the Dean and Chapter of the Cathedral; of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the staff of Lambeth Palace; and of the Nikaean Club which hosted a dinner at Lambeth. The Commission also expressed its gratitude to the staff of the Anglican Communion Office.

The next meeting will take place at the end of November 2010 in Cape Town, South Africa.

Participants:

The Most Revd Bernard Ntahoturi, Primate of Burundi and Chair of Commission
The Rt Revd Dr Georges Titre Ande, Congo
The Ven. Professor Dapo Asaju, Nigeria
The Revd Canon Professor Paul Avis, England
The Rt Revd Philip D Baji, Tanzania
The Revd Canon Dr John Gibaut, World Council of Churches
The Rt Revd Howard Gregory, West Indies
The Revd Dr Katherine Grieb, Episcopal Church (USA)
The Revd Canon Clement Janda, Sudan
The Revd Sarah Rowland Jones, Southern Africa
The Revd Dr Edison Muhindo Kalengyo, Uganda
The Rt Revd Victoria Matthews, Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia
The Revd Canon Dr Charlotte Methuen, England
The Revd Dr Simon Oliver, Wales/England
The Rt Revd Professor Stephen Pickard, Australia
Dr Andrew Pierce, Ireland
The Revd Canon Dr Michael Nai Chiu Poon, South East Asia
The Revd Dr Jeremiah Guen Seok Yang, Korea
The Rt Revd Tito Zavala, Bishop of Chile, Southern Cone
The Revd Joanna Udal, the Archbishop of Canterbury's Secretary for Anglican Communion Affairs
The Revd Canon Dr Alyson Barnett-Cowan, Director for Unity, Faith and Order
Mr Neil Vigers, of the Anglican Communion Office.

Mandate of the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order

The Standing Commission shall have responsibility:

• to promote the deepening of Communion between the Churches of the Anglican Communion, and between those Churches and the other Churches and traditions of the Christian oikumene
• to advise the Provinces and the Instruments of Communion on all questions of ecumenical engagement, proposals for national, regional or international ecumenical agreement or schemes of co-operation and unity, as well as on questions touching Anglican Faith and Order
• to review developments in the areas of faith, order or unity in the Anglican Communion and among ecumenical partners, and to give advice to the Churches of the Anglican Communion or to the Instruments of Communion upon them, with the intention to promote common understanding, consistency, and convergence both in Anglican Communion affairs, and in ecumenical engagement
• to assist any Province with the assessment of new proposals in the areas of Unity, Faith and Order as requested.

(Toronto) The Canadian government's decision to cut funding to KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives will have a devastating impact on KAIROS' overseas partners and the thousands of marginalized people in local communities they support, KAIROS announced today.

KAIROS, a church based non-governmental organization that represents seven of Canada's largest denominations, works on a range of social justice issues, including human rights in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. An official from CIDA called KAIROS executive director Mary Corkery on Monday afternoon, November 30th, to inform her that CIDA would no longer fund KAIROS. Corkery was told that KAIROS no longer fits CIDA priorities. No other explanation or information was provided.

KAIROS' current contract with CIDA expired in September, but it had received an extension until November 30th, the day it was informed of the cuts.

"We are disheartened that this longstanding relationship and decades of support by the Canadian government has been ended," says Corkery. "KAIROS and the millions of Canadians we represent through our member churches and organizations do not understand why these cuts have been made."

In a message to Bev Oda, Minister for International Cooperation, requesting an explanation, Corkery writes, "I know of no precedent for the Canadian International Development Agency ending a decades-long funding relationship with a major Canadian organization without notice in writing, with no reason and no transition plan".

KAIROS' work is highly regarded in Canada and overseas. As the November 30th deadline approached, KAIROS member churches, its partners and other organizations had been writing Minister Oda to request that she approve the KAIROS contract which has been sitting on her desk since July awaiting her signature.

One of those letters came from a Colombian group, the Organización Femenina Popular (the Popular Women's Group), which has been awaiting CIDA funding through KAIROS.

"As you know, we work in regions in Colombia where armed conflict has resulted in the denial of women's basic rights. The economic support from KAIROS and CIDA permits us to implement programs which include legal and health services, community kitchens, and other humanitarian assistance that have saved many lives and given possibilities and opportunities to hundreds of women, mothers, wives, daughters, sisters and entire families," Yolanda Becerra Vega, OFP Director General wrote to Bev Oda on Monday.

"In addition to the impact overseas, these cuts are a loss for Canadians," says Corkery. "KAIROS educates Canadians across the country about Canada's work for international development. Our work in Canada and overseas expresses Canadian values in upholding human rights, and is informed by excellent analysis of our partners in the Global South."

The KAIROS contract that just expired received a positive audit and excellent CIDA evaluation this year. KAIROS submitted its new program proposal for 2009-2013 to CIDA in March 2009. It went through a lengthy approval process within CIDA up until the Minister's level and has been waiting for approval from the Minister since July 2009.

The government's decision comes a week after 57 people were massacred in politically motivated killings in the Philippines, including two lawyers from a human rights organization supported by KAIROS, and just days before Prime Minister Stephen Harper heads to China.

Media contact:
Adiat Junaid
Communications Program Coordinator
KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives
(416) 463 5312, ext. 223
1 877 403 8933, ext. 223

www.kairoscanada.org

"Any effort to lead a person to faith that tramples on human freedom betrays a lack of respect for human dignity," said Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.

The USCCB and the National Council of Synagogues (NCS) of America held their fall consultation at Jewish Theological Seminary, November 11, in Manhattan. Rabbi Alan Brill of New Jersey's Seton Hall University and Father Arthur Kennedy of St. John's Seminary in Brighton, Massachusetts, spoke on the theme: "dialogue and witness in the perspective of our faith traditions."

Rabbi Brill said witness is a less significant category in Jewish theology than it is in the Christian tradition. Where it does appear in early sources, it means a public proclamation about a special event or fundamental teaching of Judaism, such as the Sabbath—which is "a witness to Gods' creation," Rabbi Brill said.

Catholics, however, have understood witness as integral to the faith. "Commitment to witness means uniting one's life with Jesus Christ, even sacrificing one's life as a martyr," said Father Kennedy. Within the Catholic tradition witnessing to the truth, both in word and deed, is a fundamental duty.

Since the Second Vatican Council issued its landmark decrees on non-Christian religions (Nostra aetate) and religious freedom (Dignitatis humanae), Catholics have distinguished authentic witness from a kind of proselytism that Father Kennedy described as "forced, manipulative, coercive, intimidating and cajoling."

Father Kennedy cited Catholic-Jewish dialogue as a model for interreligious witnessing that involves mutual respect for one's another beliefs and a desire to understand one another's core religious convictions. Anticipating future dialogue topics on human rights and natural law, he invited consideration of how the two communities could foster an "I-Thou relationship" in the sense promoted by the Jewish religious thinker Martin Buber. Father Kennedy went on to explain that this is a dialogue "across the divide of religious belief that maintains a sense of God in our midst."

Jewish NCS President and co-chair Rabbi Alvin Berhkun lauded his Catholic counterpart, Cardinal William Keeler, Archbishop Emeritus of Baltimore. The meeting marked the final dialogue session in which Cardinal Keeler would serve as co-chair and USCCB Moderator for Jewish Affairs. Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York assumed both roles.

Tributes were also paid to Cardinal Keeler by longtime dialogue partners, Rabbi Jeffrey Wohlberg of Washington, Rabbi Gilbert S. Rosenthal of Needham, Massachusetts and NCS staff, and Judith Hertz of New York. Archbishop Gregory thanked Cardinal Keeler on behalf of the U.S. bishops for his wise and generous service to reconciliation between the Church and the Jewish community.

Participants also discussed the June 18 USCCB Note on Some Ambiguities in Reflections on Covenant and Mission which contained a sentence that disturbed Jewish partners. The original document Reflections (2002) was authored by scholars involved in the USCCB-NCS consultation and evoked theological concerns within the Catholic community.

To clarify perceived ambiguities in the earlier statement, the USCCB committees for doctrine and ecumenical/interreligious affairs had stated in their Note that "Though Christian participation in interreligious dialogue would not normally include an explicit invitation to baptism and entrance into the Church, the Christian dialogue partner is always giving witness to the following of Christ, to which all are implicitly invited."

Through subsequent correspondence with Jewish partners and further internal discussions, the bishop-chairmen of the two committees, Bishop William Lori of Bridgeport, chair of the Doctrine Committee, and Archbishop Gregory, joined with USCCB President Cardinal Francis George, Cardinal Keeler and Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre, New York in re-issuing the Note without the controversial sentence. The bishops also issued a Statement of Principles for Catholic-Jewish Dialogue which said that dialogue "has never been and will never be used by the Catholic Church as a means of proselytism—nor is it intended as a disguised invitation to baptism."

Participants also addressed Middle East issues, particularly Israel's policy on visas for religious workers.

Catholic Near East Director Msgr. Robert Stern expressed particular concern for 147,000 Christians who reside in Israel and the 30,000-40,000 who live in the occupied territories. "Their plight is very serious as they find themselves in a tenuous situation," he stated.

The forthcoming visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the Roman synagogue was also mentioned as a hopeful sign that the advances of the past will continue to cement a trusting relationship between the two faiths.

Catholic participants at the consultation also included Jesuit Father Drew Christiansen, editor, America Magazine; Father Lawrence Frizzell, Seton Hall University; Atonement Father James Loughran, Atonement Ecumenical Institute; Bishop Basil H. Losten, Former Bishop of Stamford for Ukrainians; Monsignor Guy Massie, Diocese of Brooklyn, New York; Father James Massa, USCCB staff; and Father Robert Robbins, Archdiocese of New York.

Jewish participants also included Rabbi Moses A. Birnbaum of Plainview, New York; Rabbi Lewis Eron, Cherry Hill, New Jersey; Ethan Felson, Jewish Council for Public Affairs; Gunther Lawrence, Union for Reform Judaism; Rabbi Joel Meyers, Executive Vice-President Emeritus of the (Conservative) Rabbinical Assembly; Rabbi Daniel F. Polish of LaGrangeville, New York; Jacob Stein, NCS advisor; Rabbi Jonathan Waxman, Congregation Beth-El in Massapequa, New York; and Rabbi Jeffrey Wohlberg (Rabbi Emeritus), Adas Israel Congregation, Washington. Special guests at the meeting were Rabbi Gerald Meister, Religious Affairs Director (Emeritus), Israeli Consulate, Rabbi Yehiel Poupko, Jewish Federation of Chicago; and Rabbi Julie Schoenfeld, Executive Vice-President of the Rabbinical Assembly.

[Anglican Journal] The Supreme Court of British Columbia ruled yesterday that the Anglican Church of Canada's diocese of New Westminster retains possession of four church properties worth an estimated $20 million. Members of congregations in these churches, who voted to leave the Anglican Church of Canada and join the more conservative Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC), claimed these properties were held in trust for them.

Justice Stephen Kelleher did, however, rule that a $2.2 million bequest from a parishioner at one of the four churches should be held in trust for the building fund of the ANiC congregation.

The congregation at St. John's (Shaughnessy), the largest parish in Canada, as well as congregations at Parish of the Good Shepherd, St. Matthias and St. Luke in Vancouver, and St. Matthew's in Abbotsford all voted to leave the Anglican Church of Canada over theological differences, including objections to the blessing of same-sex unions and interpretations of Scriptural authority. In the ensuing dispute over who rightfully controlled the church properties, representatives of the parishes filed two lawsuits against the diocese. They claimed that parish properties are held in trust for the purposes of ministry consistent with historic, orthodox Anglican doctrine and practice, and that the Anglican Church of Canada had broken with that doctrine and practice, notably by allowing the blessing of same-sex unions.

In his judgment, however, Justice Kelleher wrote that "a trust which freezes doctrine at a point in history is inconsistent with the history of change and evolution in Anglicanism. For example, the ACC now permits the remarriage of divorced persons. The church ordains women as priests, and there are also female diocesan bishops in the [Anglican Church of Canada]. These developments are inconsistent with what many would consider historic and orthodox Anglicanism." He also wrote that, according to resolutions passed at General Synod 2007, the issue of same-sex blessings is one of doctrine, but not core or fundamental doctrine, for the Anglican Church of Canada. "Accordingly, there is no breach of trust on even the terms the plaintiffs put forth." He concluded that the parish properties are "held on trust for Anglican ministry as defined by the [Anglican Church of Canada]."

The ruling also said "a parish does not have the authority to unilaterally leave the Diocese" and that "property effectively remains with the Diocese unless the Executive Committee and Bishop agree to mortgage, sell or otherwise dispose of it."

Other parishes across the country are in the midst of similar legal battles over property, and George Cadman, chancellor for the diocese of New Westminster, said this "may well be a precedent-setting decision."

ANiC chancellor Cheryl Chang said in a statement that it would take some time for ANiC and its lawyers to review the decision. But she added, "It is a great concern to hear that a majority can redefine and change the doctrine of the church and that those who wish to remain faithful to the church's teaching must change their beliefs or sacrifice their buildings. At the end of the day, if forced to choose, we will have to choose our faith over our buildings."

In a letter to be read to parishioners this Sunday, Bishop Michael Ingham of the diocese of New Westminster said he intends to invite these congregations to remain in the buildings where they worship. "I intend to appoint new clergy who will respect and continue the worshipping style of the congregation, who will also work co-operatively with me and the diocese." His letter also said that the Anglican Church of Canada and throughout the world is a "big tent" with room for a diversity of opinion. "We have a long history of welcome and respect for all people. What unites us is a strong commitment to Jesus Christ and the Christian faith, a tradition of beautiful and sacred worship, and a compassionate response to people in many kinds of need and hardship."

Justice Kelleher did rule in favour of the plaintiffs on the question of Bishop Michael Ingham's dismissal of the trustees of St. Matthew's and St. Matthias and St. Luke, which he ruled "was illegal and of no force and effect." He wrote that those elected or appointed at the annual vestry meetings on Feb. 24, 2008 "continue to hold their positions as trustees of their respective parish corporations." But he also stipulated that those trustees must exercise their authority in accordance with the constitution, canons, rules and regulations of the diocese. In light of other parts of his decision, Justice Kelleher said they may not want to remain in those positions, but he left it to the parties to find a workable solution or return to court.

Justice Kelleher also ruled that a $2.2 million bequest left to the "the building fund of Church of the Good Shepherd" by Dr. Daphne Wai-Chan Chun should be held in trust for the ANiC congregation. "Dr. Chun intended the proceeds to be applied to the building needs of the parish that served the Chinese community. That parish voted unanimously to receive Episcopal oversight from the Province of the Southern Cone and to affiliate with ANiC. In the circumstances, I conclude that a scheme whereby the funds are held on trust for the building needs of the ANiC congregation will best fulfil Dr. Chun's charitable intent."

"We are very grateful that Mr. Justice Kelleher understood and respected Dr. Chun's intention when she left her bequest to our building fund" said Eric Law, a trustee of the congregation of Good Shepherd. "We look forward to using those funds toward the building we currently worship in."

Bishop Ingham also wrote in his letter to parishioners that his prayer is that "we might put all this sad conflict behind us and get on with the mission of Jesus Christ. No good is served by bitterness or triumphalism. The decision of the Court is clear. And the purpose of the Church is equally clear. We are here to serve the mission of God and the well-being of all of God's children."

"I am absolutely delighted," Bishop-elect Irving said.

Although Bishop-elect Irving has spent most of his career in British Columbia, his work in the church began on the prairies. After completing his theological studies in England at two Oxford colleges, he was ordained a deacon in Edmonton in 1986 and then spent three years serving as the incumbent for the St. Thomas parish in Wainwright, Alta. "We had a wonderful time when we were in Alberta," he said. "Prairie folks are special folks and we are certainly looking forward to being back there."

He has since served as the incumbent at St. Barnabas in the diocese of New Westminster, and then in the diocese of Kootenay at the Parish of Woodsdale and St. Saviour's in Penticton.

In 2007, Bishop-elect Irving accepted a new position working on congregational development and stewardship with the diocese of Kootenay. He is also a consultant for the Anglican Church of Canada on gift planning and stewardship. His experience in these matters will be useful in his new post where he hopes to foster growth, an important issue across the country, he said. "That's not just Saskatoon. A lot of our dioceses are in the same situation where they are working on congregational development and stewardship, working to have the resources available for mission and ministry in the area."

Members of the dialogue also prayed together in the chapel of the Polish National Catholic Church Center, where Bishop Mikovsky presided over an exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction.

The next meeting of the dialogue is slated to take place in Baltimore, Maryland, on November 11 and 12, 2010.

Webeditors note: The PNCC was established in the 19th century from Polish Roman Catholics and is found primarily in the US. The Roman Catholic Church recognizes the PNCC's clerical orders and other sacraments. The two churches have an agreement permitting sacramental sharing in exceptional circumstances. The PNCC was in full communion with the Old Catholic Union of Utrecht until recently when the latter decided to ordain women. As this press release indicates, a central issue in the continuing dialogue between the RCC and the PNCC is the role and authority of the papacy.

• The Vatican Information Service press release is found below.
• The apostolic constitution "Anglicanorum Coetibus" is found here
• The complementary norms are found at here
• An official canonical commentary issued by the Vatican is available here

ANGLICANORUM COETIBUS AND COMPLEMENTARY NORMS

VATICAN CITY, 9 NOV 2009 (VIS) - The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith today published the Apostolic Constitution "Anglicanorum coetibus", which provides for personal ordinariates for Anglicans entering into full communion with the Catholic Church, and some Complementary Norms for the same Apostolic Constitution.

Both documents are dated 4 November, feast of St. Charles Borromeo, and are signed by Cardinal William Joseph Levada and Archbishop Luis F. Ladaria S.J., respectively prefect and secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

An English-language communique released by the congregation recalls how on 20 October, Cardina Levada "announced a new provision responding to the many requests that have been submitted to the Holy See from groups of Anglican clergy and faithful in different parts of the world who wish to enter into full visible communion with the Catholic Church.

"The Apostolic Constitution 'Anglicanorum coetibus' which is published today introduces a canonical structure that provides for such corporate reunion by establishing personal ordinariates, which will allow the above mentioned groups to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of the distinctive Anglican spiritual and liturgical patrimony. At the same time, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is publishing a set of Complementary Norms which will guide the implementation of this provision.

"This Apostolic Constitution opens a new avenue for the promotion of Christian unity while, at the same time, granting legitimate diversity in the expression of our common faith. It represents not an initiative on the part of the Holy See, but a generous response from the Holy Father to the legitimate aspirations of these Anglican groups. The provision of this new structure is consistent with the commitment to ecumenical dialogue, which continues to be a priority for the Catholic Church.

"The possibility envisioned by the Apostolic Constitution for some married clergy within the personal ordinariates does not signify any change in the Church's discipline of clerical celibacy. According to the Vatican Council II, priestly celibacy is a sign and a stimulus for pastoral charity and radiantly proclaims the reign of God".

The Apostolic Constitution contains thirteen sections which concern, among other things: the formation of the new ordinariates which possess, according to paragraph 3 of section 1, "public juridic personality by the law itself (ipso iure)" and are "juridically comparable to a diocese"; the power of the ordinary, "to be exercised jointly with that of the local diocesan bishop in those cases provided for in the Complementary Norms"; candidates for Holy Orders; erection, with the approval of the Holy See, of new Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life; the "ad limina" visit of the ordinary, etc.

The Complementary Norms concern the jurisdiction of the Holy See; relations with episcopal conferences and diocesan bishops; the ordinary; the faithful of the ordinariate; the clergy; former Anglican bishops; the governing council; the pastoral council, and personal parishes.

The members received reports of developments in each Communion and reviewed present ecumenical dialogues in which our Communions are engaged. The Council studied several papers on the theology of blessing. It also discussed and adopted an information leaflet about the Old Catholic Churches of the Union of Utrecht.

A draft text for a common statement on ecclesiology and mission was discussed. The Council will present it to the Anglican and Old Catholic Bishops' Conference and recommends that it be made the theme of the forthcoming International Old Catholic and Anglican Theological Conference in 2011.

Attention was given to the recently published document "Kirche und Kirchengemeinschaft" (Church and Communion) of the International Roman Catholic-Old Catholic Dialogue Commission (IRAD), as well as to the recent Vatican announcement of the Apostolic Constitution to provide personal ordinariates for Anglicans and former Anglicans.

The Council participated in daily Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer and the Eucharist in the Cathedral. The Bible Studies each morning were led by members of the Council. The Council was present at the consecration of the Bishop of Shrewsbury (Diocese of Lichfield) by the Archbishop of Canterbury in Westminster Abbey. Old Catholic bishops Joachim Vobbe and Harald Rein joined with the College of Anglican bishops in the laying on of hands.

At a dinner hosted by the Dean of Canterbury he welcomed members of the Council and led them on a candle-lit pilgrimage in the Cathedral.

The next meeting of the Council will take place 8-12 November 2010 in Germany.

Bishop Harold Rein extended an invitation to the 30th International Old Catholic Congress, to be held 9-13 August 2010 in Zurich.

For further information, please contact the Revd Professor Dr Angela Berlis, tel +41 (0)31 631 4193, email , or Neil Vigers at the Anglican Communion Office, tel +44 (0)20 7313 3929, email .

The members of the Anglican-Old Catholic International Co-ordinating Council are:

Anglicans

The Rt Revd Jonathan Gledhill - Co-chair
Mr Neil Vigers - acting Co-secretary
The Rt Revd David Hamid
Mrs Maryon Jägers
The Revd Dr Jeremy Morris
The Revd Carola von Wrangel

Old Catholics

The Rt Revd Joachim Vobbe - Co-chair
The Revd Professor Dr Angela Berlis - Co-secretary
The Revd Henriette Crüwell (absent)
The Revd Professor Dr David R. Holeton
The Rt Revd Dr Harald Rein
The Rt Revd Dr Dick Schoon (absent)

Administrative Support and Interpreter: The Revd Lars Simpson

• This item is also available in German.

This was Archbishop Aymond's first meeting as Catholic Co-Chair. Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta, Chairman of the Bishops' Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, named Archbishop Aymond to succeed Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk last summer. Archbishop Aymond, who had been with His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in New Orleans the day before the meeting, extended the Patriarch's warm greetings to the Consultation. Most of the meeting centered on finalizing the Common Response, the full text of which is found at http://www.usccb.org/seia/RavennaResponse.pdf

Overall the North American dialogue welcomed the document, and viewed its adoption as a sign that the international dialogue, that has faced significant difficulties in the recent past, has been able to resume its study of ecclesiology and present an approved statement on the topic.

The Common Response examines the Ravenna Document's treatment of conciliarity and authority at three levels within the Church: the local level (diocese), the regional level (Episcopal conferences, metropolitanates and patriarchates) and the universal level. It also takes exception to the sole footnote in the Ravenna document, and argues that the representations of both the Orthodox and Catholic understandings of the Church in the footnote are inaccurate.

The full title of the Ravenna Document is "Ecclesiological and Canonical Consequences of the Sacramental Nature of the Church: Ecclesial Communion, Conciliarity and Authority." It is available on the Vatican website and on the website of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. The North American consultation has also issued common responses to the earlier agreed statements produced by the international dialogue.

Members also continued work on the theme of primacies and conciliarity in the Church. They examined a first draft of a proposed agreed statement on this question, entitled "Steps Towards a United Church: A Sketch of an Orthodox-Catholic Vision for the Future." Still in its preliminary stages, the text will be revised and considered again at the next meeting of the dialogue. To enhance the consultation's examination of this theme, Father John Erickson presented a paper entitled "Primacy and Conciliarity at the Regional Level," and Father Joseph Komonchak spoke on the analysis of the Council of Sardica (343 AD) by the noted French Dominican theologian Hervé Legrand.

One session of the meeting was devoted to a sharing of information about major events in the lives of the two churches. The topics discussed included the Fourth Pre-Conciliar Pan-Orthodox Conference and its implications for Orthodoxy in North America, the papal encyclical Caritas in Veritate, the nomination of a new U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, relations between the two Romanian Orthodox jurisdictions in North America, the recently announced creation of personal ordinariates for former Anglicans within the Catholic Church, and the situation of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese.

The next meeting of the dialogue is scheduled to take place at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts, June 1-3, 2010.

In addition to the co-chairs, the Consultation include Orthodox representatives Father Thomas FitzGerald (Secretary), Father Nicholas Apostola, Father Erickson, Susan Ashbrook Harvey, Ph.D., Father James Dutko, Paul Meyendorff, Ph.D., Father Alexander Golitzin, Robert Haddad, Ph.D., Father Robert Stephanopoulos, Father Theodore Pulcini, and Father Mark Arey, General Secretary of the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas SCOBA (staff).

Additional Catholic members are Jesuit Father Brian Daley (Secretary), Thomas Bird, Ph.D., Sylvain Destrempes, Ph.D., Father Peter Galadza, Chorbishop John D. Faris, Father John Galvin, Father Sidney Griffith, Father Komonchak, Father Paul McPartlan, Father David Petras, Sister of Charity of Leavenworth Susan K. Wood, Vito Nicastro, Ph.D., and Paulist Father Ronald Roberson, who serves as staff.

The North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation is sponsored jointly by SCOBA, the Bishops' Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. Since its establishment in 1965, the Consultation has now issued 23 agreed statements on various topics. All these texts are now available on the USCCB Website and the SCOBA website.

"There has already been a lot of movement," Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, told Ecumenical News International in Wittenberg, the eastern German town where in 1517, Martin Luther published his 95 Theses, thereby setting in train the breach with the papacy.

"I hope that there can be even more movement for the unity of the Church, the cohesion of Christianity and for common witness," said the cardinal when interviewed on 1 November while attending a ceremony seeking closer ties on the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017.

"We have learned a lot in the last 50 years," noted Kasper, a former professor of theology in Münster and Tübingen, and bishop of Stuttgart in southern Germany from 1989 to 1999. "At the university I spent a lot of time teaching about Martin Luther, and I have learned from that experience too."

Kasper was asked about comments by Wolfgang Huber, who retired at the end of October as Germany's senior Protestant bishop, in which he said the Vatican had created "difficulties" for ecumenical dialogue in the past decade.

"Well we caused each other difficulties," said Kasper, laughing. "Difficulties are always made from both sides. I also wished for more, but one can wish for a lot in life and it does not happen.

"The main point is that we should stay on the ball and should continue," said the cardinal. "Difficulties are sometimes from the one side and sometimes from the other, one should not overrate them. The basics, the direction is right and we should jointly continue the course."

The Wittenberg event followed celebrations in Augsburg the previous day to mark the 10th anniversary of the Lutheran World Federation and the Roman Catholic Church signing an agreement about the doctrine of justification, a central point of contention at the time of the 16th-century Reformation.

Kasper described the 1999 agreement as a "milestone, but also an interim step, and one on which we would like to build". He added, "In the council for promoting Christian unity we are to hold a conference in February to look towards the future together with our ecumenical partners. We want to think together about what the next steps could be."

At the 10th anniversary celebrations in Augsburg, Kasper had described the joint declaration as a sign of the workings of the Holy Spirit. "We cannot be thankful enough for that and for many, many other steps that have been possible since," he said in a sermon at Augsburg Cathedral, the city where the declaration had been signed 10 years earlier.

"The godless complain about the supposed standstill in the ecumenical movement and the miserable moan about what has not yet been achieved, forgetting all that has been given us in the last few years, all that is sheer ingratitude," asserted the cardinal.

In 2006, the Methodist World Council also affirmed the joint declaration.

In remarks during the Augsburg celebrations, the LWF general secretary, the Rev. Ishmael Noko, said in signing the joint declaration, Lutherans and Catholics had "set out a common journey of healing" their memories of mutual condemnation.

"Ten years ago in this city we committed ourselves to a joint ecumenical journey. We did not doubt that we will walk forward together in new ways," said Noko.

"Of course the mutual condemnations of the past remain a part of our history; that cannot be changed. And the painful legacy of our estrangement gives us memories which bear the wounds of our separation," noted the LWF general secretary. "Ten years ago, in this city of Augsburg we said that these memories of separation and hostility would not be the memories of our children."

In Wittenberg, Noko told ENI that the ecumenical movement continues to grow. "The seeds have been sown and it serves no purpose to be suspicious all the time," he said.

The Chaldean Catholic community, made up of families and individuals who have had to leave Iraq in recent years, have a new place to call home – the church formerly known as St. Timothy's Anglican, on Lansdowne Ave in southeast Saskatoon.

Alex Istifo, parishioner and spokesperson, said the search for new space had been on-going for a while. "We either needed to add on to our current space in Sutherland – perhaps build a second floor – or find a new building," he explained, adding that their community is growing. Having a strong vibrant parish combined with a supportive community only serves to continue to draw more parishioners to the area. "There are more and more coming from overseas," he said.

With almost 180 registered families, it adds up to over a thousand people - and growing. The community had previously shared a priest with the other large western Canadian Chaldean Catholic parish in Calgary, but this meant having a priest only every second week.

"We now have our own priest, we have only had him about six months," said Istifo, explaining that Fr. Sabah Kamora arrived from Iraq, via Turkey and then Michigan. "Bishop Albert LeGatt has been very supportive of us, of course, a huge factor for our community. Bishop Albert and Bishop Ibrahim in Michigan were in contact and this is how having our own priest came about."

Besides weekly celebrations, having their own priest means regular catechetical instruction for the children – there are now almost 200 youth ages five to 18 years who meet every Saturday to study church teachings with the pastor and celebrate their faith, while those preparing for sacraments meet on Wednesdays as well as weekends.

"The community all came together to make this happen," explains Istifo of the purchase. They had looked at several churches that were too small, and then made an offer on St. Timothy's, which had closed down this summer with fewer than 50 families registered, and were able to make a deal at $1.3 million. The diocese of Saskatoon provided some of the financing "and we were able to sell our other building for $600,000, but the community had to raise another $450,000," Istifo said.

With the pressure on, in less than three months through donations and fundraising efforts, and the support of many local Iraqi businessmen and donors, the faith community was able to make up the shortfall. "It was really hard, but we pushed, and individuals, families, and the business people in our church made it happen," Istifo said.

The building will be officially opened and blessed Sunday, Nov. 15, in a celebration that will include LeGatt (who has since been appointed archbishop of St Boniface and will be returning from a trip to Jerusalem only the day before) as well as prominent members of the Chaldean Catholic Church, including Bishop Ibrahim Ibrahim, leader of the largest Chaldean diocese in North Amberica. The Chaldean Catholic Church exists as a separate rite with a patriarch, bishops, and priests, but in full communion with Rome.

Currently, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon is also co-sponsoring a Saskatoon seminarian, Raad Eshoo, from the local Chaldean Catholic community. He is studying this year at St. Peter's Seminary in London, Ontario.

[ELCIC News] The Council of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) has approved a statement that prepares for a significant action of reconciliation with churches of the Anabaptist family.

With this endorsement, the statement "Action on the Legacy of Lutheran Persecution of 'Anabaptists'" is recommended for adoption at the July 2010 LWF Eleventh Assembly in Stuttgart, Germany. The statement expresses "deep regret and sorrow" for the legacy of violent persecution of Anabaptists, and especially for the ways in which Lutheran reformers supported this persecution with theological arguments. It asks forgiveness, "from God and from our Mennonite sisters and brothers," for these past wrongs and also for the ways in which later Lutherans have forgotten or ignored this persecution and have continued to describe Anabaptists in misleading and damaging ways.

The statement then makes commitments with respect to how the violent history of persecution by Lutherans will be remembered, and how the Lutheran confessional legacy will be interpreted from now on in light of this action.

This LWF action was based upon the work done by the Lutheran-Mennonite Study Commission, 2005-2009. Their report "Healing of Memories: Reconciling in Christ," was received by the Council, which commended the Commission for "its thorough and important work."

The Council requested the LWF General Secretary to send this report and statement to the LWF member churches for information, study and discussion, and possible responses. Both documents would also be made available to pre-assembly delegates for discussion at their meetings.

Celebration and Prayer

After the unanimous vote, Rev. Dr Larry Miller, general secretary of the Mennonite World Conference (MWC), welcomed the action in a spirit of celebration and prayer. The July 2009 MWC Assembly meeting in Asuncion, Paraguay, had warmly received the news that Lutherans might take such an action and had promised to "walk with" Lutherans in their process. Miller said that this request for forgiveness would require that Mennonites also would change.

"You are not applauding for yourselves," said Miller. "You are applauding for the grace of God in our midst. Mennonites have learned from Lutherans that we are justified by faith alone, because we know that justification produces not only relations between oneself and God but also communion between the churches."

LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko congratulated the Commission for its work, and expressed his hope that the Stuttgart Assembly "would be a landmark," in view of the anticipated action. "Our children will be proud of this day," Noko remarked. He noted that Lutherans and Mennonites already are working together around the world; this action would move such cooperation to a new level.

Referring to the MWC global conference in Asuncion, attended by the LWF general secretary and his assistant for ecumenical affairs Dr Kathryn Johnson, Noko added, "[We] wept like children in Paraguay when we saw how the Mennonites would embrace us."

The dialogue reconciliation process began in 1980 during the 450th anniversary of the Augsburg Confession, when representatives of Mennonite churches raised questions about how they could join in celebrations of a document which explicitly condemned Anabaptists and their teachings.

In 1980, the LWF Executive Committee expressed sorrow for the pain and suffering caused by the condemnations and called on member churches "to celebrate our common Lutheran heritage with a spirit both of gratitude and penitence.

In 2002, the LWF Council established the Lutheran-Mennonite International Study Commission in partnership with the MWC.

During its work, the Commission had discovered that the history of persecution consistently intervened in their efforts at theological discussion. Telling the history together would in itself be an act of reconciliation.

More information on the 2009 LWF Council meeting is available on the LWF Web site at: www.lutheranworld.org

• The Vatican Information Service press release is found here
• The apostolic constitution "Anglicanorum Coetibus" is found here
• The complementary norms are found at here
• An official canonical commentary issued by the Vatican is available here

Earlier this week the Vatican announced new pastoral provisions for Anglicans seeking to join the Roman Catholic Church that will allow them to keep aspects of the historic Anglican liturgy and patrimony. The announcement came from Cardinal William Levada, the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The CDF is the Vatican office responsible for doctrine. Since 1980, the CDF has supervised a special pastoral provision for former Anglicans in the United States that permitted married Anglican clergy to be admitted to Roman Catholic ministry and in a few cases for entire parishes of former Anglicans to continue to use Anglican liturgical forms. The announcement this week was touted as a means of making the 1980 pastoral provision universal.

According to Cardinal Levada, the impetus for the recent decision is the request by a number of traditionalist Anglican communities, clergy, and as many as 20-30 bishops, for a pastoral provision allowing corporate reunion with the Roman Catholic Church. In a joint statement from Rowan Williams, the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, and Vincent Nichols, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, the new pastoral provision "brings to an end a period of uncertainty for such groups who have nurtured hopes of new ways of embracing unity with the Catholic Church."

Significant details remain unclear. Among them, it is unclear whether the pastoral provisions within the ordinariates will be permanent. The establishment of houses of formation for seminarians implies a certain level of permanence and stability, however as some observers have indicated, it remains to be seen whether in the future the ordinariates will be permitted to ordain married men who were not formerly Anglican clergy or seminarians. Thus, the provision for married clergy may remain an isolated example even within the ordinariates. It is also unclear whether the married clergy of the Anglican ordinariates will be available for ministry in the wider Roman Catholic community which currently experiences a shortage of clergy. The 1980 pastoral provision strictly limited the ministry of the married clergy to non-parish ministries such as chaplaincies.

The Vatican announcement of the upcoming apostolic constitution emphasised the similarity of the personal ordinariates to the existing military ordinariates. However, many observers have also compared them to the personal prelature granted to Opus Dei or to the distinct Eastern rites of the 22 Eastern Catholic churches. There are likely to be certain aspects of each of these models incorporated into the new Anglican ordinariates. Like the Eastern churches, the Anglican ordinariates will retain a distinctive liturgical practice. However, unlike the Eastern churches, they will not be self-governing churches but instead Roman Catholic and governed by the Latin Code of Canon Law. They may not even be considered to be churches in the legal or theological sense that a diocese is. Like military ordinariates they will be extra-territorial, overlapping in jurisdiction with existing diocesan structures. However, the clergy in military ordinariates are incardinated in their original dioceses or religious orders. The Anglican ordinariates will likely incardinate their own clergy like a diocese, providing a certain level of stability.

Additional questions have been asked in news commentary and blogs over the past few days. Among them, there has been the question of which elements of Anglican liturgy will be retained? Will the Anglican ordinariates use the Book of Common Prayer? My own guess is that this is unlikely. The BCP is considered by many Anglo-Catholics to have strong Reformed theological elements that make it inappropriate for Catholic liturgy, although the BCP seems to be experiencing a certain revival among Anglo-Catholics in response to liturgical reforms that have popularised the Book of Alternative Services. More importantly, the historical role of the BCP as a common element binding together the diverse Anglican communities will mitigate against using it as a formal liturgy within the ordinariates.

The ecumenical significance of this new development cannot be ignored. At a book launch a week before the Vatican announcement, Cardinal Walter Kasper was asked about whether provisions for corporate reunion with some Anglicans might be possible. Kasper reportedly answered that the Roman Catholic Church is "not fishing in the Anglican pond. Proselytism is not a Roman Catholic policy." Archbishop Rowan Williams appears to accept that the proposed pastoral provision is not intended to lure Anglicans into leaving their church, but rather to respond to Anglicans who have already decided to leave. Thus, both Williams and Nichols affirmed that the Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue will not be derailed.

Of broader ecumenical significance, in 1993 the Catholic-Orthodox dialogue issued a statement at Balamand, Lebanon where the two communions agreed that uniatism is a form of proselytism and is therefore not an appropriate means of promoting Christian unity. Uniate is the term used by the Eastern Orthodox churches to describe the Eastern Catholic churches, and the Balamand statement describes uniatism as the establishment of churches for the purpose of converting or absorbing members of another church. The historical union of certain communities with the See of Rome has led to the breaking of communion with their mother churches. Roman Catholic ecumenists must therefore consider the implications of the new apostolic constitution carefully to determine whether our 1993 commitment at Balamand has been broken. This has implications for the Catholic-Orthodox dialogue where the Balamand statement is considered a foundation for further dialogue. It also has implications for all dialogues, since the commitments made in one dialogue must be consistent with those made in other dialogues and in the life of the church as a whole.

In all of the official comments on the new apostolic constitution, the Vatican and the Archbishop of Canterbury have been at pains to emphasise that the new provisions are a response to requests from disaffected Anglican groups and individuals, and are not the initiative of the Vatican. However, historians will remind us that the Union of Brest and other occasions that led to the establishment of Eastern Catholic churches were also initiatives taken by members of those communities. There is a fine line between luring potential converts and easing the pain of division. While the latter is intended as a pastoral response, it might be interpreted in historical hindsight as an enticement to schism. In the context of ecumenical partnership between Roman Catholics and Anglicans it might legitimately be asked whether we should sail so close to the line?

The meeting of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue Between the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church focused on a key factor in the ongoing division between Catholic and Orthodox: the role of the pope as bishop of Rome.

Read the complete news report from the Catholic News Service.

This pastoral resource is the result of the Faith and Witness Commission's being called upon to give shape and form to a paradox: the paradox of finding hope in suffering and suffering in hope.

The Commission for Justice and Peace has also pulled together a must have resource. It is a First Nations reflection on racism, truth, and reconciliation. You may order both resources through Erin Green, Communications Officer, . A donation of $10 is suggested to cover printing and mailing costs.

• Read the rest of this article at Zenit.org

The meeting took place September 30-October 1 at the Passionist Spiritual Center in Riverdale, New York, and was co-chaired by Bishop Howard Hubbard of Albany, New York , and The Right Reverend Chor-Episcopos John Meno of the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch.

In the first session, Paulist Father Ronald G. Roberson, Associate Director of the USCCB's Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs and a member of the international Oriental Orthodox-Roman Catholic dialogue, presented the new international agreed text, entitled "Nature, Constitution and Mission of the Church." The document outlines broad areas of consensus on such topics as the Church as communion, the attributes of the Church, the bishops and apostolic succession, the relationship between synodality and primacy, the nature of councils, and the mission of the Church. It also identifies points that need further study. Members welcomed this step forward in our relationship and commented on the contents and significance of the document.

On October 1, Father Luke Sweeney, Director of Vocations of the Archdiocese of New York, spoke about fostering of vocations from a Catholic perspective. He outlined eight essential facets of any effective vocations program. These include the roles of the bishop, prayer programs, the family, the vocation director, priests themselves, seminarians and seminary communities, and lay auxiliary groups. He also noted a need to develop an image of the priesthood that emphasizes heroism and sacrifice.

Father Stepanos Doudoukjian, director of vocations at St. Nersess Armenian seminary in New Rochelle, New York, spoke about vocation work in his church. The Eastern diocese of the Armenian Church is placing emphasis on developing vocations from the United States, and emphasizes the role of summer youth programs. Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, primate of the Eastern diocese, has declared this to be a year of vocations, and a number of programs in the parishes are in progress.

Father Jacob Ghaly, a representative of the Coptic Orthodox Church, spoke about the promotion of vocations in his church. He emphasized that calls to the priesthood always come from the local communities who ask men to consider ordination; men do not apply to be ordained on their own initiative. More vocations are now coming from the United States but seminarians receive their education in Egypt. Metropolitan Cyril Aphrem Karim, head of the Syrian Orthodox Archdiocese of the Eastern United States, added that the Syrian Orthodox priests in this country are being trained to foster vocations in their own communities. Seminarians may study at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Seminary, but they also spend time in Syria to understand how the church functions in its homeland.

One session of the dialogue was devoted to an exchange of information about recent major events in the lives of the two churches. Reports were heard from each of the Oriental Orthodox Churches, and Bishop Hubbard shared information with the group regarding Catholic-Jewish relations, the status of the Society of Pope Pius X and the new papal encyclical Caritas in Veritate.

Benedictine Father Columba Stewart explained his work as Director of the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library at St. John's Benedictine Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota. Since 1965, the library has photographed about 110,000 complete manuscripts, and since 2003, it has digitalized more than 16,000 Syriac, Christian Arabic and Armenian manuscripts in Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey. Also on September 30, members gathered in chapel for Evening Prayer in the Latin rite in celebration of the feast of St. Jerome.

The Oriental Orthodox-Roman Catholic Consultation was established in 1978, and is sponsored jointly by the Bishops' Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs and the Standing Conference of Oriental Orthodox Churches America, which includes representatives from the Armenian (Catholicosate of Etchmiadzin), Coptic, Ethiopian, and Syrian Orthodox Churches. The agreed statements it has produced over the years along with press releases about the dialogue are posted on the USCCB website at: http://www.usccb.org/seia/oriental_orthodox.shtml

The next consultation is slated for September 20-21, 2010, in New York City. The dialogue members plan to discuss ways of responding to proselytism and the situation in the Holy Land, including the final status of Jerusalem.

As the global community looks towards this December's climate change negotiations in Copenhagen, Denmark, we see a sorry record of rising greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from rich countries, and the relentless march of poverty and growing inequality in countries of the global South. It is people in these countries who are already suffering the worst consequences of climate change. The United Nations Millennium Campaign is an effort to hold governments accountable to the Millennium Development Goals [MDGs] to cut global poverty in half by 2015. It sees the connections between climate change and global poverty quite clearly. Do we?

This year KAIROS is marking two important days for Global Action - October 17 Global Day of Action Against Poverty and October 24 International Day of Climate Action - by calling for a Global Week of Action that highlights the connection between poverty and climate change.

KAIROS has produced a 4 page resource for churches and faith communities which draws the connection between poverty and climate change. Click here to download the resource.

The course description is as follows:

Increasing numbers of Christian communities are working ecumenically to facilitate mission and ministry, especially in areas of depopulation or other financial struggle. Many of these choose to link formally as "ecumenical shared ministry" congregations or clusters.

This course will explore the dynamics particular to developing and sustaining ecumenical ministry initiatives in congregational settings. It will introduce participants to the structures of such ministries, and consider issues that are unique to ecumenical congregational relationships. It will include the study of pertinent theological documents and denominational agreements, practical issues like the production of covenants and constitutions, and the pastoral challenges that affect all congregations, but with attention to the nuances for ecumenical ministries, attending to sources of support for clergy and other congregational leaders. Finally, the course will engage questions of our personal struggles and delights in confronting Christian identity and otherness.

Participants will identify and strengthen their gifts for ecumenical ministries, in the context of these many aspects of faith, theology, and leadership. It is open to those already serving in ecumenical ministries (may be taken for STM credit) as well as those who wish to explore the possibilities. An audit course costs $300; credit is $600.

For further information, or to register, contact the Registrar at or call 1-877-644-8970.

The Commission wishes to record its gratitude to His Eminence Metropolitan Damaskinos of Kydonia and Apokoronos (Chania) and his staff for the warmth of their hospitality and for their assistance with many aspects of the meeting. Greetings were received from Metropolitan Damaskinos and from the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the local civil authorities.

The Commission consists of representatives of the Orthodox Church and of the Anglican Communion. It began its work in Oxford in 1973. Agreements reached in its first two stages were set out in (1) the Moscow Agreed Statement of 1976, and the Dublin Agreed Statement of 1984, and (2) in the Cyprus Agreed Statement of 2006.

The meeting in Crete was the first plenary meeting of the third stage of the Dialogue. The Commission discussed the theological convergences identified in the Moscow, Dublin and Cyprus Statements, and it noted the ways in which these statements were being distributed and discussed on both sides. The main topic for this third stage of the dialogue is theological anthropology, that is, the Christian understanding of the human person as being in the image and likeness of God, and the implications of this for church life and contemporary ethical issues. In the light of the Cyprus Statement The Church of the Triune God papers were written by the Bishop William Gregg, on hopes and possibilities for the Anglican-Orthodox dialogue in the future, and by the Revd Dr Timothy Bradshaw on an Anglican view of Christian anthropology. Two further papers were discussed examining Christian anthropology; an Anglican viewpoint by the Revd Professor John Riches, and an Orthodox perspective by Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia.

The Commission will meet again from 31st August to 6th September 2010 in Oxford, England, and will address in greater depth certain aspects of Christian anthropology: 'what is a human being?'; 'the freedom and growth of the human being with particular reference to the understanding of image and likeness'; and 'human responsibility for the creation; a critical overview of recent statements by our churches'.

Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia, Orthodox Co-Chairman
Archbishop Roger Herft, Anglican Co-Chairman

Chania, Saturday, 19th September 2009
Feast of St Theodore of Tarsus, Archbishop of Canterbury

Commission Members present in Chania were:

Representatives of the Orthodox Church
Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia (Ecumenical Patriarchate) (Co-chairman)
Metropolitan Petros of Aksum (Patriarchate of Alexandria)
The Revd Fr Alexander Haig (Patriarchate of Antioch)
The Revd Dr George Dion Dragas (Patriarchate of Jerusalem)
The Revd Dr Kirill Hovorun (Patriarchate of Moscow)
Dr Bogdan Lubardic (Patriarchate of Serbia)
Metropolitan Nifon of Târgoviste (Patriarchate of Romania)
Bishop Melkhisedek of Herety (Patriarchate of Georgia)
The Revd Dr Giorgi Zviadadze (Patriarchate of Georgia)
Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Kition (Church of Cyprus)
Bishop Ilia of Philomelion (Church of Albania)
The Revd Dr Christos B Christakis (Co-Secretary)

Members unable to attend:
Professor Constantine Scouteris (Church of Greece)
The Revd Fr Andrzej Minko (Church of Poland)
The Revd Dr Vaclav Jezek (Church of Czech Lands and Slovakia)

Representatives of the Anglican Communion
Archbishop Roger Herft (The Anglican Church of Australia) (Co-Chairman)
The Revd Dr Timothy Bradshaw (The Church of England) (Co -Secretary)
The Revd Dr Thomas Ferguson (The Episcopal Church) [USA]
The Revd Canon Jonathan Goodall (Archbishop of Canterbury's Representative)
Bishop William Gregg (The Episcopal Church) [USA]
The Revd Deacon Dr Christine Hall (The Church of England)
The Revd Canon Philip Hobson OGS (The Anglican Church of Canada)
Ms Natasha Klukach (The Anglican Church of Canada)
Bishop Michael Lewis (The Episcopal Church in Jerusalem & the Middle East)
The Revd Dr Duncan Reid (The Anglican Church of Australia)
The Revd Canon Professor John Riches (Scottish Episcopal Church)
Bishop John Stroyan (The Church of England)
The Revd Joseph Wandera (The Anglican Church of Kenya)
Neil Vigers (Staff - Anglican Communion Office)

Members unable to attend:
Dr Paula Gooder (The Church of England)

Noting that Canadians are aware that certain lobby groups and media outlets in the United States regularly use critical references to Canada's health care system and interviews with Canadian citizens to support their arguments, and that a publicly administered, single-payer system such as we have in Canada has not been proposed by Washington law makers, the letter states that, "the principles guiding our health care system have an unmistakable affinity with the love of neighbour..."

The experience of the Council is offered to the NCC, USCCB, and the NAE, with a view of sharing wisdom without imposition. The letter is one of solidarity, which affirms the belief that health care is a moral enterprise that must be undertaken in the advocacy work of Christian churches.

Given the timely and critical nature of these debates, the voice of the churches must not go unheard.

Look here for the complete text of the letter.

For more information or an interview please contact:
Erin Green
Communications Officer
The Canadian Council of Churches
416.972.9494 x 42

Observant, d'une part, que les Canadiens savent que certains groupes de pression et médias des États-Unis se servent des références critiques au système de soins de santé du Canada et d'interviews de citoyens pour appuyer leurs arguments et, d'autre part, que les législateurs de Washington n'ont pas proposé le système financé par l'État et à payeur unique que nous avons au Canada, la lettre mentionne que « les principes qui guident notre système de soins de santé ont une affinité incontestable avec l'amour du prochain… »

Le Conseil offre les fruits de son expérience au NCC, à la USCCB et à la NAE dans le dessein de partager sa sagesse avec eux sans rien imposer. Il s'agit ici d'une lettre de solidarité affirmant notre conviction selon laquelle les soins de santé représentent une entreprise morale que les Églises chrétiennes se doivent d'appuyer dans le cadre de leur défense des droits. (disponible en anglais seulement)

L'urgence et la nature critique de ces débats exigent que la voix des Églises se fasse entendre.

Voir ci-joint le texte intégral de la lettre.

Pour en savoir davantage ou pour obtenir une interview, prière de contacter :

Erin Green
Agente de communication
Le Conseil canadien des Églises
416.972.9494 x 42

Ms. Barnett-Cowan is currently director of faith, worship and ministry of the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada, a post she has held since 1995. She was recently appointed to the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission for Unity, Faith and Order (IASCUFO).

The post, a new one, follows the election of Canon Gregory Cameron as bishop of St. Asaph in the Church of Wales. Previously, he was director of Ecumenical Affairs and deputy secretary general of the Anglican Communion.

"It's an extraordinarily important position and a huge honour," said Ms. Barnett-Cowan in an interview from Christchurch in New Zealand, where she is on sabbatical. "I am very excited that they've accepted a woman [who is an] ordained priest from Canada, particularly when the ordination of women is still an open question for discussion within the Communion and with many of our ecumenical partners.

"It means that the Communion is willing to have ordained women in positions of responsibility," she added. "I feel that I've put my head out into the wind and it's blowing strong there now."

The appointment was announced by the secretary general Canon Kenneth Kearon. "Alyson brings a profound knowledge and experience of both ecumenical and doctrinal issues to this role," he said. "I look forward to having her as a colleague." Ms. Barnett-Cowan will be based at the Communion office in London.

Ms. Barnett-Cowan has extensive experience in the life of the Anglican Communion. In 2003 to 2004, she was a member of the Lambeth Commission on Communion and from 2000 to 2008, she was a member of the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Ecumenical Relations. She was also a member of the Plenary Commission, Faith and Order at the World Council of Churches. Currently, she is a consultant to the Anglican-Lutheran International Commission.

"We in the Anglican Church of Canada are enormously grateful for the outstanding service Alyson has given to our church as director of faith worship and ministry," commented Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada. "While we shall miss her, we rejoice in her new appointment. I am confident the Communion will be well served through her leadership, one which is marked by integrity, passion and a deep love for the church."

It is expected that Ms. Barnett-Cowan will take up her post later in the year. "I am going to miss all my colleagues at Church House enormously," said Ms. Barnett-Cowan. "I told [Bishop] Victoria [Matthews] that I don't know why I'm giving up what I always thought was the best job in the Anglican Church of Canada." (Bishop Matthews, the former bishop of the diocese of Edmonton, is now bishop of the diocese of Christchurch, in the Anglican Province of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia.)

The Anglican Communion has 77 million members from national Anglican churches in over 160 countries.

During the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in January 2009, Fr. Bernard was "interviewed" by Jan Bigland-Pritchard during the concluding service at McClure United Church. Jan asked him about his life in ecumenism, his recollections about early ecumenical endeavours in Saskatoon, and the founding of the Centre. Here is an audio recording of that interview.

At the Summer Ecumenical Institute in June 2009, Fr. Bernard participated in a panel discussion about the current state of the ecumenical movement. Reflecting on the levels of ecumenical awareness and commitment today, Fr. Bernard suggested that the churches and their leadership need a new conversion to Christian unity. "The journey has become too long, too heavy, and light has dimmed." As other panellists commented on the apparent "ecumenical winter", Fr. Bernard reminded us that ecumenical achievements come from the Holy Spirit who moves the hearts of faithful Christians to commitment to the will of Christ for unity. Ecumenical conversion remains an important theme in Fr. Bernard's ecumenical vision, as it has throughout his ministry. Reports from the Summer Ecumenical Institute appeared in the Prairie Messenger on June 17:
• Formation of Catholics on unity still 'severely lacking'
• Crisis in ecumenism related to its success
• Prairie Centre hosts Summer Ecumenical Institute

Writing July 27 about the Episcopal Church's recent general convention, Archbishop Williams repeatedly referred to the need to keep in mind the ecumenical implications of local church decisions in addition to their impact on the unity of the Anglican Communion as a whole.

Archbishop Williams' reflection, titled "Communion, Covenant and Our Anglican Future," was published on the archbishop's Web site at http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/2502.

In a statement July 29, the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity noted Archbishop Williams' concern for maintaining the unity of the Anglican Communion through common faith and practice based on Scripture and tradition.

The Vatican office "supports the archbishop in his desire to strengthen these bonds of communion, and to articulate more fully the relationship between the local and the universal within the church," the statement said.

"It is our prayer that the Anglican Communion, even in this difficult situation, may find a way to maintain its unity and its witness to Christ as a worldwide communion," it added.

The Episcopal Church's general convention adopted two resolutions that may further strain relations within the Anglican Communion and with the Catholic Church: One affirmed that all ordained ministries, including the office of bishop, are open to all the baptized, including gays and lesbians; the other called for the collection and development of theological resources for the blessing of same-sex unions.

Last year the Lambeth Conference, a gathering of leaders from around the Anglican Communion, strongly urged all members of the communion to respect moratoriums on ordaining openly gay bishops and on blessing same-sex unions.

After their general convention, the leaders of the Episcopal Church wrote to Archbishop Williams, saying that their resolutions do not signal the end of the moratoriums, but rather describe the position of the U.S. church.

Pope Benedict XVI and his top ecumenical officer have said the Episcopal Church's position on homosexuality and its ordination of women as priests and bishops make full Anglican-Roman Catholic unity appear impossible.

Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, told the Lambeth Conference last year that what is at stake "is nothing other than our faithfulness to Christ himself."

While recognizing the Episcopalians' desire to respond to what they see as a pastoral need, he said the Catholic Church is convinced that its teaching that homosexual activity is sinful "is well-founded in the Old and in the New Testament" as well as in Christian tradition.

And, the cardinal said, the Catholic Church also believes the fact that Christ chose only men to be his apostles means the church is not authorized to ordain women.

Responding to challenges posed by modern sensitivities requires solutions that are clearly in line with the teaching of the Gospel and of Christian tradition, recognized not only by Roman Catholics, but also by the Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox, Cardinal Kasper had said.

In his reflection July 27, Archbishop Williams said the Anglican Communion clearly opposes prejudice against homosexual people and denounces any attempt to limit their civil liberties.

But, the archbishop said, "if society changes its attitudes, that change does not of itself count as a reason for the church to change its discipline."

"In the light of the way in which the church has consistently read the Bible for the last 2,000 years," he said, any major change in church practice must have "a strong level of consensus and solid theological grounding," as well as take into account "the teachings of ecumenical partners."

Recognizing the authority of and particular circumstances faced by local churches, the archbishop still insisted that a local church needs "some way of including in its discernment the judgment of the wider church. Without this, it risks becoming unrecognizable to other local churches, pressing ahead with changes that render it strange to Christian sisters and brothers across the globe."

Accepting major changes to church discipline and practice without the consensus of the entire communion, he said, "would be to re-conceive the Anglican Communion as essentially a loose federation of local bodies with a cultural history in common, rather than a theologically coherent 'community of Christian communities.'"

Archbishop Williams' reflection theorized that the future of the Anglican Communion may involve two styles of relationships: one that fully shares "a vision of how the church should be and behave," and another less formal style of associated churches that work together in areas of common agreement.

Anglican Communion representatives to ecumenical and interfaith dialogues would be drawn only from members who fully share the communion's vision and teachings so that the Anglicans' ecumenical partners would know who they are talking to at the dialogue meetings, he said.

"C'est seulement en dialoguant et en coopérant étroitement que les Eglises seront en mesure de proclamer au monde l'Evangile du Christ de façon convaincante et efficace", a déclaré le leader orthodoxe dans une allocution prononcée le 19 juillet à Lyon pour marquer le 50e anniversaire de la fondation de la Conférence des Eglises européennes (KEK).

La KEK compte aujourd'hui environ 120 Eglises membres, principalement anglicanes, orthodoxes et protestantes, mais Bartholomée Ier affirme que l'Europe a besoin d'une organisation qui inclue aussi l'Eglise catholique.

Une telle démarche contribuerait à promouvoir l'unité entre les Eglises et leur permettrait d'agir en commun sur des questions qui touchent l'Europe, comme la sécularisation, les violations des droits de la personne, le racisme, la crise économique et les menaces qui pèsent sur l'environnement.

"Nous sommes convaincus qu'une Conférence de toutes les Eglises européennes - et nous soulignons, de toutes les Eglises européennes - peut, à l'unisson, répondre au mieux au commandement sacré du rétablissement de la communion ecclésiale et servir l'homme contemporain confronté à une multitude de problèmes complexes", a déclaré le patriarche Bartholomée Ier, suscitant des applaudissements.

"Ainsi, il sera possible de promouvoir plus efficacement le dialogue des Eglises d'Europe avec les institutions européennes et l'Union européenne", a affirmé le patriarche œcuménique, dont le siège se trouve à Istanbul, l'ancienne Constantinople, jadis capitale de l'Empire byzantin.

Le leader orthodoxe a demandé au cardinal Philippe Barbarin de Lyon, présent dans l'assemblée, de transmettre la proposition "là où il faut", faisant manifestement allusion au Vatican.

Lors d'une conférence de presse, le 20 juillet, le pasteur Jean-Arnold de Clermont, président de la KEK, a qualifié l'interpellation du patriarche de "moment important dans la vie de la KEK". Il s'agit d'un "double défi", a affirmé le pasteur de Clermont. Selon lui, l'appel s'adresse non seulement à l'Eglise catholique romaine de la part du patriarche et de la KEK, mais aussi à la KEK elle-même, pour que celle-ci se montre capable de s'ouvrir "à cette collaboration avec l'Eglise catholique romaine".

Le pasteur de Clermont a affirmé que la KEK et le Conseil des Conférences épiscopales (catholiques) d'Europe (CCEE) devaient réfléchir ensemble à "comment dire oui à un tel défi".

Le président de la KEK a souligné que le patriarche avait insisté pour "élaborer et fournir une parole de tous les chrétiens dans la société européenne". Il est important de ne pas "piéger" l'Eglise catholique romaine "dans une situation théologique qui n'est pas acceptable", a-t-il affirmé.

Dans son discours à l'Assemblée de la KEK, le patriarche Bartholomée Ier a averti qu'en tenant des discours sur l'unité qui ne correspondent pas à leurs actes, les Eglises européennes perdent leur crédibilité.

"C'est pourquoi aucun ajournement ne saurait être justifié", a-t-il dit.

"L'avenir de la nouvelle Europe en construction, sans les valeurs spirituelles chrétiennes qui touchent tout ce qui concerne le soutien et la protection de la personne humaine et de sa dignité, est sombre, voire incertain", a ajouté le patriarche œcuménique.

Les célébrations du 50e anniversaire de la KEK ont eu lieu pendant l'Assemblée du rassemblement d'Eglises, qui se tient tout les six ans et qui se réunit cette année du 15 au 21 juillet à Lyon. Cet événement rassemble 300 délégués d'Eglises membres de la KEK et 500 participants supplémentaires.

Selon Bartholomée Ier, "le rétablissement de la communion chrétienne représente un devoir primordial et impératif qui nous incombe à tous". Les traditions orthodoxe et catholique se sont séparées plusieurs siècles avant la Réforme du XVIe siècle et l'avènement du protestantisme.

Le patriarche de Constantinople a souligné les efforts réalisés ces dernières décennies pour surmonter les divisions, notamment avec la Charta Oecumenica, un document signé à Strasbourg en 2001 par la KEK et le CCEE avec pour intention d'encourager la coopération inter-Eglises.

Toutefois, beaucoup de propositions exposées dans la Charta Oecumenica n'ont pas été appliquées par les Eglises et de nombreux fidèles ignorent ses recommandations, a affirmé Bartholomée Ier.

"Il en résulte que nos discours s'avèrent ne pas être en adéquation avec nos actes, ce qui entame la crédibilité de nos Eglises et donne l'impression, tant à l'intérieur qu'à l'extérieur, qu'elles sont incapables de trouver des solutions aux problèmes existants.

En février 2008, le pasteur de Clermont avait proposé la création d'un Conseil des Eglises européennes qui inclurait également l'Eglise catholique.

A l'ouverture de l'Assemblée, Jean-Arnold de Clermont, pasteur protestant français, a appelé à prendre des mesures pour intensifier la collaboration avec l'Eglise catholique et avec les groupes évangéliques.

"Il existe déjà un processus de travail entre la KEK et l'Eglise catholique romaine, mais il est insuffisant", selon le président de la KEK. "Le monde contemporain se moque de nos confrontations, il a besoin d'une parole commune des Eglises chrétiennes en Europe."

L'histoire de la KEK remonte à janvier 1959, lorsque les représentants de 45 Eglises protestantes et orthodoxes de 20 pays d'Europe orientale et occidentale se sont réunis à Nyborg, au Danemark.

Pendant la guerre froide, la KEK s'est efforcée de combler le fossé entre l'Est et l'Ouest. Ces dernières années, le rassemblement d'Eglises joue un rôle actif en représentant les Eglises auprès d'institutions telles que l'Union européenne, le Conseil de l'Europe et l'Organisation pour la sécurité et la coopération en Europe.

"It is only by engaging in dialogue and by closely cooperating that the churches will prove capable of proclaiming the Gospel of Christ to the world in a convincing and effective way," the Orthodox leader said in a 19 July address in Lyon, France to mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Conference of European Churches.

CEC now has about 120 member churches, principally Anglican, Orthodox and Protestant, but Bartholomeos said that Europe needs a grouping that includes the Catholic Church.

This would help to promote unity between churches and enable them to act jointly on issues in Europe such as secularisation, human rights violations, racism, the economic crisis, and threats to the environment.

"I am convinced that a conference of all the European churches, and I underline, all the European churches, working in harmony will be able to respond better to the sacred command to re-establish communion between the churches and to serve our contemporaries confronted as they are with so many complex problems," said Bartholomeos to applause.

"It will then be possible to promote more effectively the dialogue of the churches of Europe with the European institutions and the European Union," said the Patriarch, who is based in Istanbul, formerly Constantinople and one-time capital of the Byzantine Empire.

The Orthodox leader asked Cardinal Philippe Barbarin of Lyon, who was present in the audience, to transmit the proposal to "where it needs to go", in an apparent reference to the Vatican.

Bartholomeos warned that the failure of churches in Europe to match their statements about unity with specific actions calls into question their credibility.

"Procrastination cannot be justified," he said. "The future of the new Europe that is under construction is sombre and, indeed, uncertain, being built as it is without Christian spiritual values which touch on everything concerning the support and protection of human beings and their dignity."

The 50th anniversary celebrations for CEC came during the church grouping's once-every-six-years assembly being held from 15-21 July in Lyon. This has gathered 300 delegates from CEC member churches and 500 other participants.

Bartholomeos said there is an obligation to, "re-establish full communion between the Christian churches in Europe". Orthodox Christians and Catholics separated from one another several centuries before the 16th-century Reformation and the rise of Protestantism.

The Patriarch noted efforts made in recent decades to overcome divisions. These include the Charta Oecumenica, a document signed in Strasbourg in 2001 by CEC and the Council of European (Catholic) Bishops' Conferences, and intended to boost inter-church cooperation.

However, many of its proposals have not been implemented by churches, and many Christian faithful are unaware of its recommendations, said Bartholomeos.

"The result is that what we have said is not matched by our actions, which damages the credibility of our churches, and gives the impression … that we are incapable of finding solutions to current problems," the Patriarch stated.

In February 2008, the president of CEC, the Rev. Jean-Arnold de Clermont, proposed the creation of a Council of European Churches that would also include the Catholic Church.

Speaking to journalists at the start of the Lyon assembly, de Clermont, a French Protestant pastor, urged steps to increase collaboration with the Catholic Church as well as with Evangelical groups.

"There is already a structure for cooperation between CEC and the Roman Catholic Church but this is not enough," said de Clermont. "The world of today couldn't care less about our [Christian] disputes. We need to have a common voice of the Christian churches in Europe."

The history of CEC goes back to January 1959, when representatives from 45 Protestant and Orthodox churches in 20 countries in Eastern and Western Europe gathered in Nyborg, Denmark.

During the Cold War, CEC helped bridge the divide between East and West. In recent years, the church grouping has played an active role in representing churches to institutions such as the European Union, the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

[ACC News] After six years of conversation, the Anglican-United Dialogue offers their churches "Drawing from the Same Well: the St. Brigid Report." Formatted for quick reference, the report describes where Anglican and United churches are working cooperatively, and outlines the differences between the denominations.

Thirty-four years ago, the Anglican Church of Canada (ACC) and the United Church of Canada (UCC) were having a much different conversation; they were talking about becoming one church. From 1967 to 1975, the churches made steps towards this "organic union" until the Anglican House of Bishops quashed the idea, and the dialogue broke off.

Restarting the conversation in 2003 was "awkward," said the Rev. Dr. Bill Harrison, the dialogue's Anglican co-chair. "No one's quite certain why the union was stopped, to be honest. The House of Bishops did not explain in any depth its reasons."

When 12 Anglican and United representatives met in 2003, the first step was for Anglicans to listen to pain and anger from many UCC representatives.

"They felt rejected," explained Mr. Harrison. "Since then, of course, we have developed a very close relationship with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC), so there was a sense that we had jilted them and walked up the aisle with someone else."

In 2001, ACC entered into a full communion relationship with ELCIC. The Waterloo Declaration allowed Lutheran and Anglican clergy to minister at the others' churches and for baptisms to be mutually recognized.

Now the national Lutheran and Anglican leaders are moving the two churches towards working together both in management and at a grassroots level, where joint ministry in rural areas is often a necessity.

The St. Brigid Report describes similar Anglican and United cooperation, which has sprung up in recent decades. Anglican and United church members work together in chaplaincies, social justice coalitions, and theological colleges, often within a broader ecumenical context. (The Anglican-United dialogue has contributed to an Ecumenical Shared Ministries Handbook.)

Over their 13 meetings, Anglican-United dialogue members visited many of these cooperative ministries across Canada. They spoke with deacons in Halifax, professors in Winnipeg, and church members involved with Indigenous reconciliation work in Ottawa.

The St. Brigid Report, which marks a pause in the dialogue, includes chapters on Indigenous experiences, sacramental theology, and interfaith relations. Members recommend that the dialogue continue to consider topics like Christology in interfaith relations and the history of the churches' missions. The ACC and UCC will wait to gauge the report's reception before making a next move.

"Perhaps the most important thing that the dialogue has to say to both the Anglican and United churches is that we have a remarkable amount in common," said Mr. Harrison. "We also think that our differences are significant, but we don't want our differences to be allowed to overshadow the unity that we do share."

The Holy Father also accepted the resignation of Most Reverend Émilius Goulet, P.S.S., in accordance with the Code of Canon Law which sets the mandatory age of retirement for bishops at 75. Archbishop Goulet, who turned 76 last May, has served the diocese of Saint-Boniface for a little more than a year past his 75th birthday. He had been appointed Archbishop of Saint-Boniface in [June] 2001.

Born on May 6 1953, in Melfort, Saskatchewan, Bishop LeGatt was ordained a priest on 19 June 1983 for the Diocese of Prince Albert. Before his appointment as Bishop of Saskatoon, in July 2001, he had served in several parishes and had held the office of Diocesan Consultor, Director of Vocations and Coordinator of the Diocesan Commission for Liturgy.

Bishop LeGatt studied at the College of Saint Boniface where he completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy. He has worked with Canadian University Students Overseas (CUSO) where he taught young people in Ghana for three years, before returning to Canada for his theological studies with the Grand Séminaire at Laval University, Quebec City.

As a member of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), Archbishop-elect LeGatt has served on the Canadian Catholic Aboriginal Council (formerly the Council for Reconciliation, Solidarity and Communion with Aboriginal Peoples). He is currently the Chairman of the English Sector Commission for Liturgy and Sacraments.

The Diocese of Saint Boniface has a Catholic population of 113,495 in 103 parishes and missions, served by 75 diocesan priests, 36 religious order priests, 24 permanent deacons and 307 religious Sisters and Brothers.

IASCUFO will oversee the ecumenical life of the Anglican Communion, and will:

• promote the deepening of Communion between the Anglican Communion and other Christian Churches and traditions;
• advise the Provinces, the Primates, the Anglican Consultative Council, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, on all questions of ecumenical engagement, as well as on questions of Anglican Faith and Order;
• review developments in the areas of Faith, Order and Unity in the Anglican Communion and among ecumenical partners, and give advice upon them to the Churches of the Anglican Communion and to the Instruments of Communion;
• assist any Province with the assessment of new proposals in the areas of Unity, Faith and Order as requested.

The Inter-Anglican Standing Commission for Unity, Faith and Order (IASCUFO) will start its work in December 2009 in Canterbury, England.

IASCUFO will take forward the work of the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Ecumenical Relations (IASCER), and the Inter-Anglican Theological and Doctrinal Commission (IATDC).

Members of the Commission

The Most Revd Bernard Ntahoturi, Burundi (Chair)
The Rt Revd Dr George Titre Ande, Congo
The Ven Professor Dapo Asaju, Lagos State University, Nigeria
The Revd Canon Dr Paul Avis, England
The Rt Revd Philip D Baji, Bishop of Tanga, Tanzania
The Revd Canon Dr Alyson Barnett-Cowan, Canada
The Revd Canon Dr John Gibaut, WCC Commission on Faith and Order
The Rt Revd Howard Gregory, Bishop of Montego Bay, West Indies
The Revd Dr Katherine Grieb, Virginia Theological Seminary, The Episcopal Church
The Revd Canon Clement Janda, Sudan
The Revd Dr Edison Muhindo Kalengyo, Uganda Christian University, Uganda
The Rt Revd Victoria Matthews, Bishop of Christchurch, Aotearoa, New Zealand & Polynesia
The Revd Canon Dr Charlotte Methuen, Oxford University, England
The Revd Dr Simon Oliver, University of Nottingham, England
The Rt Revd Professor Stephen Pickard, Assistant Bishop of Adelaide, Australia
Dr Andrew Pierce, Irish School of Ecumenics, Ireland
The Revd Canon Dr Michael Nai Chiu Poon, Trinity Theological College, Singapore, South East Asia
The Revd Sarah Rowland Jones, Southern Africa
The Revd Dr Jeremiah Yang, Sheng Gong Hui (Anglican) University, Korea
The Rt Revd Tito Zavala, Bishop of Chile, Southern Cone

The Secretary to the Commission will be the Director for Unity, Faith and Order, Anglican Communion Office.

UPDATE: The Rev'd Canon Alyson Barnett-Cowan has been appointed as the first director for Unity, Faith and Order in the Anglican Communion Office. (Aug 14, 2009)

"The important term in this discussion is 'witness,'" Father Massa said. "As Catholics involved in a dialogue of truth, we cannot help but give witness to Christ, who, for us, is synonymous with truth. Without acknowledging our indebtedness to God's revelation in Christ, we cannot sit at the table and speak as Christians about how we arrive at notions of justice, compassion and building up the common good—the very values our interreligious dialogues seek to foster."

The consultation is co-chaired by Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre, New York, and Rabbi Fabian Schoenfeld of Young Israel Synagogue in Kew Gardens Hills, New York. The members also discussed local state issues of concern to both communities.

James Cultrara, Director for Education of the New York State Catholic Conference, updated members on efforts to expand tax credits for parents who send their children to private schools in New York. The issue of school choice brought the Orthodox Jewish and Catholic communities together in 2006, when the New York State Assembly passed a limited bill that provided tax relief for lower income families with children in private schools.

Participants also discussed state legislation that would have rolled back the statutes of limitation on civil lawsuits that could be brought for alleged sexual abuse of minors, regardless of how long ago the alleged abuse occurred. The "Child Victims Act," sponsored by Assemblywoman Margaret Markey (D-Maspeth), had the support of the Rabbinical Council of America, but was strongly opposed by the Catholic Church in New York for targeting private institutions.

Thomas Renker, General Counsel for the Diocese of Rockville Centre, reported that the State Catholic Conference endorsed an alternative proposal by Vito Lopez (D-Brooklyn) that would have included public schools, where cases of abuse of minors far exceed those in religious-based institutions. When the New York Assembly concluded its session on June 22, neither bill was put before the body.

Bishop Murphy said the Catholic Church has worked diligently in the past seven years to create safe environments for children and requires all church workers and volunteers to undergo training on how to detect signs of sexual abuse of minors. Eileen Puglisi, Rockville Centre's Diocesan Director of the Office for the Protection of Children and Young People, distributed literature on the Rockville Centre Review Board and counseling opportunities for victims of abuse. She also fielded questions from the participants.

Co-founded in 1998, by the late Cardinal John O'Connor, the consultation meets to discuss moral and cultural issues that impact Catholic and Jewish life in the nation. Previous meetings have addressed anti-religious bias in the media and peace initiatives to resolve the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Other Catholic members of the dialogue included Jesuit Father Drew Christiansen, Father Lawrence Frizzell, Seton Hall University; Father Lee Descoteaux, Diocese of Rockville Centre's liaison to the Jewish community; and Father Dennis McManus, Georgetown University and Consultant to the USCCB on Jewish Affairs.

Jewish members included Howard Beigelman, Deputy Director of Public Policy, Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America; Rabbi Basil Herring, Executive Vice President of the Rabbinical Council of America; Rabbi Yonatan Kaganoff, Rabbinical Council of America; Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, Executive Vice President of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America; and Betty Ehrenberg, Director of International and Communal Affairs for the Institute for Public Affairs (IPA) of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America.

At the meeting the Consultation continued its study of the 2007 agreed statement of the international Orthodox-Catholic dialogue, "Ecclesiological and Canonical Consequences of the Sacramental Nature of the Church. Ecclesial Communion, Conciliarity and Authority." The members heard analyses of the text, also known as "The Ravenna Document," from a Catholic perspective prepared by Leavenworth Sister of Charity Susan Wood and Father John Galvin, and from an Orthodox perspective by Father Nicholas Apostola. These presentations will form the basis of a draft common response to the international document that will be considered at the next meeting.

The Consultation also heard two presentations of points of convergence that have emerged in its ongoing study of primacies and conciliarity in the Church. One text was prepared by Jesuit Father Brian Daley and Vito Nicastro, Ph.D., and a second one, from an Orthodox perspective, by Father James Dutko. The authors of these two studies will prepare a draft agreed statement on this theme for consideration at the fall 2009 meeting. In addition, Father Joseph Komonchak offered reflections on a presentation given in 2003 by Cardinal Walter Kasper, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, at a Catholic-Orthodox symposium in the Vatican on Petrine Ministry, "Introduction to the Theme and Catholic Hermeneutics of the Dogmas of the First Vatican Council."

During the meeting, members of the Consultation informed one another about major events in the lives of their churches. These included the death of Patriarch Aleksy II of Moscow and the election of Patriarch Kirill, the international Oriental Orthodox-Roman Catholic Dialogue, the Vatican delegation at the Ecumenical Patriarchate for the Feast of St. Andrew, the Commencement address of President Obama at the University of Notre Dame, recent events in the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese, the lifting of the excommunications of the bishops of the Society of Saint Pius X, recent events in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the Holy Land, "The Leadership of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Significance of Canon 28 of Chalcedon: a Statement by the Faculty Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology," the relationship between the two Romanian Orthodox jurisdictions in North America, the meeting in the Vatican of a group of Catholic Bishops and aboriginal leaders from Canada with Pope Benedict XVI, the situation of the Orthodox Church in America and the election of Metropolitan Jonah, and the establishment of the Archbishop Demetrios Chair at Fordham University.

Members gathered for a memorial service (Panachida) presided over by Metropolitan Maximos to commemorate the death forty days earlier of Rev. Protopresbyter Stephen Dutko, the father of Rev. James Dutko, an Orthodox member of the Consultation.

Archbishop Pilarczyk shared with the members of the Consultation that, with his imminent retirement, he intends to resign as Co-Chairman of the dialogue. Metropolitan Maximos expressed gratitude to the Archbishop for his seven years of service. The Consultation presented Archbishop Pilarczyk with a copy of the book, "The Rublev Trinity," by Gabriel Bunge. Archbishop Wilton Gregory, the Chairman of the Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, intends to name a new Catholic Co-Chairman of the Consultation in due course.

The seventy-seventh meeting of the Consultation is due to take place from October 22-24, at Saint Paul's College in Washington.

In addition to the co-chairs, the Consultation include Orthodox representatives Father Thomas FitzGerald (Secretary), Father Nicholas Apostola, Father John Erickson, Susan Ashbrook Harvey, Ph.D., Father James Dutko, Paul Meyendorff, Ph.D., Father Alexander Golitzin, Robert Haddad, Ph.D., Father Robert Stephanopoulos, Father Theodore Pulcini, and Father Mark Arey, General Secretary of SCOBA (staff).

Additional Catholic members are Jesuit Father Brian Daley (Secretary), Thomas Bird, Ph.D., Sylvain Destrempes, Ph.D., Father Peter Galadza, Chorbishop John D. Faris, Father John Galvin, Father Sidney Griffith, Father Joseph Komonchak, Father Paul McPartlan, Father David Petras, Sister Susan K. Wood, Vito Nicastro, Ph.D., and Paulist Father Ronald Roberson, who serves as staff.

The North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation is sponsored jointly by the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA), the Bishops' Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. Since its establishment in 1965, the Consultation has issued 22 agreed statements on various topics. All these texts are now available on the USCCB Website at http://www.usccb.org/seia/orthodox_index.shtml and the SCOBA website at http://www.scoba.us/resources/orthodox-catholic.html

This article originally appeared in The Prairie Messenger, June 17, 2009. Reprinted with permission.

SASKATOON — A national Summer Ecumenical Institute was held June 2 - 5 in Saskatoon, with some 50 participants taking stock of the ecumenical movement, renewing their vision and commitment to reconciliation and unity among Christians.

Organized and hosted by the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism, the event featured Rev. Tom Ryan, CSP, as facilitator. Ryan is the director of the Paulist Office for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations, based in Washington, DC. A former director of the Canadian Centre for Ecumenism in Montreal, Ryan examined the past, present and future of the ecumenical movement in three keynote addresses. He also explored the question of inter-religious prayer in a workshop session June 3.

Workshop sessions included an overview of the recent Roman Catholic/Anglican document, Growing Together in Unity and Mission, presented by Rev. Don Bolen; an introduction to L'Arche, an ecumenical success story, by Rev. Amy Bunce; and a description of resources for revitalizing rural ministry presented by Dr. Cam Harder of the Lutheran seminary in Saskatoon.

Sister Judy Schachtel, SMS, of Earthcare Connections, led a session on the dignity of creation and ecological spirituality, while Rev. Sandra Beardsall of St. Andrew's College discussed shared ministries. Trends in inter-faith dialogue were explored by Adèle Brodeur, associate director of the Canadian Centre for Ecumenism.

Ecumenical perspectives on healing were explored in a panel discussion featuring parish nurse Deb Bauche, Rev. Cyrian Hutcheon, MD, pastor of Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church in Saskatoon, and Rev. Larry Mitchell, an Anglican priest and North American director of the ecumenical Order of St. Luke the Physician.

The Summer Ecumenical Institute was a 25th anniversary event for the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism (PCE). The centre started in Saskatoon in 1984 under the leadership of Rev. Bernard de Margerie. This year also marks the 50th anniversary of Pope John XXIII's call for the Second Vatican Council, which in turn sparked de Margerie's own 50-year journey working for Christian reconciliation. PCE has acknowledged the three anniversaries throughout the past year.

De Margerie was recognized for his contributions at an anniversary banquet held June 4, in conjunction with the Summer Ecumenical Institute. Retired Mennonite pastor Vern Ratzlaff expressed appreciation for de Margerie's years of work and vision. "You have shown us what our common baptism and Christian charism involve," Ratzlaff said.

In response, de Margerie stressed the need to continue and intensify the work toward Christian reconciliation. "The journey to unity is seemingly devoid at this time of a clear and compelling goal," he said.

"Let us encourage one another, learn to carry each other's burdens and wash each other's feet across denominational lines so that we may all be one for the credibility of our common mission in Christ, and for the glory of God in his reconciling grace."

De Margerie concluded with a reflection from Ryan's book, A Survival Guide for Ecumenically Minded Christians: "When God puts us back together again — with the aid of our willingness to co-operate — this great church will be marked by the dignity and scholarship of the Anglicans; the order and sacraments of the Roman Catholics; the warm fellowship of the Methodists; the Presbyterian desire for good preaching; and the Lutheran respect for sound theology. There will be the Baptist concern for individual salvation; the Congregational respect for the rights of the lay members; the Pentecostal reliance on the power of the Holy Spirit; and the Quaker appreciation for silence. We will find there the Mennonite sense of community; the social action of the Salvation Army; and the Reformed love of the Bible; all wrapped in the Orthodox reverence before the mystery of God."

This article originally appeared in The Prairie Messenger, June 17, 2009. Reprinted with permission.

Rev. Tom Ryan, CSP (Photo: K. Yaworski)

"During the past four decades, the rediscovery of our brotherhood and sisterhood in Christ, along with the result of several bilateral and multilateral dialogues, have presented an historical shift and a new situation," he said during a keynote address June 4 at a Summer Ecumenical Institute held in Saskatoon. "There is a new situation emerging in which we can be said to be facing a crisis in the dual sense of the term: on the one hand danger, and on the other hand opportunity."

Paradoxically, the crisis in today's ecumenical movement is related to its success. "The closer we come to one another, the more we feel the differences that still exist," Ryan said. "After resolving many misunderstandings and establishing a basic consensus concerning the essentials of our faith, we've now reached the inner core of our differences."

Between the Catholic and the Orthodox churches, the differences centre on the role and office of the papacy. With the churches of the Reformation, they centre on the question of the apostolic succession in the episcopate.

Ecclesiology — the understanding of church — is critical to moving toward unity, he said. "In the big picture, ecclesiology is the most pressing question on the agenda," he said.

"The problem of coming to a common understanding of what makes for a church is all the more serious when we consider that ecclesial communion is, for Catholics, the pre-supposition of eucharistic communion, and the absence of eucharistic communion carries major pastoral difficulties above all in the case of mixed couples and families."

At the same time, Ryan cited a number of "huge and historical developments," including joint statements, church unions, mergers and ecumenical alliances among a variety of denominations in both the United States and Canada as evidence that the ecumenical movement is far from dead.

Still, there are many factors contributing to an "ecumenical slowdown." The decline in membership of mainline denominations and the limited time and resources of those in pastoral leadership often mean that ecumenism has been "shunted off the working priority action lists."

Ryan pointed to the ongoing theological disagreement among Christians about how to respond to modernity. "The trip wire for this crisis turned out to be sexual morality, represented by passionate differences over chastity, marriage and homosexuality. Also at stake are issues of authority, divine revelation and our understanding of the church. These matters remain unresolved."

Another challenge is that charismatic and pentecostal movements, which are expanding around the world, have for the most part not been part of ecumenical dialogue. "We're going to have to rise to the challenge of moving out of what is secure and familiar for us in our own relationship with one another as mainline denominations," he said.

Culture also creates challenges to ecumenism, including shifting cultural norms, indifference to religious truth, and an emphasis on "eclectic and individualistic" spirituality. "All of this makes for a highly complex society, where communal life at any level becomes more difficult."

At the same time, the "classic tension between movements and institutions" is being lost," Ryan said. Some would say that ecumenism "has been brought under control and domesticated by the churches it was designed to reform. The ecumenical movement has been institutionalized and needs to become a movement again."

In the end, said Ryan, ecumenism "must be the result of a conversion of the hearts and minds of the people who make up the church. This must be a work of the people, by the people, for the people: for the sake of the credibility of the Gospel and the life of the world."

This article originally appeared in The Prairie Messenger, June 17, 2009. Reprinted with permission.

SASKATOON — Four panelists reflected on the state of the ecumenical movement during a Summer Ecumenical Institute organized by the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism June 2 - 5 in Saskatoon.

The churches and their leadership need a new conversion to Christian unity, said Rev. Bernard de Margerie, founder of the Prairie Centre. "The journey has become too long, too heavy, and light has dimmed."

The centre was founded in 1984 because the formation of Roman Catholics about the need for Christian unity was severely lacking. "And so it has stayed," he said. "There are too many other ideas, too many other priorities, too many other teachings" drawing energy away from Christian reconciliation.

"The command to go reconcile with your brother or sister is higher than the command to worship in church, so says the Lord. If you've got a problem, leave your church service and go do your reconciliation first," said de Margerie, adding that he is not giving up hope nor his "work in the vineyard."

Rev. Sandra Beardsall, professor of church history and ecumenics at St. Andrew's College in Saskatoon, said she has seen an increasing desire among Christians to live, work and minister together in their daily work. "Increasingly I meet Christians for whom the church of the future is an ecumenical one, and not just superficially, but sharing a building and resources, worship and life, and ministry personnel."

At the same time, Beardsall expressed concern for a decline in interest in the ecumenical movement among members of the United Church of Canada. She described the failure of union efforts with the Anglican Church in 1975, after enormous spiritual energy was poured into the effort. "That really took the wind out of our sails."

A United Church statement on "Membership, ministry and human sexuality" in 1988 affirmed that "all persons who profess faith in Jesus Christ, regardless of their sexual orientation, are eligible to be considered for ordered ministry." This opened the doors to the possibility of blessing same-sex marriages, and it seemed to bring about a cooling in ecumenical dialogue. In turn, "many United Church members have become sort of cavalier about their church's ecumenical relationships."

However, Beardsall stressed that "we don't enter into dialogue because we already agree, but because Jesus has thrown us together."

Panelist Ralph Shidlowsky reflected on his experience with the ministerial association in Rosthern, which has taken practical steps in shared prayer and service, "making Christian unity look like something," he said.

Rev. Amanda Currie, pastor of a Presbyterian congregation in Saskatoon, commented on ecumenism not being a priority for struggling mainline denominations. Because of her marriage to a Roman Catholic, however, Currie said she has come to experience a profound yearning for Christian unity.

"I have been rediscovering sacraments and liturgy," she said, "and I long for the time when people in my church will take that up."

Not knowing even their own traditions, many young people simply have no longing for greater unity, because they have no idea that they are separated.

"They don't see that denomination really matters," Currie said. People must understand their own tradition and its gifts before they can experience the longing for greater sharing in the gifts of other denominations.

After eight years of marriage, she said, a Catholic church "is no longer a foreign place. Now, it's another home. But it takes a long time to get to that point."

Catholic bishops of G8 countries urge their leaders to protect the poor and assist developing countries at July G8 summit

[Washington • USCCB] In a letter to leaders participating in the G8 Summit in Italy, July 8-10, the presidents of the Catholic bishops' conferences of the G8 nations urged Summit leaders to "take concerted actions to protect poor persons and assist developing countries."

The bishops observed that poor persons and nations have contributed the least to creating the economic crisis and to the human cause of global climate change, but in both cases are likely to suffer tragic consequences.

The conference presidents wrote: "Our moral tradition commits the Church to protecting human life and dignity, especially of the poorest, most vulnerable members of the human family. In the faces of poor persons the Catholic Church sees the face of Christ whom we serve in countries throughout the world."

The G8 leaders include President Obama and the heads of state of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation and the United Kingdom. Cardinal Francis George, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), signed the letter, dated June 22.

The bishops reiterated Pope Benedict XVI's call that foreign assistance to developing countries not become a casualty of the financial crisis. They wrote: "Ironically poor people have contributed the least to the economic crisis facing our world, but their lives and livelihoods are likely to suffer the greatest devastation because they struggle at the margins in crushing poverty." The bishops called for "deepening partnerships with developing countries so that their peoples can be active agents in their own development, participating in political, governmental, economic and social reforms that serve the common good of all."

Moving to the issue of global climate change, the bishops noted that "poor countries and peoples who have contributed the least to the human factors driving global climate change are most at risk of its harmful consequences." They wrote: "Concrete commitments should be agreed upon and mechanisms should be created to mitigate additional global climate change and to help poor persons and developing nations adapt to its effects as well as to adopt appropriate technologies for sustainable development."

The bishops concluded, "The G8 Summit takes place in the shadow of a global economic crisis, but its actions can help bring a light of hope to our world. By asking first how a given policy will affect the poor and the vulnerable, you can help assure that the common good of all is served. As a human family we are only as healthy as our weakest members."

• The full text of the letter can be found on the USCCB Web Site.

The Vision Before Us, subtitled 'The Kyoto Report of the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Ecumenical Relations 2000-2008', records the Commission's work of maintaining an overview of the Anglican Communion's engagement with Christians of other traditions, and of giving encouragement and advice to the ecumenical activities of the Communion and the Provinces.

Described by the Rt. Revd Gregory Cameron, Bishop of St. Asaph, and former Anglican Director of Ecumenical Affairs, as 'a chocolate box of delights', the book contains all the Resolutions of the Commission, along with its statements, papers, advice and other key texts. These include an extended study on Holy Orders in Ecumenical Dialogues and Guidelines on Ecumenical Participation in Ordinations. It details all the Communion's bilateral and multilateral dialogues, as well as various regional developments, and the ecumenical dimensions of other areas of the Communion's life.

All these are accompanied by thorough commentary and analysis, provided by the compiler and editor, the Revd Sarah Rowland Jones, Research and Ecumenical Advisor to the Archbishop of Cape Town, and a member of the Commission throughout its term. She records the evolution of the Commission's methodology, and discusses the major themes which characterise and run through all aspects of Anglican understanding and pursuit of the vocation to Christian unity.

Of particular importance is the development of 'Four Principles of Anglican Engagement in Ecumenism' which are offered to the Communion for consideration and further development.

The recent meeting of ACC-14 in Jamaica warmly commended The Vision Before Us 'for study as a benchmark ecumenical volume in the Provinces of the Anglican Communion'.

The book is intended as a key resource and handbook for those with an interest in ecumenism and associated questions of faith and order, whether Anglicans engaged in this work, partners from elsewhere within the Christian world, academics, or the general reader.

Copies are available from at the Anglican Communion Office.

Ed. Sarah Rowland Jones
The Vision Before Us
London 2009-06-01
ISBN 978-9558261-6-0, 256pp
Price £8.99

Nos humbles bureaux ont par ailleurs eu l'honneur de recevoir de merveilleuses visites et de fort intéressants appels téléphoniques et courriels. Nous avons accueilli des Jésuites de la Colombie, des rabbins et des éducateurs juifs et des amis du Centre d'œcuménisme des Prairies, pour n'en nommer que quelques-uns. C'est vraiment une des grandes récompenses de notre ministère que de recevoir des nouvelles de nos adeptes, de nos amis et de tous nos frères et soeurs dans le Christ.

Que la belle saison vous permette de vous délasser en compagnie de vos parents et amis et qu'elle vous apporte l'inspiration et le succès dans votre ministère, quel qu'il soit.

Restez des nôtres,

Erin Green,

Voir le numéro complet d'Ensemble

Our humble offices have also been graced with wonderful visitors, phone calls, and e-mails. We have had visits from Jesuits from Colombia, Jewish rabbis and educators, and friends from the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism, to name only a very few. It is truly one of the greatest gifts of our ministry to hear from our followers, friends, and all our brothers and sisters in Christ.

We hope the warmer months bring well deserved leisure time with friends and families, inspiration, and many blessings in your ministry, whatever it may be.

Stay in touch,

Erin Green,

Read the complete Spring 2009 issue of the CCC newsletter

Seventeen Mennonite-Christian and Shiite-Muslim scholars of religion met together for four days in Qom, Iran, to discuss the theme of peace and justice. The dialogue conference was planned and hosted May 24-27, 2009 by the Imam Khomeini Education and Research Institute (IKERI), under the direction of its president, Ayatollah Mesbah-Yazdi. Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) organized and sponsored the conference from the Mennonite side. The dialogue was the fourth in a series begun in 2002.

The event was a forum for Shiite and Mennonite scholars to learn from each other, develop mutual understanding, and establish friendships. Participants presented papers rooted in their own tradition's theological understanding of the nature, mandate and implications of peace and justice. Formal and informal discussions provided opportunities to find commonalities, clarify differences, and respectfully engage each other.

The Mennonites presented papers on biblical perspectives, the centrality of Jesus for peace and justice, pacifism, church, martyrdom, advocacy, and the history of Mennonite practices of peace and justice. Shiite presentations examined the relationship between justice and peace in the Qur'an, war and jihad, eschatology, divine mercy, and the nature of the international political order.

This conference, the fourth in a series that began in 2002, grew out of an exchange program between MCC and IKERI in which Iranian doctoral students study at the Toronto School of Theology, and Mennonite couples from North America live and study in Qom. The Mennonite delegation extended an invitation to a fifth dialogue to be held somewhere in North America in 2011.

David Shenk, a participant in all four dialogues, commented on the high degree of trust and candour in these particular conversations. Because of personal relationships developed over many years, each side was able to engage and even challenge the other on the assumptions and implications of their positions.

The relationship between justice and peace emerged as a key theme of the conference. In his opening lecture, Ayatollah Rajabi explained that, in Islam, justice is an absolute requirement while peace is conditional upon justice. While peaceful means are ideal, violence may be required when justice is violated, the innocent are attacked, or people are prevented from worshiping God.

From the Mennonite perspective, such a framework appears to move too quickly to war. How does one know that all peaceful means have been exhausted? Yet, to the Shiite members of the dialogue, the Mennonite commitments to pacifism and forgiveness appear to be at the expense of justice. While Mennonites may be interested in developing yet one more practice of nonviolence, is it morally justifiable to do so while innocent people are being killed?

"It seemed we were trying to ask them if there were moments in the Qur'an or Islam that could resource faithful, yet nonviolent, responses to injustice, while they were demanding us to be more realistic about all the ways they saw war or self-defense justified within our own texts," said Susan Kennel Harrison.

Both sides agreed that the human pursuit of justice and peace ought to be rooted in God's justice and God's peace. Both have a future-oriented hope for justice to be fully realized upon the return of Jesus and/or the twelfth Imam. Both Mennonites and Shiites are minority groups within Christianity and Islam, and have experienced persecution that shapes their perceptions of the world.

Gordon Zerbe, a first-time participant, noted how the Shiites have a religious imperative to dialogue because of what Islam holds in common with Christianity. At times, there was a remarkable similarity in theological language and concerns. Yet, some conversations made evident significant differences in culture, context, and patterns of thinking. "This dialogue required me to contemplate some foundational assumptions of my own faith. We often take the logic of our own convictions for granted until we explain it to someone who has a very different frame of reference," he said.

A difference emerged in the discussion of how to move from sacred text to contemporary context. One Mennonite scholar argued that the social location of the interpreter or the community of interpretation will partly shape what peace or justice looks like in practice. A Shiite scholar countered that the meaning of the Qur'an is always clear; perspective should not affect its meaning.

A related point of divergence was the Shiite conviction that revelation and reason, including the laws of cause and effect, are always consistent. By contrast, Mennonites have often emphasized the foolishness of the cross. An institution such as the state may be necessary in a fallen world but is "outside the perfection of Christ." For the Shiites, if absolute pacifism is commanded by God, it must therefore be realistic and effective. Yet it appears to be neither. While Mennonites have preferred to speak about the church rather than the state as the community of peace and justice, Shiite dialogue partners asked whether this is a consistent position for assimilated U.S. and Canadian Mennonites who benefit from the prestige and power of their states whether they like it or not.

At the end of the conference, the Mennonite delegation expressed its gratitude to IKERI for unsurpassed hospitality, delicious meals, comfortable accommodations, and excellent conference meeting space.

After the conference itself, IKERI arranged for a tour of the city of Hamadan, including a shrine to those honoured as martyrs from the Iran-Iraq war, the synagogue of the ancient Jewish community, and the Ganjnameh cuneiform inscriptions of the Persian Empire. In Hamadan and Qom, the group witnessed active campaigning on behalf of presidential candidates.

The first of this series of conferences was held in Toronto, 2002, on the topic of "The Challenges of Modernity." The second one was held in Qom two years later on "Revelation and Authority." "Spirituality" was the theme of the third conference, held in Waterloo in 2007. Papers from the first two conferences were published in the Fall 2003 and Winter 2006 issues of the Conrad Grebel Review. Papers from the third and fourth conferences will be published in the future.

The Mennonites who presented papers were A. James Reimer and Jeremy Bergen of Conrad Grebel University College; Harry Huebner and Gordon Zerbe of Canadian Mennonite University; Susan Kennel Harrison of the Toronto School of Theology; Wilma Bailey of Christian Theological Seminary; and David Shenk of Eastern Mennonite University.
Henry Paetkau and Nathan Funk of Conrad Grebel University College; and Jon Hoover of the Near East School of Theology in Beirut participated as official observers.

From the Mennonite side, the conference was organized by MCC country representatives Daryl and Cindy Byler, MCC workers Wally and Evie Shellenberger in Qom, and James Pankratz of Conrad Grebel University College.

Que pouvez-vous faire pour la justice raciale?
• Prévoir de vous réserver, tout au long de l'année, du temps pour apprendre, pour discuter, pour aider, particulièrement en rapport avec les communautés qui subissent le racisme.
• Trouver ensemble des façons d'affronter la réalité du racisme et d'établir la justice raciale.
• Organiser des activités à l'intention de tous les groupes d'âge.
• Créer des occasions de prier et d'étudier ensemble.

Le Réseau œcuménique canadien contre le racisme (CEARN) a pour mandat d'aider les Églises et les organismes religieux Canadiens qui oeuvrent pour la justice raciale, la réconciliation raciale et la paix à se transformer et à transformer leurs communautés. Le Comité d 'orientation du CEARN se compose de représentants des membres du Conseil canadien des Églises et des organisations œcuméniques soeurs.

Pour en savoir davantage sur le CEARN ou la présente ressource, consulter le site Web du Conseil canadien des Églises à : http://www.ccc-cce.ca/francais/justice/racism.htm.
• Veuillez voir l'affiche pour plus de détails

What can you do to support racial justice?
• Plan to give time throughout the year to engage in learning, discussion and outreach — especially with communities that experience racism.
• Find ways to journey together as you confront the reality of racism and explore how racial justice can be achieved.
• Organize activities for all ages.
• Create opportunities for worship and study.

The mandate of the Canadian Ecumenical Anti-Racism Network is to accompany Canadian churches and church organizations who are working toward racial justice, racial reconciliation, and peace to transform themselves and their communities. The CEARN Steering Committee is made up of representatives from members of the Canadian Council of Churches and sister ecumenical organizations.

For more information about CEARN or this resource please go to the Canadian Council of Churches web site at http://www.ccc-cce.ca/english/justice/racism.htm.
• download poster & resource order form

Les nouveaux administrateurs élus reflètent la grande diversité du Conseil canadien des Églises, qui représente 85 % des chrétiens du Canada : à la présidence, le Très Révérend Bruce Adema, de l'Église réformée chrétienne; à la vice-présidence, le Major Gillian Brown, de l'Armée du Salut, Mgr Gilles Cazabon, de la Conférence des évêques catholiques du Canada et le Père John Jillions, de l'Église orthodoxe d'Amérique; à la trésorerie, Don Taylor, de l'Église presbytérienne du Canada.

Ces administrateurs vont continuer de canaliser les efforts du Conseil canadien des Églises vers la Religion dans l'espace public. Ils ont été élus dans l'enthousiasme lors d'une réunion du Conseil de direction qui rassemblait sept délégations auprès de chefs de partis et de hauts fonctionnaires. Ces dernières se sont penchées sur le besoin d'éliminer la traite des personnes au Canada et ont appelé l'attention sur le Sixième sommet annuel des dirigeants interreligieux, qui se tiendra en juin 2010 avec l'objectif d'interpeller la réunion 2010 des dirigeants politiques du G8 à respecter les Objectifs de développement du millénaire. Ces derniers, qui sont une affaire de vie ou de mort pour des millions d'humains, sont désespérément en retard par rapport aux engagements du G8 même. Voir: www.faithchallengeg8.com

Le Conseil canadien des Églises est un des plus vastes conseils œcuméniques au monde, avec ses 22 confessions représentant les traditions anglicane, protestante, catholique, évangélique, de l'Église libre, orthodoxe de l'est et orthodoxe orientale. Voir: www.ccc-cce.ca

Suivez les nouvelles du Conseil canadien des Églises sur Facebook et Twitter.

Pour obtenir plus d'information ou pour organiser une interview, s'adresser à la Rév. Karen Hamilton, secrétaire générale, Conseil canadien des Églises, tél. : 416 972-9494 poste 22,

The newly elected Officers come from the wide diversity of the Canadian Council of Churches which represents 85% of the Christians in Canada. As President, The Rev. Bruce Adema of the Christian Reformed Church. As Vice Presidents, Major Gillian Brown of the Salvation Army, Bishop Gilles Cazabon of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and Father John Jillions of the Orthodox Church in America. As Treasurer, Don Taylor of the Presbyterian Church in Canada.

These Officers will continue to build on the focus of the Canadian Council of Churches on Faith and the Public Square. They were enthusiastically elected in the course of the Governing Board meeting which included seven delegations to party leaders and senior officials. Those delegations addressed the need to eradicate human trafficking in Canada and called attention to the 6th Annual Interfaith Leaders Summit which will be meeting in June 2010 to challenge the G8 political leaders meeting in Canada at that time to fulfill the Millennium Development Goals. Progress on the Millennium Development Goals, which are a question of life or death for millions in the world, is desperately behind the G8's own commitments. See: www.faithchallengeg8.com

The Canadian Council of Churches is one of the broadest ecumenical councils in the world, including 22 denominations from the Anglican, Protestant, Roman Catholic, Evangelical, Free Church and Eastern and Oriental Orthodox traditions. See: www.ccc-cce.ca

Follow Canadian Council of Churches on Facebook and Twitter

For more information or to arrange an interview contact The Rev. Dr. Karen Hamilton, General
Secretary, The Canadian Council of Churches, phone: 416-972-9494 ext. 22 or email .

The problem is just about as old as the church itself: As Christianity started to spread around the world, Christians came to differing results on when to commemorate Jesus Christ's death and resurrection, due to the different reports in the four gospels on these events.

Attempts to establish a common date for Easter began with the Council of Nicaea in the year 325. It established that the date of Easter would be the first Sunday after the full moon following the vernal equinox. However, it did not fix the methods to be used to calculate the timing of the full moon or the vernal equinox.

Nowadays the Orthodox churches use the 21 March of the Julian calendar as the date of the equinox, while the churches of the Western tradition – that is the Protestant and Catholic churches – base their calculations on the Gregorian calendar. The resulting gap between the two Easter dates can be as much as five weeks.

All participants at the seminar in Lviv, which included Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Protestant theologians from a variety of European countries, endorsed a compromise proposed at a World Council of Churches (WCC) consultation in Aleppo, Syria, in 1997. The proposal was to keep the Nicaea rule but calculate the equinox and full moon using the accurate astronomical data available today, rather than those used many years ago.

Concretely, participants at the seminar expressed the hope that the years 2010 and 2011, when the coincidence of the calendars will produce a common Easter date, would serve as a period during which all Christians would join their efforts "to make such coincidence not to be an exception but rather a rule" and prepare for an Easter date based on exact astronomical reckoning and celebrated by all Christians on 8 April 2012.

However, the seminar entitled "A common date for Easter is possible" did not turn a blind eye to what participants considered to be "the main problem": "not the calculations, but the complex relations and missing of trust among different Christian denominations because of long divisions."

French Orthodox theologian Prof. Antoine Arjakovsky, director of the Institute of Ecumenical Studies, pointed out: "Whilst the astronomic reckoning of the Nicean rule comes closer to the Gregorian calendar than to the ancient Julian one, the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches did take a step towards the Orthodox churches in Aleppo, accepting that the date of Easter should be established on the base of a cosmic calendar rather than by a fixed date as had been proposed prior to the inter-Orthodox meeting in Chambésy in 1977."

Other speakers at the ecumenical seminar were Rev. Dr Dagmar Heller, professor at the Ecumenical Institute Bossey and executive secretary of the WCC Faith and Order Commission, Jesuit Father Milan Zust, an official of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and Prof. Konstantin Sigov, director of Saint Clement Centre in Kiev, Ukraine.

Further to the students of the Institute of Ecumenical Studies – a consortium between the Ukrainian Catholic University, the National University of Lviv and several other European universities – the seminar had gathered representatives of the city's major denominations: the Ukrainian Orthodox Churches of the patriarchates of Moscow and Kiev as well as the Autocephalous Orthodox Church in the Ukraine, the Greek and Roman Catholic Churches, the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Baptist and the Evangelical Church.

• More information about the seminar (Ukrainian Catholic University website)
• Frequently asked questions about the date of Easter
• Proposals from the Aleppo consultation

The PCE History Book will be launched on June 4th 2009 at the 25th anniversary banquet. About 95 pages, with colour and black and white photos and memories of 25 years of work for Christian unity and reconciliation in the region. $10. Pre-order your copy at

A review of the table of contents of the book will indicate the many dimensions of the ecumenical community in Saskatoon. The preliminary contents are as follows:

I. BACKGROUND AND HISTORY

1. Milestones on the Journey, 1984-2009

2. The Beginnings of Ecumenical Ventures on the Prairies
a) The Formation of the United Church of Canada: the Prairie Connection
b) World Council of Churches, Canadian Council of Churches, Saskatoon Council of Churches
c) Tilling the Soil: Father de Margerie's Reflection on the Origins of PCE, 1959-1984

4. People
a) Directors of the Centre
b) Office Staff & Board Chairs
c) Volunteers
d) Canadian Ecumenical Leadership Award Recipients

II. INITIATIVES OF THE CENTRE

1. Snapshots of the Work

2. Regular Activities, Past and Present
a) Growing Together Inserts
b) Beit Avraham: Interfaith Activities
c) Ecumenical Contacts (PEC)
d) Local Church Leaders Group
e) Social & Restorative Justice Work
f) Interchurch Families
g) Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
h) Shared Ministries Bureau
i) Ecumenical Links and Resources

3. Conferences & Special Events
a) Ecumenical Conferences
b) Summer Ecumenical Institute, SK (SEI)
c) Saskatchewan Centennial Celebration
d) Remembering the Children

III. INITIATIVES IN SASKATOON

1. Shared Fellowship, Study & Worship
a) Ministerials
  i) Saskatoon Council of Churches
  ii) Saskatoon Evangelical Ministers' Fellowship
  iii) Women in Ministry
b) Parish Initiatives
  i) Holy Spirit/McClure Covenant
  ii) Area clusters
    Nutana Park Ecumenical Committee
    Saskatoon North-End Interchurch Group
    St. John Bosco/St. David's Trinity Pastoral Charge/St. George's Anglican
    South East Saskatoon Interchurch Group
    Two Cathedrals on Spadina Crescent
c) Campus
  i) Saskatoon Theological Union
  ii) Centre for Rural Community Leadership and Ministry
  iii) Ecumenical Chaplaincy at the University of Saskatchewan
  iv) Friends of Sophia
d) Inter-Denominational Study Sessions
  i) Catholic/Lutheran on Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification
  ii) Catholic/United Church on Sin, Reconciliation, and Ecclesial Identity
  iii) Catholic/Anglican/Lutheran on Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ
e) Other
  i) World Day of Prayer
  ii) Prayer Summit
  iii) Multi-Faith Saskatoon
  iv) Queen's House

2. Social & Humanitarian
a) Saskatoon Friendship Inn
b) Saskatoon Food Bank
c) Sherbrooke Community Centre
d) Refugee Sponsorship Groups
e) Interchurch Uranium Committee Educational Cooperative
f) L'Arche

IV. REFLECTIONS & STORIES

a) Congratulations, Prairie Centre for Ecumenism, Sr. Anne Keffer
b) Our Walk in Ecumenism, Helen & Ken Saunders
c) Memories of Working at the Centre for Ecumenism, Helen Saunders
d) My Ecumenical Involvement, Elizabeth Nickel
e) Ukrainian Catholic Participation in the Work of the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism, Andy Dziadyk
f) Reflections of an Interchurch Couple, Bob and Marie Klombies
g) A Tale of Shared Ministry and the Role of the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism: Anglican/Presbyterian/Lutheran in Biggar, Cindy Hoppe
h) Holy Family Roman Catholic Parish – Westmount Church (Mennonite): A New Shared Ministry in Saskatoon, Fr. David Tumback
i) The Spirit of Ecumenism Is Alive and Well in This Rural Community: Shell Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada Lutheran, & Ester Kaminski
j) The Christian Faith of the Founders of the City of Saskatoon, Don Balzer

[CCC • Erin Green] From May 11 to 15, 2009 The Canadian Council of Churches is engaging the Government of Canada through several high profile events. Outgoing President, The Rev. Dr. James Christie, said "Through this Churches' Week in Ottawa The Canadian Council of Churches is strengthening the presence of churches in public life, drawing on a long tradition of engagement in the public square, and contributing to the public dialogue today on matters, which affect all people in Canada and the world."

On Tuesday, May 12, the Commission on Just and Peace is hosting a "Forum on Faith and a Sustainable Economy: Reflections on Hope and Transformation." Of special note is the lunchtime roundtable with Members of Parliament Rick Dykstra, Peter Julian, John McKay, and Yves Lessard. The MP Roundtable is co-hosted by The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada and the Canadian Council of Churches. Attendees include Members of Parliament and Senate and representatives from a broad range of Christian and other faith traditions, civil society and social justice organizations. Parliament Hill, Wellington Building Room 214, Tuesday, May 12th from 9am to 5pm.

On Wednesday, May 13, the Governing Board will host a "Forum on Faith and the Public Square: What Difference Do Churches Make?" The guest is The Honourable Michael Ignatieff, Leader of the Official Opposition. St. Andrew's Church, 83 Kent Street, Wednesday, May 13th, 3:15pm to 5pm. This meeting is closed to the media.

On Thursday evening, all are welcome to join in a "Prayers for Peace for Afghanistan" service in the Roman Catholic tradition with contributions from member denominations of The Canadian Council of Churches in their traditional languages – English, French, Greek, Konkani, Ukrainian, Arabic, and Armenian, among others. The service will be attended by Brigadier General, David C. Kettle, Chaplain General of the Canadian Forces, and a representative of His Excellency Omar Samad, Ambassador of Afghanistan to Canada. Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica on Thursday, May 14th at 7:30pm.

On Thursday and Friday delegations from the Governing Board will meet with senior leaders of all political parties to build relationships, raise concerns regarding human trafficking in Canada; and urge Canada to increase its contribution to achieving the Millennium Development Goals, especially related to preparations for Canada hosting the G8 Summit in 2010; among other issues.

The Canadian Council of Churches is the largest ecumenical body in Canada, now representing 21 churches of Anglican, Evangelical, Eastern and Oriental Orthodox, Protestant and Roman Catholic traditions. We are one of the few ecumenical bodies in the world that includes such a range of Christian churches. The officers and staff of the Council are drawn from the whole diversity of traditions represented by the member churches.

For further information on the events and activities during this Churches' Week in Ottawa meeting of the Commission on Justice and Peace and Governing Board of The Canadian Council of Churches please contact:

The Rev. Dr. Karen Hamilton
General Secretary
c. 416.522.3883

Mr. Peter Noteboom
Associate Secretary, Justice and Peace
c. 416.939.3595

Beginning 21 April, ENI subscribers will have access to select RNS religion stories, and RNS subscribers will have access to select ENI stories.

"The agreement between ENI and RNS means both news agencies will now have access to more news relating to global religion," noted Peter Kenny, ENI's editor-in-chief. "ENI subscribers will get an expanded coverage of news from RNS playing on its strength in North America, and we aim to enable RNS readers to have greater access to news from ENI's global correspondent network."

RNS stories that are included in ENI's daily output will be designated as ENI-RNS. ENI stories that are included in the RNS Daily Report will be designated RNS/ENI.

"Our agreement with ENI will allow us to provide even more extensive coverage of important religion stories to our subscribers, at no additional charge," said RNS editor Kevin Eckstrom. "Content-sharing agreements like this are becoming more prevalent, and it makes sense for both RNS and ENI to leverage their relationship, and their commitment to quality religion journalism, for the benefit of all our subscribers."

• See ENI or RNS for the complete story

The denomination, founded by Herbert W. Armstrong in 1934, was originally called the Radio Church of God. It became the Worldwide Church of God in 1968.

After Armstrong's death in 1986, the church re-examined its doctrines and teachings. This process led to a complete reformation to Christian orthodoxy by the mid 1990s. The evangelical denomination is now a member of the National Association of Evangelicals with church president, Joseph W. Tkach, serving on its board.

Members, pastors, national directors and missions directors from around the world were included in the name selection process, which began in late 2005. After all factors and criteria were considered, the Church Board and its Advisory Council of Elders settled on the name "Grace Communion International." Denominational leaders believe the new name better describes what the church has become and will serve it more effectively in the future.

The church's message now centers on Trinitarian, Incarnational theology and salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. By 1995, the church had abandoned its former legalistic doctrines, exclusivist teaching, and prophetic speculation and has been warmly embraced by the Christian community. The church sees itself in full communion with the greater Body of Christ and a participant in the collective effort to proclaim the gospel of grace.

"Grace lies at the heart of our values and mission as a transformed church. Our spiritual unity with God and with one another is reflected in the word Communion. The word International identifies us as a unified body of believers who span the globe, sharing a common history and journey of faith," said denominational president Joseph W. Tkach. "We are a church that God radically transformed. Our new name is consistent with that transformation and aptly describes what God has made of our fellowship."

United States congregations who wish to continue to use the name Worldwide Church of God will be able to do so, and some of our non-U.S. National Churches will as well. However, they will all be part of the denomination named "Grace Communion International." The denominational website, currently www.wcg.org, will eventually be moved to the domain name www.graceci.org.

Grace Communion International has about 42,000 members worldwide, meeting in nearly 900 congregations. Denominational offices are in Glendora, California. The denomination publishes the free magazine Christian Odyssey and produces several video programs available on its website.

The appointment was made on 31 March at the first meeting of the church's synod of bishops chaired by Patriarch Kirill I since his enthronement in February 2009.

As metropolitan of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, Kirill himself led the church's external relations department for nearly 20 years until he was elected patriarch on 27 January following the death of Patriarch Alexei II in December.

Anatoly Krasikov, director of the Centre for Religious and Social Studies of the Institute of Europe in Moscow, described Bishop Hilarion as "a vivid personality", and said the decision "is a gain for the church".

"It shows that Kirill is not afraid to have a strong person next to him," Krasikov told Ecumenical News International. He also noted that Kirill had been a strong personality alongside Alexei.

Hilarion, who is 42, has a doctorate in philosophy from Oxford, and was also educated as a classical musician and composer. In the 1990s, Hilarion served under Kirill in the external relations department.

He is a member of the central committee of the World Council of Churches, and also serves as the Russian church's bishop of Vienna and Austria.

The synod also appointed the Rev. Vsevolod Chaplin, currently the deputy chairperson of the external relations department, to head the new Department of Interrelations of Church and Society. In March, Chaplin expressed vocal support for Pope Benedict XVI's criticism of the use of condoms to stem the spread of HIV.

Commenting in the Russian media, analysts noted that by creating a new department with some functions similar to the external relations department, Patriarch Kirill has ensured that he will remain unquestionably in charge.

In 2008, several prominent priests proposed Hilarion as a candidate to head the Orthodox Church in America, an independent offshoot of the Russian church then hit by high-level financial scandals. Hilarion declined the offer.

Earlier in his ministry, he became embroiled in controversy when he was sent as an assistant bishop to London and came into conflict there with Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh, a revered leader of the Russian church in Britain, who died in 2003.

Bishop Hilarion will be watched closely for his handling of relations with the Roman Catholic Church. Critics of Kirill have stepped up their attacks on the new patriarch, who they describe as an agent of Rome.

Krasikov, who reported from the Vatican as a correspondent for the Soviet-era Itar-Tass news agency, dismissed these charges. "It may be the reverse; Benedict may be declared an agent of Kirill," he said. "The Catholics have problems and are counting on support from the Orthodox." Krasikov recalled a conference in 2000 at which Hilarion, then still only a priest, spoke in tough terms about Catholic proselytism in Russia among other issues, while a message from Kirill to the conference was seen as being much more positive.

In other decisions at the synod's meeting, Metropolitan Kliment of Kaluga and Borovsk, who was Kirill's competitor in the recent elections to the patriarchal throne, was transferred from his post as the patriarchate's property manager to head its publishing department. Observers are interpreting this as a demotion.

Vladimir Legoyda, a layperson and editor of Foma, a glossy church magazine, was appointed chair of a newly created information department.

In Winnipeg, a Catholic parish and an Anglican parish share a large building on a busy city street. In Shell Lake Saskatchewan, Anglican, Lutheran and United Church Christians have joined buildings and hearts together to form one worshipping community with joint staff and programming. In Montreal, downtown clergy of two denominations start talks about sharing a worship space: one has a big church with a small congregation, while the other has a congregation with no suitable place to meet. In Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, three existing congregations are about to break ground for a new church facility which will serve them as one congregation and help them serve the needs of their town. In Biggar, Saskatchewan, the Anglican and Lutheran pastors run a 'Monday School' kids club for the children of the whole town. What are all these Christians doing? They are exploring ecumenical shared ministry.

An Ecumenical Shared Ministry (ESM) exists where Christians of more than one denomination worship and serve God in a united way while still maintaining their denominational identities and connections. ESMs take many forms, from sharing a building, to sharing programs, staff and worship. There are an estimated 80-150 ESMs in Canada. Some are found in tiny rural communities. Some are in major cities. Most ESMs are located in Western Canada and the Maritimes, and new ones are forming all the time.

Ecumenical Shared Ministries are showing themselves to be part of the solution to the problem our churches face in the rural areas, and in new urban areas. In places where numbers are diminishing due to rural depopulation, ESMs offer a way for rural Christians of several denominations to work together in ministry to their communities without losing their denominational allegiances. In the new city suburbs in Western Canada, denominations are stretched to finance the planting of new churches, and some are creating new urban ESMs, like the Living Spirit Centre in Regina. These ESMs not only maximize limited financial resources, but also give 'flesh' to Christians' spiritual commitment to seek Christian unity and reconciliation.

The lack of coordination for Canadian ESMs has been felt by many. In 2005 the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism merged its annual Summer Ecumenical Institute with a network of people involved in ESMs to produce a well-attended Collaborative Ministry Conference, held in Saskatoon. At that gathering, church leaders asked the PCE to become a repository for documents and information concerning shared ministries in Canada. Grant funding for the initial phase of the work was obtained from the Churches Council for Theological Education, and in 2007 the Shared Ministries Bureau was born.

At about the same time, the Anglican, United, Presbyterian and Evangelical Lutheran Churches at national level began seeking to provide a more coherent framework for Canadian ESMs, so that local judicatories who wish to explore establishing an ESM do not need to 'reinvent the wheel.' The National Ecumenical Shared Ministries Taskforce has been meeting since 2006 to develop common policies, and to publish a Shared Ministries Handbook. A draft version of the Handbook is available on our website, and the final version is expected in June, 2009. In February of 2008 the Taskforce endorsed the PCE's Shared Ministries Bureau and invited it to become a permanent Taskforce member. It has asked the PCE to continue its database development and document gathering, but also to undertake practical training work for clergy and others involved in ESMs.

The Shared Ministries Bureau is pleased to make its existing database of ESMs available on the PCE website. Further histories and access to sample constitutions, and ESM covenants will follow.

Forthcoming ESM training events

At the Summer Ecumenical Institute (2-5 June, 2009) Rev. Dr. Sandra Beardsall will offer a workshop on Ecumenical Shared Ministries, Thursday 4 June at 3.30 pm. Sandra is the United Church professor of Church History and Ecumenics at St. Andrew's College, Saskatoon and consultant to the Shared Ministries Bureau. She has pastored an ecumenical shared ministry, and now shares with theological students her vision for their potential.

In January 2010 Sandra, assisted by the staff of the Shared Ministries Bureau, will offer a week-long intensive Ecumenical Shared Ministries Course at St. Andrews College, Saskatoon. Prof. Beardsall writes:

"This course will explore the dynamics particular to developing and sustaining ecumenical ministry initiatives in congregational settings. It will introduce participants to the structures, theologies, and ethos of the major denominations involved, and consider issues that are unique to ecumenical congregational relationships. It will involve engagement with documents of the ecumenical movement, with practical issues like the production of covenants and constitutions, and with the pastoral challenges that affect all congregations, such as conflict and change, but with attention to the nuances for ecumenical ministries. Finally, the course will involve engagement with questions of our personal struggles and delights in confronting Christian identity and otherness. Participants will identify and strengthen their gifts for ecumenical ministries, in the context of these many aspects of faith, theology, and leadership."

The course may be audited or taken for credit in the Saskatoon Theological Union, and will form part of the requirements for certification as an Ecumenical Shared Ministries Trainer.

For further information on Ecumenical Shared Ministries contact the Shared Ministries Bureau at the PCE.

June 2-5, 2009 in Saskatoon, SK

The Summer Ecumenical Institute will function as a stock-taking and a vision-building exercise for the grassroots ecumenical community in Canada. 2009 marks the 25th anniversary of the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism. It is also the 50th anniversary of the announcement by Pope John XXIII of the Second Vatican Council, one of whose main aims was the advancement of Christian unity. It is 50 years since our founder, Fr. Bernard de Margerie, received his call to the path of ecumenism. There is much to celebrate!

This conference will be the climax of a year of themed events giving thanks for the past achievements of the ecumenical movement and committing ourselves to Christian unity and reconciliation for the future. The SEI will be built around worship and singing, keynote addresses, a variety of optional workshops, and a banquet at the Western Development Museum. It begins on Tuesday evening and finishes Friday with lunch.

We are honoured to have Fr. Tom Ryan CSP to lead us in this task. Tom is the director of the North American Office for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations of the Paulist Community, and is based in Washington, DC. Fr. Tom was ordained in 1975, and served in campus ministry at the Ohio State University (Columbus) and at McGill University (Montreal), prior to directing the Canadian Centre for Ecumenism for 14 years. He spearheaded the 1995 founding of the Unitas Ecumenical Centre for Christian Meditation in Montreal and served 5 years as its director before answering the call of his community to take up his current work. He is a gifted speaker, author, mission and retreat leader.

We are excited to have Cheryl and Bruce Harding to get us singing, and drumming. Cheryl and Bruce Harding are gifted United Church recording artists and worship leaders, whose eclectic musical style melds a theology of healing and understanding with a spirit-filled passion for congregational singing. When they are not on tour, Cheryl and Bruce lead singing at Royal Heights United Church in Delta, BC. Bruce is also past co-chair of UCCAM, the United Church of Canada Association of Musicians, and was the Managing Editor for More Voices, the supplement to the current United Church of Canada hymn book, Voices United (1996).

• Summer Ecumenical Institute webpage
• SEI programme
• SEI workshops
• Poster

Such a statement, "in these ecumenically less exciting times ... would be a remarkable step and a sign of hope and encouragement", said the Rev. Günther Gassmann, a German Lutheran theologian, who was director of the World Council of Churches' Faith and Order Commission from 1984 to 1995.

Born in 1483, Luther trained as a Catholic monk, but was excommunicated by the Catholic Church in 1521 after refusing to retract teachings the church judged to be heretical.

In a 19 March lecture in Rome, Gassmann said that a joint Lutheran-Catholic statement published in 1983 to mark the 500th anniversary of Luther's birth had sought to elaborate a common position on the work and legacy of the reformer.

"Luther, a major symbol and personification during 400 years of the past Catholic-Lutheran conflict and division, is now seen as a common teacher," Gassmann noted, at the Centro Pro Unione, an ecumenical research centre in the Italian capital.

He urged the Catholic Church to receive officially, "this changed evaluation of Martin Luther".

In 2008, the Vatican's top official for Christian unity, Cardinal Walter Kasper, encouraged Catholics to read Luther's hymns, which he declared were "full of spiritual power", and his commentaries on the Bible.

"One will then discover a Luther who is full of the power of faith, whom one cannot simply make Catholic, whom we find provoking and even alien in many respects, but from whom even Catholics can learn," said Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity since 2001.

Gassmann presented an overview of the results of Catholic-Lutheran dialogue from 1965 to 2005. He praised the 1999 signing by the Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation of a Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification as a "unique" event.

This represented, he said, "an agreement concerning the most fundamental theological difference between Catholics and Lutherans at the time of the Reformation and ever since".

It was the first, and so far only, time that the Catholic Church and one of its dialogue partners have officially confirmed the results of a bilateral dialogue, Gassmann added.

Gassmann noted that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger - now Pope Benedict XVI - had been involved in the latter stage of talks that led to the signing of the declaration.

"The Joint Declaration continues to act as an impulse and encouragement of both initiating and intensifying Catholic-Lutheran relationships in many places of the world," he said, also drawing attention to the acceptance of the statement by the World Methodist Council in 2006.

Gassmann urged the LWF, a global grouping of Lutheran churches, and the Vatican's Christian Unity council to set up a special group to evaluate results of Catholic-Lutheran dialogue with a view to them being submitted for "official reception and affirmation".

These included statements on the Eucharist and on other issues that have divided the Lutheran and Catholic churches, such as the nature of ordained ministry. Although differences remain, "We can speak of a far-reaching agreement on the doctrine and practice of the Eucharist. This represents a significant result," said Gassmann.

"This [official affirmation] would have an enormous impact on our churches," said Gassmann. "This would inspire ecumenical hope and confidence in our time."

On Thursday, while another of the pope's public spectacles was being put to rest by his letter admitting mistakes in the lifting of the excommunication of the Lefebvrite bishops, the pope met with representatives of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel to express his encouragement for their dialogue with the Vatican. As a prelude to Benedict's visit to Israel in May, the audience with the Chief Rabbinate was an opportunity for the pope to affirm his commitment to Catholic-Jewish dialogue. This audience with the chief rabbis should be understood as part of the damage control by the Vatican in the wake of the controversy that arose after it became known that one of the Lefebvrite bishops, Richard Williamson, was a Holocaust-denier. In the past six weeks, the Vatican has been at pains to assert its commitment to Catholic-Jewish dialogue and to disassociate from Williamson's odious views.

There is an interesting connection between the pope's comments to the chief rabbis and the comments expressed in his forward to Pera's book. In his comments to Pera he could affirm that interreligious dialogue is not, in the strict sense of the word, possible. Whatever we might think about that startling claim, on Thursday we observe Benedict affirming the dialogue between Judaism and Christianity as both necessary and possible. He returns to the Vatican II declaration on relations with non-Christian religions, Nostra Aetate (1965). There the Council teaches that the church's acknowledgement of the rich spiritual patrimony with Judaism makes dialogue both necessary and possible. As well, the pope explains, "if the church acknowledges that God's intervention in the history of the Jewish people is at the foundation of Christian faith then this conveys to all humanity the importance of faith in one God."

The pope's comments on Thursday should not be understood as conflicting with his comments in Pera's book. As Fr. Federico Lombardi the Vatican spokesman explained in November, the pope's forward was intended to draw interest to Pera's book. The comments in the book were imprecise and the pope has not elaborated on them. One can presume that he notes a philosophical problem at the root of dialogue between two differing religious systems, such as Christianity and Islam. He is careful to root his affirmation of Christian-Jewish dialogue in the teaching of the Second Vatican Council. The Council's teaching is not just convenient to repeat at a meeting with the rabbis, it actually constrains Benedict to affirm the dialogue, and provides the foundation for that dialogue which distinguishes it from all other dialogues: the rich spiritual patrimony shared with Judaism. Thus, his affirmation of dialogue with Judaism confirms two essential details in Benedict's theological commitments. First, his commitment to the conciliar teachings, even those that the traditionalists do not like. And even more importantly, his recognizes that at its roots, Christianity is grafted to the tree of Israel. When Christians affirm that the church is Israel, "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people" (I Peter 2:9) this is not to the exclusion of the Jewish people, but rather "the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord." (Eph 2:21, cf. 2:11-22)

Resources:
• Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church concerning the remission of the excommunication of the four Bishops consecrated by Archbishop Lefebvre (Mar. 10, 2009)
• Dialogue with Judaism is necessary and possible (Mar. 12, 2009)
• Pope says he regrets 'mistakes' over Holocaust' case (Mar. 12, 2009)
• Interfaith Dialogue Impossible: Pope (Nov. 25, 2008)
• Pope Questions Interfaith Dialogue (Nov. 23, 2008)

"The discreet gesture of mercy towards four bishops ordained validly but not legitimately suddenly appeared as something completely different: as the repudiation of reconciliation between Christians and Jews," the pontiff said in his letter.

"I have been told that consulting the information available on the Internet would have made it possible to perceive the problem early on," said Benedict, pledging that greater use would be made by the Holy See of "this source of news" in the future.

Williamson was shown making his remarks about the Holocaust in a Swedish television interview broadcast on 21 January, three days before the official announcement by the Vatican that the excommunication of the four bishops was being lifted. It was then widely available on the YouTube Internet video sharing service.

At a 12 March Vatican media conference about the Pope's letter, the Holy See spokesperson the Rev. Federico Lombardi did not respond to a journalist who asked whether it would have been possible to postpone the lifting of the excommunications once Williamson's views had been widely disseminated by the media.

In his letter, however, Pope Benedict announced that a Vatican commission - "Ecclesia Dei" - that dealt with the SSPX and the Williamson case, would be merging with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. As Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, before he became Pope, Benedict had headed the doctrinal commission. The pontiff also stressed the role of collective "decision making" in the Vatican through weekly meetings of cardinals.

In the Pope's homeland, where the Vatican decision on the excommunications has met strident criticism, the head of the (Catholic) German Bishops' Conference, Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, praised the Pope's "extremely frank letter".

After widespread protests about Williamson from Jewish and also Roman Catholic groups, the Vatican clarified on 4 February that the British-born bishop would need to "distance himself in an unequivocal and public manner" from his comments regarding the Holocaust before he could be admitted to the functions of a Catholic bishop.

Pope Benedict XVI in his 12 March letter said he was grateful to, "our Jewish friends, who quickly helped to clear up the misunderstanding and to restore the atmosphere of friendship and trust". At the same time, the pontiff said he was, "saddened by the fact that even Catholics ... thought they had to attack me with open hostility".

Vatican observers said it was difficult to recall a similar case in modern times in which a pope had felt obliged to issue a detailed clarification of a decision in this way.

On the same day as the publication of his letter, Pope Benedict received a delegation of the Israeli rabbinate and the Holy See's Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews. At that meeting, he reaffirmed the dialogue with the "Jewish people, who were chosen as elected people". The Pope said he hoped his forthcoming visit to the Holy Land would, "deepen the dialogue of the Church with Jewish people so that Jews and Christians and also
Muslims may live in peace and harmony".

Addressing the Pope, Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen, the chief rabbi of Haifa in Israel, thanked the Benedict for his, "clear and unequivocal statements deploring the Holocaust denial and making it very clear that the Catholic Church leaders are committed to continue the policy as formulated in Second Vatican Council decisions".

The Pope's 12 March letter describes as, "another mistake, which I deeply regret", the failure of the decision on the excommunications to be, "clearly and adequately explained at the moment of its publication".

Benedict said the decision on the excommunications had been intended as, "a gesture of reconciliation", towards the SSPX, founded in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and which rejected church reforms introduced in the mid-1960s by the Second Vatican Council.

Benedict made it clear in his letter that the SSPX would need to accept the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, which opened in 1962 and concluded three years later.

"The Church's teaching authority cannot be frozen in the year 1962 - this must be quite clear to the Society," he stated. "But some of those who put themselves forwards as great defenders of the Council also need to be reminded that Vatican II embraces the entire doctrinal history of the Church."

• Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church concerning the remission of the excommunication of the four Bishops consecrated by Archbishop Lefebvre (Mar. 10, 2009)

L'anno paolino ci ricorda il centrale messaggio salvifico dell'apostolo Paolo, che riceviamo da Gesù Cristo senza averne alcun merito. Si tratta dunque di una consapevolezza comune che unisce i cristiani cattolici ed evangelici. Tuttavia pare che gli anni giubilari e le circostanze che li accompagnano suscitino regolarmente malintesi. Già nel 1751, Gregorius Rothfischer, benedettino austriaco che si fece protestante, nel suo scritto polemico su Ablass und Jubeljahr affermava: "L'indizione frequente dell'anno giubilare romano non è altro che un pomo della discordia per le religioni in lotta fra loro (...). In queste occasioni riemerge l'antico ciarpame e si fanno allo sfinimento i soliti discorsi, pur senza una conoscenza effettiva e sufficiente di ciò su cui ci si accalora".

Sembra quasi un'anticipazione delle reazioni suscitate dall'annuncio dell'indulgenza in occasione dell'Anno paolino. La gioia di molti cristiani per l'unità ecumenica si è affievolita a causa del Decreto della Penitenzieria Apostolica per la quaresima del 2008, che afferma che a tutti i fedeli che "piamente visiteranno in forma di pellegrinaggio la Basilica papale di San Paolo sulla via Ostiense e pregheranno secondo le intenzioni del Sommo Pontefice, è concessa e impartita l'Indulgenza plenaria della pena temporale per i loro peccati, una volta ottenuta da essi la remissione sacramentale e il perdono delle loro mancanze". Proprio nel corso del grande giubileo dell'anno 2000, durante il servizio liturgico ecumenico per l'apertura della Settimana di preghiera per l'unità dei cristiani, il 18 gennaio, presso la basilica di San Paolo fuori le Mura, gli interlocutori ecumenici hanno sollevato obiezioni. Alcuni rappresentanti del protestantesimo hanno messo in guardia dal pericolo di cadere in un "caso sull'indulgenza", perché poco prima la Penitenzieria Apostolica, con le migliori intenzioni pastorali ed ecumeniche per l'anno santo, aveva offerto la possibilità di ottenere l'indulgenza anche durante i servizi liturgici ecumenici.

Indulgenza ed ecumenismo, ancora oggi a molti sembra che non possano andare d'accordo.

Infatti la controversia sulle indulgenze, insieme alla pubblicazione delle tesi di Lutero a Wittenberg nella festa di Ognissanti del 1517, diede avvio alla Riforma. Le controversie di allora, che portarono alla scomunica di Lutero, divennero un trauma originario che ha effetti ancora oggi. L'irritazione evangelica per la persistente pratica cattolica delle indulgenze è anche comprensibile. Oggi nemmeno gli storici cattolici discutono più sul fatto che nel medioevo si creavano inconvenienti gravi che erano causa di controversie sulla pratica delle indulgenze.

Incontestabile che le indulgenze di oggi, almeno nella pratica, non sono più quelle del XVI secolo. Il fatto che l'indulgenza, correttamente intesa e praticata, sia attuale ancora oggi lo ha dimostrato il fatto che, durante l'anno santo del 2000, innumerevoli persone, fra le quali molti giovani, con grande partecipazione interiore, hanno varcato la soglia della Porta Santa per entrare nel nuovo secolo da cristiani consapevoli.

Le critiche e le obiezioni continue dei protestanti su quanto le indulgenze siano antiquate e superate hanno spinto Il Pontificio Consiglio per l'Unità dei Cristiani nel febbraio 2001, subito dopo la chiusura dell'anno santo, a invitare luterani e riformati a un simposio sul tema delle indulgenze, nel quale sono state fornite informazioni oggettive su queste ultime e sulla loro interpretazione attuale. In quell'occasione si è voluto soprattutto eliminare l'obiezione e il sospetto secondo i quali la prassi delle indulgenze farebbe perdere credibilità alla Chiesa cattolica. Infatti con le indulgenze quest'ultima contraddirebbe la "dichiarazione congiunta" con i luterani, da essa stessa emessa, che nel 1999 ad Augusta portò a un accordo sulla questione fondamentale della dottrina della giustificazione.

La pratica delle indulgenze diviene veramente comprensibile soltanto se la si lega sacramento della penitenza. Di fatto l'indulgenza presuppone il pentimento personale e la ricezione dei sacramenti della penitenza e dell'eucaristia. Implica quindi il perdono dei peccati. In realtà non si tratta proprio del perdono dei peccati, ma dell'affievolirsi della pena temporale dei peccati. Quest'ultima non è affatto una punizione inflitta dall'esterno, ma consiste nelle conseguenze e negli effetti immanenti dei peccati. La persona giustificata vive ancora in "questo" mondo, segnato dalle conseguenze e dalle strutture dei peccati, che ognuno prova sul proprio corpo e nella propria vita. Si possono risanare soltanto con un doloroso processo di costante pentimento e superare per mezzo di lotta spirituale permanente. Nessun altro ha descritto tanto efficacemente questa lotta constante come Paolo stesso. Gli atti di penitenza che si compiono nell'indulgenza come strumento di lotta spirituale sono i tre classici elementi biblici: elemosina, digiuno e preghiera. Tuttavia non è così che otteniamo il perdono dei peccati. Questo infatti contrasterebbe essenzialmente con il messaggio paolino della giustificazione tramite la grazia. Si tratta più che altro di forme di penitenza e di lotta spirituale che fanno parte della vita di ogni cristiano. Martin Lutero stesso ha scritto nella sua prima tesi: "Gesù volle che tutta la vita dei fedeli fosse una penitenza". Anche il concilio di Trento ha insegnato che: "Tutta la vita cristiana è un processo permanente di penitenza".

Nella penitenza quotidiana nessuno è solo. Al singolo cristiano giungono in aiuto Gesù Cristo stesso e la communio sanctorum. La Chiesa è il corpo di Cristo. "Quindi se un membro soffre, tutte le membra soffrono insieme" (1 Corinzi, 12, 26). Quando si parla di tesoro della grazia della Chiesa, non si intende alcuna realtà materiale e nemmeno una specie di deposito, al quale la Chiesa può sempre attingere in caso di bisogno. Il tesoro della grazia è in definitiva Gesù Cristo stesso, la sua incommensurabile misericordia e l'infinita soddisfazione, alla quale possiamo partecipare nella Chiesa come suo corpo.

In generale, la pratica dell'indulgenza è sempre esistita nella Chiesa fin dall'inizio. La storia della Chiesa mostra che soprattutto l'intercessione dei martiri, che avevano sofferto atrocemente nelle persecuzioni, aveva un ruolo molto importante nel sacramento della penitenza. Nella Chiesa primitiva le pene temporali per i peccati si "espiavano" attraverso punizioni ecclesiali limitate nel tempo. Grazie all'intercessione dei martiri poteva essere concessa un'indulgenza di 100 o 500 giorni di penitenza. Nel secolo xi, dopo la fine dell'istituto della penitenza della Chiesa primitiva, l'indulgenza assunse la forma attuale. Soprattutto nel tardo medioevo veniva spesso legata a offerte economiche destinate alla Chiesa per i suoi obiettivi. Questo portò a gravi fraintendimenti, che divennero uno dei motivi più importanti della Riforma.

Di conseguenza il concilio di Trento (1545-1563) riformò in modo radicale la prassi delle indulgenze, eliminò i fraintendimenti e raccomandò nella concessione delle indulgenze di attenersi all'uso antico e provato della Chiesa, che già il concilio Lateranense iv (1215) aveva espresso, soprattutto per escludere qualsiasi lucro. Detto questo il Concilio stabilì che l'indulgenza per il popolo cristiano è utile e benefica. Con ciò l'indulgenza fu dichiarata utile, ma non vincolante. Si tratta di un'offerta pastorale della Chiesa di cui ognuno è libero di avvalersi o meno. Attraverso un'elaborazione teologica sistematica e storica la dottrina dell'indulgenza fu approfondita e rinnovata concretamente a opera, fra gli altri, di Bernhard Poschmann e di Karl Rahner. Nel 1967 Paolo VI pubblicò la costituzione apostolica Indulgentiarum doctrina. Purtroppo, questa importante costituzione, poco considerata già al tempo della sua pubblicazione, è ancora oggi quasi sconosciuta. Se la si conoscesse, il dialogo ecumenico sull'indulgenza si porrebbe su una nuova base.

Di particolare interesse è ciò che vi è scritto sul tesoro della grazia: "Non lo si deve considerare come la somma dei beni materiali, accumulati nel corso dei secoli, ma come l'infinito e inesauribile valore che le espiazioni e i meriti di Cristo hanno presso il Padre, lo stesso Cristo redentore, in cui sono e vivono le soddisfazioni e i meriti della sua redenzione. Appartiene inoltre a questo tesoro il valore veramente immenso, incommensurabile e sempre nuovo che presso Dio hanno le preghiere e le buone opere della beata vergine Maria e di tutti i santi, i quali, seguendo le orme di Cristo signore per grazia sua, hanno santificato la loro vita e condotto a compimento la missione affidata loro dal Padre; in tal modo, realizzando la loro salvezza, hanno anche cooperato alla salvezza dei propri fratelli nell'unità del Corpo mistico" (n. 5).

Su questa base, durante il simposio sopra ricordato, si è potuto chiarire che le vecchie polemiche sugli antichi abusi non hanno più motivo d'essere e che gli stereotipi aggiornati non corrispondono più alla realtà di oggi. L'interpretazione attuale dell'indulgenza non corrisponde a quella della giustificazione. Si tratta di un'offerta d'aiuto pastorale e misericordiosa della Chiesa per la penitenza di ogni cristiano.

Tuttavia, il fatto che sorgano sempre malintesi e polemiche è dovuto allo stretto legame fra teologia della penitenza e dell'indulgenza e questioni ecclesiologiche, nelle quali persistono fra le varie confessioni differenze non ancora superate. Ci si chiede sempre se e fino a che punto l'autorità della Chiesa possa concedere indulgenze per decreto e stabilirne le condizioni. Il Papa (e a volte un vescovo) può dunque disporre liberamente dell'aiuto di Gesù Cristo e della communio sanctorum?

Quest'obiezione è rivolta non solo all'indulgenza, ma anche alla interpretazione cattolica del ministero in generale. Si tratta di un problema ecclesiologico di base che riguarda il rapporto fra la Chiesa cattolica e le comunioni ecclesiali riformate. Secondo l'interpretazione cattolica il ministero della Chiesa ha il mandato di agire in persona Christi e di parlare e operare a nome della Chiesa. Per quanto riguarda l'indulgenza non si tratta di un problema speciale e isolato, ma di un problema della Chiesa e del suo ufficio, che anche dopo l'accordo sulla dottrina della giustificazione, esiste ancora fra le Chiese. Una sfida a un ulteriore dialogo.

Quella dell'indulgenza non è una questione marginale della fede e dell'ecumenismo. Ci pone davanti all'espiazione dell'esistenza cristiana, ossia al fatto che la vita è pentimento costante, penitenza e lotta spirituale permanenti. Una vita del genere è possibile soltanto grazie alla forza della grazia inesauribile di Gesù Cristo e al sostegno dell'intera comunità ecclesiale.

Questa idea riesce difficile anche a molti cristiani cattolici. Contrasta con l'imborghesimento dell'essere cristiani, con una vita cristiana soft, che non prende sul serio la realtà dei peccati e delle loro conseguenze e per la quale la salvezza personale non è più un problema. Una difficoltà scaturisce dall'equivoco diffuso e individualistico per cui i cristiani possono vedersela da soli con Dio. Il pentimento e la penitenza sono dunque atti personali, nei quali nessuno può farsi rappresentare. Tuttavia, un cristiano non vive mai da solo, cristiano con altri e per altri. Cristo è uomo nella Chiesa e con la Chiesa per gli altri. Il cristiano vive nella comunità dei santi e per essa con Gesù Cristo.

Quindi l'anno paolino, che incrocia all'inizio il decennio di preparazione alla ricorrenza giubilare di Lutero del 2017, è stata un'occasione per chiarire che la pratica dell'indulgenza, il cui abuso e fraintendimento hanno originato la divisione della Chiesa occidentale, nonostante le persistenti differenze ecclesiologiche, ha di fatto molti più elementi comuni di quanto non sembri. L'indulgenza ricorda la necessità di salvezza e che quest'ultima può realizzarsi solo attraverso Gesù Cristo. Ricorda il carattere di penitenza e di lotta spirituale della vita cristiana. Non vuole essere vincolante, ma un'offerta pastorale utile e benefica per affrontare, con la grazia di Dio e l'aiuto dell'intercessione di tutta la comunione dei santi, la lotta contro il potere e la violenza del male. Perciò non la si dovrebbe banalizzare facendo eccessive concessioni ad argomentazioni che hanno poco a che fare con l'istanza dell'indulgenza stessa.

L'Osservatore Romano
Edizione quotidiana 7 marzo 2009

The Bishops of the Anglican, Evangelical Lutheran, Roman Catholic and Ukrainian Catholic churches in Saskatchewan call on their members and all Saskatchewan citizens to consider with care the issues surrounding the proposed expansion of the uranium industry in Saskatchewan and make their views known to the Government of Saskatchewan.

The Government of Saskatchewan is exploring "value-added" initiatives to expand the uranium industry in our province, including the possibility of a nuclear power plant being built in Saskatchewan. Bruce Power, the country's only private nuclear generating company, has deemed an area of Saskatchewan (roughly from Lloydminster to Prince Albert) to be a potentially suitable site for such a development. In March 2009 a government-appointed panel is expected to make recommendations regarding such initiatives. It is critical that any recommendations be made only after full and open consultation with the people of this province.

The Bishops recognize the global need for urgent action on climate change and the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from coal-burning power plants in Saskatchewan. They appreciate the intention of the Government in proposing nuclear power to reduce emissions. At the same time, they see the necessity for careful examination of the costs and benefits of a range of energy options and encourage the Government to invite public participation in developing a new energy strategy for Saskatchewan.

The Bishops call on Premier Brad Wall, Crown Corporations Minister Ken Cheveldayoff, Environment Minister Nancy Heppner, Energy and Resources Minister Bill Boyd, First Nations Minister June Draude, Enterprise Saskatchewan Minister Lyle Stewart, and the Government of Saskatchewan to provide adequate opportunities for Saskatchewan citizens to engage in open, informed discussion based on unbiased and complete information before the Government acts on recommendations from the nuclear industry or the government-appointed panel.

+Rodney Andrews, Anglican Bishop of Saskatoon
+Bryan Bayda, CSsR, Ukrainian Eparchial Bishop of Saskatoon
+Cynthia G. Halmarson, Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
+Daniel Bohan, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Regina
+Gregory Kerr-Wilson, Anglican Bishop of Qu'Appelle
+Albert Legatt, Roman Catholic Bishop of Saskatoon
+Albert Thévenot, M. Afr., Roman Catholic Bishop of Prince Albert

The English-language declaration explains that the annual meeting of the Joint Committee for Dialogue - an institution established in 1998 - was jointly presided by Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, and by Sheikh Ali Abd al-Baqi Shahata, secretary general of the Academy for Islamic Research of al-Azhar.

The theme of the meeting - "The Promotion of a Pedagogy and Culture of Peace with Particular Reference to the Role of Religions" - was presented from the Catholic point of view by Bernard Sabella, associate professor emeritus of sociology at Bethlehem University, and from the Islamic standpoint by Sheikh Ali Shahata.

A the end of the meeting the participants agreed on the following:

"1. Peace and security are much needed in our present world marked by many conflicts and a feeling of insecurity.

"2. ... No true and lasting peace can be achieved without justice and equality among persons and communities.

"3. Religious leaders, especially Muslims and Christians, have the duty to promote a culture of peace, each within his respective community, especially through teaching and preaching.

"4. A culture of peace should permeate all aspects of life: religious formation, education, interpersonal relations and the arts in their diverse forms. To this end, scholastic books should be revised in order not to contain material which may offend the religious sentiments of other believers, at times through the erroneous presentation of dogmas, morals or history of other religions.

"5. The media have a major role and responsibility in the promotion of positive and respectful relations among the faithful of various religions.

"6. Recognising the strong link between peace and human rights, special attention was given to the defence of the dignity of the human person and his or her rights, especially regarding freedom of conscience and of religion.

"7. Youth, the future of all religions and of humanity itself, need special care in order to be protected from fanaticism and violence, and to become peace builders for a better world.

"8. Mindful of the suffering endured by the peoples of the Middle East due to unresolved conflicts, the participants, in respect of the competence of political leaders, ask to make use, through dialogue, of the resources of international law to solve the problems at stake in truth and justice".

The next meeting of the joint committee is due to be held in Cairo on 23 and 24 February 2010.

Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, the Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, stepped into the row over religious education, which has divided the Canadian province, when he criticised the Ethics and Religious Culture programme. It was implemented last September and has replaced all other RE curricula in the province's state schools and Protestant and Catholic schools.

Eighty-two per cent of Quebec's 7.5 million population are at least nominally Catholic, and boycotts of the course are occurring throughout the province. Cardinal Grocholewski said: "Talking in the same way about all religions is almost like an anti-Catholic education, because this creates a certain relativism." He said this approach could ultimately be anti-religious, since young people are left with the impression that each faith is a fictional narrative. Speaking to the Zenit news agency in Rome, he also said that teaching all religions equally "violates the right of parents to educate their own children according to their own religion".

Some Quebec schools have suspended pupils who take part in the boycotts. Loyola High School, a private Jesuit school in Montreal, is suing the province after its request that it be exempted from teaching the programme because it was "contrary to its faith mission" was denied.

• Read the complete news article in The Tablet, February 28, 2009

[Centro Televisivo Vaticano, February 24, 2009] Mutual understanding and respect: with this theme began today the traditional encounter between the Permanent Committee of Al-Azhar for the Dialogue with Monotheistic Religions and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.The annual reunion of the Joint Committee, ending February 26th, provides the opportunity to examine the specific role of religions in the promotion of a pedagogy and culture of peace between peoples.Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, President of the Vatican dicastery, underlined that truth should always guide dialogue between religions: "The Pope has greatly insisted upon this issue. Dialogue is important, but it should not lead to syncretism or relativism. I always say: interreligious dialogue does not consist in saying that all religions say more or less the same thing. It means that every believer, every searcher of God, has the same dignity. This is interreligious dialogue, in charity, but first of all in truth."

With oil price increases since 2003, commercial production of oil from the Athabasca oil sands has become increasingly attractive. However, the large quantities of water and energy consumed in the process are causing serious environmental concern.

"As the Bishop of the Diocese of St. Paul in north-eastern Alberta, it is my responsibility to provide moral advice and leadership on questions that affect the faithful who live in my diocese", Bishop Bouchard wrote in his letter of 25 January. "It is therefore impossible for me to ignore the moral problem created by the proposed one hundred and fifty billion dollars oil sands developments in the Municipality of Wood Buffalo because these projects are in 'my own backyard,' and have aroused strong ethical criticism."

Based on reports by scientists and environmentalists, the bishop warns that possible water shortages could threaten wildlife and indigenous communities. He adds that by 2011 then existing oil sands plants would burn enough natural gas to annually release an estimated 80 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere – more than the total amount produced by Canada's passenger cars.

The letter, which contains a theological reflection, an assessment of the environmental impact of oil sand development and "An Action Plan to Safeguard Creation", concludes with the hope that the diocese's faithful raise the issue with their parliamentary representatives and in the workplace and "do whatever lies within [their] field of responsibility to safeguard the integrity of creation."

• Read the full text of the letter

Topics include:

Monday, March 2 @ 6:45 pm • Checking the Blueprints -- Listening Anew to the Word of God in Scripture;
Monday, March 9 @ 6:45 pm • Firming Up the Foundation -- Rethinking the nature and mission of the church;
Monday, March 16 @ 6:45 pm • Moving the Walls -- Reimagining the life of worship;
Monday, March 23 @ 6:45 pm • Barn-Raising Together -- Searching for Christian unity; and
Monday, March 30 @ 6:45 pm • Meeting the Neighbours -- Inter-religious relations.

Five Monday evenings beginning March 2 at St. James' Anglican Church, Saskatoon (corner of Dufferin & 12th Street)
Sessions begin at 6:45 pm. No registration required.
Each evening will include prayer, fellowship, an introduction to the theme, and group discussion.

Pour une fois, les défenseurs de la justice économique semblent ne pas être les seuls à reconnaître que la finance mondiale a besoin d'être réformée. La fragilité des bourses du monde entier et les faillites de grandes banques ont convaincu les gouvernements des pays riches de prendre les choses en main, en particulier à cause des répercussions qu'a la crise financière sur l'économie "réelle", qui se traduisent par des licenciements massifs dans des entreprises touchées par le resserrement du crédit et des marchés de la consommation.

"Mais il existe une différence fondamentale de méthodologie entre ceux qui cherchent à refonder le capitalisme financier et ceux qui pensent que l'économie mondiale a besoin d'un nouveau paradigme", affirme l'économiste brésilien Marcos Arruda. "Ce qu'il faut, ce n'est pas simplement quelques règlements par-ci par-là, mais de véritables solutions de remplacement au système actuel, de façon à entraîner une transformation radicale."

Marcos Arruda était l'un des intervenants ayant présenté une nouvelle architecture financière internationale lors d'une table ronde organisée par le Conseil œcuménique des Eglises (COE) pendant le Forum social mondial (FSM) qui s'est tenu récemment à Belém, au Brésil.

Ce Forum est le plus grand rassemblement international du mouvement altermondialiste, qui a pour but de résister à la mondialisation économique par l'exploitation en proposant d'autres formes d'ordre économique et social fondé sur des valeurs éthiques.

La quête de solutions de remplacement viables à l'actuel système financier international fut l'une des principales questions abordées lors du Forum, qui s'est tenu à Belém, au nord-est du Brésil, jusqu'au 1er février. Rassemblant quelque 130 000 militants sociaux de plus de 140 pays sur six jours aux portes de l'Amazonie, le Forum a également mis l'accent sur la crise environnementale et sur ce qu'ont à dire les peuples autochtones.

Viser le cœur du "capitalisme casino"

"Toute solution de remplacement crédible au système financier actuel doit remplir deux conditions préalables fondamentales", explique Martin Gück, de Kairos Europe, un réseau de mouvements de justice liés à l'Eglise. Martin Gück était également l'un des participants de la table ronde organisée par le COE à Belém.

"D'une part, elle doit remédier au déséquilibre de pouvoir dans le système financier actuel, qui favorise des acteurs privés et publics - les banques et les institutions financières internationales - qui n'ont aucune légitimité démocratique et ne rendent aucun compte à la société. D'autre part, la domination de la finance sur l'économie 'réelle' doit prendre fin."

Autrement dit, ce qu'il faut prendre pour cible, c'est le cœur de ce que l'on pourrait appeler "le capitalisme casino". Pour chaque dollar d'une transaction réalisée dans l'économie "réelle" - où les biens et services sont échangés contre de l'argent - 35 dollars sont utilisés pour des transactions d'une nature purement "virtuelle", au moyen d'instruments financiers toujours plus complexes et toujours plus éloignés des produits réels.

Elément indissociable, le principe de la valeur actionnariale doit être inversé. Résumé par Milton Friedman, l'un des pères de l'économie néolibérale, ce principe soutient que "la seule responsabilité d'une entreprise est d'augmenter les profits de ses actionnaires".

Selon Martin Gück, "il n'est plus acceptable que seuls les intérêts des actionnaires - y compris la maximisation des profits à court terme - soient pris en compte lors de la prise de décision des entreprises multinationales."

Des solutions à une crise systémique

A Belém, une vingtaine d'organisations de la société civile et de réseaux se préoccupant de justice économique ont pu se mettre d'accord sur un certain nombre de propositions concrètes visant à réformer le système financier actuel. Aussi complexe que soit le système, les solutions proposées sont également variées et, parfois même, de nature relativement technique.

Cependant, la base est claire: "Mettre les Nations Unies au centre de la résolution de la crise financière", bien qu'il soit nécessaire de réformer et démocratiser l'organisation, explique Marta Ruiz, du Réseau européen sur la dette et le développement (Eurodad), qui était la porte-parole de la réunion sur la crise financière à Belém.

Au nombre des propositions clés figurent notamment la mise en place de mécanismes permettant le contrôle des flux internationaux de capitaux, un système monétaire international fondé sur des monnaies de réserve régionales, le contrôle par les citoyens des banques et des institutions financières, la généralisation de l'impôt progressif aux niveaux national et international, l'interdiction des fonds spéculatifs et des marchés non réglementés, l'éradication de la spéculation sur les produits primaires, notamment la nourriture et le démantèlement des paradis fiscaux.

A Belém, les militants se sont accordés pour dire que la crise n'est pas simplement financière, mais systémique, et qu'elle englobe de nombreuses crises, qui touchent l'environnement, les structures sociales et politiques, ainsi que l'approvisionnement en nourriture et en énergie. En raison de cette complexité, les solutions ne sauraient être de nature exclusivement financière.

"Derrière la crise financière il faut que nous prenions en compte la crise écologique", affirme Bertille Darragon, une militante écologiste française. Selon elle, il faut abandonner le modèle de la croissance économique illimitée et commencer à penser en termes de décroissance, c'est-à-dire la réduction de la consommation des ressources et de l'énergie, en commençant par les plus riches, mais en incluant les classes moyennes du Nord et du Sud.

"Nous devons opérer un changement de mode de vie", approuve Wilfried Steen, pasteur protestant et directeur exécutif du Service des Eglises évangéliques en Allemagne pour le développement (EED). "En Allemagne, notre niveau de consommation nécessiterait 1,3 planète pour être durable. Cela doit changer. D'un point de vue théologique, chaque être humain a sa place dans la création de Dieu, donc chacun a le même droit de vivre et de consommer."

Les autres modèles de développement doivent être "menés par le peuple, motivés par la demande locale et fondés sur l'intégration régionale", affirme Percy Makombe, du Réseau pour la justice économique de l'Association des conseils chrétiens d'Afrique australe (FOCCISA).

De l'avis de Percy Makombe, les pays africains devraient se "désolidariser" des systèmes financiers et commerciaux mondiaux, en rejetant les accords bilatéraux et de libre échange et même en renonçant à toute nouvelle aide des pays développés.

"Nous dépendons énormément de l'aide étrangère", déclare Percy Makombe. "Or comme elle passe à travers les institutions financières internationales comme la Banque mondiale et le Fonds monétaire international, pour que nous puissions recevoir cette aide, nous sommes contraints d'ouvrir nos marchés et de mettre en péril notre souveraineté alimentaire, si bien qu'en fin de compte, on nous siphonne les richesses de l'Afrique."

Réforme au sein du système et réforme du système

Puisqu'il est évident que la finance internationale ne peut être remaniée du jour au lendemain, la question qui se pose est: sous quelle forme les changements interviendront-ils et d'où proviendront-ils? Deux éléments permettent de répondre à cette question.

D'une part, il est impératif de "créer de nouvelles formes 'd'économie solidaire' sur la base de la collectivité au sein de l'ancien système", explique Marcos Arruda, "des formes qui ne soient pas motivées par une logique de profit individuel et qui soient durables d'un point de vue environnemental et intergénérationnel".

D'autre part, "nous devons nous assurer que nos propositions de remplacement soient assimilées et prises au sérieux", affirme Rogate Mshana, un économiste tanzanien travaillant au Conseil œcuménique des Eglises.

Même s'ils pensent que le "G20" (les huit pays les plus industrialisés de la planète et 12 des plus grandes économies émergeantes) n'est pas vraiment en mesure de mettre en œuvre une transformation radicale, un grand nombre des militants réunis à Belém chercheront à promouvoir leurs idées lors de la réunion des dirigeants du G20, début avril.

Selon Rogate Mshana, "personne n'a de plans concrets pour un nouveau modèle de finance internationale. Mais tout comme le système actuel n'est pas le résultat d'un plan concret mais d'un processus élaboré étape par étape à travers le temps, nous devons faire pression pour que des réformes soient mises en place à différents niveaux afin de permettre la transformation. Les organisations de la société civile et les Eglises du monde entier ont une contribution majeure à apporter à cet égard."

(*) Juan Michel est le responsable des relations du COE avec les médias.

• Documents audio: extraits des interviews d'experts cités dans cet article (en français, anglais et espagnol)
• Forum social mondial - galerie de photos
• Appel d'ONG réunies à Belém sur la crise financière
• Travaux du COE sur la mondialisation économique
• Présence œcuménique au FSM 2009 (en portugais)
• Site officiel du Forum social mondial

For once, advocates for economic justice seem not to be alone in recognizing the need for changes in global finances. Stock markets faltering around the planet and giant banks falling into bankruptcy have convinced governments of the richest countries that they have to do something, especially as the financial crisis impacts the "real" economy with massive lay-offs in companies affected by the global credit crunch and shrinking consumer markets.

"But there is a fundamental difference of approach between those who try to refund financial capitalism and those who see a need for a shift of paradigm in the world's economy," says Brazilian economist Marcos Arruda from the Institute on Policy Alternatives for the Southern Cone (PACS). "What is needed is not just some regulations here and there, but real alternatives to the current system which represent a profound transformation."

Arruda was a speaker on proposals for a new international financial architecture at a panel discussion sponsored by the World Council of Churches (WCC) during the recent World Social Forum in Belém, Brazil. This forum is the biggest global gathering of the "alter-globalization" movement, which seeks to resist exploitative economic globalization, instead promoting alternative, value-based forms of social and economic organization.

The quest for viable alternatives to the current global financial system was one of the main issues discussed at the event that took place in the northeastern Brazilian city of Belém, ending on 1 February. Gathering 130,000 social activists from more than 140 countries over six days at the gateway of the Amazon region, the forum also highlighted the environmental crisis and the voices of indigenous peoples.

Aiming at the heart of "casino capitalism"

"Meaningful alternatives to current global finances need to fulfil two fundamental requisites," says Martin Gück, from Kairos Europe, a network of church-related justice movements. Gück was also a speaker at the WCC-sponsored panel in Belém.

"On the one hand, they have to reverse the imbalance of power in the current financial market system, which favours private and public actors - banks and international financial institutions - that are neither legitimized democratically nor accountable to the society. On the other hand, the dominion of finances over the 'real' economy must end."

In other words, what needs to be targeted is the heart of so-called "casino, or gambling, capitalism". For each dollar involved in transactions within the "real" economy - where products or services are exchanged in return for money - there are 35 dollars involved in transactions of a purely "virtual" nature through financial instruments ever more complicated and farther removed from real goods.

The other side of that coin, the so-called shareholder value principle, needs to be turned upside down. Summarized in the dictum of Milton Friedman, one of the fathers of neoliberal economics, the principle maintains that "a company's only responsibility is to increase profits for its shareholders".

According to Gück, "It is no longer acceptable that only the interests of shareholders - and even those understood exclusively in terms of maximization of short-term profits - are taken into account when international companies make decisions."

Solutions to a systemic crisis

In Belém, some 20 civil society organizations and networks concerned with economic justice issues were able to agree on a number of concrete proposals to reform the current global financial system. Complex as the system is, the proposed alternatives are also varied and, sometimes, of a quite technical nature.

However, the basics are clear: "We call for the United Nations, reformed and democratized, to be put at the centre of the reform of the financial system," says Marta Ruiz of the European Network on Debt and Development (Eurodad), who acted as spokesperson for the financial crisis caucus in Belém.

The list of key proposals includes mechanisms to control international capital flows, an international monetary system based on regional reserve currencies, citizens' control of banks and financial institutions, progressive taxation schemes both at national and international levels, prohibition of speculative funds and non-regulated markets, eradication of speculation on primary products including food and elimination of tax havens.

The crisis is not just financial but systemic, the activists in Belém agreed, and it encompasses multiple crises affecting the environment, social and political structures, food and energy supplies. Owing to this complexity, the solutions cannot be only of a financial nature.

"Behind the financial crisis is the ecological one," says Bertille Darragon, a French ecological activist. "We need to abandon the model of unlimited economic growth and start thinking in terms of 'de-growth' décroissance - that is, to decrease the consumption of resources and energy, beginning with the very rich but including the middle classes both in the North and the South."

"A change in our life-style is needed," agrees Wilfried Steen, a Protestant pastor who is executive director of the German Church Development Service (EED). "We Germans have a level of consumption that would require 1.3 planets to be sustainable. That needs to change. From a theological viewpoint every human being has a place in God's creation, so all have the same right to live and to consume."

An alternative development model needs to be "people-led, driven by local demand and based upon regional integration," says Percy Makombe, from the economic justice network of the Fellowship of Christian Councils in Southern Africa (FOCCISA).

In Makombe's view, African countries should "de-link" themselves from the global financial and trade systems, rejecting bilateral and free trade agreements and even repudiating any further aid from developed countries.

"We rely heavily on foreign aid," says Makombe. "But as it is channelled through international financial institutions like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, in order to receive that aid we are forced to open up our markets and put at risk our food sovereignty, and so the whole process ends up siphoning wealth out of Africa."

Reform within the system and reform of the system

Since it is clear that global finances cannot be overhauled overnight, a pressing question is how and where the changes will come from. The answer could be a two-way approach.

On the one hand it is necessary "to create at the local level new forms of 'solidarity economy' within the old system," Arruda says, "forms that are not driven by the logic of private profit and that are sustainable from an environmental and intergenerational perspective".

On the other hand, "we need to make sure that our alternative proposals become mainstream and are taken seriously," says Rogate Mshana, a Tanzanian economist working on the staff of the World Council of Churches.

Even if they do not believe the so-called Group of 20 nations - the eight richest countries plus 12 of the largest emerging economies - can actually put in place a radical transformation, many of the activists gathered in Belém will press their agenda at the meeting of the G20 leaders in early April.

According to Mshana, "nobody has a blue-print for a new model of a global financial system. But as the current system is not the result of some blue-print but of an accumulative step-by-step process along time, so we need to press for transformative reforms at different levels; civil society organizations and churches around the world have a lot to contribute in this regard."

(*) Juan Michel is the WCC media relations officer.

• Listen to short interviews with the experts quoted in this feature
• World Social Forum - photo gallery
• Call from the financial crisis caucus in Belém
• WCC work on economic globalization
• Ecumenical presence at the 2009 WSF (in Portuguese)
• World Social Forum - official website

La réintégration par le pape de Richard Williamson, membre de la Fraternité sacerdotale Saint Pie X, a été décidée peu avant une interview télévisée de la télévision suédoise montrant Richard Williamson nier que des juifs ont péri dans des chambres à gaz nazies pendant la seconde guerre mondiale. Ce scandale continue de susciter des critiques acerbes en Allemagne. Certains Allemands ont été surpris lorsque la chancelière Angela Merkel, qui se tient généralement à l'écart de ce genre de polémiques, est entrée dans le débat.

"Si une décision du Vatican permet de laisser penser que l'holocauste peut-être nié, il est nécessaire d'agir", a déclaré Angela Merkel le 3 février. "Le pape et le Vatican doivent affirmer très clairement qu'aucun déni de la sorte n'est tolérable", a-t-elle ajouté. Bien que la chancelière allemande soit protestante, de nombreux membres de son parti, l'Union démocrate-chrétienne (CDU), sont catholiques romains.

Le 4 février, le Vatican a indiqué que le souverain pontife ignorait les penchants négationnistes de Richard Williamson lorsqu'il a levé son excommunication en janvier. Dans un communiqué officiel, le Vatican a affirmé que les propos de Richard Williams niant l'holocauste étaient "absolument inacceptables et fermement rejetés par le Saint Père".

Le communiqué ajoutait : "L'évêque Williamson doit se distancier de façon catégorique et publique de ses propos sur l'holocauste."

Le théologien suisse Hans Küng, qui a enseigné avec le pape - alors Joseph Ratzinger - à l'Université de Tübingen dans les années 1960, a déclaré à l'hebdomadaire Der Spiegel : "Le problème fondamental, c'est le pape lui-même, pour qui la question porte essentiellement sur ce qu'il considère comme la vérité et pouvoir de sa propre Eglise. Ce faisant, il cause un grave préjudice aux relations de l'Eglise avec les autres religions chrétiennes. Il a d'abord insulté les musulmans, et maintenant, il a aussi profondément irrité les juifs."

Fin janvier, Robert Zollitsch, président de la Conférence épiscopale d'Allemagne, s'est plaint : "On ne nous a rien demandé, on ne nous a pas informé à l'avance." Le prédécesseur de Robert Zollitsch, le cardinal Karl Lehmann, de Mayence, a, au cours d'une interview du 2 février, qualifié la décision du pape de "catastrophique" et a exigé des excuses claires de la part d'une personne "occupant une position élevée" au sein de l'Eglise.

« Cette décision signifie que les réfugiés ne pourront pas se faire entendre par un tribunal » a dit Elizabeth McWeeny, présidente du CCR. « Dans les faits, les États-Unis ne sont pas un pays sûr pour tous les réfugiés, nous déplorons donc profondément que la Cour suprême n'ait pas saisi l'occasion de s'assurer que le Canada fournit aux réfugiés la protection dont ils ont besoin pour ne pas être refoulés vers la persécution. »

La Cour suprême du Canada était appelée à déterminer si l'Entente canado-américaine sur les tiers pays sûrs est inconstitutionnelle et viole les droits des réfugiés.

Les trois organisations en appelaient de la décision de la Cour d'appel fédérale sur l'Entente sur les tiers pays sûrs. La Cour d'appel a invalidé une décision antérieure de la Cour fédérale qui avait abrogé l'Entente, sur la base que les États-Unis ne se conforment pas à leurs obligations internationales en matière de droits de la personne.

Les organisations soulignent que la Cour d'appel fédérale n'a pas contesté la conclusion de la première instance quant à la non-conformité : elle a plutôt décidé que le fait que le juge de première instance a conclu que « les États-Unis ne se conforment pas [traduction] « effectivement » aux Conventions n'est pas pertinent. »

Les tribunaux permettent ainsi le maintien en vigueur de l'Entente sur les tiers pays sûrs, malgré le fait que le seul tribunal ayant jugé la question ait conclu que les États-Unis violent leurs obligations de ne pas refouler les réfugiés vers la persécution et de ne pas refouler quiconque vers la torture. Les organisations tenteront de trouver d'autres avenues juridiques pour contester le renvoi injuste de demandeurs d'asile aux États-Unis.

Les organisations et John Doe ont entrepris la contestation judiciaire de l'Entente sur les tiers pays sûrs en décembre 2005. La plupart des demandeurs d'asile qui arrivent au Canada à la frontière avec les États-Unis n'ont pas le droit d'être entendus au Canada. Or, les groupes ont fait valoir que, parmi les demandeurs ainsi refoulés, certains ne peuvent pas obtenir l'asile aux États-Unis, parce que ceux-ci ne respectent pas leurs obligations internationales envers les réfugiés.

Pour plus d'informations, veuillez contacter :

• Colleen French, Conseil canadien pour les réfugiés, 514 277-7223, poste 1
• Beth Berton-Hunter, Amnesty International Canada, 416-363-9933 poste 32, (416) 904-7158 cell
• Karen Hamilton, Conseil canadien des Églises, 416 972 9494 poste 22

Voir également la page du Conseil canadien pour les réfugiés sur le Tiers pays sûr.

"This decision means that refugees will not have their day in court," said Elizabeth McWeeny, CCR President. "The US is not in fact safe for all refugees, so we deeply regret that the Supreme Court has not taken this opportunity to ensure that Canada provides refugees the protection they need from forced return to persecution."

The Supreme Court of Canada was being asked by the three organizations to determine whether the Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement is unconstitutional and violates refugees' rights. The organizations were appealing the Federal Court of Appeal's ruling on the Safe Third Country Agreement. The appeal court overturned an earlier Federal Court decision which struck down the Agreement on the grounds that the United States does not comply with international human rights obligations.

The organizations note that the Federal Court of Appeal did not dispute the lower court's finding of non-compliance: instead it ruled that the conclusion "that the US does not 'actually' comply is irrelevant." The courts have therefore permitted the continued operation of the Safe Third Country Agreement, despite the fact that the only court to rule on the question found that the US is in violation of its obligations not to send refugees back to persecution, or anyone back to torture. The organizations will be seeking other avenues to challenge through the courts the unjust removal of refugee claimants to the US.

The organizations and John Doe launched the legal challenge to the Safe Third Country Agreement in December 2005. Under the Agreement, most refugee claimants arriving in Canada at the US border are ineligible to make a claim in Canada. The organizations argued that some of those denied entry to Canada are not able to receive protection in the US, because the US does not comply with its international obligations towards refugees.

For further information, please contact:

• Colleen French, Canadian Council for Refugees: 514-277-7223 ext. 1
• Beth Berton-Hunter, Amnesty International Canada: 416-363-9933 ext. 32, (416) 904-7158 cell
• Karen Hamilton, Canadian Council of Churches, 416 972 9494 ext 22

See also the Canadian Council for Refugees' page on Safe Third Country.

Des centaines de hiérarques en habits dorés, le président russe Dmitri Medvedev et le Premier ministre Vladimir Poutine ont assisté à la cérémonie de trois heures et demie, en compagnie d'une délégation du Vatican menée par le cardinal Walter Kasper. Le secrétaire général du Conseil œcuménique des Eglises, le pasteur Samuel Kobia, était également présent lors de l'intronisation du premier patriarche élu depuis la chute de l'Union soviétique.

Dans son premier sermon en tant que patriarche, Kirill Ier a souligné l'importance de l'unité de l'Eglise, qui a été menacée par des appels lancés en Ukraine en faveur d'une rupture avec Moscou, et par une dissidence en Russie même concernant les liens de l'Eglise avec d'autres Eglises.

"Le patriarche est le garant de l'unité interne de l'Eglise et, avec ses frères de l'épiscopat, il est le gardien de la pureté de la foi", a-t-il déclaré.

Il a ensuite évoqué l'effondrement de l'Empire russe puis de l'Union soviétique. Ces événements continuent d'affecter l'Eglise orthodoxe russe, a affirmé Kirill, car son territoire s'étend au-delà des frontières de la Fédération de Russie actuelle.

"Le patriarche est le protecteur des frontières canoniques de l'Eglise. Ce ministère revêt une importance particulière dans la situation qui s'est constituée après la naissance d'Etats indépendants sur le territoire de la 'Rus historique'," a affirmé le nouveau patriarche.

Illustrant l'évolution des relations entre l'Eglise et l'Etat depuis la chute du communisme, Dmitri Medvedev et Vladimir Poutine étaient bien en vue dans cette cathédrale rasée sur l'ordre du dictateur Joseph Staline en 1931, puis reconstruite à l'identique dans les années 1990.

Vladimir Poutine et Dmitri Medvedev sont entrés dans le retable pour assister à l'ascension de Kirill sur le trône patriarcal. A la fin de la célébration, Dmitri Medvedev a prononcé un bref discours dans lequel il a exprimé l'espoir que l'intronisation de Kirill ouvrirait la voie à un dialogue plus étroit entre l'Eglise et l'Etat. Le rôle du patriarche, a-t-il déclaré, est particulièrement important en Russie.

Kirill Ier a été élu dans cette même cathédrale le 27 janvier par un conseil d'évêques, de prêtres, de moines et de laïcs de l'Eglise orthodoxe russe. Il succède au patriarche Alexis II, décédé le 5 décembre après avoir mené l'Eglise dès la fin de la période soviétique.

Les critiques de Kirill, qui ont soutenu les deux autres principaux candidats - le métropolite Clément de Kaluga et Borovsk et le métropolite Filaret de Minsk - affirment que le nouveau patriarche trempe dans des scandales remontant aux années 1990, liés à des réductions d'impôts sur l'alcool et le tabac, accordées à l'Eglise pour soutenir son redressement. On lui a également reproché d'être trop ostentatoire, trop porté sur les médias et trop politique.

"Il ne fait aucun doute qu'il est plus politique qu'Alexis", a déclaré Nikolaï Mitrokhine, un spécialiste de l'Eglise orthodoxe russe au Centre pour les études est-européennes de l'Université de Brême, en Allemagne. Nikolaï Mitrokhine a souligné que Kirill est, en tant que patriarche de Moscou, le président du Conseil mondial du peuple russe, une organisation nationaliste, et qu'il parle constamment de la "Sainte Rus".

In a private audience at Lambeth Palace the Archbishop paid warm tribute to the theological acumen and spiritual discernment that Monsignor Bolen had put unreservedly at the service of Anglican–Roman Catholic relations during his seven-year assignment to the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity in Rome.

He expressed the debt of gratitude owed by the Anglican Communion, the members of the international commissions of the dialogue, and successive Archbishops of Canterbury and their Representatives to the Holy See for his friendship and dedication.

The Archbishop said, 'Monsignor Bolen has for many years been far more than an able facilitator of Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue. He has been a friend and colleague whose deep commitment to the possibilities of ecumenical dialogue and our common witness to the truths of the gospel has been unflagging and inspirational. This award is a small sign of the regard -- affectionate and admiring -- in which Don is held and a sign of my personal appreciation of his work and friendship in recent years.'

A priest of the Archdiocese of Regina (Saskatchewan, Canada), from 2001-2008 Monsignor Bolen was the Vatican's officer for relations with the Anglican Communion and the World Methodist Council. In this capacity he served as the co-secretary of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC), the Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission (IARCCUM) and the Joint International Commission for Dialogue Between the World Methodist Council and the Roman Catholic Church. He also served on the international commission responsible for preparing texts for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

He currently holds the Nash Chair in Religion at Campion College, Regina, Saskatchewan, and looks forward to resuming parish ministry in the summer of 2009.

The Cross of St Augustine was founded by Archbishop Michael Ramsey. It was first awarded by him on 19 February 1965. It is a circular medallion bearing a replica of the eighth-century Cross of Canterbury and on the reverse side is an engraving of the throne of St Augustine in Canterbury Cathedral.

This cross has historically been awarded to clergy and lay people of other Christian churches who have contributed conspicuously to advancing friendly relations with the Anglican Communion. More recently it has also been given for outstanding service within the Anglican Communion itself.

Les autorités de l'Eglise ont déclaré après l'élection que Kirill, 62 ans, avait raflé 508 voix lors d'un vote à bulletin secret du conseil de l'Eglise locale organisé à Moscou le 27 janvier, tandis que son adversaire, Clément de Kaluga et Borovsk n'avait obtenu que 169 voix. A l'élection participaient plus de 702 membres du clergé, moines et laïcs orthodoxes de 64 pays.

"J'accepte et remercie le conseil de l'Eglise locale de m'avoir élu patriarche de Moscou et de toute la Russie", a déclaré Kirill après l'annonce des résultats de l'élection et avant de célébrer une cérémonie religieuse.

Son élection a été saluée par les responsables d'organisations œcuméniques à Genève.

Le secrétaire général du Conseil œcuménique des Eglises, le pasteur Samuel Kobia, a déclaré dans un communiqué du 28 janvier : "Nous saluons le responsable d'Eglise qui a joué un rôle important en matière de dialogue interreligieux et de relations internationales et nous prions pour que le patriarche de l'Eglise orthodoxe russe continue à parler au monde ouvertement et courageusement, franchement et avec compassion."

Le secrétaire général de la Conférence des Eglises européennes, l'archidiacre Colin Williams (KEK), espère que l'élection de Kirill permettra un retour de l'Eglise russe au sein de la KEK, après qu'elle en eut suspendu sa participation en 2008.

Cette rupture a pour cause la décision de l'Eglise orthodoxe d'Estonie de passer sous l'autorité du Patriarcat œcuménique de Constantinople. La décision avait entraîné une rupture provisoire de la communion entre Alexis II et le Patriarche œcuménique Bartholomée Ier.

L'Eglise orthodoxe russe a annoncé en octobre 2008 son retrait de la KEK, en raison d'un différend portant sur l'admission de l'Eglise orthodoxe estonienne liée au Patriarcat œcuménique, alors que l'organisation n'avait jamais accepté d'accueillir l'Eglise orthodoxe estonienne liée au Patriarcat de Moscou.

"A la Conférence des Eglises européennes, nous avons eu ces dernières années de bonnes raisons d'être reconnaissants envers votre propre engagement sur la route de l'œcuménisme", a déclaré l'archidiacre Williams. "Nous avons hâte de poursuivre notre voyage sur cette route avec vous. Nous sommes disposés à travailler avec vous afin de garantir une participation totale de l'Eglises orthodoxe russe dans la vie de la KEK, surtout avant et pendant la 13e Assemblée de la KEK à Lyon en juillet."

Kirill Ier sera installé le 2 février en tant que successeur du patriarche d'Alexis II, qui était à la tête de l'Eglise depuis 1990 et qui est décédé le 5 décembre. Il fut l'artisan du renouveau de l'Eglise après la chute du communisme et plusieurs décennies d'athéisme institutionnalisé pendant la période soviétique.

Fils de prêtre, Kirill est né à Leningrad, aujourd'hui Saint-Pétersbourg. Il a dirigé pendant près de vingt ans le Département des relations extérieures de la plus grande Eglise orthodoxe au monde.

De nombreux observateurs pensent que les relations de Kirill avec les autorités russes seront aussi cruciales que ses relations avec les autres Eglises, qu'il a par le passé favorisées. Sa relation avec l'Eglise catholique romaine revêtira également une importance particulière. Kirill avait rencontré le pape Benoît XVI en décembre 2007.

[Radio Vaticano • January 28, 2009 • excerpted] In his weekly audience Pope Benedict categorically condemned all attempts to deny the Holocaust and explained the reasons for the lifting of the excommunication of four bishops from the fraternity of St. Pius X.

Speaking in Italian following his catechesis on St. Paul, Pope Benedict immediately addressed an issue that has been dominating international media this week: The Holy See's decision to lift the excommunication of four bishops from the Fraternity of St. Pius X.

"In the homily I pronounced at the outset of my Pontificate" began the Pope", "I affirmed that the call to unity is the "explicit" duty of a Pastor". Moreover, he added, it is the a qualifying aspect of the ministry of St. Peter's Successor. Pope Benedict said that he arrived at his decision to lift the excommunication of the four prelates, because they had made known to him on repeated occasions "the suffering caused them by their situation". "I decided to carry out this act out of paternal mercy" he said, adding that he hopes his gesture will lead to their commitment "to realise full communion with the Church, by their fidelity to and full recognition of the Magisterium and authority of the Pope and the Second Vatican Council".

Pope Benedict's thoughts then turned to the Shoah, the memorial of which was celebrated this week. He said "the memories and images of my many visits to Auschwitz come back to me in these days, a death camp in which blind racial and religious hatred led to the ferocious extermination of millions of Jews and other innocent victims".

Then Pope Benedict firmly said "While I renew my affection for and complete solidarity with our Brothers of the First Alliance, I urge that the memory of the Shoah lead humanity to reflect on the unforeseeable power of evil when it conquers the Human Heart. May the Shoah be a warning to all against oblivion, against denial or revisionism, because violence committed against any one single human being is violence against all humanity. No man is an island, a well known poet once wrote. The Shoah teaches both the new and older generations, that only the demanding journey of listening and dialogue, of love and forgiveness can lead the world's peoples, cultures and religions towards the desired goal of brotherhood and peace in truth. Never again may violence humiliate the dignity of man!".

• Listen to this Radio Vaticano news report in Real Audio

Pope says no one can deny Holocaust, expresses solidarity with Jews

[Luigi Sandri • Rome • ENI • January 28, 2009] Pope Benedict XVI says he has "full and unquestionable solidarity" with Jewish people and he has warned against any form of Holocaust denial. The Pope's statement comes after outrage at his recent reinstatement of an excommunicated bishop, who has said the genocide of Jews in gas chambers never took place.

The German-born pontiff was speaking at his weekly audience on 28 January following an international outcry about British-born Richard Williamson, who was among four bishops who had been excommunicated for opposing reforms in the Roman Catholic Church 20 years earlier.

"While I renew with affection the expression of my full and unquestionable solidarity with our [Jewish] brothers, I hope the memory of the Shoah [Hebrew for Holocaust] will induce humanity to reflect on the unpredictable power of hate when it conquers the heart of man."

In an interview conducted in November and broadcast by Swedish television a week ago, Williamson had said: "I believe there were no gas chambers" and he had said that that no more than 300 000 Jews perished under the Nazis. "The historical evidence is hugely against six million Jews having been deliberately gassed in gas chambers as a deliberate policy by Adolf Hitler," Williamson had said.

The Pope said that the traditionalist movement to which the four bishops belonged would need to be loyal to the papacy and the teachings of the 1962 to 1965 Second Vatican Council, which the four had rejected along with others known as Lefebvrists after their leader, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre of France.

At the end of his general audience, Benedict said: "I remember my visit to Auschwitz, one of the concentration camps in which took place the vicious extermination of millions of Jews, innocent victims of blind racial and religious hate." He added, "Nobody can deny the Shoah."

Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See press office, commented: "The words of the Pope on Shoah should be more than sufficient to answer to the expectations of those who express doubts on the positions of the pope and of the Catholic Church on this matter".

Williamson, who is aged 68, was among four bishops excommunicated because Lefebvre, founder of the Society of Pius X that opposed the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, had consecrated them as bishops.

"The statements of Monsignor Williamson do not reflect in any way the position of our society," Bernard Fellay, who now heads the Society of Pius X, wrote in a letter to the Pope that was distributed to journalists at the Vatican.

Jewish leaders had said the reinstatement of Williamson threatened decades of interfaith dialogue and that it could jeopardise a planned trip to the Holy Land by Pope Benedict later this year.

Metropolitan Kirill garnered 508 (72%) out of the 702 votes during the election on Tuesday. To be elected Patriarch, a candidate had to be supported by more than half of the delegates.

Another 169 votes (24%) went to Metropolitan Kliment of Kaluga and Borovsk.

Metropolitan Filaret of Minsk and Slutsk, who was also nominated for Patriarch by the Bishops' Council several days ago, had withdrawn from the elections in favor of Metropolitan Kirill about two hours before the voting.

Out of the 702 ballots given out to the delegates for voting, 700 were retrieved from the ballot box, and 677 of them were found valid and the other 23 invalid.

Metropolitan Isidor of Yekaterinodar and Kuban, the head of the tabulation board, proclaimed the result of the voting from the ambo of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

The belfry of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior announced the election of the 16th patriarch of Moscow and All Russia by a peal of bells. The Czars' Bell started tolling first, and then all the other bells played a historic melody dating back to the 17th century. The Reut, one of the oldest bells in the Kremlin, also started chiming immediately after the voting result was announced.

[Moscow • ENI] Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad has been elected as the new head of the Moscow Patriarchate in the Orthodox Church after serving a period as interim leader and following an election in which he got an overwhelming majority of votes.

Church officials said after the election on 27 January that the 62-year-old Kirill garnered 508 votes in a secret ballot of the Local Church Council in Moscow while his challenger Metropolitan Kliment of Kaluga and Borovsk got 169 votes. The election involved more than 702 Russian Orthodox clergymen, monks and laymen from 64 countries.

"I accept and thank the Local Church Council for my election as Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia," Kirill said after the election results were announced and before leading the congregation in a church service.

Kirill will be installed on 2 February as the successor to Moscow Patriarch Alexei II, who had headed the church from 1990 and died on 5 December after leading a revival of the church in a post-Soviet era revival of Orthodoxy after decades of atheism being at the fore under communism.

The son of a priest, Kirill was born in Leningrad which reverted to its old name St. Petersburg after the end of the Soviet Union and he had headed the external relations department of the world's largest Orthodox church for almost 20 years.

Many observers believe Kirill's relationship with the Russian State will be as crucial as his relations with other churches, which he has in the past favoured and also his relationship with the Roman Catholic Church following a meeting he had with Pope Benedict XVI in December 2007.

Russian Orthodox Church elects new patriarch with long-standing ecumenical commitment

[WCC News • January 28, 2009] In a letter congratulating Metropolitan Kyrill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad on his election as the new patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia expressed the appreciation of the worlwide ecumenical fellowship for this "outstanding Orthodox theologian, leader and hierarch".

"We give thanks for your friendship and companionship in the area of inter-Christian relations and we pray that your commitment to the dialogue, deep knowledge of the present ecclesial and ecumenical developments and challenges, and critical, yet constructive attitude will strengthen the relationships between the divided churches and their common witness within a world in search of values," Kobia wrote.

"We recognize the church leader who has played an important role in the realm of inter-religious dialogue and international relations and we pray that the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church will continue to speak to the world openly and courageously, frankly and caringly, promoting and defending the human person, every human person, created in the image and likeness of God", the letter dated 28 January continues.

The 62-year-old Kyrill was elected with an overwhelming majority of votes at a 27 January meeting of the church's local council, which is made up of more than 700 priests, monks and laypeople representing each diocese and foreign mission of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Kyrill had headed the external relations department of the world's largest Orthodox church for almost 20 years. He also served as permanent representative of the Moscow Patriarchate to the WCC in the 1970s and as member of the WCC Executive and Central Committees – the Council's governing bodies in the years between its assemblies – from 1975 to 1998.

Kobia also announced he will be attending the 2 February ceremony during which Kyrill will be installed as the successor to Moscow Patriarch Alexy II, who had headed the church from 1990 until his death on 5 December 2008.

• Full text of the letter: http://www.oikoumene.org/?id=6574
• Russian Orthodox Church: http://www.mospat.ru

The Covenant also marks the addition of a new church to the sponsorship of the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism. After many of years of partnership with other churches in the ecumenical community, the Mennonite Church Saskatchewan has joined together with the Anglican Diocese of Saskatoon, the Saskatchewan Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Presbytery of Northern Saskatchewan in the Presbyterian Church in Canada, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon, the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saskatoon, and the Riverbend Presbytery of the United Church of Canada.

The Prairie Centre for Ecumenism was established in 1984 by the Roman Catholic diocese, and was re-established under interchurch sponsorship in 1988. In this 25th anniversary year, the PCE is also marking the 50th year of the ecumenical ministry of Fr. Bernard de Margerie, our founder.

Sermon given at the Covenanting service by the Rev. Amanda Currie [33:45]

Signing of the Covenant [8:02]

Fr. Bernard de Margerie - A Life in Ecumenism [20:35]

As representatives of the sponsoring denominations of the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism, we join in celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary. We give thanks for its accomplishments in the past, and recognize the Centre's ongoing work as an expression of our churches' desire for growth in unity, love and service with all of Christ's followers.

Giving thanks to God for the substantial growth in love and understanding among our church communities in recent decades, we acknowledge that the goal of Christian unity and reconciliation still lies before us. We recognize the ecumenical task as an important part of our Christian vocation. Therefore:

• We commit ourselves to continue to walk together in love, grace and truth in the future.
• We agree to encourage local action for Christian unity and reconciliation among the Christian communities who look to us for leadership.
• We will strive to raise up new advocates for Christian unity and reconciliation among the emerging generations of God's people.
• We resolve to support the work of the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism as a vital expression of our call to Christian unity and reconciliation. We will advance its work by our prayers, our personal involvement in its programs, by encouraging our diocese, presbytery or area church to provide members for its Board, and financial support to the best of its ability.

Our prayer is that this covenant will help to advance the full communion of the Church as willed by Jesus Christ. We pray for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit so that we may be faithful to this covenant to the glory of God and the advancement of God's Kingdom.

Dated this 25th day of January, in the year of our Lord 2009, at Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Rt. Rev. Rodney Andrews, Bishop
Anglican Diocese of Saskatoon

Most Rev. Bryan Bayda, C.Ss.R., Bishop
Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saskatoon

Rev. Cynthia G. Halmarson, Bishop
Saskatchewan Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada

Renata Klassen, Moderator
Mennonite Church Saskatchewan

Most Rev. Albert LeGatt, Bishop
Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon

Rev. Deborah Walker, Chair
Riverbend Presbytery, United Church of Canada

Spencer Hanson, Moderator
Presbytery of Northern Saskatchewan, Presbyterian Church in Canada

The Vatican said the decree removing the excommunication, signed Jan. 21 and made public three days later, marked an important step toward full communion with the Society of St. Pius X, founded by Archbishop Lefebvre in 1970.

It said some questions remain unresolved with the society, including its future status and that of its priests, and that these issues would be the subject of further talks.

"The Holy Father was motivated in this decision by the hope that complete reconciliation and full communion may be reached as soon as possible," a Vatican statement said.

The head of the society, Bishop Bernard Fellay, had requested the annulment of the excommunication in a letter Dec. 15. Bishop Fellay wrote that he and the three other bishops illicitly ordained in 1988 were determined to remain Catholic, and accepted the teachings of Pope Benedict "with filial spirit."

The Vatican said the pope had responded positively to the request in order to promote "the unity in charity of the universal church and succeed in removing the scandal of division."

The decree removing the excommunications, issued by the Congregation for Bishops, underlined the hope that this step would be followed by full communion, and that all members of the Society of St. Pius X would demonstrate "true fidelity and true acknowledgment of the Magisterium and the authority of the pope."

The move came after one of the illicitly ordained bishops, British-born Bishop Richard Williamson, provoked Jewish protests with assertions that the Holocaust was exaggerated and that no Jews died in Nazi gas chambers. He spoke in a TV interview recorded last November but aired in mid-January.

The Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, said emphatically that the Vatican did not share Bishop Williamson's views, but that it was a completely separate issue from the lifting of the excommunication.

"Saying a person is not excommunicated is not the same as saying one shares all his ideas or statements," Father Lombardi said.

The removal of the excommunication was a key condition of the Society of St. Pius X in its on-again, off-again talks with the Vatican over reconciliation. The pope in 2007 granted another of the society's requests, widening the possibility for use of the Tridentine rite, the form of Mass used before the Second Vatican Council.

Archbishop Lefebvre rejected several important teachings of the Second Vatican Council, including those related to religious liberty, ecumenism and liturgy. The Vatican statements did not mention the council's teachings, and Father Lombardi had no comment on whether the society was asked to adhere to them.

The Vatican action came the day before the 50th anniversary of Pope John XXIII's announcement of the Second Vatican Council. Father Lombardi said it would be wrong to see the lifting of the excommunication as a rejection of Vatican II.

"On the contrary, I think it is a beautiful thing that the council is no longer considered an element of division, but as an element in which every member of the church can meet," he said.

In addition to Bishops Fellay and Williamson, the decree removed the excommunication for French Bishop Bernard Tissier de Mallerais and Argentine Bishop Alphonso de Galarreta. The Vatican said in 1988 that Archbishop Lefebvre and the bishops he ordained had incurred automatic excommunication for defying papal orders against the ordination.

Benedict's high risk strategy

[Robert Mickens • January 31, 2009 • The Tablet] The Pope has described it as an act of paternal mercy. But while the lifting of the excommunication of rebel Lefebvrist bishops has been praised by arch-traditionalists, it has shocked many Catholics and members of other faiths, especially Jews. Our Rome writer tracks the reasons for the turnaround and its consequences.

• Read the complete article in The Tablet.

The Commission has been given a mandate by its sponsoring bodies as set out in the London Document, the Report of the Anglican-Methodist International Consultation, which took place in London, UK, in November 2007. Building on our common confession of the apostolic faith and our participation in God's mission, the purpose of the Commission is to advance the full visible communion of Anglicans and Methodists at every level as a contribution to the full visible unity of the Church of Christ. It has been asked to monitor and resource relations between Anglicans and Methodists, and to propose ways to achieve this goal.

The Commission began its work by reviewing the reports and agreements produced by Anglican and Methodist dialogues both at the international and the regional levels. It also identified the main strands of work which it wishes to address at future meetings. The meeting took place in the context of daily prayer, worship, and the celebration of Holy Communion in both traditions. The members of the Commission left the meeting with enthusiasm about the work to be done, and the possibility of the reconciliation of our two traditions.

The Commission is grateful for the warm welcome given to it by the Iglesia Anglicana de Mexico, by the Most Revd Carlos Touché-Porter, the Anglican Archbishop of Mexico, and the staff of the Diocese of Mexico and the Anglican Centre. The Commission were also pleased to receive a joint visit from Archbishop Carlos, the local Methodist bishop, Bishop Moisés Valderrama Gomez, and the principals of their respective seminaries, the Very Revd Pablo Ramos and the Revd Andrés Hernández. The Commission also enjoyed the hospitality of Christ Church, Mexico City, where they worshipped on Sunday, 11th January.

The Commission will meet next in February 2010 in the United Kingdom.

The members of the Commission are:

Anglicans

The Rt Revd Harold Miller (Church of Ireland), Co-Chair
Canon Paul Avis (Church of England)
The Rt Revd Franklin Brookhart (The Episcopal Church, USA)
The Venerable Flavio Irala (Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil) (not present at this meeting)
Canon Lulama Mtanjiswa Ntshingwa (Anglican Church of Southern Africa)
The Rt Revd Dr. Surya Prakash (Church of South India)
Canon Gregory K Cameron, Anglican Communion Office, Co-Secretary

Methodists

The Revd Professor Robert Gribben (Uniting Church in Australia), Co-Chair
Dr Elizabeth Amoah (Methodist Church Ghana) (not present at this meeting)
Bishop Thomas L Hoyt Jr (Christian Methodist Episcopal Church) (not present at this meeting)
The Revd Dr Lorna Khoo (Methodist Church in Singapore) (not present at this meeting)
The Revd Gareth Powell (Methodist Church of Great Britain)
The Revd Dr George Freeman, World Methodist Council, Co-Secretary
Methodist Consultants (for this meeting only)
The Revd Dr Douglas Mills (United Methodist Church)
The Revd Peter Sulston (Methodist Church of Great Britain)

Observer

Bishop Walter Jagucki (Lutheran Church in Great Britain) on behalf of the Lutheran World Federation.

The materials for the week of prayer 2009 are rooted in the experience of the churches in Korea. In their context of national division they have turned for inspiration to the prophet Ezekiel, who also lived in a tragically divided nation and longed for the unity of his people.

Traditionally celebrated between 18 and 25 January (in the northern hemisphere) or at Pentecost (in the southern hemisphere), the week of prayer mobilizes countless congregations and parishes around the world. During that week, Christians from different confessional families get together and - at least on that occasion - pray together in special ecumenical celebrations.

The production of the liturgical and biblical material for the week of prayer is jointly coordinated since 1968 by the World Council of Churches (Faith and Order Commission) and the Roman Catholic Church (Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity).

For this year's week of prayer, a group of representatives from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea and the National Council of Churches in Korea chose as the basis the vision of Ezekiel (Ezek. 37:15-28) that depicts two pieces of wood, symbolizing the two kingdoms into which Israel had been divided. They found it offered some compelling parallels to their own situation within a divided country and to a divided Christendom.

Resources for the week include an introduction to the theme; a suggested ecumenical celebration which local churches are encouraged to adapt for their own particular liturgical, social and cultural contexts; biblical reflections and prayers for the "eight days"; and additional prayers from, and an overview of, the ecumenical situation in Korea.

• More information on the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
• The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity on Facebook
• Events are listed on this website for Abbotsford, Edmonton, CFB Petawawa, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg

Speaking during his weekly Angelus prayer at the Vatican on 28 December, the Pope said, "I implore an end to the violence which must be denounced in all its forms and a restoration of the truce on the Gaza Strip."

The pontiff said, "I call on the international community to do all it can to help the Israelis and Palestinians on this dead-end road ... and not to give in to the perverse logic of confrontation and violence but to favour the path of dialogue and negotiations."

In Geneva on 29 December the Rev. Kobia said in a statement that he condemned "the violence against Gaza" and he called on "governments in the region and abroad" to seek to protect "those who are at risk ... on both sides of the border".

"The deaths and suffering of the last three days are dreadful and shameful and will achieve nothing but more deaths and suffering," Kobia said following the "bombardment of one of the most densely populated places on earth". He said, "This must stop immediately."

Israel says the Hamas movement, which is in control of Gaza, is firing rockets across the border from there. Hamas said on 29 December that at least 312 Palestinians had died since attacks began the previous day, while a second Israeli had been killed by a rocket. The U.N. relief agency in Gaza said on the same day that 57 civilians had been killed by Israeli fire so far, including five girls who died in the town of Jabaliya in Gaza.

Kobia's statement reiterated previous WCC calls on "the government of Israel and Hamas to respect international humanitarian and human rights law" and warned that in the present crisis the use of Israeli military ground forces "would deepen the current disaster".

His statement criticised "policies that rely on cutting off shipments of food, medicine and fuel for 1.5 million Gazans, and on sending rockets across borders at random or 'surgically'". He added, "a terrible period of deadlock and deprivation has now erupted into greater violence". The WCC leader's statement referred to "the tired logic of public officials blaming others while denying their own government's responsibilities has led to the loss of many lives".

In Jerusalem the Rabbis for Human Rights group issued a statement on 29 December saying, "The firing on Israeli communities adjacent to Gaza gives the State of Israel the right to defend her citizens, but both the Jewish tradition and international law do not allow the harming of innocent civilians."

The rabbis said "Many Israelis will quote from the Talmudic Tractate Sanhedrin, 'When somebody is coming to kill you, get up earlier and kill him first'. However, few are aware of how the Talmud continues, teaching us only to use the minimum necessary force and drawing a sharp contrast between defending ourselves against those attacking us, and harming an innocent third-party. These are also principles in International Humanitarian Law."

Earlier, in their yearly Christmas message the heads of churches in Jerusalem had said "We need the light of Christ to shine on this Land to enable us to work more realistically for a two-State solution which would end the burden of restrictions arising out of occupation." They said in their message, "We need also to see the situation in which many are suffering in Gaza in the light of Christ and make a determined effort to bring them urgent relief."

The church leaders said they prayed that U.S. President-elect Barack Obama and other world leaders would see the urgent need for peace in the Middle East and the Holy Land.

In Geneva, ACT International, the global humanitarian alliance of churches and related agencies, warned of a dramatic escalation of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, if Israel, Hamas and other militant groups do not cease the current hostilities and avert a new military conflict.

"The humanitarian consequences for innocent civilians will be even more grave than they already are if all parties do not immediately end all attacks and begin a new ceasefire," said John Nduna, director of ACT International.

The purpose of bringing together ordained and lay women employed in ecclesial ministry of all Christian traditions is to share and celebrate our journeys of faith and of call, to learn from and to support each other. Ministry commitments and responsibilities can have a way of insulating us from one another if we are not intentional about forging connections and encounters.

Facilitated by Marie-Louis Ternier-Gommers, Rev. Amanda Currie, Rev. Debbie Walker, and Elizabeth Nickel. There will be a special guest presenter, Bishop Cindy Halmarson of the ELCIC Saskatchewan Synod.

Pre-registration is required at least two weeks in advance in order to ensure that the program has adequate attendance to proceed.
Register online at Queen's House, use the Registration form, or phone (306) 242-1916; fax (306) 653-5941; or email

The evening begins with candle lighting and quiet reflection, followed by song, readings from various religious texts, and reflections from the multi-faith community. The evening ends with a time for fellowship with hot apple cider and cookies.

Please join us at 7:30 pm on New Year's Eve at St. Paul's Cathedral. Everyone, of all religious traditions, is welcome.

Reports were received of all current bilateral and multilateral theological dialogues of the Anglican Communion, as well as of developments from particular regions of the globe. In the course of reflections on the current life of the Anglican Communion, the Commission also reflected further on aspects of the interface between ecumenical and Anglican Communion matters. This work is reflected in the documentation and resolutions produced at this meeting. These pieces of work will be published when available through the Anglican Communion website. IASCER also gave some considerable attention to reviewing the breadth of their work in the period since their formation and first meeting in 2000. It is the intention to produce a comprehensive report and review of their work (The Vision Before Us) which can be presented to the fourteenth meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council, which will meet in Jamaica in May 2009.

The Commission is extremely grateful for the warm welcome given to them by Nippon Sei Ko Kai (NSKK), the Anglican Church in Japan, especially the logistical support from the Diocese of Kyoto in whose offices the meeting was held. On the first evening of the meeting, Archbishop Nathaniel of Japan welcomed IASCER to a dinner with the bishops of NSKK; members of the Church guided IASCER members on visits to local sites in Kyoto, and shared in worship with them at Nara Christ Church on Sunday, 7 December. IASCER also welcomed the opportunity to meet and worship with the students of Bishop Williams' Theological School. IASCER is grateful to the Revd Professor Renta Nishihara, one of its members, for his co-ordination and planning for this meeting.

Present at the meeting in Kyoto were: the Revd Dr Paul Avis, the Revd Canon Alyson Barnett-Cowan, the Revd Canon Gregory K Cameron (Secretary), the Revd Dr William Crockett, the Rt Revd Christopher Epting, the Revd Dr John Gibaut, the Most Revd Dr John Gladstone, the Most Revd Drexel W Gomez (Chair), the Revd Canon Jonathan Goodall, the Rt Revd John Hind, the Revd Professor Renta Nishihara, the Revd Canon Luke Pato, the Rt Revd Dr Geoffrey Rowell (Vice-Chair), the Revd Sarah Rowland Jones, the Rt Revd Dr James Tengatenga and the Revd Professor J Robert Wright. The Venerable Jane Namugenyi was unable to be with us at this meeting. The Revd Terrie Robinson and Mrs Gill Harris-Hogarth of the Anglican Communion Office provided administrative and logistical assistance for the meeting.

In the course of the meeting, news was received of the death of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, His Holiness Alexy II. The Commission passed a resolution of condolence to the faithful of the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as marking the deaths of Bishop David Beetge, Anglican Co-Chair of IARCCUM, and the Revd Professor Henry Chadwick, former member of ARCIC. May God's servants rest in peace, and rise in Glory.

This meeting concluded the work of IASCER, and letters of greeting and thanks were received from the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion. The Joint Standing Committee of the Anglican Communion has already approved the mandate of a successor body, the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission for Unity, Faith and Order (IASCUFO), which is scheduled to hold its first meeting in late 2009.

For further information contact: The Revd Canon Gregory K Cameron, Anglican Communion Office, London

The Catholic and Muslim participants, who briefly met with the Pope after today's general audience, agreed on the following:

1) The first and most important responsibility of religious leaders is one of a religious nature, according to their respective religious traditions, to faithfully fulfill them through teaching, good deeds and example, thus serve their communities for the glory of God.

2) Considering the role religions can and should have in society, religious leaders also have a cultural and social role to play in promoting fundamental ethical values, such as justice, solidarity, peace, social harmony and the common good of society as a whole, especially the needy, the weak, migrants and the oppressed.

3) Religious leaders have a special responsibility towards youth, who require particular attention so that they do not fall victim to religious fanaticism and radicalism, receiving rather, a sound education thereby helping them to become bridge builders and peace makers.

4) Taking into consideration that crises of diverse nature, including in interreligious relations, are possible, on a national or international level, religious leaders should learn to prevent, cope with and remedy these particular situations, avoiding their degeneration into confessional violence. This requires a mutual respect and reciprocal knowledge, both cherishing personal relations and building confidence and mutual trust, so as to be able to confront together crises when they occur.

This week we find two further dialogues reporting. On December 14th, a communiqué was issued by a symposium between the World Council of Churches and the Iranian Centre for Inter-religious Dialogue of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization in Tehran. This symposium is the fifth in a series, and the first to include representatives of the Iranian churches. This Shi'a Muslim organization has close ties to the Iranian government. A similar dialogue also exists with the Vatican. Today, a further dialogue has reported. The Catholic-Muslim Colloquium is a dialogue between the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the World Islamic Call Society (WICS). A short communiqué was issued after their December 15-17 gathering in Rome. This colloquium was the 11th in a series.

Resources:

• Communiqué from the Anglican/Al-Azhar Dialogue Committee (September 13, 2006)
• A Common Word between Us and You, letter from 138 Muslim scholars (October 13, 2007)
• Pope Benedict XVI's response to "A Common Word" (November 19, 2007)
• Learning to explore love together, a WCC response to "A Common Word" (March 20, 2008)
• Joint declaration of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the Centre for Inter-religious Dialogue of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organisation (Tehran, Iran) at the conclusion of the sixth Colloquium held in Rome from 28-30 April 2008
• U.S. Ecumenical response to "A Common Word between Us and You", coordinated by the U.S. National Council of Churches (October 8, 2008)
• Final Declaration of the Catholic-Muslim Forum (November 7, 2008)
• Joint communiqué of the symposium on "Religion and peaceful co-existence" (December 14, 2008)
• Final Communiqué on the 11th Catholic-Muslim Colloquium (December 17, 2008)

The World Council of Churches (WCC, Geneva, Switzerland) and Centre for Inter-religious Dialogue of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (Tehran, Iran) held their fifth symposium in Tehran on13-14 December 2008.

Representatives of Islam and Christianity found new points of commonality during a two-day high level symposium of scholars and spiritual leaders in Tehran, and discussed models of co-existence between Christians and Muslims in different contexts. They explored further the conditions and principles that foster peaceful coexistence between communities of faith.

The symposium, held at the invitation of the Organization of Islamic Culture and Relations in Iran, was a continuation of a dialogue between Iranian Muslim and Christian scholars related to the World Council of Churches (WCC) which began in 1995. Participants from the WCC included six Christian scholars from Europe, North America and the Middle East, together with representatives of the WCC member churches in Tehran. From Iran, participants included some fifteen scholars and religious leaders from Tehran and Qom.

During the two-day dialogue the symposium discussed issues related to the concept of salvation in relation to other religions, the religious understanding of human dignity, conversion, the status of religious minorities in different contexts, the common values and shared principles between religious communities, the role of education in promoting peaceful co-existence, the concept of cultural and religious identity, and the role of religion in the public space.

The dialogue reached agreement on the following points:

1. Co-existence between Christians and Muslims in Iran has its roots in the history and culture of Iranian society. In this context, both Islam and Christianity have the sources to provide the common ground for this coexistence.
2. Peace requires mutual understanding among the followers of different faiths. This entails learning about each other's faith, and dialogue can pave the way to achieving this objective.
3. Constructive dialogue between Christians and Muslims can build bridges of mutual respect based on clear understandings of one's own religion and the religion of the other.
4. Muslims and Christians share the Abrahamic tradition of faith, and therefore they share responsibility for promoting peaceful coexistence in their respective communities.
5. Peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims should be based on their equal participation and shared responsibility towards society and each other. This includes recognizing and respecting one another's religious and civil rights, and taking a common stand whenever the rights of religious communities are violated and whenever irresponsible media try to present a distorted image of any particular religion, offending its symbols and followers.
6. Preserving one's own religious and cultural identity should not be in contradiction to respecting the religious and cultural identity of the other. In each religion and culture we can discover the common fundamental principles for peace and respect. Dialogue between Christians and Muslims must promote these principles and obligations towards each other in order to strengthen the peaceful coexistence.
7. Through dialogue and cooperation Christians and Muslims can together discover their common principles and values, and renew their joint commitment to them.
8. The symposium agreed that the experience of dialogue should not be confined to the level of scholars and spiritual leaders, but should be brought into everyday life of believing communities, wherever they may be.

At the end of this symposium the organizers felt that it is important to deepen the dialogue in the time to come by academic research, exchange of concerns, and common projects. At the same time, all participants were encouraged to engage with their respective communities to correct prejudices and enhance mutual understanding.

Source: World Council of Churches

• The document is available on the Vatican website.
• A summary of the document was released to reporters at the morning news conference.
• An excellent explanation of the document and its history is available from John L. Allen Jr. at the National Catholic Reporter.

• The Diocese of Saskatchewan
• Press release from the diocese of Saskatchewan following the election of Rev. Hawkins
• News from the electoral synod
• Anglican Journal news report

The bishop-elect was pleased but said he was also apprehensive about the challenges of his new job. Mr. Hawkins mentioned the need to develop a missionary or strategic plan. "A big part of that plan for the future will be moving towards a more self-determining aboriginal church in the diocese," he said. The diocese is also still struggling with the fallout from residential schools. Healing and reconciliation "will take time and work and prayer," he said.

Moving toward financial self-sufficiency will also be a big challenge, but Mr. Hawkins said: " I look forward to the support of the people and the clergy in the diocese as well as diocesan bishops in our province and nationally. So I think with their prayers and support and advice, it is all doable."

After undergraduate studies at Dalhousie University and the University of King's College in Halifax, Mr. Hawkins completed his Master of Divinity degree at Trinity College in Toronto and was ordained as a deacon in 1988 and as a priest in 1989. He was rector of two parishes in the diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island ¬-- Pugwash and River John from 1988 to 1993, and Petite Rivière and New Dublin from 1993 to 2001. He now lives in Prince Albert with his wife, son and daughter.

The other candidates for the position were Geoffrey Brett Salkeld Cane, the rector of St. Aidan's Church in Winnipeg, and John Westin, rector of St. Thomas' Church in St. John's. Mr. Hawkins replaces Bishop Anthony Burton, who stepped down in September. Mr. Hawkins will be consecrated as lord bishop on March 6.

No cause was given for the death on 5 December of the 79-year-old patriarch.

The previous evening Alexei held a church service in one of Moscow's central cathedrals to mark a major religious holiday, the RIA-Novosti news agency reported. It said the church's ruling body, the Holy Synod, was to gather for an urgent meeting in Moscow on 6 December following the death of its leader.

Alexei was elected Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia in June 1990 and he presided over the church during the post-communist and post-Soviet era. This not only saw greater freedom for the Russian Orthodox Church, and the restoration of battered church buildings, but an increase in the church's status as an institution at the very heart of the nation's cultural and political life.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, who leads the worldwide Anglican Communion, said in a tribute to Alexei, "He was a leader of stature, with abundant experience, determination and courage, who guided his church with a steady hand through a profoundly challenging period of change in Russia's history."

From the 1960s, Alexei was seen as being one of the most vigorous supporters of the movement for church unity. He played a major role in theological dialogue with Protestant churches in Germany and Finland, and held a seat on the World Council of Churches' main governing body, its central committee. But his most important ecumenical contribution was as a senior officer in the Conference of European Churches, beginning in 1964 as a member of its presidium and serving as its president from 1987 until 1992.

In 1989 he co-chaired the First European Ecumenical Assembly in Basel, Switzerland, which was the biggest official gathering of European Anglican, Roman Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox churches since the 16th-century Protestant Reformation.

Alexei Mikhailovich Ridiger was born on 23 February 1929 in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia.

He was ordained a priest in 1950, and in 1961 was consecrated bishop of Tallinn and Estonia. Within a few years he became archbishop and then metropolitan, serving as deputy chairperson of the Russian Orthodox Church's Department of External Church Relations, and as head of the educational committee which supervised the church's seminaries. From 1964 to 1986 he held the key post of chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate under two patriarchs, Alexei I and Pimen.

Even when he was appointed in 1986 to the Russian Orthodox Church's third most important see - Leningrad (now St Petersburg) - Alexei continued to administer the Tallinn diocese, which he relinquished only after his election as Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.

In the mid-1990s, his loyalty to Estonia suffered a severe blow when many Orthodox parishes in the newly-independent Baltic republic switched their allegiance from Moscow to the Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. The conflict prompted a temporary break in communion between Alexei and the Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomeos I.

It was this dispute that led to the suspension in October 2008 by the Russian Orthodox Church of its membership of CEC in a dispute about the non-admittance to the grouping of the Orthodox church in Estonia linked to the Moscow Patriarchate.

"Il n'y a pas de problème doctrinal particulier empêchant d'y parvenir, seulement des problèmes de calendrier", a déclaré aux journalistes Aram Ier - qui est à la tête du Catholicossat de Cilicie de l'Eglise apostolique arménienne - à l'issue de sa visite à Rome, du 23 au 27 novembre.

La plupart des années, les chrétiens célèbrent Pâques à deux dates différentes. L'une d'elles est utilisée par la plupart des protestants et les catholiques romains et l'autre par la plupart des Eglises orthodoxes.

Le catholicos Aram Ier estime qu'une initiative œcuménique pour célébrer Pâques le même jour contribuerait à offrir une expression visible de l'unité chrétienne.

Les différences de dates pour la célébration de Pâques remonte aux premières communautés chrétiennes, bien que ces différences aient été, pour la plupart, résolues en 325 de notre ère par le Concile de Nicée. Les problèmes majeurs sont apparus au XVIe siècle, lorsque le pape Grégoire XIII a remplacé le calendrier julien, établi en 46 avant Jésus-Christ, par le calendrier grégorien.

Il a fallu un peu de temps pour que le nouveau calendrier soit adopté par tous les pays. Cependant, la plupart des Eglises orthodoxes célèbrent encore Pâques à la date calculée selon le calendrier julien.

L'élan en faveur d'une date commune pour Pâques vient en grande partie du Moyen-Orient, où des chrétiens de différentes traditions vivent à proximité les uns des autres, bien qu'il s'agisse de minorités chrétiennes très petites. Dans certaines régions du Moyen-Orient, des Eglises locales se sont entendues pour célébrer Pâques le même jour.

S'exprimant le 24 novembre lors d'une cérémonie œcuménique avec Aram Ier, le pape Benoît XVI a souligné que, dans de nombreuses régions du monde, catholiques et arméniens vivent côte à côte. "Une meilleure compréhension de la tradition apostolique que nous partageons contribuera à rendre encore plus efficace le témoignage commun des valeurs spirituelles et morales sans lesquelles un ordre social vraiment juste et humain ne peut exister", a déclaré le souverain pontife.

Malgré les différentes méthodes utilisées, Pâques tombe certaines années à la même date, comme en 2001 et en 2004, puis en 2010.

En 1998, à Harare, Aram Ier avait appelé les délégués présents à l'Assemblée du Conseil œcuménique des Eglises (COE) à faire de 2001 "le commencement d'une célébration commune de Pâques". Le catholicos était alors président du Comité central du COE, qui regroupe aujourd'hui 349 Eglises, essentiellement anglicanes, protestantes et orthodoxes.

"There are no special doctrinal problems to achieve this goal, but only problems of the calendar," Aram, who heads the Catholicosate of Cilicia of the Armenian Apostolic Church, told journalists in Rome at the end of his 23-27 November visit to Rome.

In most years, Christians celebrate Easter on two different dates. One is marked by most Protestants and Roman Catholics, and the other by most Orthodox churches.

Catholicos Aram said he believed an ecumenical initiative to celebrate Easter on the same day would help give visible expression to Christian unity.

Differences in the dates for celebrating Easter go back to the earliest Christian communities, although these were mostly resolved in AD 325 by the Council of Nicea. The major problems arose in the 16th century when Pope Gregory XIII replaced the Julian calendar that had been established in 46 BC with the Gregorian calendar.

It took some time for the new calendar to be adopted by all countries. However, most Orthodox churches still celebrate Easter on the date calculated by the Julian calendar.

Much of the impetus for fixing a common date for Easter has come from the Middle East where Christians from different traditions live in close proximity, though very much as small Christian minorities. In some parts of the Middle East local churches have between them reached agreement on common dates for Easter.

Speaking on 24 November at an ecumenical ceremony with Aram, Pope Benedict noted that in many parts of the world, Catholics and Armenians live side by side. "Increased understanding and appreciation of the apostolic tradition which we share will contribute to an ever more effective common witness to the spiritual and moral values without which a truly just and humane social order cannot exist," said Benedict.

Despite the different methods used, in some years Easter does fall on the same date, as in 2001 and 2004, and again in 2010.

In 1998, Aram had urged delegates at an assembly in Harare of the World Council of Churches to make 2001 "the beginning of a common celebration of Easter". The Lebanon-based church leader was then moderator of the WCC, which now groups 349 churches, predominantly Anglican, Protestant and Orthodox.

You are invited to share your stories about local ecumenical events or activities that have improved relationships between Christians in Saskatchewan over the years.

Stories will be collected and included in an anniversary history book being prepared by The Prairie Centre for Ecumenism to mark its 25th anniversary in 2009. Please take some time to write up an event or activity, past or present, which brought you closer to other Christians in your area. Photographs are also welcome.

Send submissions to:
The Prairie Centre for Ecumenism,
600 - 45 St. West, Saskatoon, SK. S7L 5W9
E-mail:

We look forward to hearing from you!

[Vatican • Zenit.org] The growth in ecumenical relations has great promise for the proclamation of the Gospel in our time, says Benedict XVI.

The Pope affirmed this today when he presided at an ecumenical celebration with Aram I, Catholicos of Cilicia of the Armenians. A delegation from the Catholicosate also participated in the event.

Aram I is on a visit to Rome that will include a pilgrimage to St. Paul's Outside the Walls.

"Our meeting today," the Pope told him, "stands in continuity with the visit which you made to my beloved predecessor Pope John Paul II in January 1997, and with the many other contacts and mutual visits which, by God's grace, have led in recent years to closer relations between the Catholic Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church."

"In this year of St. Paul, you will visit the tomb of the Apostle of the Nations and pray with the monastic community at the basilica erected to his memory," the Holy Father continued. "In that prayer, you will be united to the great host of Armenian saints and martyrs, teachers and theologians, whose legacy of learning, holiness and missionary achievements are part of the patrimony of the whole Church. […] That testimony culminated in the 20th century, which proved a time of unspeakable suffering for your people.

"The faith and devotion of the Armenian people have been constantly sustained by the memory of the many martyrs who have borne witness to the Gospel down the centuries. May the grace of that witness continue to shape the culture of your nation and inspire in Christ's followers an ever greater trust in the saving and life-giving power of the cross."

Overcoming divisions

The Pontiff noted how the See of Cilicia has been involved in encouraging ecumenical contacts between the Churches.

"Indeed, the dialogue between the Oriental Orthodox Churches and the Catholic Church has benefited significantly from the presence of its Armenian delegates," he said. "We must be hopeful that this dialogue will continue to move forward, since it promises to clarify theological issues which have divided us in the past but now appear open to greater consensus."

In that context, Benedict XVI expressed confidence in the work of an international commission studying "The Nature, Constitution and Mission of the Church."

The Armenian Apostolic Church is one of six Oriental Orthodox Churches. These Churches separated from Rome after the Council of Chalcedon in 451, over controversy arising from the council's adoption of the Christological terminology of two natures in one person. However, most now agree that the controversy arose over semantics, not doctrine.

Several of the Oriental Orthodox Churches have signed accords with the Catholic Church expressing that they share the same faith regarding Christ.

The Armenian Apostolic Church is one of those that has moved closer to unity, notably thanks to a 1996 declaration signed by Pope John Paul II and Patriarch Karekin I on the nature of Jesus.

"Surely the growth in understanding, respect and cooperation which has emerged from ecumenical dialogue promises much for the proclamation of the Gospel in our time," Benedict XVI continued.

Given that Catholics and Armenians live side by side around the world, the Holy Father expressed his certainty that an "increased understanding and appreciation of the apostolic tradition which we share will contribute to an ever more effective common witness to the spiritual and moral values without which a truly just and humane social order cannot exist."

Mideast conflicts

Due to historical circumstances, since 1441, there have been two Catholicosates in the Armenian Church with equal rights and privileges, and with their respective jurisdictions. The primacy of honor of the Catholicosate of Etchmiadzin has always been recognized by the Catholicosate of Cilicia.

The Catholicosate of Cilicia is based in Antelias, Lebanon.

Thus, Benedict XVI expressed his concern and assured his prayer for the people of Lebanon and the Middle East.

"How can we not be grieved by the tensions and conflicts which continue to frustrate all efforts to foster reconciliation and peace at every level of civil and political life in the region," he said. "Most recently we have all been saddened by the escalation of persecution and violence against Christians in parts of the Middle East and elsewhere.

"Only when the countries involved can determine their own destiny, and the various ethnic groups and religious communities accept and respect each other fully, will peace be built on the solid foundations of solidarity, justice and respect for the legitimate rights of individuals and peoples."

• The full text of the Pope's address to Aram I is available online.

Fin 2007, les membres de l'EKD étaient 24,83 millions, sur 82 millions de personnes vivant en Allemagne, a indiqué l'agence de presse protestante allemande epd le 17 novembre. Aujourd'hui, l'EKD a perdu plus d'un million de membres par rapport à il y a cinq ans.

En 2007, l'Allemagne comptait 268 000 protestants de moins que l'année précédente.

Le nombre de fidèles de l'Eglise catholique a également chuté en 2007, mais moins que pour l'EKD. En tout, on comptait 25,46 millions de catholiques en Allemagne, soit 224 000 de moins qu'en 2006.

Au moment de la réunification allemande, en 1990, le nombre de protestants était légèrement supérieur à celui des catholiques dans toute l'Allemagne. Les länder de l'est de l'Allemagne font historiquement partie du coeur historique du protestantisme, où le réformateur Martin Luther a vécu et travaillé au XVIe siècle.

Evoquant la question des membres quittant l'Eglise, le principal évêque protestant d'Allemagne, Wolfgang Huber, a déclaré dans une interview accordée à la station de radio Deutschlandfunk en 2006 que l'Eglise devait changer de mentalité.

"Nous ne sommes pas seulement confrontés à un processus irréversible dans lequel les gens quittent l'Eglise. Dans certains cas, c'est l'inverse qui se produit et la participation dans la vie de l'Eglise progresse", a affirmé l'évêque Huber.

La diminution de l'affiliation des protestants affecte les revenus de l'Eglise, car en Allemagne, 70 % des recettes de l'Eglise proviennent de l'impôt ecclésiastique, qui s'applique aux personnes déclarant une affiliation à une Eglise.

En Allemagne, 61,2 % de la population appartient actuellement soit à l'EKD soit à l'Eglise catholique. Ce sont les länder majoritairement catholiques du sud et du sud-ouest de l'ancienne Allemagne de l'Ouest qui comptent la plus forte proportion de chrétiens. Le premier d'entre eux est la Sarre, à la frontière française, avec 84,6 %, suivi de la Rhénanie-Palatinat (77,4 %), de la Bavière (77,3 %) et du Bade-Wurtemberg (70,5 %).

Dans quatre des cinq anciens länder est-allemands communistes, moins d'un quart de la population fait encore partie d'une Eglise. En Saxe-Anhalt - où se trouve Wittemberg, la ville où Luther a lancé la Réforme en 1517 - seulement 18,7 % de la population est affilié à l'EKD ou à l'Eglise catholique.

On ne sait pas précisément si le recul du nombre de membres a des causes démographiques ou si les chrétiens sont en train de quitter l'Eglise en cette période de difficultés économiques et financières.

The dean of the Lutheran Church of Italy, Holger Milkau, said that "it's always a pleasure to hear the Pope speak of Luther, above all if he considers arguments they share."

The Holy Father said Wednesday that Luther's expression "by faith alone" is true "if faith is not opposed to charity, to love. Faith is to look at Christ, to entrust oneself to Christ, to be united to Christ, to be conformed to Christ, to his life. And the form, the life of Christ, is love; hence, to believe is to be conformed to Christ and to enter into his love."

Lutherans and Catholics have officially professed a common faith on the doctrine of justification, signing a joint statement Oct. 31, 1999.

The statement states "that on the basis of their dialogue the subscribing Lutheran churches and the Roman Catholic Church are now able to articulate a common understanding of our justification by God's grace through faith in Christ. It does not cover all that either church teaches about justification; it does encompass a consensus on basic truths of the doctrine of justification and shows that the remaining differences in its explication are no longer the occasion for doctrinal condemnations."

[Vatican City • Zenit.org] Benedict XVI says Martin Luther's doctrine on justification is correct, if faith "is not opposed to charity."

The Pope said this today during the general audience dedicated to another reflection on St. Paul. This time, the Holy Father considered the Apostle's teaching on justification.

He noted that Paul's conversion experience on the road to Damascus "changed his life radically: He began to regard all his merits, achievements of a most honest religious career, as 'loss' in face of the sublimity of knowledge of Jesus Christ."

"It is precisely because of this personal experience of the relationship with Jesus that Paul places at the center of his Gospel an irreducible opposition between two alternative paths to justice: one based on the works of the law, the other founded on the grace of faith in Christ," the Pontiff explained. "The alternative between justice through the works of the law and justice through faith in Christ thus becomes one of the dominant themes that runs through his letters."

What is law

But in order to understand this Pauline teaching, Benedict XVI affirmed, "we must clarify what is the 'law' from which we have been freed and what are those 'works of the law' that do not justify."

He explained: "Already in the community of Corinth there was the opinion, which will return many times in history, which consisted in thinking that it was a question of the moral law, and that Christian freedom consisted therefore in being free from ethics. [...] It is obvious that this interpretation is erroneous: Christian liberty is not libertinism; the freedom of which St. Paul speaks is not freedom from doing good."

Instead, the Pope said, the law to which Paul refers is the "collection of behaviors extending from an ethical foundation to the ritual and cultural observances that substantially determined the identity of the just man -- particularly circumcision, the observance regarding pure food and general ritual purity, the rules regarding observance of the Sabbath, etc."

These observances served to protect Jewish identity and faith in God; they were "a defense shield that would protect the precious inheritance of the faith," he remarked.

But, the Holy Father continued, at the moment of Paul's encounter with Christ, the Apostle "understood that with Christ's resurrection the situation had changed radically."

"The wall -- so says the Letter to the Ephesians -- between Israel and the pagans was no longer necessary," he said. "It is Christ who protects us against polytheism and all its deviations; it is Christ who unites us with and in the one God; it is Christ who guarantees our true identity in the diversity of cultures; and it is he who makes us just. To be just means simply to be with Christ and in Christ. And this suffices. Other observances are no longer necessary."

And it is because of this, the Bishop of Rome continued, that Luther's expression "by faith alone" is true "if faith is not opposed to charity, to love. Faith is to look at Christ, to entrust oneself to Christ, to be united to Christ, to be conformed to Christ, to his life. And the form, the life of Christ, is love; hence, to believe is to be conformed to Christ and to enter into his love."

"Paul knows," he added, "that in the double love of God and neighbor the whole law is fulfilled. Thus the whole law is observed in communion with Christ, in faith that creates charity. We are just when we enter into communion with Christ, who is love."

• Pope Benedict XVI's address at the General Audience of Wednesday, November 19, 2008.

At the end of 2007, EKD members accounted for 24.83 million of Germany's 82-million people, the German Protestant news agency epd reported on 17 November. The EKD now has more than a million fewer adherents than it did five years ago.

There were about 268 000 fewer Protestants in Germany in 2007 than in the previous year.

The membership of the Roman Catholic Church also fell in 2007 but by less than the EKD. In all there were 25.46 million Catholics, about 224 000 fewer than in 2006.

At the time of German unification in 1990, there were slightly more Protestants than Catholics throughout the whole of Germany. The former East German states were mainly in the historic Protestant heartland where the reformer Martin Luther lived and worked in the 16th century.

Addressing the issue of members leaving the church, Germany's most senior Protestant bishop, Wolfgang Huber had said in a radio interview with Deutschlandfunk in 2006 that the Church needed to change its mentality.

"We are not only experiencing an irreversible process of people leaving the church. We are experiencing areas, where the reverse is happening and the participation in the life of the Church is again increasing," Huber said.

The significant drop in Protestant membership affects the income of the church, as about 70 percent of church revenues in Germany come from church tax levied on registered church members.

In Germany, 61.2 percent of people now belong either to the EKD or to the Catholic Church. The southern and south-western, predominantly Catholic states of the former West Germany have the highest percentage of Christians living there. They are led by the Saarland bordering on France with 84.6 percent, followed by Rhineland Palatinate (77.4 percent), Bavaria (77.3 percent) and Baden-Württemberg (70.5 percent).

In four of the five former communist East German regional states, less than a quarter of the population still belongs to a church. In Saxony-Anhalt, which includes Wittenberg, where Luther unleashed the Reformation in 1517, only 18.7 percent of the population belongs to the main Protestant or Catholic churches.

It was unclear whether the drop in membership had demographic reasons or whether Christians were also actively leaving the Church, in times of financial and economic hardships.

Dialogue participants have explored beliefs and practices related to eternal life in Christ since the round began in 2005. At the October session a special task force from the Dialogue membership welcomed Msgr. John Radano, former undersecretary, Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, The Vatican, as part of a new discussion on areas of consensus and disagreement between Catholics and Lutherans on eucharistic doctrine. The new initiative is the result of conversations between members of the Pontifical Council and the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

In response to a written message from Hanson to Pope Benedict XVI in September 2007, the Pontifical Council suggested that the ELCA and the U.S. Roman Catholic Church seek to formulate a joint teaching statement, said the Rev. Lowell G. Almen, Lutheran co-chair of the U.S. dialogue and former ELCA secretary. The statement would acknowledge the mutual confession of the churches of the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, he said.

"The Eucharist is the place of encounter with Christ who is eternal life," said the Rev. James Massa, executive director, Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligous Affairs, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, and also one of the two staff coordinators of the dialogue. "I see it as particularly appropriate that we take up Bishop Hanson's proposal precisely at a time when the dialogue team is talking about prayers for the deceased as part of its overall treatment of eternal life. For many Christian believers the Eucharist is the preeminent prayer of thanksgiving for Christ's life-giving sacrifice, to which he joins all of the faithful, living and dead."

The dialogue adopted a time line for conclusion of the current round, which includes a review process for a Common Agreement on Eternal Life. Drafters have presented portions of a draft text that treat the topic from a biblical-historical, systematic and pastoral standpoint. "The report, when completed, will be helpful to both pastors and members of parishes," Almen said. "It will serve as a resource for teaching and discussion as members of congregations ponder questions about death and dying as well as the promise of eternal life in Christ."

Almen added, "The report also will highlight the broad reality of the Church throughout time and eternity. After all, as we gather at the table of our Lord, we are surrounded by all the faithful who have gone before us, the great cloud of witnesses, as we anticipate the eternal banquet of our Lord."

The next session of the dialogue is March 12-15, 2009, in Washington. Participants will examine a complete draft of the common statement and also consider the contents and format of a possible publication that would include the statement along with a series of essays based on papers that have been presented over the course of the round.

Participants in the October 2008 meeting mourned the loss of one of the longest serving members of the U.S. Lutheran-Roman Catholic Dialogue, the Rev. John Reumann, professor emeritus of New Testament and Greek, the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. Reumann, who died June 6, 2008, was remembered by dialogue participants in a memorial service at the end of the meeting.

Last year the dialogue held a memorial mass for the passing of another long-serving member, the Rev. George Tavard A.A., an Augustinian of the Assumption priest and prolific author, who died in 2007.

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• Information for this release was provided by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
• Information regarding the U.S. Lutheran-Roman Catholic Dialogue is on the ELCA Web site.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog

Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, ranked this as the most important of the 15 points agreed with delegates from the Common Word project, a dialogue initiative launched last year by 138 Islamic leaders from the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Western countries. The declaration also called for respect for personal "choices in matters of conscience and religion," which could apply to the thorny question of conversion from Islam, which the delegates discussed briefly but did not seek consensus on.

• See the complete article from The Tablet, November 15, 2008.
• See the Final Declaration of the Catholic-Muslim Forum.

The prognosis came from U.S-born Christina Rees, a writer, broadcaster and public speaker and chairperson of Watch (Women and the Church), started in 1996 as a forum for promoting women's ministry in the Church of England.

Speaking from her home near Cambridge, Rees told Ecumenical News International, "Half the clergy will be women by 2018 of that I'm certain, but right now we're in the ridiculous position of still deciding on what terms we're going to have women bishops. The organisation Forward in Faith [which opposes the ordination of women as bishops] is very active and denies that the general synod has the right to approve the consecration of women as bishops. If we don't move soon it will be a scandal."

Rees was speaking following the publication on the Web site of official Church Statistics for 2007 which show that women now represent nearly half of all Church of England ordinands.

In 2007, 552 new full-time and part-time clergy were ordained representing a 15 percent increase on the previous year and the highest number since 2000. Almost half, some 262, were women.

"This is to be expected considering the new status of women in all areas of life in the United Kingdom," Louis Henderson at the Church of England's communications office in London told ENI.

According to the Church of England's own projections, if present trends continue women will occupy nearly a quarter of all full-time posts by 2012.

The church statistics also show there has been a big increase in the number of people preparing for the priesthood. In 2007 the Church of England recommended 595 future clergy for ordination training. A total of 243 of them were under the age of 40.

But the fact more people are entering the Church of England fails to make life easier for the clergy because of a shortfall between new candidates for ordination and retiring clergy. Church sources suggest the shortfall is between 150 and 200 people a year.

There are 12 732 parishes in England, comprising 16 057 churches that are served by 7616 full time clergy. "There are parishes in some dioceses which pull together anything up to seven churches," Henderson said. "That is nothing new for the Church of England."

"In the November pogroms of 1938 defenceless people were humiliated, harassed and killed, houses of worship were desecrated and destroyed," Germany's Protestant and Roman Catholic leaders said in a joint statement to mark the 9 November anniversary.

"The terrible images of burning synagogues have been burned into our memory," said Bishop Wolfgang Huber, who heads the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), and Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, the chairperson of the Catholic German Bishops' Conference.

"The November pogroms were also the prelude to the Holocaust, to a period of unimaginable destruction and annihilation, whose consequences Europe, the world and especially the Jewish community still have to bear," the two church leaders stated.

"The pogroms were not only deliberately planned, but followed years of propagandistic and political preparations, a time of open anti-Semitic incitement, systematic exclusion set down by law, inhuman discrimination and persecution," they said.

The series of attacks by Nazis against Jewish Germans and their property was called "Kristallnacht", or the Night of Broken Glass. Still, the chairperson of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, in an interview with the online edition of the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper, urged that the term "Kristallnacht" be avoided.

"'Crystal' means something beautiful but the attacks were part of a pogrom," said council chairperson Charlotte Knobloch in the interview in which she reiterated a call for the extreme right-wing National Democratic Party to be banned.

In Berlin, Cardinal Georg Sterzinsky regretted the attitude of the Catholic Church to the persecution of Jews. The majority of Catholics remained silent, the archbishop stated. The memory of the injustice inflicted on the Jews needed to be kept alive and possible failures acknowledged. Lutheran Bishop Friedrich Weber of Brunswick said the churches had failed in their mission to speak out for those without a voice.

The leadership of the Protestant church in central Germany said in a pastoral letter read out in parishes that it acknowledged that Christians had been co-responsible for the anti-Semitic policies of National Socialism. Through their attitude to the policy of annihilation in the Nazi era, Christians had laid "heavy guilt" upon themselves.

Bishop Huber and Archbishop Zollitsch referred to people, "particularly in the Christian churches - who decisively opposed violence, but who were trapped in fear and a feeling of powerlessness".

They also remembered Catholic Provost Bernhard Lichtenberg and the Protestant pastor Helmut Gollwitzer as examples of Christians who supported Jews. However, the church leaders stated, "The witness of these and other Christians and church representatives cannot cancel out the cowardice or failure of others."

Each of the two sides in the meeting was represented by 24 participants and five advisers who discussed the two great themes of "Theological and Spiritual Foundations" and "Human Dignity and Mutual Respect". Points of "similarity and of diversity emerged, reflecting the distinctive specific genius of the two religions" the English-language declaration says.

1. "For Christians the source and example of love of God and neighbour is the love of Christ for His Father, for humanity and for each person" reads the first of the fifteen points of the declaration. "Love of neighbour cannot be separated from love of God, because it is an expression of our love for God. ... Grounded in Christ's sacrificial love, Christian love is forgiving and excludes no-one; it therefore also includes one's enemies".

"For Muslims ... love is a timeless transcendent power which guides and transforms human mutual regard. This love, as indicated by the Holy and Beloved Prophet Muhammad, is prior to the human love for the One True God".

2. "Human life is a most precious gift of God to each person. It should therefore be preserved and honoured in all its stages".

3. Human dignity is derived from the fact that every human person is created by a loving God and has been endowed with the gifts of reason and free will, and therefore enabled to love God and others. On the firm basis of these principles, the person requires the respect of his or her original dignity and his or her human vocation. Therefore, he or she is entitled to full recognition of his or her identity and freedom by individuals, communities and governments, supported by civil legislation that assures equal rights and full citizenship.

4. "We affirm that God's creation of humanity has two great aspects: the male and the female human person, and we commit ourselves jointly to ensuring that human dignity and respect are extended on an equal basis to both men and women.

5. "Genuine love of neighbour implies respect of the person and her or his choices in matters of conscience and religion. It includes the right of individuals and communities to practice their religion in private and public.

6. "Religious minorities are entitled to be respected in their own religious convictions and practices. They are also entitled to their own places of worship, and their founding figures and symbols they consider sacred should not be subject to any form of mockery or ridicule.

7. "As Catholic and Muslim believers, we are aware of the summons and imperative to bear witness to the transcendent dimension of life, through a spirituality nourished by prayer, in a world which is becoming more and more secularised and materialistic.

8. "We affirm that no religion and its followers should be excluded from society. Each should be able to make its indispensable contribution to the good of society, especially in service to the most needy.

9. "We recognise that God's creation in its plurality of cultures, civilisations, languages and peoples is a source of richness and should therefore never become a cause of tension and conflict.

10. "We are convinced that Catholics and Muslims have the duty to provide a sound education in human, civic, religious and moral values for their respective members and to promote accurate information about each other's religions.

11. "We profess that Catholics and Muslims are called to be instruments of love and harmony among believers, and for humanity as a whole, renouncing any oppression, aggressive violence and terrorism, especially that committed in the name of religion, and upholding the principle of justice for all.

12. "We call upon believers to work for an ethical financial system in which the regulatory mechanisms consider the situation of the poor and disadvantaged, both as individuals, and as indebted nations. We call upon the privileged of the world to consider the plight of those afflicted most severely by the current crisis in food production and distribution, and ask religious believers of all denominations and all people of good will to work together to alleviate the suffering of the hungry, and to eliminate its causes.

13. "Young people are the future of religious communities and of societies as a whole. Increasingly, they will be living in multi-cultural and multi-religious societies. It is essential that they be well formed in their own religious traditions and well informed about other cultures and religions.

14. "We have agreed to explore the possibility of establishing a permanent Catholic-Muslim committee to co-ordinate responses to conflicts and other emergency situations.

15. "We look forward to the second seminar of the Catholic-Muslim Forum to be convened in approximately two years in a Muslim-majority country yet to be determined".

The declaration concludes by affirming that all the participants "expressed satisfaction with the results of the seminar and their expectation for further productive dialogue".

A meatless supper will be shared at 6 pm. During supper, Brent Cooper, Chaplain at the Regional Psychiatric Centre, Saskatoon will speak. There will also be a panel of speakers at 7 pm: Claire Ewert Fisher (Christian), Cantor Neil Schwartz (Jewish), a representative from the Islamic Association of Saskatoon, and Harvey Thunderchild (Traditional Aboriginal).

Registration: $15 before November 12th, or $18 after November 12th, $8 under-waged. Students free if registered in advance, or $8 at door. Doors open for registration at 5:15 pm. Register by cheque, payable and sent to: Prairie Centre for Ecumenism, 600 – 45th Street West, Saskatoon, SK S7L 5W9. It is necessary to know in advance if registrants plan to attend the supper. For more information call 306-653-1633.

• The complete editorial published in The Tablet, November 1, 2008, is available online.

A Statement from the House of Bishops

We being many are one body for we all share in one bread. (1 Cor 10:17)

The meeting of the Canadian House of Bishops which concluded today was our first time together since we were in England at the Lambeth Conference last summer. We spent considerable time -- more than two days -- sharing impressions of the conference, discussing events in the Canadian Church since Lambeth, and seeking agreement among ourselves on a way forward for our Church and its dioceses in the context of the proceedings at Lambeth.

During this extended discussion, the Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, our partner in Full Communion, accompanied us in conversation, bible study, prayer and mutual support. We are grateful for their presence and contributions.

We acknowledged with gratitude the key role played by the Archbishop of Canterbury in leading us at Lambeth. In particular we noted with thanksgiving the retreat addresses and the three presidential addresses. We share with him the understanding that the Anglican Communion is a gift from God and commit ourselves to working together. We also rejoiced in the clear sense from the bishops gathered at Lambeth that we wished to continue to walk together while addressing the theological issues arising from discussions about same-sex unions.

One of our main topics of conversation was the agreement by many bishops at Lambeth on three moratoria: on the blessing of same-sex unions, on the ordination to the episcopate of people in same-sex relationships and on cross-border interventions. This discussion was in the context of decisions made recently by several diocesan synods in the Canadian Church that asked their bishop to prepare and authorize rites for the blessing of same-sex couples.

Our discussion initially comprised two parts. The first consisted of reports to the House from several bishops of whom such requests have been made -- Ottawa, Montreal, Niagara, Huron, and the Anglican Parishes of the Central Interior -- as well as bishops from other dioceses who anticipate such requests in the not-too-distant future and bishops whose dioceses have received unnecessary and unwelcomed "cross-border interventions."

For the second part, we formed an indaba group to reflect on what we had heard in the previous session. (Indaba -- a model for discussion used at Lambeth -- is an African word meaning "a gathering for purposeful conversation among equals.") Several themes emerged in this discussion.

• Some dioceses have not yet engaged in the listening and discernment process and some are just beginning;
• Some have been listening and discerning for many years and have reached differing conclusions;
• Even in the face of difference, there was a desire expressed to "stay at the family table."

It became clear during this process that many individual bishops wanted something from the House as a whole "to take home" with them to share with members of the church.

In response to that request, we added to our agenda a third session on this vitally important topic. In April, 2005 at its meeting in Windsor Ontario, this House responded to a number of requests made in the Windsor Report including a commitment to the moratoria proposed in that document until General Synod makes a decision.

In this third session, the House heard from the Primate who set out for us his understanding of what was being requested of us by Lambeth and the Archbishop of Canterbury. He noted the Pastoral letter from the House of Bishops to General Synod in 2007 which asked for the greatest pastoral generosity possible to gays and lesbians, consistent with the current teaching of the church. He also reminded us of our agreement in 2004 for a process of Shared Episcopal Ministry (SEM) and indicated to us his desire for "gracious restraint," to use the language of the Archbishop of Canterbury, on the matter of same-sex blessings.

The Primate said to us:

"I come to this meeting of the House of Bishops mindful of our Canadian context and the call for authorization of public rites for the blessings of same sex-unions in a number of our dioceses. I am also mindful of the place of the Anglican Church of Canada in our worldwide Communion.

"I trust the House of Bishops will support my call for respect for due process through the General Synod in this matter. In 2007, General Synod concurred with the opinion of the St. Michael Report (produced by the Primate's Theological Commission) that the blessing of same-sex unions is a matter of doctrine. It is not creedal in nature but nonetheless it is doctrine. The same General Synod called for further work by the Primate's Theological Commission in assisting the Church to determine if this matter of blessings is a Spirit-led development of doctrine. I believe that these deliberations across the church will have a significant impact on discussion at General Synod in 2010 and on the subsequent authority of dioceses through due synodical process to proceed with blessings.

"Please know that I am mindful of the continuing havoc created in several of our dioceses through cross-border interventions on the part of Primates and bishops from other jurisdictions. I believe we must call them to account. They too must honour the Lambeth call for 'gracious restraint.' I remain committed to addressing this issue within the Communion."

We spent several hours in conversation on the implications of the appeal from the Primate.

As a result of these conversations a large majority of the House can affirm the following:

A continued commitment to the greatest extent possible to the three moratoria -- on the blessing of same-sex unions, on the ordination to the episcopate of people in same-sex relationships and on cross-border interventions -- until General Synod 2010. Members of this House, while recognizing the difficulty that this commitment represents for dioceses that in conscience have made decisions on these matters, commit themselves to continue walking together and to hold each other in prayer.

The House also affirms:

A commitment to establishing diocesan commissions to discuss the matter of same-sex blessings in preparation for conversations at General Synod 2010.

Continued commitment to exercise the greatest level of pastoral generosity in keeping with provisions approved by this House in Spring, 2007 and continued commitment to the Shared Episcopal Ministry document approved in Fall, 2004.

We ask for your continuing prayers as we steadfastly seek to discern the mind and heart of Christ for the wholesome care of all members of his Body, the Church. We share a deep hope that though we may never come to consensus over this matter of the blessing of same-sex unions, we will live with differences in a manner that is marked by grace and generosity of spirit, one toward another.

October 31, 2008

Links:

• Th House of Bishops' statement in PDF format
• Shared Episcopal Ministry
• Lutheran Bishops issue statement on joint meeting

"The Body of Christ, His Church, is living with HIV," stated the resolution on HIV, a major focus area for the WEA. "With brokenness we admit that as Evangelical Christians we have allowed stigmatisation and discrimination to characterise our relationships with people living with HIV. We repent of these sinful attitudes and commit to ensuring that they are changed." The statement went on to call for churches to provide "a clear, biblical framework of biblical sexuality and life skills" and for them to "listen with understanding" to those affected by issues such as HIV "so that we can work together for a healthy and safe future." The statement committed leaders to "live out incarnational faith working in partnership with the most marginalised." Other challenges faced by the statement included HIV prevention, establishing caring relationships and a "comprehensive HIV strategy."

The resolution on the current Economic Crisis stated that the "turmoil is, at its root, evidence of what happens when too many are captivated by greed and put their faith in, and entrust their security and future aspirations to a system animated by the maximization of wealth." It concluded that "Many legitimately feel betrayed." It further explained: "our concern is that its impact will continue to permeate into more regions and economies of the world" and that it will have "the most painful impact on the poor, who are the most vulnerable." The document reaffirmed "our faith in God" and sought prayerfully that "God will honour those attempts to address the financial crisis" calling on governments and others to "honour their comitments." It acknowledged the necessity of everyone pulling "together as a community" and encouraged evangelicals to "show leadership in caring for the poor, calling for the necessary reforms ... and to be prophetic in challenging the structures and practices that are incompatible with good stewardship of the resources entrusted to each and all of us."

During the Assembly, the WEA commissioned Dr Joel Edwards, formerly of the Evangelical Alliance of the UK, as the International Director of the Micah Challenge, and Dr Godfrey Yogarajah, formerly head of the Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka and Asia Regional Secretary, as Executive Director of the WEA Religious Liberty Commission.

Kew presentations at the General Assembly included addresses by Dr Joel Edwards on "Evangelicals as Good News People", Dr Richard Howell speaking on the gospel in a pluralistic age and Dr Ronald Sider outlining a "Biblically Shaped, Factually Informed Evangelical Political Framework."

[Francis Wong • ENI] Recently elected leaders of China's officially-sanctioned Protestant churches have said they care about house churches that sometimes operate underground and that they are willing to provide them with Bibles.

"For those house churches without registration, we will try our best to be with them, to recognise them and to help them, so long as they have an orthodox faith, don't stray from the truth and don't follow heretics," Elder Fu Xianwei, chairperson of the National Three Self Patriotic Movement, told some 200 Hong Kong church leaders at a 22 October seminar titled "Chinese Church - New Leaders, New Challenges".

The 12 member-delegation of TSPM and China Christian Council paid their first visit to Hong Kong and Macau from 19 to 26 October since assuming the national leadership of their church organizations in January.

Fu, the leader of the delegation, said that CCC/TSPM was willing to help house churches by, for example, providing them with Bibles, and also desired to work with them in building the Chinese Protestant church.

The officially-sanctioned Chinese Protestant church estimates there are at least 18 million Protestants in China, but many other Christians belong to "house" or underground churches, say some analysts. The Three-Self Patriotic Movement was conceived in 1951 and formed in 1954 as the only legitimate umbrella for Protestant activities. The China Christian Council emerged with the support of the TSPM after China's Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976, when the expression of religious life was effectively banned.

Fu said that there were insufficient pastors and preachers, and that theological education posed challenges to the Church. He said that when more and more people in China were migrating from rural villages to urban areas, pastors in cities were exposed to greater challenges.

Asked if members of the ruling Chinese Communist Party could convert to Christianity, the Rev. Gao Feng, president of CCC, said that although the Communist Party's constitution stated that members should follow Marxism, which espouses atheism, the doors of the Church remain open to all.

Church leaders say there has been debate in China concerning a third way for the existence of Christian communities in the mainland, and about whether all Protestant communities seeking registration need to do so within the framework of the CCC/TPSM.

Yu Jian Rong, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said on 8 October at a conference on religion and social sciences at Beijing University that it was time to consider whether to recognise the legitimate status of house churches, and let them register separately to from the CCC/TSPM, which describe themselves as post-denominational. Yu said that some house churches in China were already in the process of seeking government registration outside the CCC/TSPM.

The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church

Your Holiness,
Synodal Fathers,

It is at once humbling and inspiring to be graciously invited by Your Holiness to address the XIIth Ordinary General Assembly of this auspicious Synod of Bishops, an historical meeting of Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church from throughout the world, gathered in one place to meditate on "the Word of God" and deliberate on the experience and expression of this Word "in the Life and Mission of the Church."

This gracious invitation of Your Holiness to our Modesty is a gesture full of meaning and significance - we dare say an historic event in itself. For it is the first time in history that an Ecumenical Patriarch is offered the opportunity to address a Synod of the Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church, and thus be part of the life of this sister Church at such a high level. We regard this as a manifestation of the work of the Holy Spirit leading our Churches to a closer and deeper relationship with each other, an important step towards the restoration of our full communion.

It is well known that the Orthodox Church attaches to the Synodical system fundamental ecclesiological importance. Together with primacy synodality constitutes the backbone of the Church's government and organisation. As our Joint International Commission on the Theological Dialogue between our Churches expressed it in the Ravenna document, this interdependence between synodality and primacy runs through all the levels of the Church's life: local, regional and universal. Therefore, in having today the privilege to address Your Synod our hopes are raised that the day will come when our two Churches will fully converge on the role of primacy and synodality in the Church's life, to which our common Theological Commission is devoting its study at the present time.

The theme to which this episcopal synod devotes its work is of crucial significance not only for the Roman Catholic Church but also for all those who are called to witness to Christ in our time. Mission and evangelization remain a permanent duty of the Church at all times and places; indeed they form part of the Church's nature, since she is called "Apostolic" both in the sense of her faithfulness to the original teaching of the Apostles and in that of proclaiming the Word of God in every cultural context everytime. The Church needs, therefore, to rediscover the Word of God in every generation and make it heard with a renewed vigour and persuation also in our contemporary world, which deep in its heart thirsts for God's message of peace, hope and charity.

This duty of evangelization would have been, of course, greatly enhanced and strengthened, if all Christians were in a position to perform it with one voice and as a fully united Church. In his prayer to the Father little before His passion our Lord has made it clear that the unity of the Church is unbreakably related with her mission "so that the world may believe" (John 17, 21). It is, therefore, most appropriate that this Synod has opened its doors to ecumenical fraternal delegates so that we may all become aware of our common duty of evangelization as well as of the difficulties and problems of its realization in today's world.

This Synod has undoubtedly been studying the subject of the Word of God in depth and in all its aspects, theological as well as practical and pastoral. In our modest address to you we shall limit ourselves to sharing with you some thoughts on the theme of your meeting, drawing from the way the Orthodox tradition has approached it throughout the centuries and in the Greek patristic teaching, in particular. More concretely we should like to concentrate on three aspects of the subject, namely: on hearing and speaking the Word of God through the Holy Scriptures; on seeing God's Word in nature and above all in the beauty of the icons; and finally on touching and sharing God's Word in the communion of saints and the sacramental life of the Church. For all these are, we think, crucial in the life and mission of the Church.

In so doing, we seek to draw on a rich Patristic tradition, dating to the early third century and expounding a doctrine of five spiritual senses. For listening to God's Word, beholding God's Word, and touching God's Word are all spiritual ways of perceiving the unique divine mystery. Based on Proverbs 2.5 about "the divine faculty of perception (αἴσθησις)," Origen of Alexandria claims:

This sense unfolds as sight for contemplation of immaterial forms, hearing for discernment of voices, taste for savoring the living bread, smell for sweet spiritual fragrance, and touch for handling the Word of God, which is grasped by every faculty of the soul.

The spiritual senses are variously described as "five senses of the soul," as "divine" or "inner faculties," and even as "faculties of the heart" or "mind." This doctrine inspired the theology of the Cappadocians (especially Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa) as much as it did the theology of the Desert Fathers (especially Evagrius of Pontus and Macarius the Great).

1.Hearing and Speaking the Word through Scripture

At each celebration of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, the presiding celebrant at the Eucharist entreats "that we may be made worthy to hear the Holy Gospel." For "hearing, beholding and handling the Word of life" (1 Jn 1.1) are not first and foremost our entitlement or birthright as human beings; they are our privilege and gift as children of the living God. The Christian Church is, above all, a scriptural Church. Although methods of interpretation may have varied from Church Father to Church Father, from "school" to "school," and from East to West, nevertheless, Scripture was always received as a living reality and not a dead book.

In the context of a living faith, then, Scripture is the living testimony of a lived history about the relationship of a living God with a living people. The Spirit, "who spoke through the prophets" (Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed), spoke in order to be heard and take effect. It is primarily an oral and direct communication intended for human beneficiaries. The scriptural text is, therefore, derivative and secondary; the scriptural text always serves the spoken word. It is not conveyed mechanically, but communicated from generation to generation as a living word. Through the Prophet Isaiah, the Lord vows:

As rain and snow descend from heaven, watering the earth … so shall my word go from mouth to mouth, accomplishing that which I purpose. (55.10-11)

Moreover, as St. John Chrysostom explains, the divine Word demonstrates profound considerateness (συγκατάβασις) for the personal diversity and cultural contexts of those hearing and receiving. Adaptation of the divine Word to the specific personal readiness and the particular cultural context defines the missionary dimension of the Church, which is called to transform the world through the Word. In silence as in declaration, in prayer as in action, the divine Word addresses the whole world, "preaching to all nations" (Mt 28.19) without either privilege or prejudice to race, culture, gender and class. When we carry out that divine commission, we are assured: "Behold, I am with you always." (Mt 28.20) We are called to speak the divine Word in all languages, "becoming all things to all people, that [we] might by all means save some." (1 Cor. 9.22)

As disciples of God's Word, then, it is today more imperative than ever that we provide a unique perspective – beyond the social, political, or economic – on the need to eradicate poverty, to provide balance in a global world, to combat fundamentalism or racism, and to develop religious tolerance in a world of conflict. In responding to the needs of the world's poor, vulnerable and marginalized, the Church can prove a defining marker of the space and character of the global community. While the theological language of religion and spirituality differs from the technical vocabulary of economics and politics, the barriers that at first glance appear to separate religious concerns (such as sin, salvation, and spirituality) from pragmatic interests (such as commerce, trade, and politics) are not impenetrable, crumbling before the manifold challenges of social justice and globalization.

Whether dealing with environment or peace, poverty or hunger, education or healthcare, there is today a heightened sense of common concern and common responsibility, which is felt with particular acuteness by people of faith as well as by those whose outlook is expressly secular. Our engagement with such issues does not of course in any way undermine or abolish differences between various disciplines or disagreements with those who look at the world in different ways. Yet the growing signs of a common commitment for the well-being of humanity and the life of the world are encouraging. It is an encounter of individuals and institutions that bodes well for our world. And it is an involvement that highlights the supreme vocation and mission of the disciples and adherents of God's Word to transcend political or religious differences in order to transform the entire visible world for the glory of the invisible God.

2.Seeing the Word of God – The Beauty of Icons and Nature

Nowhere is the invisible rendered more visible than in the beauty of iconography and the wonder of creation. In the words of the champion of sacred images, St. John of Damascus: "As maker of heaven and earth, God the Word was Himself the first to paint and portray icons." Every stroke of an iconographer's paintbrush – like every word of a theological definition, every musical note chanted in psalmody, and every carved stone of a tiny chapel or magnificent cathedral – articulates the divine Word in creation, which praises God in every living being and every living thing. (cf. Ps. 150.6)

In affirming sacred images, the Seventh Ecumenical Council of Nicaea was not concerned with religious art; it was the continuation and confirmation of earlier definitions about the fullness of the humanity of God's Word. Icons are a visible reminder of our heavenly vocation; they are invitations to rise beyond our trivial concerns and menial reductions of the world. They encourage us to seek the extraordinary in the very ordinary, to be filled with the same wonder that characterized the divine marvel in Genesis: "God saw everything that He made; and, indeed, it was very good." (Gn. 1.30-31) The Greek (Septuagint) word for "goodness" is ά, which implies – etymologically and symbolically – a sense of "calling." Icons underline the Church's fundamental mission to recognize that all people and all things are created and called to be "good" and "beautiful."

Indeed, icons remind us of another way of seeing things, another way of experiencing realities, another way of resolving conflicts. We are asked to assume what the hymnology of Easter Sunday calls "another way of living." For we have behaved arrogantly and dismissively toward the natural creation. We have refused to behold God's Word in the oceans of our planet, in the trees of our continents, and in the animals of our earth. We have denied our very own nature, which calls us to stoop low enough to hear God's Word in creation if we wish to "become participants of divine nature." (2 Pet 1.4) How could we ignore the wider implications of the divine Word assuming flesh? Why do we fail to perceive created nature as the extended Body of Christ?

Eastern Christian theologians always emphasized the cosmic proportions of divine incarnation. The incarnate Word is intrinsic to creation, which came to be through divine utterance. St. Maximus the Confessor insists on the presence of God's Word in all things (cf. Col. 3.11); the divine Logos stands at the center of the world, mysteriously revealing its original principle and ultimate purpose (cf. 1 Pet 1.20). This mystery is described by St. Athanasius of Alexandria:

As the Logos [he writes], he is not contained by anything and yet contains everything; He is in everything and yet outside of everything ... the first-born of the whole world in its every aspect.

The entire world is a prologue to the Gospel of John. And when the Church fails to recognize the broader, cosmic dimensions of God's Word, narrowing its concerns to purely spiritual matters, then it neglects its mission to implore God for the transformation – always and everywhere, "in all places of His dominion" – of the whole polluted cosmos. It is no wonder that on Easter Sunday, as the Paschal celebration reaches its climax, Orthodox Christians sing:

Now everything is filled with divine light: heaven and earth, and all things beneath the earth. So let all creation rejoice.

All genuine "deep ecology" is, therefore, inextricably linked with deep theology:
"Even a stone," writes Basil the Great, "bears the mark of God's Word. This is true of an ant, a bee and a mosquito, the smallest of creatures. For He spread the wide heavens and laid the immense seas; and He created the tiny hollow shaft of the bee's sting."
Recalling our minuteness in God's wide and wonderful creation only underlines our central role in God's plan for the salvation of the whole world.

3.Touching and Sharing the Word of God – The Communion of Saints and the Sacraments of Life

The Word of God persistently "moves outside of Himself in ecstasy" (Dionysius the Areopagite), passionately seeking to "dwell in us" (Jn 1.14), that the world may have life in abundance. (Jn 10.10) God's compassionate mercy is poured and shared "so as to multiply the objects of His beneficence." (Gregory the Theologian) God assumes all that is ours, "in every respect being tested as we are, yet without sin" (Heb. 4.15), in order to offer us all that is God's and render us gods by grace. "Though rich, He becomes poor that we might become rich," writes the great Apostle Paul (2 Cor. 8.9), to whom this year is so aptly dedicated. This is the Word of God; gratitude and glory are due to Him.

The word of God receives His full embodiment in creation, above all in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. It is there that the Word becomes flesh and allows us not simply to hear or see Him but to touch Him with our own hands, as St. John declares (I John 1,1) and make Him part of our own body and blood (σύσσωμοι καί σύναιμοι) in the words of St. John Chrysostom.

In the Holy Eucharist the Word heard is at the same time seen and shared (κοινωνία). It is not accidental that in the early eucharistic documents, such as the book of Revelation and the Didache, the Eucharist was associated with prophesy, and the presiding bishops were regarded as successors of the prophets (e.g. Martyrion Polycarpi). The Eucharist was already by St. Paul (I Cor. 11) described as "proclamation" of Christ's death and Second Coming. As the purpose of Scripture is essentially the proclamation of the Kingdom and the announcement of eschatological realities, the Eucharist is a foretaste of the Kingdom, and in this sense the proclamation of the Word par excellence. In the Eucharist Word and Sacrament become one reality. The Word ceases to be "words" and becomes a Person, embodying in Himself all human beings and all creation.

Within the life of the Church, the unfathomable self-emptying (κένωσις) and generous sharing(κοινωνία) of the divine Logos is reflected in the lives of the saints as the tangible experience and human expression of God's Word in our community. In this way, the Word of God becomes the Body of Christ, crucified and glorified at the same time. As a result, the saint has an organic relationship with heaven and earth, with God and all of creation. In ascetic struggle, the saint reconciles the Word and the world. Through repentance and purification, the saint is filled – as Abba Isaac the Syrian insists – with compassion for all creatures, which is the ultimate humility and perfection.

This is why the saint loves with warmth and spaciousness that are both unconditional and irresistible. In the saints, we know God's very Word, since – as St. Gregory Palamas claims – "God and His saints share the same glory and splendor." In the gentle presence of a saint, we learn how theology and action coincide. In the compassionate love of the saint, we experience God as "our father" and God's mercy as "steadfastly enduring." (Ps. 135, LXX) The saint is consumed with the fire of God's love. This is why the saint imparts grace and cannot tolerate the slightest manipulation or exploitation in society or in nature. The saint simply does what is "proper and right" (Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom), always dignifying humanity and honoring creation. "His words have the force of actions and his silence the power of speech." (St. Ignatius of Antioch)

And within the communion of saints, each of us is called to "become like fire" (Sayings of the Desert Fathers), to touch the world with the mystical force of God's Word, so that – as the extended Body of Christ – the world, too, might say: "Someone touched me!" (cf. Mt 9.20) Evil is only eradicated by holiness, not by harshness. And holiness introduces into society a seed that heals and transforms. Imbued with the life of the sacraments and the purity of prayer, we are able to enter the innermost mystery of God's Word. It is like the tectonic plates of the earth's crust: the deepest layers need only shift a few millimeters to shatter the world's surface. Yet for this spiritual revolution to occur, we must experience radical metanoia – a conversion of attitudes, habits and practices – for ways that we have misused or abused God's Word, God's gifts and God's creation.

Such a conversion is, of course, impossible without divine grace; it is not achieved simply through greater effort or human willpower. "For mortals, it is impossible; but for God all things are possible." (Mt 19.26) Spiritual change occurs when our bodies and souls are grafted onto the living Word of God, when our cells contain the life-giving blood-flow of the sacraments, when we are open to sharing all things with all people. As St. John Chrysostom reminds us, the sacrament of "our neighbor" cannot be isolated from the sacrament of "the altar." Sadly, we have ignored the vocation and obligation to share. Social injustice and inequality, global poverty and war, ecological pollution and degradation result from our inability or unwillingness to share. If we claim to retain the sacrament of the altar, we cannot forgo or forget the sacrament of the neighbor – a fundamental condition for realizing God's Word in the world within the life and mission of the Church.

Beloved Brothers in Christ,

We have explored the patristic teaching of the spiritual senses, discerning the power of hearing and speaking God's Word in Scripture, of seeing God's Word in icons and nature, as well as of touching and sharing God's Word in the saints and sacraments. Yet, in order to remain true to the life and mission of the Church, we must personally be changed by this Word. The Church must resemble the mother, who is both sustained by and nourishes through the food she eats. Anything that does not feed and nourish everyone cannot sustain us either. When the world does not share the joy of Christ's Resurrection, this is an indictment of our own integrity and commitment to the living Word of God. Prior to the celebration of each Divine Liturgy, Orthodox Christians pray that this Word will be "broken and consumed, distributed and shared" in communion. And "we know that we have passed from death to life when we love our brothers" and sisters (1 Jn 3.14).

The challenge before us is the discernment of God's Word in the face of evil, the transfiguration of every last detail and speck of this world in the light of Resurrection. The victory is already present in the depths of the Church, whenever we experience the grace of reconciliation and communion. As we struggle – in ourselves and in our world – to recognize the power of the Cross, we begin to appreciate how every act of justice, every spark of beauty, every word of truth can gradually wear away the crust of evil. However, beyond our own frail efforts, we have the assurance of the Spirit, who "helps us in our weakness" (Rom. 8.26) and stands beside us as advocate and "comforter" (Jn 14-6), penetrating all things and "transforming us – as St. Symeon the New Theologian says – into everything that the Word of God says about the heavenly kingdom: pearl, grain of mustard seed, leaven, water, fire, bread, life and mystical wedding chamber." Such is the power and grace of the Holy Spirit, whom we invoke as we conclude our address, extending to Your Holiness our gratitude and to each of you our blessings:

Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth
present everywhere and filling all things;
treasury of goodness and giver of life:
Come, and abide in us.
And cleanse us from every impurity;
and save our souls.
For you are good and love humankind.
Amen!

"The Christian tradition has always been cautious about interest and for many centuries it was very much of one mind with the Islamic tradition, but after the 16th century that changed," Williams, the leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion, said at a 15 October media conference in London, following a three-day meeting in Cambridge of Christian and Muslim scholars and clerics.

Williams said, "I would like very much to see a dialogue developing with Islam about this question of what a just, a reasonable rate of interest might look like in the light of a religious ethic, but this work is very much in its infancy."

Asked who was to blame for the current global financial crisis, Williams at first joked, "I am going to suggest Satan." He then said, "Clearly, as religious leaders we want to say that the root of the problem is human greed, which is not specific to one nation or even to the governing class or any one religion."

A joint statement issued by conference participants urged world leaders to act together to ensure that the burden of the current financial crisis and the global environmental crisis did not fall unevenly on the weak and poor.

"We must seize the opportunity for implementing a more equitable global economic system that also respects our role as stewards of the earth's resources," the statement said.

Referring to the situation in Mosul, northern Iraq, where almost 1400 Christian families have fled their homes in fear for their lives, participants said, "These threats undermine the centuries-old tradition of local Muslims protecting and nourishing the Christian community and must stop."

The statement described the meeting as, "the most significant gathering of international Muslim leaders" to have taken place in Britain, and they said it had been matched by a similarly wide diversity of traditions and geographical backgrounds amongst the Christian participants.

The meeting marked the first anniversary of an open letter, "a common word between us and you", by 138 Muslim scholars and clerics to Christian leaders urging followers of the two faiths to find common ground to promote world peace

Separately, the Geneva-based World Council of Churches announced on 15 October it would host a consultation of 50 church leaders and experts on Christian-Muslim dialogue from 18 to 20 October.

The WCC said the consultation was intended to build on initiatives such as the Cambridge meeting in order to provide a space for churches and communions to share their initiatives and theological resources to engage with Muslims.

"Surmonter les conflits internes de l'Eglise orthodoxe en renonçant aux extrémismes nationalistes, ethniques et idéologiques du passé" est un passage obligé pour que "la parole de l'orthodoxie ait l'impact nécessaire sur le monde contemporain", peut-on lire dans un message rendu public au terme de la réunion.

Le message affirme également le désir des participants "de poursuivre, en dépit des difficultés, les dialogues théologiques avec les autres chrétiens, ainsi que les dialogues interreligieux, en particulier avec le judaïsme et l'islam."

La réunion s'est tenue au Phanar, siège du Patriarcat œcuménique de Constantinople, et a rassemblé 14 patriarches, primats et représentants des Eglises orthodoxes. Elle a eu lieu sur l'invitation et sous la présidence du patriarche œcuménique Bartholomée Ier - "premier parmi nous", selon le message.

"Il s'agit d'un événement extrêmement important dans la vie de l'Eglise orthodoxe", a déclaré Georges Lemopoulos, secrétaire général adjoint du Conseil œcuménique des Eglises (COE). "Le message, qui appelle essentiellement à l'unité et à la collaboration entre orthodoxes, et qui définit un 'programme orthodoxe' comme témoignage au monde, revêt une dimension œcuménique importante et aura certainement un impact sur le travail du mouvement œcuménique", a ajouté Georges Lemopoulos, un laïc orthodoxe du Patriarcat œcuménique de Constantinople.

Abordant certaines des questions qui ont fait les gros titres dernièrement, les responsables orthodoxes ont associé, dans leur message, la crise financière actuelle à "la quête frénétique du profit" et aux "activités financières corrompues", tout en appelant à "une économie viable" capable de combiner "l'efficacité à la justice et à la solidarité sociale."

Au sujet du conflit opposant la Géorgie et la Russie concernant la région séparatiste de l'Ossétie du Sud, les responsables orthodoxes ont salué les deux Eglises orthodoxes pour "leur coopération fraternelle" et ont espéré que leurs "efforts contribueront à surmonter les conséquences tragiques des opérations militaires et à encourager une réconciliation rapide des deux peuples."

Le message de la réunion condamne "l'inégalité injuste" dans le partage des "biens de la création" par "des individus ou même des peuples", en raison des clivaages "nationalistes, ethniques, idéologiques et religieux". Les résultats en sont affligeants: des milliards de personnes privées de biens de première nécessité, des migrations en masse, la discrimination et les conflits religieux et sociaux, et la destruction de l'environnement et de tout l'écosystème.

Etant donné que les chrétiens orthodoxes "partagent la responsabilité de la crise actuelle que traverse cette planète", ils ont également "une obligation majeure de contribuer à surmonter les divisions du monde", indique le message.

Les participants à la réunion ont salué "la proposition du Patriarcat œcuménique d'organiser des colloques panorthodoxes au cours de l'année à venir" afin d'examiner certaines question relatives aux juridictions et d'autres questions "découlant de circonstances historiques et d'exigences pastorales, concernant par exemple ce que l'on appelle la diaspora orthodoxe."

Les responsables orthodoxes se sont également félicités de "la poursuite de la préparation du Saint et Grand Concile". Des préparatifs en vue d'une manifestation conciliaire majeure des Eglises orthodoxes ont eu lieu à la fin des années 70 et dans les années 80, mais le rythme s'est ralenti lorsque les changements en Europe de l'Est ont créé de nouveaux besoins pastoraux et défis ecclésiaux dans le monde orthodoxe.

Le message a été signé par les patriarches de Constantinople, d'Alexandrie, d'Antioche, de Jérusalem et de Moscou, par les primats des Eglises de Chypre, de Grèce, de Pologne, d'Albanie et de Tchéquie et de Slovaquie, ainsi que par les représentants des Eglises de Serbie, de Roumanie, de Bulgarie et de Géorgie.

• Texte intégral du message des primats des Eglises orthodoxes (en anglais)

"Overcoming the internal conflicts of the Orthodox Church through the surrendering of nationalistic, ethnic and ideological extremes of the past" is a requisite for the "word of Orthodoxy [to] have a necessary impact on the contemporary world," reads a message issued at the end of the meeting.

The message also affirms the participants' "desire to continue, despite any difficulties, the theological dialogues with other Christians, as well as the interreligious dialogues, especially with Judaism and Islam".

Fourteen patriarchs, primates and representatives of Eastern Orthodox churches gathered in the Phanar, the see of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. The meeting took place at the invitation and under the presidency of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew - the "first among us," according to the message.

"This has been an extremely important event in the life of the Orthodox church," said the World Council of Churches (WCC) deputy general secretary Georges Lemopoulos. "The message, calling mainly for inter-orthodox unity and collaboration, and spelling out an 'Orthodox agenda' as a witness to the world, has a significant ecumenical dimension and will certainly impact the work of the ecumenical movement," added Lemopoulos, an Orthodox layman from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.

Addressing some of the issues making headlines these days, the message linked the current financial crisis to "manic profiteering" and "corrupt financial activity", while calling for a "viable economy" able to combine "efficacy with justice and social solidarity".

Regarding the conflict between Georgia and Russia over the breakaway South Ossetia region, the Orthodox leaders commended both Orthodox churches for "their fraternal cooperation" and hoped that their "efforts will contribute to overcoming the tragic consequences of military operations and [to] the swift reconcilement of the peoples".

The meeting's message condemns the "unjust inequality" in the sharing of "the goods of Creation" by "individuals, or even peoples" as a consequence of "nationalistic, ethnic, ideological and religious" divisions. The results are wanton: billions of people deprived of basic goods; mass migration; nationalistic, religious and social discrimination and conflicts; and destruction of the natural environment and the entire ecosystem.

As Orthodox Christians "share responsibility for the contemporary crisis of this planet," they also have "a major obligation to contribute to overcoming the divisions of the world," the message states.

Participants at the gathering welcomed "the proposal by the Ecumenical Patriarchate to convene Pan-Orthodox Consultations within the coming year" in order to address jurisdictional and other issues that have "arisen from historical circumstances and pastoral requirements, such as in the so-called Orthodox Diaspora".

The Orthodox leaders also welcomed "the continuation of preparations for the Holy and Great Council". Preparations towards a major conciliar event of the Orthodox churches took place at the end of the seventies and in the eighties but slowed down when changes in Eastern Europe created new pastoral needs and ecclesial challenges within the Orthodox world.

The message has been signed by the patriarchs of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem and Moscow, the primates of the churches of Cyprus, Greece, Poland, Albania, and the Czech Lands and Slovakia, as well as representatives of the churches of Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria and Georgia.

• Full text of the Message of the Primates of the Orthodox Churches

Introduction: An Affirmation of Muslim–Christian Engagement

The churches that comprise the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA welcome with gratitude "A Common Word Between Us and You." Addressed to leaders of Christian churches around the world, your letter expresses an intent to engage seriously with Christians in dialogue that is grounded in the authentic religious convictions of our respective communities. Based upon the love of God and the love of neighbor – the two great commandments central to Islam, Christianity, and Judaism – your letter invites Christians to
join with Muslims to forge ties of peace. This is a bold and timely invitation. Out of Christian faithfulness, and with respect for Islam, the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, whose member churches' common Christian witness leads them to seek unity with one another and peace with justice for all people, offers this ecumenical response to you, our Muslim friends, as an acceptance of your invitation.

As Christians in the United States, we understand our response to be an entry into the hospitality you have offered in "A Common Word." As in Islam, hospitality has been an important virtue from the beginning of Christianity. St. Paul, deeply rooted in the Hebrew Scriptures, instructed early Christians to "extend hospitality to the stranger" (Romans 12:13, NRSV). In Christian theology, a dramatic image of the centrality of hospitality is drawn from the visit of the Lord to Abraham (Genesis 18:1-15). Three men – iconographically portrayed as angels in Christian interpretation – appeared to Abraham, who offered them food, shelter and protection, after which they pronounced upon Abraham and Sarah a great blessing.[2] This story, in itself symbolizing the love of God and the love of neighbor – and all the peace and understanding that attend such love – inspired the further scriptural injunction, "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it" (Hebrews 13:2, NRSV). In the experience of hospitality, therefore, a blessing is given and received.

Your call for mutual outreach between Muslims and Christians resonates with the recent experience of our respective communities. For some thirty years, Muslim–Christian dialogue has been included in the work of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, and for much longer in many of its member communions. In 1999, because of the growing importance of interfaith relations, we formulated a policy, "Interfaith Relations and the Churches,"[3] to further guide our interactions with Islam and other religious traditions. This policy statement sets out a framework for relationship that is rooted in an understanding of God in community, the call of Christ to engagement and reconciliation, and the power of the Holy Spirit to teach us new things about God, ourselves, and what the world needs of us. The urgency for such outreach was made more acute after the terrible events of September 11, 2001, and responses to those events by and within the United States, and it is to this urgency – for the sake of peace in the world – that "A Common Word" speaks most eloquently.

We agree that striving together as people who would seek to be peacemakers – as Christians and Muslims, and also in cooperation with people of other religious traditions – for fairness, justice and mutual goodwill is indeed necessary for the welfare of the world. We note in "A Common Word" that the Arabic word translated "common," as used in the Qur'an ("Say: O People of the Scripture! Come to a common word between us and you…" – Aal 'Imran 3:64), also means "just" and "fair."[4] Thus we are called to a "just word," or a "fair word" between one another. It is our belief that proclaiming this just word together, and acting in accordance with it, will contribute significantly to a just world for all.

Seeking Common Ground

We recognize and welcome the affirmation that love of the One God – the love of God for the world and our love for God – and love of neighbor together form the heart of our faiths. While our religious traditions have differing views of each other's historical experience and theology, this commonality is indeed something on which to base our efforts.

This common belief is rooted in the Old Testament: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might" (Deuteronomy 6:4-5, NRSV). In context, these words mean that God's blessing upon the people who call upon God's name has fundamental implications; the covenant with the people, a people chosen by God, brings blessing, and just as surely brings an obligation to love God and a responsibility to love one's neighbor.

Christianity and Islam come to these words from different starting points. And yet, precisely because each tradition hearkens back to these same words, we are compelled to find common ground.

In "A Common Word" you write, from the perspective of your own theological understanding: "...we ask Christians to come together with us on the common essentials of our two religions... that we shall worship none but God, and that we shall ascribe no partner unto Him, and that none of us shall take others for lords beside God…(Aal 'Imran, 3:64). Let this common ground be the basis of all future interfaith dialogue between us, for our common ground is that on which hangs all the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 22:40)." We, of course, view this common ground from the perspective of our own theological understanding. We do so as Christians involved in ecumenical dialogue among ourselves, maintaining theological differences in creative tension even as we assert what we hold in common. We bring our willingness to enter into this kind of dialogue to interfaith relationships as well.

Both Christians and Muslims understand that love of God means that human beings are to believe in God, trust God, listen to God's word and in obedience to God put this faith into practice, remain faithful under duress, practice virtues and avoid sin, pray regularly, and be forgiving and generous to others. These values and virtues are strongly convergent, even if they differ in details related to the ways we order our respective visions of the spiritual life.

Most pertinent to this discourse, there are differences as to how Muslims and Christians each understand the realities that make up the common ground upon which we stand. Oneness of God compels a discussion about how the revelation of God has been differently understood by the communities that call upon God's name. Love of God demands an exploration of how each community perceives a genuine response to God's love for the world. Even the word neighbor requires frank analysis: as historically played out, despite theological mandates to care for the other (as in the parable of the Good Samaritan, Luke 10:25-37), in both Muslim and Christian societies, the word "neighbor" has sometimes been limited to the designation of a member of one's own community. In various places and times, Christian minorities and Muslim minorities have both fared well and fared badly in the context of religious majorities of the other faith. In the present day, sectarian tensions are undeniable around the world, as are instances of positive interaction. In both communities, there is a growing understanding of the "other" as "neighbor," and increasing clarity that equal status in society, based on human dignity and freedom of conscience, is the ideal that should be sought and legally established.

There are many questions for Christians and Muslims to ask together as we explore the common ground on which we stand. We acknowledge God's oneness, but how do we understand this as communities that call upon God's name? Can we understand each other's affirmations of the oneness of God? What does it mean to love God and to respond to God's love in the world of suffering, strife, and division we see today? Who is our neighbor in a world in which Christians, Muslims, people of other faiths, and secular people live together in the same societies? In a world of deep and fracturing differences, of majorities and minorities, and of urgent human needs, how do we respond to our obligation to love our neighbors? How do we genuinely understand that "love of God and love of neighbors cannot be separated"[5]?

As we attempt to answer these questions, we recognize that our differences are important; they contribute to who we are and to what we believe. We regretfully acknowledge, and painfully remember, that in history, due to our differences Christians and Muslims both have had a mixture of successes and failures in living out the conviction to love people of other religious traditions, including one another's communities. Nevertheless, in repentance and humility, and in obedience to God, we can walk forward together with mutual appreciation in acceptance of the commandment to love God with our whole being, and in the belief that love for God leads to and is demonstrated in love for one another. Indeed, we can know that, with God's blessing, each step we take together will lead to new and yet undiscovered common ground.

In Community with One Another

Ultimately, human beings are not capable of fully comprehending the Holy Mystery that is God. Yet we respond to you out of our understanding of the One God, wrought through our community's experience of God over generations. The Christian understanding of God – the God of Abraham and his descendants – leads us to confess the One God as Trinity: God, the Father, who is fully revealed in Jesus Christ, and whose revelation in Christ and whose presence in the world and in our lives are continually confirmed through the Holy Spirit. This is the language we use to express our experience of the One God. Christian theology affirms that the Son and the Spirit find their eternal origin in the Father; it is through self-transcending freedom and love that the Father through his very being brings forth the Son and the Spirit, who thus fully possess the Father's one and undivided divine nature. This unity is expressed in the dynamic, self-giving interrelatedness and communion of the Father, Son and Spirit; it is a relationship of mutual, self-transcending love for, and union with, one another.

Our understanding of God opens our eyes to the very meaning of relationship and communion. Indeed, the divine fellowship serves as the model for genuine human relationship to which we are called. This calling is reflected in the theological affirmation of the creation account in Genesis (1:26-27): together, male and female, "it is the first humans in community who ... constitute the image and likeness of God."[6] Human beings, "created to live a life of relationship, and called to claim the unity in our human diversity,"[7] were therefore created for communion. In our understanding, we are fully human only when, like Jesus, we are in communion – with God and with one another. Incarnating the fullness of God and being fully human, "Jesus Christ initiates a new creation, a world unified in relationship as God intended."[8] This enables humans in freedom and love to transcend the self for communion with God and others. In other words, "we believe that Jesus Christ makes real God's will for a life of loving community with God, with the whole human family, and with all creation." [9] Because communion with God and God's people and God's creation is ultimately the content of salvation, as human beings sojourn in this life we are driven by an inner impulse to reach out in community to one another.

In Christian understanding, it is the Holy Spirit that quickens this impulse toward relationship within us and "enables us to discern how to nurture the loving community of persons which is God's intention for creation, and gives us the strength to keep working toward it."[10] Affirming that the Spirit, which, like the wind, "blows where it chooses" (John 3:8, NRSV), constantly shapes and expands our understanding of the ways of God, many Christian churches have long disavowed an exclusive appropriation of God's saving grace. Today, we can join in the affirmation that we "reject nothing of what is true and holy in [other] religions" (Nostra Aetate). For us, the doctrine of the Trinity reveals communion in unity and in difference. Such communion, when reflected in the human community, can therefore include relationship with neighbors of religious traditions different from our own in mutual respect, accountability, and cooperation. In the conviction that Jesus Christ is the Word of God, and that through him God has spoken to all of humanity, we are thus called upon to engage with one another respectfully, honestly, and appreciatively in the hope that through the Spirit our engagement will make a difference in the world we share.

Believing that God through Jesus was with humanity in our suffering and through the Holy Spirit continues to be present in creation, and is as close to us as our very breath, Christians are called to be agents of grace, healing, reconciliation, renewal and transformation. Central to this call is to affirm the dignity of all human beings, and to celebrate the gifts of God and blessings of life that come with being children of our Creator. As a joyful exhortation to these ministries, the Christian scriptures offer these words: "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near…[W]hatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things" (Philippians 4:4-5, 8, NRSV). We therefore reach out enthusiastically to meet your embrace, not only in respect for you as brothers and sisters within the human family, but also in solidarity in the calling to love God and love our neighbor. For as Jesus said, "In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets" (Matthew 7:12, NRSV).

Walking Forward Together

As you did in "A Common Word Between Us and You," we also affirm the need to take actions that demonstrate our commitment to our "common" and "just" word. It is our conviction that the exploration of our shared ground requires that we move beyond polite conversation to interaction with one another and cooperative endeavors. Indeed, we believe that deep relationship as neighbors calls us to common engagement in a world plagued by violence, poverty, environmental degradation, and other such ills, and in need of moral leadership in addressing them.

Consistent with this affirmation, Christian leaders within the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA have joined with American Muslim leaders in a National Muslim–Christian Initiative, with the following mission statement: "We, from various streams of Muslim and Christian communities, seek to enhance mutual understanding, respect, appreciation and support of what is sacred for each other through dialogue, education and sustained visible encounters that foster and nurture relationships." There are various components to this work:

• to encourage the local churches, mosques and Islamic centers to engage with each other in new and positive ways;
• to educate each other about ourselves, so that we are able to present each other with authenticity and credibility, and with respect and appreciation;
• to foster the healing of painful memories that our two communities have of one another;
• to establish a mechanism for response in the event of negative events or emergencies involving our communities, and especially to denounce violence committed against them; and,
• to publicize our work and disseminate materials, including engagement on "A Common Word," so that our constituent members and the media will have access to positive interaction between our communities.

Through this national dialogue, and through similar initiatives throughout our country and globally, the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA and our member churches firmly commit to ongoing and tangible engagement with Muslim partners.

At the heart of "A Common Word," we hear a call for Christians to consider that Muslims are with us, and that this togetherness bears upon the state of the world. The importance of this call should not be underestimated. Certainly, very different groups with very different agendas (mis)use the name of Islam, the Qur'an, and the Prophet Muhammad to further their own cause, and many devout Muslims deplore their actions. The same can be said for the way some (mis)use the name of Christianity, Jesus Christ, and the Bible, and for the deep distress of devout Christians who discern this abuse as contrary to the Gospel. For this reason, we similarly affirm that Christianity is not against Islam. Accordingly, we pray, not only for the absence of enmity, but for the nurturing of friendship between our two communities.

We lament on every occasion when violence is committed in the name of religion. Yet we must confess that our traditions do contain attitudes, historical memories, and even passages of scripture that have been, and can all too easily be, used in support of violence. At the same time we are convinced that, when our faiths are most authentically practiced, they lead to a rejection of violence. Such conviction also brings a responsibility. And so, we affirm with you, as written in "A Common Word": "And to those who nevertheless relish conflict and destruction for their own sake or reckon that ultimately they stand to gain through them, we say that our very eternal souls are all also at stake if we fail to sincerely make every effort to make peace and come together in harmony."

Therefore, our churches, in ecumenical solidarity through the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, commit themselves to actively seek, together with you, ways to take up the challenge you have presented to us in "A Common Word": "Let us vie with each other only in righteousness and good works. Let us respect each other, be fair, just and kind to one another and live in sincere peace, harmony and mutual goodwill." May we discern together, in the various places of our common life and work, how to give concrete expression to this commitment, "not [only] in word or speech, but in truth and action" (1 John 3:18, NRSV). In this way, in all contexts and in all places, equality, fairness, justice, and peace may prevail.

Contact , NCC Senior Program Director for Interfaith Relations, 212-870-3422
NCC News contact: Philip E. Jenks, 212-870-2228,

Introduction

1. In the Ravenna document, "The Ecclesiological and Canonical Consequences of the Sacramental Nature of the Church – Ecclesial Communion, Conciliarity and Authority", Catholics and Orthodox acknowledge the inseparable link between conciliarity and primacy at all levels of the life of the Church: "Primacy and conciliarity are mutually interdependent. That is why primacy at the different levels of the life of the Church, local, regional and universal, must always be considered in the context of conciliarity, and conciliarity likewise in the context of primacy" (Ravenna document, n. 43). They also agree that "in the canonical order (taxis) witnessed by the ancient Church", which was "recognised by all in the era of the undivided Church", "Rome, as the Church that "presides in love" according to the phrase of St Ignatius of Antioch, occupied the first place in the taxis, and that the bishop of Rome was therefore the protos among the patriarchs' (nn. 40, 41). The document refers to the active role and prerogatives of the bishop of Rome as "protos among the patriarchs', "protos of the bishops of the major Sees' (nn. 41, 42, 44), and it concludes that "the role of the bishop of Rome in the communion of all the Churches' must be 'studied in greater depth". "What is the specific function of the bishop of the "first see" in an ecclesiology of koinonia?" (n. 45)

2. The topic for the next stage of the theological dialogue is therefore: "The Role of the Bishop of Rome in the Communion of the Church in the First Millennium". The aim is to understand more deeply the role of the bishop of Rome during the period when the Churches of East and West were in communion, notwithstanding certain divergences between them, and so to respond to the above question.

3. The present text will treat the topic by considering the following four points:
– The Church of Rome, prima sedes;
– The bishop of Rome as successor of Peter;
– The role of the bishop of Rome at times of crisis in the ecclesial communion;
– The influence of non-theological factors.

The Church of Rome, "prima sedes"

4. Catholics and Orthodox agree that, from apostolic times, the Church of Rome has been recognised as the first among the local Churches, both in the East and in the West. The writings of the apostolic fathers clearly testify to this fact. Rome, the capital of the empire, quickly gained renown in the early church as the place of martyrdom of saints Peter and Paul (cf Rev 11:3-12). It occupied a unique place among the local churches and exercised a unique influence. Late in the first century, invoking the example of the martyrs, Peter and Paul, the Church of Rome wrote a long letter to the Church of Corinth, which had ejected its elders (1 Clem. 1, 44), and urged that unity and harmony (homonoia) be restored. The letter was written by Clement, subsequently identified as bishop of Rome (cf Irenaeus, Adv.Haer., 3, 3, 2), though the exact form of leadership in Rome at that time is unclear.

5. Soon afterwards, on his way to martyrdom in Rome, Ignatius of Antioch wrote to the Church of Rome with high esteem, as "worthy of God, worthy of honour, worthy of being called blessed, worthy of success, worthy of purity". He referred to it as "presiding in the region of the Romans', and also as "presiding in charity" ("prokathemene tes agapes'; Romans, Salutation). This phrase is interpreted in various ways, but it seems to indicate that Rome had a regional role of seniority and leadership, and that it was distinguished in the essentials of Christianity, namely faith and charity. Ignatius also spoke of Peter and Paul, who preached to the Romans (Romans, 4).

6. Irenaeus emphasised that the Church of Rome was a sure reference point for apostolic teaching. With this Church, founded by Peter and Paul, it was necessary that every Church should agree (convenire), "propter potentiorem principalitatem", a phrase which can be variously understood as "because of its more imposing origin" or "because of its greater authority" (Adv.Haer., 3, 3, 2). Tertullian also praised the Church of Rome "upon which the apostles [Peter and Paul] poured their whole teaching together with their blood". Rome was foremost among the apostolic churches and none of the many heretics who went there seeking approval was ever received (cf De Praescrip. 36). The Church of Rome was thus a point of reference both for the "rule of faith" and also in the search for a peaceful resolution of difficulties either within or between certain Churches.

7. The bishop of Rome was occasionally in disagreement with other bishops. Regarding the dating of Easter, Anicetus of Rome and Polycarp of Smyrna failed to agree in 154 AD but maintained eucharistic communion. Forty years later, bishop Victor of Rome ordered synods to be held to settle the matter – an interesting early instance of synodality and indeed of popes encouraging synods – and excommunicated Polycrates of Ephesus and the bishops of Asia when their synod refused to adopt the Roman line. Victor was rebuked by Irenaeus for this severity and it seems that he revoked his sentence and that communion was preserved. In the mid-3rd century, a major conflict arose regarding whether those baptised by heretics should be re-baptised when received into the Church. Recalling local tradition, Cyprian of Carthage and the bishops of north Africa, supported by synods around the eastern bishop Firmilian of Caesarea, maintained that such people should be re-baptised, whereas bishop Stephen of Rome, with reference to Roman tradition and indeed to Peter and Paul (Cyprian, Ep. 75, 6, 2), said that they should not. Communion between Stephen and Cyprian was severely impaired but not formally broken. The early centuries thus show that the views and decisions of the bishops of Rome were sometimes challenged by fellow bishops. They also show the vigorous synodal life of the early Church. The many African synods at this time, for instance, and Cyprian's frequent correspondence with Stephen and especially with his predecessor, Cornelius, manifest an intense collegial spirit (cf Cyprian, Ep. 55, 6, 1-2).

8. All the Churches of East and West believed that the Church of Rome held first place (i.e. primacy) among the Churches. This primacy resulted from several factors: the foundation of this Church by Peter and Paul and the sense of their living presence there; the martyrdom in Rome of these two foremost apostles (koryphes) and the location of their tombs (tropaia) in the city; and the fact that Rome was the capital of the Empire and the centre of communication.

9. The early centuries show the fundamental and inseparable link between the primacy of the see of Rome and the primacy of its bishop: each bishop represents, personifies and expresses his see (cf. Ignatius of Antioch, Smyrnaeans 8; Cyprian, Ep. 66, 8). Indeed, it would be impossible to speak of the primacy of a bishop without referring to his see. From the second half of the second century, it was taught that the continuity of the apostolic tradition was signified and expressed by the succession of bishops in the sees founded by the apostles. Both East and West have continued to maintain that the primacy of the see precedes the primacy of its bishop and is the source of the latter.

10. Cyprian believed that the unity of the episcopate and of the Church was symbolised in the person of Peter, to whom primacy was given, and in his chair, and that all bishops held this charge in common ("in solidum"; De unit. ecc., 4-5). Peter's chair was thus to be found in every see, but especially in Rome. Those who came to Rome came "to the chair of Peter, to the primordial church, the very source of episcopal unity" (Ep. 59, 14, 1).

11. The primacy of the see of Rome came to be expressed in various concepts: cathedra Petri, sedes apostolica, prima sedes. However, the saying of Pope Gelasius: "The first see is judged by no–one" ("Prima sedes a nemine iudicatur"; cf. Ep. 4, PL 58, 28B; Ep. 13, PL 59, 64A), which afterwards was applied in an ecclesial context and became contentious between East and West, originally meant simply that the Pope could not be judged by the Emperor.

12. The Eastern and Western traditions recognised a certain "honour" (timi) of the first among the patriarchal sees which was not purely honorific (Council of Nicaea, can. 6; Council of Constantinople, can. 3; and Council of Chalcedon, can. 28). It entailed an "authority" (exousia; cf Ravenna document, n. 12), which nevertheless was "without domination, without physical or moral coercion" (Ravenna document, n. 14). Although in the first millennium Ecumenical Councils were called by the emperor, no council could be recognised as ecumenical without it having the consent of the pope, given either beforehand or afterwards. This can be seen as an application at the universal level of the life of the Church of the principle enunciated in Apostolic Canon 34: "The bishops of each province (ethnos) must recognize the one who is first (protos) amongst them, and consider him to be their head (kephale), and not do anything important without his consent (gnome); each bishop may only do what concerns his own diocese (paroikia) and its dependent territories. But the first (protos) cannot do anything without the consent of all. For in this way concord (homonoia) will prevail, and God will be praised through the Lord in the Holy Spirit" (cf Ravenna document, n. 24). At all levels in the life of the Church, primacy and conciliarity are interdependent.

13. The Emperor Justinian (527-65) fixed the rank of the five major sees, Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, in imperial law (Novellae 131, 2; cf 109 praef.; 123, 3), thus constituting what became known as the Pentarchy. The bishop of Rome was seen as the first in the order (taxis), without however the Petrine tradition being mentioned.

14. Under Pope Gregory I (590-604), a dispute which had already started under Pope Pelagius II (579-590) over the title "Ecumenical Patriarch" for the patriarch of Constantinople continued. Different understandings, in East and West, gave rise to the dispute. Gregory saw in the title an intolerable presumption and violation of the canonical rights of the other sees in the East, whereas in the East the title was understood as an expression of major rights in the patriarchate. Later, Rome accepted the title. Gregory said that he personally refused the title "universal pope", being honoured instead simply when each bishop received the honour that was his due ("my honour is the honour of my brothers', Ep. 8, 29). He called himself the 'servant of the servants of God" (servus servorum dei).

15. Charlemagne's coronation in 800 by Pope Leo III marked the beginning of a new era in the history of papal claims. A further factor leading to differences between East and West was the emergence of the False Decretals (c. 850), which aimed towards strengthening Roman authority in order to protect the bishops. The Decretals played an enormous role in the following centuries, as popes gradually started to act in the spirit of the Decretals, which declared, for instance, that all major issues (causae maiores), especially the deposition of bishops and metropolitans, were the ultimate responsibility of the bishop of Rome, and that all councils and synods received their legal authority through being confirmed by the Roman see. The patriarchs of Constantinople did not accept such a view, which was contrary to the principle of synodality. Though the Decretals, in fact, did not refer to the East, at a later stage, in the second millennium, they were applied to the East by Western figures. Despite such increasing tensions, in the year 1000 Christians in both the West and the East were still conscious of belonging to a single undivided Church.

The bishop of Rome as successor of Peter

16. The early emphasis on the link of the see of Rome with both Peter and Paul gradually developed in the West into a more specific link between the bishop of Rome and the apostle Peter. Pope Stephen (mid-3rd century) was the first to apply Mt 16:18 ("you are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church") to his own office. The Council of Constantinople in 381 specified that Constantinople should have the second place after Rome: "Because it is New Rome, the bishop of Constantinople is to enjoy seniority of honour after the bishop of Rome" (canon 3). The criterion invoked by the Council for the ordering of sees was thus not apostolic foundation but the status of the city in the civil organisation of the Roman Empire. A different criterion for the ordering of major sees was invoked by the synod convened at Rome in 382 under the presidency of Pope Damasus (cf Decretum Gelasianum 3). Here three chief sees were mentioned, Rome, Alexandria and Antioch, and nothing was said about Constantinople. It was stated that the Roman Church was given first place because of Christ's words to Peter (Mt 16:18), and because of its foundation by Peter and Paul. The second place was assigned to Alexandria, founded by Peter's disciple Mark, and the third to Antioch, where Peter resided before moving to Rome. This idea of the three Petrine sees was repeated by popes in the fifth century, such as Boniface, Leo and Gelasius. By 381-2, then, two distinct criteria for determining the ecclesial rank of a Church had emerged, the first assuming that the latter should correspond to the civil rank of the city in question, and the second appealing to apostolic, and more specifically to Petrine, origin.

17. The Petrine idea was significantly developed and deepened by Pope Leo (440-461). He made a sharp distinction between the Petrine ministry itself and the person exercising the ministry, whom he saw as an unworthy heir (haeres) of St Peter (Serm. 3, 4). Being heir, the pope becomes "apostolicus" and he inherits also the "consortium" of the indivisible unity between Christ and Peter (Serm. 5, 4; 4, 2). As a consequence, it is his duty to care for all the Churches (cf 2Cor 11:28; Ep. 120, 4). The precedence of Peter is founded on the fact that Christ entrusted his sheep to him and only to him (John 21:17; cf Serm. 83). The bishop of Rome guards the privileged tradition of the Church of Rome, the tradition of St Peter (cf. Ep. 9; Serm. 96, 3). Leo saw himself as "the guardian of catholic faith and of the constitutions of the Fathers" (Ep. 114), obliged to promote respect and observance of the councils.

18. At the fourth Ecumenical Council (451), the reading of the Tome of Leo was followed by the acclamation: "Peter has spoken through Leo". This, however, was not a formal definition of Petrine succession. It was a recognition that Leo, the bishop of Rome, had given voice to the faith of Peter, which was particularly found in the Church of Rome. After the same council, the bishops said that Leo was "the mouthpiece unto all of the blessed Peter... imparting the blessedness of his faith unto all" (Epistola concilii Chalcedoniensis ad Leonem papam = Ep. 98 of Leo). Augustine likewise focused on the faith rather than simply the person of Peter when he said that Peter was "figura ecclesiae" (In Jo. 7, 14; Sermo 149, 6) and "typus Ecclesiae" (Sermo 149, 6) in his confession of faith in Christ. It would therefore be an oversimplification to say that the West interprets the "rock" of Mt 16:18 as the person of Peter whereas the East interprets it as Peter's faith. In the early Church, both East and West, it was the succession of Peter's faith that was of paramount importance.

19. It is important to bear in mind that all apostolic succession is succession in the apostolic faith, within an individual local Church. From an ecclesiological perspective, it is not possible to conceive a succession among persons independently of or outside of the apostolic faith and a local Church. Thus, to say that Peter speaks through the bishop of Rome means in the first place that the latter expresses the apostolic faith that his Church received from the apostle Peter. It is above all in this sense that the bishop of Rome can be understood as the successor of Peter.

20. In the West, the accent placed on the link between the bishop of Rome and the apostle Peter, particularly from the fourth century onwards, was accompanied by an increasingly more specific reference to Peter's role within the college of the Apostles. The primacy of the bishop of Rome among the bishops was gradually interpreted as a prerogative that was his because he was successor of Peter, the first of the apostles (cf. Jerome, In Isaiam 14, 53; Leo, Sermo 94, 2; 95, 3). The position of the bishop of Rome among the bishops was understood in terms of the position of Peter among the apostles. In the East, this evolution in the interpretation of the ministry of the bishop of Rome did not occur. Such an interpretation was never explicitly rejected in the East in the first millennium, but the East tended rather to understand each bishop as the successor of all of the apostles, including Peter (cf. Cyprian, De unit. ecc., 4-5; Origen, Comm. in Matt.).

21. In a somewhat similar way, the West did not reject the idea of the Pentarchy (cf. above, n. 13) – indeed it carefully observed the taxis of the five major sees, Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem, around which the five patriarchates of the ancient Church developed (cf. Ravenna document, n. 28). However, the West never gave the same significance to the Pentarchy as a way of governance of the Church as the East did.

22. It is notable that these rather different understandings of the position of the bishop of Rome and the relationship of the major sees in West and East, respectively, based on quite different biblical, theological and canonical interpretations, co-existed for several centuries until the end of the first millennium, without causing a break of communion.

The role of the bishop of Rome at times of crisis in the ecclesial communion

23. In the first millennium, the Church experienced many times when ecclesial communion was in peril, as, for example, when the definitions of Nicaea were challenged by the condemnation of orthodox bishops at certain councils held in the fourth century in the East, and when the Christological formula of Chalcedon was challenged by monophysitism and the "Henotikon" (which occasioned the Acacian schism) in the fifth century, and then by monoenergism and monothelitism in the seventh century, and also at the time of the iconoclast crisis in the eighth and ninth centuries. Catholics and Orthodox both recognise the importance of the role played by the bishop of Rome at these times.

24. In fact, from the fourth century onwards, there was a growing recognition of Rome as a centre to which appeals or requests for help in various circumstances might be directed from the whole Christian world. In 339-40 Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, made an appeal to Pope Julius. In the words of the Pope, quoted by Athanasius, "He [Athanasius] came not of his own accord, but he was summoned by letter from us" (Athanasius, Apologia contra Arianos 29; cf 20, 33, and 35). Thus it appears that Julius did not simply respond to an appeal from Athanasius, but himself took the initiative in 'summoning" the bishop of Alexandria. Here, then, the role of the pope seems to have been more than simply appellate.

25. Requests for help made to Rome in moments of crisis were sometimes accompanied by similar requests to other major ecclesiastical sees. John Chrysostom (404), for example, appealed not only to Rome but also to the bishops of Milan and Aquileia. Thus, action taken by the bishop of Rome was intended to be coordinated, in a conciliar spirit, with action by other major sees. Moreover, the initiatives of the bishop of Rome tended generally to be undertaken within the framework of the Roman synod and usually referred to that synod. From this point of view also, they therefore had a conciliar or synodal character. For instance, in correspondence during the Photian dispute, bishops of Rome emphasised that they had taken their decisions in accordance with the rules or canons, and synodically ("regulariter et synodaliter" or "canonice et synodaliter").

26. The procedure to be followed in appeals to Rome was elaborated by the Council of Sardica (342-3, canons 3-5). There it was laid down that a bishop who had been condemned could appeal to the pope, and that the latter, if he deemed it appropriate, might order a retrial, to be conducted by the bishops of the dioceses adjoining that of the condemned bishop. If so requested by the condemned bishop, the pope might also send representatives to assist the bishops of the neighbouring dioceses. Though it was originally intended to be an ecumenical council, Sardica was actually a local council held in the West. Its canons were accepted in the East at the Council in Trullo (692).

27. The clearest description of the conditions necessary for a council to be regarded as ecumenical was given by the seventh Ecumenical Council (Nicaea II, 787), the final council to be recognised as ecumenical both in the East and in the West:
– it has to be accepted by the heads (proedroi) of the churches, and they have to be in agreement (symphonia) with it;
– the pope of Rome has to be a "co-operator" or "fellow worker" (synergos) with the council;
– the patriarchs of the East have to be "in agreement" (symphronountes);
– the teaching of the council must be in accord with that of previous ecumenical councils;
– the council must be given its own specific number, so as to be placed in the sequence of councils accepted by the Church as a whole.
Though the role of the pope does receive specific mention here, there are different interpretations of the terms, symphonia, synergos and symphronountes. This matter needs further study.

28. It can be affirmed that in the first millennium the bishop of Rome, as first (protos) among the patriarchs, exercised a role of coordination and stability in questions relating to faith and communion, in fidelity to the tradition and with respect for conciliarity.

The influence of non–theological factors

29. During the first millennium, a number of factors which were not directly theological played a considerable role in relations between the Churches of the East and West, and influenced the understanding and exercise of the primacy of the bishop of Rome. These factors were of various kinds, for instance, political, historical, socio-economic, and cultural.

30. As indications of relevant factors, the following may be stated:
– the terminology, mentality and ideology of the Roman Empire;
– the fluctuations of imperial politics with regard to the life of the Church;
– the transfer of the capital of the Empire to the East;
– the decline and fall of the Roman Empire in the West, and the consequences this had for the political and cultural equilibrium between East and West;
– the progressive cultural distancing between East and West, leading to mutual ignorance, estrangement and misunderstanding;
– the Muslim expansion in the territories of the patriarchates of Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem, as well as in the regions of North Africa and Spain;
– the rise of the Western Empire of Charlemagne;
– the personal influence of certain historical figures.
An awareness of the non–theological factors at work in the relations between Christian East and West and an appreciation of how they have interacted with various theological factors enable a deeper understanding of the life and faith of the Church, and in particular of the diversities that developed between East and West.

Conclusion

31. Throughout the first millennium, East and West were united in certain fundamental theological principles, regarding, for instance, the importance of continuity in the apostolic faith, the interdependence of primacy and conciliarity/synodality at all levels in the life of the Church, and an understanding of authority as "a service (diakonia) of love", with "the gathering of the whole of humankind into Jesus Christ" as its goal (cf. Ravenna document, nn. 13-14). Though the unity of East and West was troubled at times, the bishops of East and West were unfailingly conscious of belonging to the same Church and of being successors of the apostles in one episcopate. The collegiality of the bishops was expressed in the vigorous synodal life of the Church at all levels, local, regional and universal. At the universal level, the bishop of Rome acted as protos among the heads of the major sees. There are many instances of appeals of various kinds being made to the bishop of Rome in order to promote peace and sustain the Church's communion in the apostolic faith.

32. The experience of the first millennium profoundly influenced the course of relations between the Churches of the East and the West. Despite growing divergence and temporary schisms during this period, communion was still maintained between West and East. The principle of diversity-in-unity, which was explicitly accepted at the council of Constantinople held in 879-80, has particular significance for the theme of this present stage of our dialogue. Distinct divergences of understanding and interpretation did not prevent East and West from remaining in communion. There was a strong sense of being one Church, and a determination to remain in unity, as one flock with one shepherd (cf. Jn 10:16). The first millennium, which has been examined in this stage of our dialogue, is the common tradition of both our Churches. In its basic theological and ecclesiological principles which have been identified here, this common tradition should serve as the model for the restoration of our full communion.

October 3, 2008

[ENI] Protestants in Germany are recalling the life of George K. A. Bell, a Church of England bishop who opposed the Nazi regime of Adolf Hitler but also sharply criticised indiscriminate bombing of German cities during the Second World War.

"He was a fighter for peace and for the truth, and never shied away from using the authority of his office and person to uphold his beliefs, even in the political arena," said Bishop Wolfgang Huber, who heads the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), in a statement to mark the 50th anniversary of the Anglican bishop's death on Oct.3, 1958.

A commemorative event to remember Bishop Bell as an "ecumenist, bridge builder and reconciler" is to be held in Berlin on Oct.14.

Bishop Bell was the first moderator of the World Council of Churches, when it was founded in 1948, and was a close friend of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German Protestant theologian executed for his role in the resistance to Hitler.

In 1929, he became bishop of Chichester in England. Four years later, soon after Hitler came to power in Germany, Bishop Bell publicly expressed concern about the beginning of Jewish persecution.

Already in the autumn of 1931, Bishop Bell had met Dietrich Bonhoeffer at an ecumenical meeting in Sofia. When Mr. Bonhoeffer came to London in 1933 as a German pastor, a close relationship of trust developed between the two clerics.

During the Second World War, in 1941, Bishop Bell met Mr. Bonhoeffer in neutral Sweden, and Mr. Bonhoeffer requested the bishop to encourage the British government to support the resistance inside Germany to Hitler.

At the same time, Bishop Bell spoke out publicly against the tactics of indiscriminate bombing of German cities, a position that earned him much criticism within the church and from public opinion, Bishop Huber noted in his statement.

After the war, Bishop Bell was one of the first foreign church leaders to visit defeated Germany.

"In an emotional service, he preached in the heavily damaged St Mary's Church in Berlin, and was himself deeply moved by the plight of refugees," Bishop Huber said, noting that this experience led Bishop Bell to work for humanitarian assistance to war-ravaged Europe.

"His commitment to peace, his willingness for a new beginning, and his unshakeable friendship to the Christians in Germany, even in the darkest times, deserve respect and gratitude," added Bishop Huber.

Born in 1883, Bishop Bell supported an interdenominational effort for war orphans during the First World War, and together with Swedish Lutheran Archbishop Nathan Söderblom worked for the exchange of prisoners of war, the EKD noted in an article about Bishop Bell on its Web site.

After the First World War, Bishop Bell joined the Life and Work movement that Söderblom founded in 1925 to promote common action by churches on social and political issues. Life and Work was one of the groups that went on to form the World Council of Churches in 1948.

The Coordinating Committee of the Joint International Commission for the Theological Dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church met in Elounda, Crete, Greece from 27 September to 4 October 2008.

At the opening session, the two Co-Presidents of the Commission, His Eminence Cardinal Walter Kasper (President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity) and His Eminence Metropolitan John of Pergamon (Ecumenical Patriarchate), expressed their joy and thankfulness to God for the continuation of the theological dialogue between the two Churches. They reaffirmed the goal of the dialogue as stated at its beginning in 1980: "The purpose of the dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church is the re-establishment of full communion between these two churches. This communion, based on unity of faith according to the common experience and tradition of the early Church, will find its expression in the common celebration of the Eucharist."

The aim of the present meeting of the Joint Coordinating Committee was to prepare the working document to be presented at the next plenary meeting of the Commission, scheduled to take place in Cyprus in 2009, at the invitation of the Church of Cyprus. In addition to the Co-Presidents, the participants were: from the Orthodox Church – Η.Ε. Metropolitan Gennadios of Sassima (Ecumenical Patriarchate, Co-Secretary of the Commission), Η.Ε. Metropolitan Makarios of Kenya (Patriarchate of Alexandria), V. Rev. Archimandrite Demetrios Charbak (Patriarchate of Antioch), Η.Ε. Bishop Ignatije of Branitsevo (Patriarchate of Serbia), H.E. Bishop Petroniu of Salaj (Patriarchate of Romania), Η.Ε. Metropolitan Georgios of Paphos (Church of Cyprus), Η.Ε. Metropolitan Athanasios of Achaia (Church of Greece); from the Roman Catholic Church – Η.Ε. Archbishop Ioannis Spiteris of Corfu, Η.Ε. Bishop Gérard Daucourt of Nanterre, Η.Ε. Bishop Brian Farrell (Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity), H.E. Bishop Dimitrios Salachas (Athens, Greece), Mgr Piero Coda (President, Italian Theological Association), Mgr Paul McPartlan (Catholic University of America, Washington DC), Rev. Frans Bouwen (St Anne, Jerusalem), Prof Theresia Hainthaler (Philosophisch-Theologische Hochschule Sankt Georgen, Frankfurt a. Main), Mgr Eleuterio Fortino (Under-Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Co-Secretary of the Commission).

The work of the Coordinating Committee has to be seen in continuity with the previous agreed statements of the Joint Theological Commission. The Ravenna Document (2007), entitled: "Ecclesiological and Canonical Consequences of the Sacramental Nature of the Church: Ecclesial Communion,Conciliarity and Authority", called for "The role of the Bishop of Rome in the koinonia/communion of the Church in the first millennium" to be examined in greater depth. On the basis of two preparatory documents, the Coordinating Committee has now prepared a document on this subject which will be submitted to the next plenary (2009).

The meeting of the Coordinating Committee in Crete was characterized by a strong spirit of commitment to the theological task before it, as well as by a clear sense of mutual trust and friendship between the members. The generous hospitality of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and in particular of His Eminence Metropolitan Nektarios of Petra and Cherronisos and of the civil authorities of the area was greatly appreciated.

The Catholic Delegation was present at the Divine Liturgy celebrated by Metropolitan Nektarios and the Orthodox members of the Committee in the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary in Neapolis. They also celebrated Mass with the small local Catholic community in a church placed at its disposal by the Orthodox Church in Aghios Nikolaos.

The participants were able to visit the famous islands of Saint Phocas and Spinalonga, the archaeological site of Knossos, and the Cathedral of Saint Minas in Heraklion. They were graciously hosted by His Eminence Irineos, Archbishop of Crete in Heraklion, by His Eminence Evgenios, Metropolitan of Ierapytna and Siteia and on various occasions by H.E. Metropolitan Nektarios.

The members of the Coordinating Committee are thankful to all those who support this dialogue through prayer and spiritual solidarity. They commend the future journey of the Churches towards peace and reconciliation to the intercession of the entire people of God.

The Plenary Assembly described the encyclical as a "prophetic document," especially in view of "the troubling evolution of two fundamental human institutions, marriage and the family." The message of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) goes on to say that the family and marriage "continue to be affected by the contraceptive mentality feared and rejected in the encyclical of Pope Paul VI."

"Nevertheless, Humanae Vitae is much more than a 'no to contraception,'" the Bishops insist. Citing the encyclical, they point out that "It proposes a vision of the whole person and the whole mission to which each person is called." The CCCB message describes the encyclical as "an invitation to be open to the grandeur, beauty and dignity of the Creator's call to the vocation of marriage."

The Bishops of Canada point out what they say is an important link between Humanae Vitae and the "theology of the body," developed by Pope John Paul II between 1979 and 1984. These reflections of John Paul II are a "pedagogy" to help appreciate the theological and pastoral significance of Humanae Vitae, they say. The Bishops observe that in marriage, the "act of flesh, the gift of bodies," expresses "the totality of the gift of the persons, the one to the other," by which "the man and the woman are, in the flesh, the image of the divine Trinity." The CCCB pastoral letter points out that in the words of Pope John Paul II, "by means of its visible masculinity and femininity, the body, and it alone, is capable of making visible what is invisible: the spiritual and the divine."

In their message, the Bishops of Canada also call for a more profound reflection on married life and on the meaning of sexual intercourse. "Catholics and all men and women of good will" are encouraged to reflect on both in the light of Humanae Vitae and the "theology of the body." "Sexuality is a friend, a gift of God," they state. "It is revealed to us by the Trinitarian God" who invites Christians and others "to reveal it in turn in all its grandeur and dignity to our contemporaries at this start of the third millennium."

Les membres de la Conférence des évêques catholiques du Canada n'hésitent pas à qualifier cette encyclique de « document prophétique » compte tenu de « l'évolution préoccupante de deux institutions fondamentales, le mariage et la famille. L'une et l'autre continuent d'être affectées par la mentalité contraceptive que craignait et refusait l'encyclique du pape Paul VI ».

Dans leur message, les évêques ne manquent pas de préciser qu'Humanae Vitae est beaucoup plus qu'un « non à la contraception ». « Cette encyclique propose en fait une réflexion majeure concernant le dessein de Dieu sur l'amour humain. (…) C'est une invitation à s'ouvrir à la grandeur, à la beauté et à la dignité de l'appel que Dieu fait à la vocation du mariage. »

Au dire des évêques canadiens, la « théologie du corps » élaborée par le pape Jean-Paul II, entre 1979 et 1984, apporte un éclairage théologique et pastoral au contenu même de l'encyclique du pape Paul VI. En conséquence, on rappelle les éléments-clés de cette « théologie du corps » qui voit dans l'acte de chair l'expression de « la totalité de la donation des personnes l'une à l'autre, ce par quoi l'homme et la femme sont, dans la chair, image de la Trinité divine ». Selon le Jean-Paul II, « par le fait de sa visible masculinité et féminité, le corps en effet – et seulement lui – est capable de rendre visible ce qui est invisible : le spirituel et le divin ».

C'est donc à une réflexion en profondeur sur la vie maritale, et plus spécifiquement l'acte conjugal, que la Conférence des évêques catholiques du Canada invite « tous les fidèles, ainsi que les hommes et femmes de bonne volonté », à la lumière de l'encyclique Humanae Vitae et, à sa suite, de la « théologie du corps ». « La sexualité est une amie. Un don de Dieu », de souligner les évêques dans leur message. « Elle nous est révélée par le Dieu trinitaire qui nous demande d'en révéler à notre tour la grandeur et la dignité à nos contemporains en ce début de troisième millénaire. »

Here at "Ecumenism in Canada" we have a continuing interest in highlighting the reflections offered by the Canadian churches on matters of public policy. With this in mind, we have compiled the following links to election resources prepared by the churches and their ecumenical justice groups.

• Anglican Church of Canada -- 2008 Federal Election: Voting between the times -- NEW
• Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops Federal Election 2008 Guide
• Canadian Friends' Service Committee (Quakers)
-- Visiting Your Member of Parliament: A Friendly Encounter -- NEW
• Candidates Against Poverty
• Citizens for Public Justice 2008 Election Guide
• Evangelical Fellowship of Canada 2008 Election Kit
• KAIROS Federal Election Resource 2008 (or PDF) -- NEW
• Mennonite Central Committee 2008 Election Primer
• United Church of Canada 2008 Federal Election Kit

See also: Make Poverty History

The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada has also issued an election kit. The EFC says that "Canada needs strengthened families and secure marriages. Canada needs to protect its most vulnerable: children, the poor, the unborn and the disabled." The EFC's kit is not entirely focussed on personal and family ethics. It also affirms that "Canada needs to share its blessings with the world, especially meeting commitments made to foreign relief and development work." The EFC kit includes position papers on various issues, and is expected to be updated with further statements as the campaign proceeds.

The United Church of Canada also regularly issues public statements during federal elections. The United Church website says that their new 2008 Federal Election Kit "takes a non-partisan approach. It lifts up justice concerns that need voice to get on the election agenda and into public awareness. As well as offering a brief background and sample questions on issues important to the United Church, the kit offers tips for asking questions at all candidates meetings and advice on how to use the media effectively." There are a variety issues that the United Church highlights, however it brings a special focus to Aboriginal issues.

The Mennonite Central Committee serves both Canadian and American churches, both of which are in the midst of elections. However the issues and concerns are different, and an election primer is offered by MCC-Canada for Canadian Anabaptists. The MCC is not a church, and thus does not speak on behalf of its member churches. It therefore frames its election reflection in the form of "questions for Anabaptist Christians to consider during the 2008 federal election campaign."

There are two other resources of interest. The Citizens for Public Justice is an independent social justice research and advocacy group. The CPJ has issued election guides during many of the past elections. The CPJ 2008 election guide addresses a number of issues of concern in the current campaign: poverty, immigration, tax policy, and the environment. These are issues that CPJ has addressed for many years, and thus their guide draws on additional resources available through their website. The CPJ invites Canadian voters to consider their electoral choices through the lens of public justice.

The Religious Social Action Coalition of Newfoundland and Labrador has created a new website to encourage candidates to establish a government priority to end poverty in Canada. The coalition is "a nonpartisan group from a broad array of religions -- Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus and others -- united in our religious commitment to call on society to abolish poverty at home and abroad. ... It is the goal of our coalition to call upon all candidates for Parliament to pledge to move our society toward greater economic fairness. ... To finally fulfill the promise that Parliament made to abolish poverty among Canadian children, even though they have missed their own deadline by seven years. To make sure that working families can find affordable housing. And to fulfill Parliament's Kelowna pledge to Canada's Aboriginals. ... It is our goal to get citizens talking about poverty -- and to make Ending Poverty a voting issue."

The coalition has established an admirably low-tech website entitled Candidates Against Poverty which lists all the candidates who have taken a simple pledge to make poverty a governmental priority. At this point, the number of candidates who have responded is quite small. Voters can explore the website to see whether their candidates have made the pledge. Voters can also challenge their candidates to make this pledge and have it recorded on the website.

As of September 16th, there were no election guides or other resources available on the websites of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC), the Presbyterian Church in Canada (PCC), or the Canadian Council of Churches (CCC). If these become available, this website posting will be revised to include these links.

Dans l'histoire de l'Eglise, des hommes et des femmes ont mené une vie chrétienne exemplaire, enrichissant considérablement le patrimoine du mouvement œcuménique. Lors d'un symposium international qui se déroulera au monastère de Bose, en Italie, du 29 octobre au 2 novembre 2008, des experts tenteront de déterminer dans quelle mesure la mémoire commune de ces témoins de la foi peut contribuer à la réalisation d'une spiritualité œcuménique.

Environ 80 théologiens et responsables d'Eglise orthodoxes, catholiques romains, protestants et pentecôtistes reconnus internationalement ont prévu de participer au symposium. Au nombre des intervenants se trouvera Mary Tanner, présidente du Conseil œcuménique des Eglises (COE) pour l'Europe. L'archevêque de Cantorbéry, Rowan Williams, a fait parvenir un discours qui sera lu en son nom.

"On est en train de prendre conscience que les témoins de la foi, aujourd'hui comme hier, n'appartiennent pas à des groupes confessionnels distincts, mais représentent un patrimoine commun et une source d'inspiration pour l'ensemble de la chrétienté et au-delà", a déclaré Tamara Grdzelidze, responsable de programme à la Commission de Foi et constitution du COE.

"Ce symposium vise à partager la richesse de la sainteté et du martyre tels qu'ils sont vécus dans différentes traditions et différents contextes d'Eglise, et à déterminer comment cette prise de conscience peut contribuer à la réconciliation et à l'intercompréhension", a ajouté Tamara Grdzelidze.

Dans le cadre du symposium, une commémoration œcuménique des témoins chrétiens aura lieu le samedi 1er novembre, fête de tous les saints dans la tradition chrétienne occidentale.

Le symposium fait partie du projet "Une nuée de témoins", mis en place conjointement par la Commission de Foi et constitution du COE et le monastère de Bose.

Throughout the history of the church, men and women have set examples of Christian life that constitute a rich heritage to the ecumenical movement. An international symposium to take place at the monastery of Bose, Italy from 29 October to 2 November 2008 will discuss how the joint remembrance of those witnesses to the faith can contribute to an ecumenical spirituality.

About 80 internationally acknowledged theologians and church leaders from Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Protestant and Pentecostal backgrounds are expected to participate. Speakers include Dr Mary Tanner, World Council of Churches (WCC) president from Europe. The archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has submitted a paper to be read on his behalf.

"There is growing awareness that witnesses to the faith, both contemporary and from the past, do not belong only to individual confessional groups but are the common heritage and a source of inspiration for the whole christendom and beyond," said Tamara Grdzelidze, a programme executive of the WCC Commission on Faith and Order.

"This symposium aims to share in the richness of holiness and martyrdom as experienced in various church traditions and contexts and to see how this awareness may further our reconciliation and mutual understanding," Grdzelidze added.

As part of the symposium, an ecumenical commemoration of Christian witnesses will take place on Saturday, 1 November, the Feast of All Saints in the tradition of Western Christianity.

The symposium is part of the project "A cloud of witnesses" carried out jointly by the WCC Commission on Faith and Order and the monastery of Bose.

"La désignation d'un secrétaire général intérimaire pour 2009 fait suite à la décision de l'actuel secrétaire général du COE, le pasteur Samuel Kobia, de ne pas solliciter une prolongation de son mandat qui prend fin au 31 décembre 2008, comme il l'a annoncé au Comité central du COE réuni du 13 au 20 février 2008", a indiqué le COE dans un communiqué publié sur son site web. "Le Comité central élira un nouveau secrétaire général dans le cadre de sa prochaine réunion en septembre 2009", ajoute le communiqué.

Samuel Kobia, pasteur méthodiste du Kenya, avait été élu en 2003 pour diriger le COE, qui rassemble aujourd'hui 349 Eglises membres représentant 560 millions de chrétiens dans le monde. Entré en fonction en janvier 2004 pour un mandat de cinq ans, il a été le premier Africain à occuper ce poste.

En février, le pasteur Kobia avait annoncé au Comité central du COE, principal organe directeur de l'organisation entre les Assemblées, qu'il ne briguerait pas un second mandat. Le pasteur Walter Altmann, président du COE, avait alors indiqué que le pasteur Kobia avait pris cette décision pour des "raisons personnelles". Le président du COE avait déclaré que l'annonce faite par le pasteur Kobia au Comité central intervenait alors que celui-ci allait entamer une discussion sur l'opportunité de le nommer pour un second mandat.

Après environ neuf heures de délibérations à huis clos, le Comité central annonçait qu'une Commission chargée de trouver un nouveau secrétaire général serait mise en place. La Commission est présidée par Agnes Abuom, de l'Eglise anglicane du Kenya.

A l'approche du Comité central de février, l'évêque allemand Martin Hein, qui est membre du Comité, avait affirmé que le COE peinait à faire sentir sa présence dans le monde.

Peu avant la réunion de février, le COE avait par ailleurs annoncé avoir retiré du curriculum vitae officiel du pasteur Kobia toute référence à un doctorat décerné par la Fairfax University, une institution que les autorités des Etats-Unis ne reconnaissent pas et qui ne semble plus exister.

En février, le pasteur Altmann avait affirmé qu'il serait difficile d'organiser l'élection d'un successeur au pasteur Kobia avant la prochaine réunion du Comité central, en septembre 2009, car il est le seul organe à pouvoir élire un secrétaire général. En outre, la Commission chargée de trouver un nouveau secrétaire général a besoin de temps pour chercher des candidats et candidates dans le monde entier.

"Nous devons offrir aux Eglises la possibilité de proposer des candidats", avait souligné le pasteur Altmann.

Le Comité exécutif se réunit deux fois par an pour aborder des questions qui lui sont transmises par le Comité central. Il nomme les membres du personnel de programme du COE, suit le travail en cours et supervise le budget approuvé par le Comité central.

:: Processus de recherche d'un secrétaire général du COE (document PDF, en anglais)

Dans une interview publiée dans le quotidien Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, le cardinal Walter Kasper a encouragé les catholiques à lire les commentaires de Luther sur la Bible, et ses "cantiques, emplis de force spirituelle", a indiqué l'agence de presse protestante allemande epd.

"On découvre alors un Luther investi du pouvoir de la foi, qu'on ne peut pas simplement rendre catholique, qu'on trouve provocateur, voire même étranger à de nombreux égards, mais dont même les catholiques ont à apprendre", a déclaré le cardinal Kasper, qui est président du Conseil pontifical pour la promotion de l'unité des chrétiens depuis 2001.

Le plus grand groupe protestant allemand, l'Eglise évangélique d'Allemagne (EKD), a lancé sa Décennie Luther le 21 septembre par une cérémonie à la "Schlosskirche" de Wittenberg, l'église sur la porte de laquelle Luther aurait affiché ses 95 thèses le 31 octobre 1517. C'est cet événement qui a mis en marche la rupture de Luther avec l'Eglise catholique romaine.

Plusieurs manifestations, séminaires et expositions sont prévus pendant la Décennie Luther, qui se poursuivra jusqu'en 2017 et qui a pour objectif de rappeler "la portée et l'impact de la Réforme sur l'histoire", indique le site web de l'EKD (www.ekd.de).

Dans son interview, le cardinal Kasper a déclaré espérer que les catholiques apprendraient "à mieux connaître Luther, et pas seulement à l'interpréter à partir de ses écrits polémiques, et encore moins à partir de quelques phrases sorties de leur contexte". Le cardinal espère également que le protestantisme reviendrait à la foi de Martin Luther, "qui aurait été consterné par les tendances libérales actuelles".

L'EKD a indiqué que septembre 2008 avait été choisi comme date du lancement de la Décennie Luther pour une raison historique particulière : c'est dans la deuxième moitié de l'année 1508 que Luther est arrivé pour la première fois à Wittenberg. Il a alors enseigné en tant que moine augustin à l'Université de Wittenberg, qui venait d'être fondée.

Can women play a strong role in bringing reconciliation and tolerance to the communities in conflict? Can divisions and divides be resolved from a faith-based perspective, when religion often is considered a cause of violence?

These were some of many critical questions addressed in a dialogue process "Moving towards peace through religion" by 25 women of Christian and Muslim faith in a meeting held 4-7 September in Gothenburg, Sweden. The event was a joint initiative of World Council of Churches and Tehran's Institute of Interreligious Dialogue and hosted by the Gothenburg diocese of the Church of Sweden.

Shared experiences of conflict

"For experiencing the vicious occupation of Palestine, I can tell that my country is a land of people, and not stones. If there is a hope for peace, women are in a significant position to influence that process along with men," said Lily Habash, a Christian from Palestine who works on governance issues with the Palestinian authority in Ramallah, West Bank, striving for ethical policies in her country which has been marred with violence for years.

Her viewpoint was echoed by Catherine Oberg-Sadjedi, an American with both Christian and Muslim roots, who became involved in dialogue and movements for peace after the terrorist attacks on New York in September 2001.

"My Swedish and Iranian heritage put me in a unique situation naturally wanting to be a bridge between cultures," she said. "I felt I had to contribute to the need for understanding and urgent dialogue. There was a growing wave of backlash and the Muslim community mobilized quickly with other religious groups, the media, law enforcement, universities and cultural institutions to counteract the detrimental stereotypes."

Oberg-Sadjedi is a filmmaker and television producer in New York. One of her films, "An Afghan American Woman", addresses issues related to Muslim identity.

Peacemaking through religion

"Faith is an inspiration in Palestine for the struggles of conflict resolution," said Habash when sharing her experience of being a Christian minority in a conflict area. "The peaceful co-existence of different faiths in the diverse city of Jerusalem illuminates the significance of tolerance and unity for a cause amidst religious plurality," she said describing the faith diversity in Palestine as a high point in the struggles for peace.

"We, the Christian minority in Palestine can be seen as a most tolerant community. In history we have lived together, suffered together and have starved and worked together for peace with people of faith different from ours. The relations between Christians and Muslims in Palestine can be an example for the world of how we fought for the national cause in solidarity with each other."

Similar thoughts were shared by Oberg-Sadjedi: "I believe it is possible to reach peace through religion. History shows us time and again that conflict between different people is mostly created as a result of political and economical manipulation, not religious differences. The values of a religion can inspire the peace process in the most crucial ways. In the US interfaith dialogue opened the doors of understanding and tolerance in a climate of post-9/11 fear."

Understanding and accepting the "other"

"Dialogue in this event has made us learn from each other, educate ourselves and listen to the diverse voices. This can be called a first step in peacemaking, where dialogue creates a deeper understanding of how we understand the 'other'." said Habash.

"Dialogue is a way to approach and understand the 'other', it is essential as [the] 'other' is also part of the 'truth'," she added. "Breaking the barriers through interfaith dialogue makes us realize that we can accept the 'others', and we are not the only ones with the 'truth'."

Women's perspectives strongly influenced how the meeting addressed issues which hinder peacemaking in communities and societies. "Being a woman influences the way we communicate with each other. Women do speak differently when we are alone together, and we tend to approach the issues from a cultural and social aspect as well. We are able to share about the problems that concern us and initiate dialogue in a unique way," said Oberg-Sadjedi.

"Religion is an educational process and a way to organize ourselves and communities. Women have a great potential in making a difference to this process," Habash added.

When asked what she as a woman peacemaker would like to communicate to the world, Oberg-Sadjedi pleaded to break down stereotypes related to the religion in the media: "As a filmmaker with a bicultural background who has lived in three continents I have a unique way of seeing the whole picture. When you are a global citizen you have a huge stake in the peace process. It is impossible to see things as either black or white. I have a responsibility to communicate and mediate between the cultures I feel I belong to."

(*) Naveen Qayyum is a documentary filmmaker and a member of the church of Pakistan. She is currently working on a film project on Muslim immigrant communities in Europe. Qayyum is a member of the WCC Christian-Muslim women network.

• More information on the Christian and Muslim women's meeting
• WCC work on inter-religious dialogue and cooperation

In an interview published in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper, Cardinal Walter Kasper encouraged Catholics to read Luther's commentaries on the Bible, and his "hymns full of spiritual power", the German Protestant news agency epd reported.

"One will then discover a Luther who is full of the power of faith, whom one cannot simply make Catholic, whom we find provoking and even alien in many respects, but from whom even Catholics can learn," said Kasper, who has been president of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity since 2001.

Germany's biggest Protestant grouping, the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), is to launch its Luther Decade on 21 September with a service at the castle church in Wittenberg, where Luther is said to have nailed his 95 theses to the door on 31 October 1517. It was this event that set in train Luther's breach with the Roman Catholic Church.

Bishop Mark Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and president of the Lutheran World Federation, will preach at the service as a representative of world Lutheranism.

A series of events, seminars and exhibitions are planned for the Luther Decade, which will continue until 2017 and is intended to remember "the epoch-making significance and impact of the Reformation", the EKD said on its Web site (www.ekd.de).

In his interview, Cardinal Kasper said he hoped Catholics would "get to know Luther better and not just interpret him from his polemical writings, still less from a few sentences taken out of context". The cardinal said he also hoped Protestantism would return to the faith of Martin Luther, "who would have been deeply averse to all of today's liberal tendencies".

On 20 September, Lutheran Bishop Johannes Friedrich of Bavaria will take part in a ceremony to break the ground for a Luther Garden in Wittenberg, about 110 kilometres (62 miles) south of Berlin.

Churches worldwide are being encouraged to adopt one of the 500 trees planned for the 230-metre-long site. Churches are also being asked to plant a tree themselves to denote a link with the birthplace of Luther's Reformation.

The EKD notes that the September 2008 starting date for the Luther Decade has a specific historical background in that Luther arrived in Wittenberg for the first time in the second half of 1508. He then taught as an Augustinian monk in the newly founded Wittenberg University.

• Women Mystics, 1150-1450 CE -- Sunday, September 21, 2 to 4 pm in St. Andrew's College Lounge
• Retrieving Women's Christian Story -- Monday, September 22, 11:30 to 1 pm in St. Thomas More College, room 344A
• Do the Medieval Women Mystics Have a Message for Our Time? -- Monday, September 22, 7:30 pm in St. Thomas More College Auditorium. Reception to follow.

The Friends of Sophia is an interdenominational group of women, dedicated to nurturing Christian feminist spirituality through educational opportunities, shared experience and liturgical celebration. For further information email or .

When the revised policy was issued last winter, one document originally issued in 2005 remained unchanged. The "Pastoral Notes" issued by Bishop LeGatt are intended to assist priests and lay-people in interpreting and implementing the diocesan policy. Bishop LeGatt has personally undertaken revision of the notes over the past summer, and the revised notes are now available on our website.

• Pastoral Notes for Sacramental Sharing in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon (rev. August 22, 2008)

The Notes and the Directives are commended to the people of Saskatoon for study, reflection, and implementation. Questions and comments may be directed to the Saskatoon Diocesan Commission for Ecumenism through the Catholic Pastoral Centre or to the bishop's ecumenical officer Fr. Bernard de Margerie.

It should be noted that the diocesan policy described in these documents is based on and derived from the Vatican's Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms on Ecumenism and the Code of Canon Law. Nevertheless, the Saskatoon policy is issued for the Roman Catholic diocese of Saskatoon. It is not intended for the other Catholic dioceses and eparchies in Saskatchewan or elsewhere. In other places, in the absence of local directives the Vatican's directory and the Code of Canon Law should be consulted.

The Academy, founded in 1957, includes ecumenically active Christian clergy and laity as well as professors and students. Members of the Academy have been prominent in the movement toward reconciliation of the Christian churches.

The members have a shared concern for theological reflection and scholarship. They value hospitality and open conversation. They seek to support those who engage in ecumenical activities and studies in local communities.

The Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, formerly Professor at Eden Seminary in St. Louis and now General Secretary of the National Council of Churches USA, and Dr. Peter Bouteneff, Professor at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary in New York will address the theme on Friday evening.

Dr. David Daniels of McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago will offer a third keynote presentation on Saturday morning.

Brother Jeffrey Gros, recently retired Associate Director of the Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the Catholic Bishops' Conference will address the gathered ecumenists at their Annual Banquet on Saturday Evening on The Academics' Calling to Spiritual Pilgrimage.

A panel of distinguished ecumenists will reflect on the theme and the keynoters' presentations. A second panel will discuss the practical reality of living in communion today.

For more information or to register online visit www.naae.net

For more information:

Rev. John W. Crossin, OSFS
President, North American Academy of Ecumenists
ph: 202-832-2675
email:

Closing date for application is November 3, 2008. We thank all applicants for their interest. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Interested persons should send a letter of introduction and curriculum vitae to:
Fran Oleniuk, Administrator, Human Resources
Catholic Pastoral Centre
120 - 17 Avenue SW
Calgary AB, T2S 2T2
By fax (403) 232-6349
By e-mail to .
If your e-mail is not confirmed as received, please follow-up by phone to (403) 218-5533

1 August 2008, Canterbury

1. We come as Anglican theologians serving churches in the Anglican Communion outside Western cultural frameworks. Our face-to-face discussions at the Lambeth Conference 2008 have deepened our trust and understanding of one another. We celebrate our bonds of affection in Christ and commit ourselves to take fresh initiatives together for the sake of God's mission. The Global South Anglican Theological Network is a personal initiative borne of friendship and vocation. We are neither commissioned nor aligned with any organisation or official body in the Communion.

2. We are concerned that the continuing patronising attitude of the West towards the rest of the churches, often perpetrated by technological, educational and financial superiority, is damaging to the theological maturing of the Anglican Communion. We are distressed that the realities in our churches -- even the term "Global South" -- are often misrepresented and misunderstood within programmes of cultural assimilation and homogenisation of the varied expressions of God's gifts to his people worldwide.

3. We rejoice however that the Word of God remains sovereign, living and active in accomplishing its good purposes in human hearts and in our lands. We give thanks that the Word has unleashed its saving power and has breathed life in our churches and peoples -- "deep calling to deep" -- even at the face of human folly and weakness.

4. We rejoice that the Word of God continues to speak to the church, enabling it to discern its true tasks and to speak God's prophetic voice to peoples, societies and nations. We seek to listen, discern and clarify together what Lord Jesus says to the church.

5. We believe at this present critical juncture in the history of the Anglican Communion it is important for churches outside the traditional Anglo-American trajectories to offer a distinct and critical theological voice: speaking from the context of the global South, offering a theological articulation on issues facing the Communion as we see and read it to the deliberations in the Communion, and giving expression to the trajectories of God's divine work in our histories.

6. We recognise that we need to draw strength from one another's insights from the diverse socio-political contexts we serve, and to rediscover and share together how we can best uphold and pass on the faith once delivered to the saints.

7. We commit ourselves to work for the common good of the Communion, with the view that it would rediscover its moorings in the faith and worship of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church of Jesus Christ, and that our churches would be a sign of hope and reconciliation in this broken world.

8. We invite our colleagues – men and women – working in the global South who share our vision to join in this common task.

Co-convenors:

Rev. Professor Dr Joseph Galgalo, Saint Paul's University, Limuru, Kenya
Bishop Mark Macdonald, National Indigenous Bishop, Anglican Church of Canada
Bishop Jubal Neves, Diocesan Bishop of Sul-Ocidental Diocese, Igreja Episcopal do Brasil
Rev. Canon Dr Michael Poon, Trinity Theological College, Singapore (Secretary)

As the Episcopal Commission for Interfaith Dialogue of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, we acknowledge with great interest and hope the Open Letter entitled "A Common Word Between Us and You", issued in late 2007 by 138 prominent Muslim leaders and scholars from around the world and which was addressed to Pope Benedict XVI and other heads of Christian Churches as well as to all Christian communities.

Here in Canada, we are grateful that Muslims and Catholics, together with other Christians and members of all faiths, can live in peace and harmony. We also deeply appreciate the many ways Catholics and Muslims have in our country to collaborate on national and local issues.

Dialogue and collaboration among faith communities are essential in the human search for peace and justice. The letter from Muslim leaders and scholars, with its emphasis on love of God and love of neighbour, is an important reminder of the responsibility shared in common by all who believe in one God.

We humbly acknowledge the serious stumbling blocks of the past. Today, our Commission is committed to turning such stumbling blocks into new stepping stones, so as to forge a path that eliminates adversity and promotes understanding.

We endorse and promote the dialogue required to maintain and strengthen Christian and Muslim collaboration, at the same time fostering a genuine spirit of mutual understanding.

We join the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, in encouraging our Catholic brothers and sisters to build bridges between faith and our culture. In turn, we hope our Muslim brothers and sisters will join Canadian Catholics and other Christians in reflecting on the vital interplay of faith and culture.

We also note in the Open Letter the repeated emphasis on the preferential option for the poor. This too for Catholics is a strong bond of solidarity with Muslims, for whom also almsgiving, forgiveness, repentance and mercy are imperative.

As the Episcopal Commission for Interfaith Dialogue of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, we encourage all Canadian Christians and Muslims to reflect on and study "A Common Word Between Us and You". We pray it be God's will that the Open Letter help us all in building relations of respect and cooperation among faith communities.

May God's peace bless all people of good will.

À titre de Commission épiscopale pour le dialogue interreligieux de la Conférence des évêques catholiques du Canada, nous prenons acte avec beaucoup d'intérêt et une grande espérance de la lettre ouverte intitulée « Une parole commune entre nous et vous », publiée vers la fin de l'année 2007 par 138 éminents leaders et savants musulmans de partout à travers le monde et adressée au pape Benoît XVI et à d'autres chefs d'églises et de communautés chrétiennes.

Ici au Canada, nous nous réjouissons de ce que musulmans et catholiques, comme les autres chrétiens et les membres de toutes les confessions religieuses, puissent vivre dans la paix et dans l'harmonie. De même que nous apprécions profondément les nombreuses façons dont les catholiques et musulmans chez nous collaborent sur des enjeux d'intérêt national ou local.

Le dialogue et la collaboration entre communautés croyantes sont essentiels à la quête humaine de la paix et de la justice. La lettre des leaders et savants musulmans, qui met l'accent sur l'amour de Dieu et du prochain, est un rappel important de la responsabilité que partagent tous ceux et celles qui croient en un Dieu unique.

Nous reconnaissons humblement l'existence des graves pierres d'achoppement héritées du passé. Aujourd'hui, notre Commission est résolue à faire de ces pierres d'achoppement autant de pierres de gué pour construire un sentier qui élimine l'affrontement et favorise la compréhension.

Nous soutenons et nous encourageons le dialogue qui est nécessaire au maintien et au renforcement de la collaboration entre chrétiens et musulmans et qui favorise un véritable esprit de compréhension mutuelle.

Nous nous unissons au Saint-Père, le pape Benoît XVI, pour encourager nos frères et soeurs catholiques à jeter des ponts entre la foi et la culture. En retour, nous espérons que nos frères et soeurs musulmans s'uniront aux catholiques et aux autres chrétiens du Canada pour réfléchir à l'interaction vitale entre la foi et la culture.

Nous remarquons aussi que la Lettre ouverte revient avec insistance sur l'option préférentielle pour les pauvres. Voilà aux yeux des catholiques un autre lien puissant de solidarité avec les musulmans, qui se font une obligation de l'aumône, du pardon, du repentir et de la miséricorde.

À titre de Commission épiscopale pour le dialogue interreligieux de la Conférence des évêques catholiques du Canada, nous encourageons tous les chrétiens et les musulmans canadiens à accueillir « Une parole commune entre nous et vous » pour l'étudier et y réfléchir. Dieu veuille, nous l'en prions, que la Lettre ouverte nous aide tous à édifier entre nos communautés croyantes des rapports de respect et de coopération.

Que la paix de Dieu bénisse toutes les personnes de bonne volonté.

A number of our regular programs have been dedicated to this theme, and some special projects are being planned as well. Here are some dates and preliminary information for this year:

• Ecumenical Contacts Workshop
• Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
• 6th Annual Ecumenical Scripturefest
• Summer Ecumenical Institute

Saturday, October 25th, 2008 at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church (Spadina & 20th St.). Beginning with registration at 8:30 a.m., closing at 12:00. "All the Saints Gather for Prayer: theory and practice of prayer together for Christian unity and reconciliation." Progress in ecumenism comes out of prayer, especially prayer together. We will prepare for our 2009 year of celebrations by exploring theory and best practice for planning worship ecumenically. Led by Nick Jesson and Amanda Currie with others. Worship resources table available. Please join us.

January 18-25, 2009
Theme: "That they may become one in your hand" (Ez. 37:17)
Our Week of Prayer observances in Saskatoon will be as rich as usual. Mark your calendars with the closing service of the Week of Prayer on the "50-50-25" theme. We have much to celebrate at this service. Plan to join us at McClure United Church in Saskatoon at 3:00 p.m., January 25th.

Scripturefest, a program from Queen's House of Retreats, will follow our theme for the year. It will be an occasion for reflecting and dialoguing about the scripture readings set for the 2009 Week of Prayer, "That They May Become One in Your Hand" (Ez. 37:17). Saturday, Jan. 24th at Queen's House, 9 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Keynote Speakers: Rev. David Jobling & Rev. Bill Richards. Cost is $35 (includes lunch). Please book ahead through Queen's House (306-242-1916).

Mark your calendars now for June 2-5, 2009 and plan to be with us at Queen's House of Retreats in Saskatoon. The Summer Ecumenical Institute will follow our 50-50-25 theme, reviewing and celebrating the achievements of the ecumenical movement over the past 50 years, describing where the 'growing edge' is today and dreaming dreams for our future.

We are delighted that Fr. Tom Ryan, a much-sought-after speaker and retreat leader, has accepted the invitation to be one of our keynote speakers.

Further details will follow later in the fall.

The full text of the letter can be found below:

As the Lambeth Conference of 2008 comes to an end, I want to offer some further reflections of my own on what the bishops gathered in Canterbury have learned and experienced. Those of you who have been present here will be able to share your own insights with your people, but it may be useful for me to add my own perspectives as to where we have been led.

For the vast majority of bishops, it seems, this has been a time when they have felt God to have been at work. The Conference was not a time for making new laws or for binding decisions; in spite of the way some have expressed their expectations, Lambeth Conferences have never worked straightforwardly in this way. The Conference Design Group believed strongly that the chief need of our Communion at the moment was the rebuilding of relationships – the rebuilding of trust in one another – and of confidence in our Anglican identity. And it was with this in mind that they planned for a very different sort of Conference, determined to allow every bishop's voice to be heard and to seek for a final outcome for which the bishops were genuinely able to recognize an authentic account of their own work.

I believe that the Conference succeeded in doing this to a very remarkable degree – more than most people expected. At the end of our time together, many people, especially some of the newer bishops, said that they had been surprised by the amount of convergence they had seen. And there can be no doubt that practically all who were present sincerely wanted the Communion to stay together.

But they also recognized the challenge in staying together and the continuing possibility of further division. As the proposals for an Anglican Covenant now go forward, it is still possible that some will not be able to agree; there was a clear sense that some sort of covenant will help our identity and cohesion, although the bishops wish to avoid a legalistic or juridical tone. A strong majority of bishops present agreed that moratoria on same-sex blessings and on cross-provincial interventions were necessary, but they were aware of the conscientious difficulties this posed for some, and there needs to be a greater clarity about the exact expectations and what can be realistically implemented. How far the intensified sense of belonging together will help mutual restraint in such matters remains to be seen. But it can be said that few of those who attended left without feeling they had in some respects moved and changed.

We were conscious of the absence of many of our colleagues, and wanted to express our sadness that they felt unable to be with us and our desire to build bridges and restore our fellowship. We were aware also of the recent meeting in Jerusalem and its statements; many of us expressed a clear sense of affinity with much that was said there and were grateful that many had attended both meetings, but we know that there is work to do to bring us closer together and are determined to do that work.

The final document of Conference Reflections is not a 'Report' in the style of earlier Conferences, but an attempt to present an honest account of what was discussed and expressed in the 'indaba' groups which formed the main communal work of the Conference by the Reflections Group. But although this document is not a formal Report, it has a number of pointers as to where the common goals and assumptions are in the Communion. Let me mention some of these.

First, there was an overwhelming unity around the need for the Church to play its full part in the worldwide struggle against poverty ignorance and disease. The Millennium Development Goals were repeatedly stressed, and there was universal agreement that both governmental and non-governmental development agencies needed to create more effective partnerships with the churches and to help the churches increase and improve their own capacity to deliver change for the sake of justice. To further this, it was agreed that we needed a much enhanced capacity in the Communion for co-ordinated work in the field of development. Our Walk of Witness in London and the memorable address of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom formed a powerful focus for these concerns. And the challenge to every bishop to identify clear goals for developing environmentally responsible policies in church life was articulated very forcefully indeed: information was provided to all about how the 'carbon footprint' of the Conference itself might be offset, and new impetus given to careful and critical self-examination of all our practices. We were reminded by first-hand testimony that the literal survival of many of our most disadvantaged communities was at risk as a result of environmental change. This enabled us to see the issue more clearly as one of justice both to God's earth and to God's people

Second, on the controversial issue of the day regarding human sexuality, there was a very widely-held conviction that premature or unilateral local change was risky and divisive, in spite of the diversity of opinion expressed on specific questions. There was no appetite for revising Resolution 1.10 of Lambeth 1998, though there was also a clear commitment to continue theological and pastoral discussion of the questions involved. In addition to a widespread support for moratoria in the areas already mentioned, there was much support for the idea of a 'Pastoral Forum' as a means of addressing present and future tensions, and as a clearing house for proposals concerning the care of groups at odds with dominant views within their Provinces, so as to avoid the confusing situation of violations of provincial boundaries and competing jurisdictions.

Importantly, it was recognized that all these matters involved serious reflection on the Christian doctrine of human nature and a continuing deepening of our understanding of Christian marriage. A joint session with bishops and spouses also reminded us that broader moral issues about power and violence in relations between men and women needed attention if we were to speak credibly to the tensions and sufferings of those we serve.

Third, there was a general desire to find better ways of managing our business as a Communion. Many participants believed that the indaba method, while not designed to achieve final decisions, was such a necessary aspect of understanding what the questions might be that they expressed the desire to see the method used more widely – and to continue among themselves the conversations begun in Canterbury. This is an important steer for the meetings of the Primates and the ACC which will be taking place in the first half of next year, and I shall be seeking to identify the resources we shall need in order to take forward some of the proposals about our structures and methods.

The Conference was richly blessed in its guest speakers, who all testified to their appreciation of the Anglican heritage, while asking us searching questions about how flexible and creative our evangelistic policies were, about the integration of our social passion with our theology and about the nature of the unity we were seeking both within the Anglican Communion and with other Christian families. Our many ecumenical representatives played a full and robust part in all our work together and we owe them a considerable debt.

Finally and most importantly of all, we were held within an atmosphere of steady and deep prayer by our Chaplaincy Team. The commitment of the Conference members to daily worship was impressive; and this has much to do with the quality of that worship, both in moments of profound quiet and in exuberant celebration. It mattered greatly that we were able to begin with a period of retreat in the context of Canterbury Cathedral; the welcome we received there was immensely generous and we all valued the message clearly given, that this was our Cathedral, and that all of us were a full part of the worshipping community that had been here since Augustine came to Canterbury in 597.

I know that all present would wish me to express thanks once again to all who planned and organized the Conference, to those who composed the Bible Studies, those who devised and monitored the work of the indaba groups and all others who served us so devotedly in all sorts of ways – not least the Stewards, whose youthful energy and commitment and unfailingly supportive presence gave all of us great hope for the future. Thanks to all of you – bishops and spouses – who attended, for the great commitment shown and for the encouragement you have given each other.

But together we give thanks to God for his presence with us, his faithfulness to us and his gifts to our Communion. As was said in the closing plenary session, we believe that God has many more gifts to give to and through our Communion; and we ask his grace and assistance in teaching us how to receive what he wills to give. "He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness." (2 Cor. 9v10)

Your servant in Christ

+Rowan Cantuar:

• In addition, read the Lambeth Conference reflections document.

A declaration calling for "Renewed commitment to the task of Jewish evangelism" and "Recognition of the uniqueness of Christ as the crucified, resurrected and divine Messiah who alone can save from death and bring eternal life" has been issued by the WEA Theological Commission. "The Berlin Declaration on the Uniqueness of Christ and Jewish Evangelism in Europe Today" was developed by a task force of the Theological Commission at a consultation in Berlin, Germany August 18-22, 2008. The 1200 word statement also calls for reconciliation and unity amongst believers in Jesus, respect for religious conviction and liberty that allows frank discussion of religious claims and repentance from all expressions of anti-Semitism and all other forms of genocide, prejudice and discrimination.

The consultation, which was five years in planning, was called to address current concerns about the necessity and theological basis for Jewish evangelism especially in the setting of Germany and Europe as a whole. It involved 12 scholars from the Theological Commission, key seminaries and other organisations. It also included practitioners engaged in ministry amongst Jewish people, and Christians from Germany and Messianic Jews. A total of 13 papers were presented covering biblical, theological and practical matters which provided the background for the Declaration. A spokesman for the TC said that plans are in hand for the publication of the papers as an additional resource for those interested.

The Berlin Declaration 2008 follows in the wake of earlier documents produced by the WEA on Jewish evangelism. The first was the Willowbank Declaration of 1989 which was hailed at the time as a decisive statement and continues to be referred to as a landmark document. The second was a brief statement reinforcing the validity and importance of Jewish evangelism which appeared in the New York Times in 2008, with 54 signatures (and more endorsements later). TC Executive Director, Dr David Parker, said, "With the background of Willowbank and the NYT statement, it is our prayer that the Berlin Declaration 2008 will prove to be equally useful in supporting the work of taking the gospel "to the Jew first" and also the rest of the world. We believe the European setting of our statement is particularly significant.

We hope that this declaration will encourage many Christians to see the importance and biblical warrant for this important ministry. We would like to see the Berlin Declaration 2008 circulated as widely as possible amongst those who are engaged in and interested in this ministry."

The Church of England is not the first province in the Anglican Communion to make this decision. It does, however, come at a time of tension in the Anglican Communion. The Lambeth Conference meeting later this month will address numerous strains on the Communion, including those arising from the ordination of homosexuals and women, and the blessing of same-sex unions. Women's ordination has been a controversial issue in the Communion since 1976 when the Anglican Church of Canada and the Episcopal Church in the USA decided to ordain women as priests. In the intervening years, many of the other provinces in the Communion have followed their path, including the Church of England in 1992. Once women were ordained as priests, questions were immediately asked about whether women would be ordained as bishops as well.

Ordination of women as priests and bishops not only strains the bonds of the Anglican Communion. It has also become an issue in the ecumenical dialogues with the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches. The 1976 and 1992 decisions to ordain women as priests led to Vatican clarifications of the Catholic position on women's ordination. The 2003 decision in the USA to consecrate a homosexual bishop led to a temporary cooling of the Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue. In 2006, Cardinal Walter Kasper from the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity was invited to speak to the Church of England's House of Bishops. He cautioned them that any movement towards the ordination of women as bishops would have disastrous effects on the continuing dialogue. Monday's decision has also led to a response from Kasper's office. The following short statement was issued in Tuesday's Vatican Information Service:

"We have regretfully learned the news of the Church of England vote that paves the way for the introduction of legislation which will lead to the ordaining of women to the episcopacy.
"The Catholic position on the issue has been clearly expressed by Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II. Such a decision signifies a break with the apostolic tradition maintained by all of the Churches since the first millennium and is, therefore, a further obstacle to reconciliation between the Catholic Church and the Church of England.
"This decision will have consequences on the future of dialogue, which had up until now borne fruit, as Cardinal Kasper clearly explained when on 5 June 2006 he spoke to all of the bishops of the Church of England at the invitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
"The Cardinal has been invited once again to express the Catholic position at the next Lambeth Conference at the end of July".

• The Catholic position on the ordination of women is outlined in two documents: Inter Insigniores (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 1976); and, Ordinatio Sacerdotalis (Pope John Paul II, 1994).
• See also Responsum ad Dubium: On Ordinatio Sacerdotalis (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, October 28, 1995). This text was the response to a query about the status of the 1994 teaching by John Paul II on the ordination of women: "Whether the teaching that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women, which is presented in the Apostolic Letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis to be held definitively, is to be understood as belonging to the deposit of faith."
• Cardinal Walter Kasper's June 5, 2006 address to the Church of England's House of Bishops is entitled Mission of Bishops in the Mystery of the Church: reflections on the question of ordaining women to episcopal office in the Church of England.
• Nicholas Jesson's June 10, 2006 article in Ecumenism in Canada entitled Kasper's line in the sand? provides some further background on the importance of Monday's Church of England decision.

Dear Premier Stelmach:

I have raised the issue of the Alberta Human Rights Commission several times with you in the past eighteen months. On each of those occasions, you said that you understood the issues and shared my concerns. However, the situation is continuing to deteriorate across our country and the various levels of governments are seemingly non-responsive.

April 2008: The Ontario Human Rights Tribunal has ordered an evangelical Christian charity, Christian Horizons, to rescind its morality code and require employees to undergo anti-discriminatory training. In addition, Christian Horizons has been ordered to pay $23,000 plus lost wages for terminating Connie Heritz's employment based on a morality code which she freely and knowingly signed as a condition of employment and which she failed to adhere to.

Every religious institution should have the jurisdictional independence to determine its own confessions, doctrines and ordinances, including conditions of employment.

May 2008: A Saskatchewan Human Rights Tribunal has fined a Regina marriage commissioner, Orville Nichols, $2,500 after finding he discriminated against a gay couple when he declined to perform their same-sex ceremony. Nichols, who has performed nearly 2,000 marriages since 1983, had referred the couple to another marriage commissioner because he said his religious beliefs (Baptist) kept him from performing the ceremony.

The conflict between social pressure and the demands of right conscience can lead to the dilemma either of abandoning a profession or of compromising one's convictions. Faced with that tension, despite the ruling of the Commission, we must remember that there is a middle path which opens up before workers who are faithful to their conscience. It is the path of conscientious objection, which ought to be respected by all, especially legislators.

Every person has the right to have their religious beliefs reasonably accommodated.

Each judgment emanating out of our various Human Rights Commissions seems to be more brazen and bizarre than the one that preceded it. However, for inane stupidity and gross miscarriage of justice our own Alberta Human Rights Tribunal deserves to take first prize for its treatment of Stephen Boissoin.

June 2008: The Alberta Human Rights Tribunal fined Stephen Boissoin, $5,000.

Section 30 of the Alberta Human Rights Act states: "Evidence may be given before a human rights panel in any manner that the panel considers appropriate, and the panel is not bound by the rules of law respecting evidence in judicial proceedings." It would also seem that this panel is also not bound by reasonable argument or the elementary rules of logic but is free to skewer anyone not espousing and proclaiming politically correct views. Darren Lund, the complainant, said that Boissoin's words in his 2002 letter to the Red Deer Advocate were hateful, and furthermore, an assault on a gay teenager three weeks later could be connected to them. No proof of either was presented.

Lori Andreachuk, the chairperson of the Tribunal, agreed that his words were "likely" to expose gays, "a vulnerable" group, to hatred due to their sexual orientation. No court in the land would connect the letter and the assault but this silly tribunal did.

Andreachuk acknowledged that "In this case, there is no specific individual who can be compensated as there is no direct victim who has come forward..." However, she also wrote: "Dr. Lund, although not a direct victim, did expend considerable time and energy and suffered ridicule and harassment as a result of his complaint. The Panel finds therefore that he is entitled to some compensation." One might ask on what grounds?

She concluded that Boissoin "... shall pay to Dr. Lund an award for damages, jointly and severally, in the amount of $5,000.00." Lund wasn't the victim of any kind of discrimination and yet he is handsomely paid, and subsequently, feted as Gay Pride Parade Marshall in Calgary.

The tribunal effectively stripped Boissoin of his right to freedom of speech. "Mr. Boissoin ..... shall cease publishing in newspapers, by email, on the radio, in public speeches, or on the Internet, in future, disparaging remarks about gays and homosexuals." What is meant by "disparaging"? This is tantamount to ruling out honest debate and a plurality of views in the public sphere lest someone be offended by a differing viewpoint.

The tribunal decided to extract a further pound of flesh by way of public humiliation. "Mr. Boissoin and The Concerned Christian Coalition Inc. provide Dr. Lund with a written apology for the article in the Red Deer Advocate which was the subject of this complaint." What happens if Lund is not satisfied with the apology?

Mr. Premier, we have talked enough about the inadequate provisions of and appointment to the Alberta Human Rights Tribunals, it is time to repeal Section 3(1)(b) of the Alberta Human Rights Act . ("No person shall publish, issue or display or cause to be published, issued or displayed before the public any statement, publication, notice, sign, symbol, emblem or other representation that is likely to expose a person or a class of persons to hatred or contempt because of the race, religious beliefs, colour, gender, physical disability, mental disability, age, ancestry, place of origin, marital status, source of income or family status of that person or class of persons.") and to protect the rights of religious freedom. Every person has the right to make public statements and participate in public debate on religious grounds.

Sincerely yours,

F. B. Henry
Bishop of Calgary
July 6, 2008

According to this representative international survey of 21.000 people, 28% of the Australian population see themselves as not at all religious, with religious practices and beliefs barely featuring in their lives. A similar number classify themselves as deeply religious (25%) whilst 44% of Australians say they consider themselves religious but that religion does not play a central role in their lives.

48% of Australians do not partake in personal prayer, and 52% never or very seldom visit a church, mosque, synagogue or temple for religious reasons. 31% said that they did not believe in God or a divine power or in life after death. Religion scored lower than all other parts of daily life, with 50% of Australians considering religion the least important when compared to family, partners, work/career, leisure time and politics.

• Read the entire news story from the Bertelsmann Foundation's Religion Monitor
• Take the Religion Monitor Online Survey

Francfort-sur-le-Main était la première étape de la visite d'une équipe du COE composée de six personnes sous la conduite de l'archevêque anglican Bernard Ntahoturi, du Burundi. Jusqu'en 2010, des visites de ce genre auront lieu plusieurs fois par année pour préparer le Rassemblement œcuménique international pour la paix, qui marquera la fin de la Décennie "vaincre la violence". Les Eglises allemandes, qui se sont d'emblée fortement engagées dans la Décennie, se montrent particulièrement actives, comme les visiteurs ont pu le constater en prenant connaissance des projets et expériences du sud-ouest de l'Allemagne qui leur étaient présentés à Francfort.

Dans le Bade-Wurtemberg, l'Eglise protestante préconise d'introduire le sujet de la violence domestique dans les programmes scolaires et d'intensifier les services de conseils pour les victimes, a expliqué la pasteure Helene Eichrodt-Kessel, du projet "vaincre la violence" de l'Eglise évangélique luthérienne du Wurtemberg. La violence domestique y est également traitée dans la formation théologique initiale et continue. "Nous formons un groupe professionnel qui se rend dans les familles et nous avons la possibilité de parler." Les paroisses reçoivent des appels au secours de femmes et d'enfants; une femme sur quatre a déjà été une fois victime de violence.

L'exposition "Rosentrasse 76", de Pain pour le prochain (Brot für die Welt), qui aide les paroisses à parler du thème de la violence, circule dans plusieurs pays et est accueillie cette année par l'Eglise de Westphalie. Janette Bächtold Ludwig, directrice du Conseil national des Eglises chrétiennes du Brésil, a apprécié la conception pédagogique de cette exposition et les manifestations d'accompagnement organisées par des paroisses rurales et urbaines.

"La violence domestique sévit à l'intérieur des maisons. Quand nous en entendons parler, c'est déjà trop tard", a déclaré l'archevêque Ntahoturi. Dans son pays, cette violence est considérée comme une conséquence de la guerre. Depuis peu, son Eglise, dans le cadre de son programme "La famille au centre", a eu connaissance de cas de sévices sexuels.

Comme la délégation lui demandait dans quelle mesure la culture et la religion ont une influence sur la violence domestique, Eli Wolf, directrice du Centre protestant des femmes de Francfort, a répondu qu'actuellement les maisons de femmes accueillent surtout des femmes issues de la migration, mais que la violence domestique se rencontre dans toutes les couches de la société. La pasteure a également parlé de la collaboration avec des musulmans qui travaillent à faire admettre une autre image de l'homme dans leurs milieux.

Grâce à son réseau œcuménique international, l'Evangelisches Missionswerk in Südwestdeutschland (EMS, Œuvre missionnaire protestante du sud-ouest de l'Allemagne) a pu favoriser la lecture en commun de textes bibliques sur la paix. C'est ainsi qu'un groupe biblique d'une paroisse allemande peut lire le même texte qu'un groupe africain ou asiatique. "Il a fallu tout traduire, ce qui a nécessité de la patience", a expliqué la pasteure Dorothea Frank à propos d'échanges avec un groupe d'étudiants du Cameroun, "mais nous avons découvert que la Bible constitue notre trésor commun et que personne ne peut prétendre en détenir la seule interprétation valable."

Les organisatrices de la rencontre à Francfort placent de grands espoirs dans la Déclaration pour la paix, a souligné la pasteure Ulrike Schmidt-Hesse, secrétaire générale adjointe de l'EMS. Elle souhaite qu'à côté des grandes orientations, ce texte comporte aussi des prises de position sur certains défis actuels.

La journée de Francfort a été préparée par les Eglises évangéliques de Hesse-Nassau, de Bade et du Wurtemberg, par le Réseau œcuménique du Wurtemberg et l'EMS.

• Informations sur la Décennie "vaincre la violence"
• Visites des "lettres vivantes" en Allemagne
• Evangelisches Missionswerk in Südwestdeutschland (EMS, en allemand et en anglais)
• Eglises membres du COE en Allemagne (en anglais)

Frankfurt was the first stop for a WCC team of six people led by Archbishop Bernard Ntahoturi from Burundi. The visit of the WCC team in Germany is one of several such team visits planned throughout the world between now and 2010 to prepare for the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation in 2011. The convocation is the culmination of the WCC's Decade to Overcome Violence 2001-2010, in which the German churches have been particularly active and committed from the outset. In Frankfurt, projects and experiences from south-western Germany were presented to the international team.

Rev. Helene Eichrodt-Kessel, from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Württemberg's office for the Decade to Overcome Violence, told the WCC team that the protestant churches are pushing to have the issue of domestic violence included as part of the school syllabus in Baden-Württemberg and also to increase access to advice for victims. Domestic violence is an issue taken up both in theological training and in-service training. "In our jobs, we go into people's homes and have the opportunity to speak with them," she said. Congregations received calls for help from women and children. One in four women has been a victim of violence at least once.

The Rosenstrasse 76 exhibition by the development agency Brot für die Welt (Bread for the World) helps local congregations talk about the issue and is used both nationally and internationally - this year by the Evangelical Church of Westphalia. Janette Bächtold-Ludwig, director of the National Council of Christian Churches of Brazil (CONIC), praised the way the exhibition had been conceived and the accompanying events that rural and urban parishes organized around it.

"Domestic violence takes place behind closed doors. When we learn about it, it's already too late," said Archbishop Ntahoturi. In his home country Burundi it was seen as one of the results of war. Through its "focus on the family" project, his church had also found out about cases of sexual abuse, he added.

Answering a question from the delegation about the extent to which culture and religion influence "domestic violence", the Rev. Eli Wolf, director of the Protestant women's centre in Frankfurt, said that at the moment most of the women seeking protection had a migration background, although domestic violence affected all parts of society. She also talked about working with Muslim women who are working on changing male role models in their environment.

Through its international ecumenical network, the Association of Churches and Missions in South Western Germany, (EMS), has been getting people to read biblical peace texts together with partners abroad. "Everything had to be translated and that demanded a bit of patience", said the Rev. Dorothea Frank, about the exchange with a student group from Cameroon. "We learnt that we have the Bible as our common treasure and that no one has the right to insist on just one way of interpreting it."

The organizers of the meeting in Frankfurt have great hopes for the ecumenical declaration on just peace that will be issued by the peace convocation in 2011, said the Rev. Ulrike Schmidt-Hesse, deputy director of the EMS. She hoped that clear positions on current challenges would be taken up alongside more general reflections.

The day in Frankfurt was prepared by the Evangelical Church in Hessen and Nassau, the Evangelical Church in Baden, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Württemberg, the Württemberg ecumenical network and the EMS.

• Further information on the Decade to Overcome Violence
• Living Letters team visit to Germany
• Travel blog by two members of the WCC's Living Letters team
• Association of Protestant Churches and Mission in South Western Germany (EMS)
• WCC Member Churches in Germany

At the last national meeting, General Synod 2007, the Anglican Church of Canada decided that same-sex blessings were not in conflict with core doctrine but still did not allow individual parishes to bless these unions. The Synod also acknowledged that deep theological reflection on the topic was needed. Specifically, the Primate's Theological Commission, a group of 12 Canadian Anglican theologians, was mandated to consider these topics:

1. The theological question of whether the blessing of same-sex unions is a faithful, Spirit-led development of Christian doctrine
2. Scripture's witness to the integrity of every human person and the question of the sanctity of human relationships

The Commission was asked to consult with the wider Canadian Anglican church as it prepares responses. As part of this consultation, the Commission has invited Canadian Anglican theologians to write essays that address the two topics above. Some of these essays on human sexuality are now available for your consideration, as part of the Anglican Church of Canada's ongoing discernment about the blessing of same-sex unions.

Essays in response to the commission's questions

• Introduction by George Sumner, Catherine Hamilton, Peter Robinson
• What Would John Henry Newman Do? by George Sumner
• Scripture and Doctrine in the St. Michael Report and The Primate's Questions: A Reflection on Scripture and Theology in the Canadian Anglican Context by Christopher Seitz
• Words Do Not Stand Still by Roseanne Kydd
• Sex and the Garden: Genesis 3 and the Sanctity of Human Relationships by Catherine Sider Hamilton

Some additional resources on this topic are available from the ACC Primate's Theological Commission.

The Gospel of God in Christ is faithfully proclaimed by Canadian Anglicans today just as it has been by generations who have gone before us. I believe it is important to state this truth in response to the recent statement from the GAFCON gathering in Jerusalem, which suggests otherwise.

The GAFCON statement is based on a premise that there is "acceptance and promotion within the provinces of the Anglican Communion of a different gospel which is contrary to the apostolic gospel." The statement specifically accuses Anglican churches in the Canada and the United States of proclaiming this "false gospel that has paralysed the Communion." I challenge and repudiate this charge.

In my first year as Primate, I have visited many parishes across the country, attended synods and participated in gatherings of clergy and laity who care deeply for the church, its unity and witness. What I see is a faithful proclamation of the apostolic gospel in liturgy and loving service to those in need and in advocacy for justice and peace for all people.

The mission statement of the Anglican Church of Canada professes that we "value our heritage of biblical faith, reason, liturgy, tradition, bishops and synods, and the rich variety of our life in community." And we do. The Anglican Church of Canada also values its role in the worldwide Anglican Communion. We are committed to constructive dialogue on all issues facing our beloved church and the Communion, including the blessing of same-sex unions. We remain convinced that as contentious as this issue may be, it should not be a Communion-breaking issue. We have a deep and abiding commitment to the Windsor Report, and the Communion-wide conversations regarding a Covenant among the provinces.

We cherish our relationship with the See of Canterbury and honour our Archbishop as "first among equals" and as a vital instrument of communion. At his invitation, our bishops and their spouses will participate in the Lambeth Conference 2008. They go mindful of the Archbishop's hope that through this conference, our relationships in Christ will be deepened and our capacity as leaders in mission will be strengthened.

I do not believe the Anglican Communion is paralyzed by a false gospel. While we recognize that our relationships are bruised and broken the gospel calls us to be reconciled, to pursue healing and to seek the counsel of the Holy Spirit. It calls all those in leadership to use their authority "not to hurt but to heal, not to destroy but to build up" and "to unite the church in a holy fellowship of truth and love."

As we continue to work our way through these times of tension in the Communion, I ask for the prayers of the church that we may be faithful to the gospel of Him in whom we are forever one.

Fred Hiltz, Archbishop and Primate

Resources:

• Canadian Primate responds to GAFCON statement
• Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church USA responds to GAFCON statement
• Final declaration of the Global Anglican Future Conference

[Arusha, Tanzania • LWI] The Council of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) voted to provide for preparation of a statement that will, on behalf of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), ask for forgiveness for Lutheran persecutions of "Anabaptists," in which many died as this violence was justified by appeal to the Lutheran Reformers' theological statements.

Receiving recommendations from its Program Committee for Ecumenical Affairs, the Council also acknowledged with appreciation the communiqués from the Lutheran-Mennonite International Study Commission in 2007 and 2008, and commended the study commission for its thorough and important work. It encouraged the Commission to publish the final report of its work in 2009.

The committee, chaired by Prof. Joachim Track, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria, Germany, had discussed the outcome of the Lutheran-Mennonite study commission, and focusing on the 11th Assembly in July 2010, elaborated possible Assembly actions with regard to weighing the language of regret and asking for forgiveness.

The Council endorsed the committee's recommendation that Rev. Dr Theodor Dieter, Institute for Ecumenical Research, Strasbourg, France; Rev. Dr Donald McCoid, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; and Archbishop Nemuel A. Babba, Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria, prepare a draft of such a statement.

Lutheran – Roman Catholic Commission on Unity

Based on recommendations from the ecumenical affairs program committee on a fifth phase of the discussions on the Lutheran – Roman Catholic Commission on Unity, the LWF Council received with appreciation the report from the 2007 preparatory meeting, and noted it was looking forward "with hope" to the beginning of a fifth round of the Lutheran – Roman Catholic Commission on Unity.

The LWF governing body also approved the preparation of a "Text on the Anniversary of the Reformation in 2017", and approved the theme of the Commission's work, "Baptism and Growth in Communion."

The Council approved the appointment of Lutheran members to the dialogue, taking into account gender and regional balances. They include co-chair Bishop Dr Eero Huovinen (Finland); Rev. Dr Wanda Deifelt (Brazil); Prof. Turid Karlsen Seim (Norway); Dr Fidon Mwombeki (Tanzania); Prof. Friedericke Nüssel; (Germany); Prof. Michael Root, USA; Prof. Hiroshi Augustin Suzuki, Japan; Rev. Dr Theodor Dieter as a consultant; and an additional woman from Eastern Europe.

Lutheran – Orthodox Relations

The Council received the Common Statement from the 2008 plenary of the Lutheran - Orthodox Joint Commission. It requested the General Secretary and the Office for Ecumenical Affairs to identify one or two additional members for the Commission in order to allow academic specialties necessary for its examination of ministry to be present on the Commission, and to strengthen its gender and regional balance.

The Council also received with appreciation the report from the 2008 conversations with the Oriental Orthodox churches.

Lutheran – Anglican

The Council received the 2007 and 2008 communiqués from the Anglican-Lutheran International Commission.

It also received the communiqué from the 2007 All Africa Anglican-Lutheran Commission (AAALC), and affirmed it would support efforts toward the goal of a full communion relationship among LWF members and those belonging to the Anglican Communion in Africa.

Lutheran – Reformed

The LWF Council received the communiqué from the Lutheran-Reformed Joint Commission 2007 with appreciation. It affirmed the continuation of the common efforts of cooperation between the LWF and its Reformed partners during the time of transition to the World Communion of Reformed Churches, which will unite the World Alliance of Reformed Churches and the Reformed Ecumenical Council.

International Lutheran Council

The Council received for information the communiqué from the 2008 contact meeting between the LWF and International Lutheran Council (ILC). It expressed appreciation for the continued consultative process between both global Lutheran bodies.

It affirmed the importance of the communication between the two Lutheran families on issues that are important to both of them and to their respective member churches.

Global Christian Forum

The Council received with appreciation the Final Message from the November 2007 gathering of the Global Christian Forum (GCF). It also received the report of the first subsequent meeting of the GCF committee, and expressed hope for the new expression of Christian unity, and encouragement for its ongoing structure.

Ecumenical Assemblies

The possibility for the Lutheran communion to find room to gather in the context of the "expanded space" foreseen for future assemblies of the World Council of Churches (WCC) was discussed by the program committee. The Council asked the general secretary to establish an ad-hoc group of about four people to assist in developing and articulating the LWF's position in preparation for meetings of the WCC Discernment Committee and other discussions on the relation of LWF Assemblies to other ecumenical gatherings. (781 words)

* * *

Around 170 participants attended this year's Council meeting including church leaders, officials from LWF partner organizations, invited guests, stewards, interpreters and translators, LWF staff and co-opted staff and accredited media.

The Council is the LWF's governing body meeting between Assemblies held every six years. The current Council was appointed at the July 2003 Tenth Assembly in Winnipeg, Canada. It comprises the President, Treasurer and 48 persons elected by the Assembly. Other members include advisors, lay and ordained persons, representing the different LWF regions.

The Final Statement from the GAFCON meeting in Jordan and Jerusalem contains much that is positive and encouraging about the priorities of those who met for prayer and pilgrimage in the last week. The 'tenets of orthodoxy' spelled out in the document will be acceptable to and shared by the vast majority of Anglicans in every province, even if there may be differences of emphasis and perspective on some issues. I agree that the Communion needs to be united in its commitments on these matters, and I have no doubt that the Lambeth Conference will wish to affirm all these positive aspects of GAFCON's deliberations. Despite the claims of some, the conviction of the uniqueness of Jesus Christ as Lord and God and the absolute imperative of evangelism are not in dispute in the common life of the Communion

However, GAFCON's proposals for the way ahead are problematic in all sorts of ways, and I urge those who have outlined these to think very carefully about the risks entailed.

A 'Primates' Council' which consists only of a self-selected group from among the Primates of the Communion will not pass the test of legitimacy for all in the Communion. And any claim to be free to operate across provincial boundaries is fraught with difficulties, both theological and practical -- theological because of our historic commitments to mutual recognition of ministries in the Communion, practical because of the obvious strain of responsibly exercising episcopal or primatial authority across enormous geographical and cultural divides.

Two questions arise at once about what has been proposed. By what authority are Primates deemed acceptable or unacceptable members of any new primatial council? And how is effective discipline to be maintained in a situation of overlapping and competing jurisdictions?

No-one should for a moment impute selfish or malicious motives to those who have offered pastoral oversight to congregations in other provinces; these actions, however we judge them, arise from pastoral and spiritual concern. But one question has repeatedly been raised which is now becoming very serious: how is a bishop or primate in another continent able to discriminate effectively between a genuine crisis of pastoral relationship and theological integrity, and a situation where there are underlying non-theological motivations at work? We have seen instances of intervention in dioceses whose leadership is unquestionably orthodox simply because of local difficulties of a personal and administrative nature. We have also seen instances of clergy disciplined for scandalous behaviour in one jurisdiction accepted in another, apparently without due process. Some other Christian churches have unhappy experience of this problem and it needs to be addressed honestly.

It is not enough to dismiss the existing structures of the Communion. If they are not working effectively, the challenge is to renew them rather than to improvise solutions that may seem to be effective for some in the short term but will continue to create more problems than they solve. This challenge is one of the most significant focuses for the forthcoming Lambeth Conference. One of its major stated aims is to restore and deepen confidence in our Anglican identity. And this task will require all who care as deeply as the authors of the statement say they do about the future of Anglicanism to play their part.

The language of 'colonialism' has been freely used of existing patterns. No-one is likely to look back with complacency to the colonial legacy. But emerging from the legacy of colonialism must mean a new co-operation of equals, not a simple reversal of power. If those who speak for GAFCON are willing to share in a genuine renewal of all our patterns of reflection and decision-making in the Communion, they are welcome, especially in the shaping of an effective Covenant for our future together.

I believe that it is wrong to assume we are now so far apart that all those outside the GAFCON network are simply proclaiming another gospel. This is not the case; it is not the experience of millions of faithful and biblically focused Anglicans in every province. What is true is that, on all sides of our controversies, slogans, misrepresentations and caricatures abound. And they need to be challenged in the name of the respect and patience we owe to each other in Jesus Christ.

I have in the past quoted to some in the Communion who would call themselves radical the words of the Apostle in I Cor.11.33: 'wait for one another'. I would say the same to those in whose name this statement has been issued. An impatience at all costs to clear the Lord's field of the weeds that may appear among the shoots of true life (Matt.13.29) will put at risk our clarity and effectiveness in communicating just those evangelical and catholic truths which the GAFCON statement presents.

Resources:

• Canadian Primate responds to GAFCON statement
• Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church USA responds to GAFCON statement
• Final declaration of the Global Anglican Future Conference

Praise the LORD!
It is good to sing praises to our God; for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.
The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. (Psalm 147:1-2)

Brothers and Sisters in Christ: We, the participants in the Global Anglican Future Conference, send you greetings from Jerusalem!

Introduction

The Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON), which was held in Jerusalem from 22-29 June 2008, is a spiritual movement to preserve and promote the truth and power of the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ as we Anglicans have received it. The movement is global: it has mobilised Anglicans from around the world. We are Anglican: 1148 lay and clergy participants, including 291 bishops representing millions of faithful Anglican Christians. We cherish our Anglican heritage and the Anglican Communion and have no intention of departing from it. And we believe that, in God's providence, Anglicanism has a bright future in obedience to our Lord's Great Commission to make disciples of all nations and to build up the church on the foundation of biblical truth (Matthew 28:18-20; Ephesians 2:20).

GAFCON is not just a moment in time, but a movement in the Spirit, and we hereby:

• launch the GAFCON movement as a fellowship of confessing Anglicans
• publish the Jerusalem Declaration as the basis of the fellowship
• encourage GAFCON Primates to form a Council.

The Global Anglican Context

The future of the Anglican Communion is but a piece of the wider scenario of opportunities and challenges for the gospel in 21st century global culture. We rejoice in the way God has opened doors for gospel mission among many peoples, but we grieve for the spiritual decline in the most economically developed nations, where the forces of militant secularism and pluralism are eating away the fabric of society and churches are compromised and enfeebled in their witness. The vacuum left by them is readily filled by other faiths and deceptive cults. To meet these challenges will require Christians to work together to understand and oppose these forces and to liberate those under their sway. It will entail the planting of new churches among unreached peoples and also committed action to restore authentic Christianity to compromised churches.

The Anglican Communion, present in six continents, is well positioned to address this challenge, but currently it is divided and distracted. The Global Anglican Future Conference emerged in response to a crisis within the Anglican Communion, a crisis involving three undeniable facts concerning world Anglicanism.

The first fact is the acceptance and promotion within the provinces of the Anglican Communion of a different 'gospel' (cf. Galatians 1:6-8) which is contrary to the apostolic gospel. This false gospel undermines the authority of God's Word written and the uniqueness of Jesus Christ as the author of salvation from sin, death and judgement. Many of its proponents claim that all religions offer equal access to God and that Jesus is only a way, not the way, the truth and the life. It promotes a variety of sexual preferences and immoral behaviour as a universal human right. It claims God's blessing for same-sex unions over against the biblical teaching on holy matrimony. In 2003 this false gospel led to the consecration of a bishop living in a homosexual relationship.

The second fact is the declaration by provincial bodies in the Global South that they are out of communion with bishops and churches that promote this false gospel. These declarations have resulted in a realignment whereby faithful Anglican Christians have left existing territorial parishes, dioceses and provinces in certain Western churches and become members of other dioceses and provinces, all within the Anglican Communion. These actions have also led to the appointment of new Anglican bishops set over geographic areas already occupied by other Anglican bishops. A major realignment has occurred and will continue to unfold.

The third fact is the manifest failure of the Communion Instruments to exercise discipline in the face of overt heterodoxy. The Episcopal Church USA and the Anglican Church of Canada, in proclaiming this false gospel, have consistently defied the 1998 Lambeth statement of biblical moral principle (Resolution 1.10). Despite numerous meetings and reports to and from the 'Instruments of Unity,' no effective action has been taken, and the bishops of these unrepentant churches are welcomed to Lambeth 2008. To make matters worse, there has been a failure to honour promises of discipline, the authority of the Primates' Meeting has been undermined and the Lambeth Conference has been structured so as to avoid any hard decisions. We can only come to the devastating conclusion that 'we are a global Communion with a colonial structure'.

Sadly, this crisis has torn the fabric of the Communion in such a way that it cannot simply be patched back together. At the same time, it has brought together many Anglicans across the globe into personal and pastoral relationships in a fellowship which is faithful to biblical teaching, more representative of the demographic distribution of global Anglicanism today and stronger as an instrument of effective mission, ministry and social involvement.

A Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans

We, the participants in the Global Anglican Future Conference, are a fellowship of confessing Anglicans for the benefit of the Church and the furtherance of its mission. We are a fellowship of people united in the communion (koinonia) of the one Spirit and committed to work and pray together in the common mission of Christ. It is a confessing fellowship in that its members confess the faith of Christ crucified, stand firm for the gospel in the global and Anglican context, and affirm a contemporary rule, the Jerusalem Declaration, to guide the movement for the future. We are a fellowship of Anglicans, including provinces, dioceses, churches, missionary jurisdictions, para-church organisations and individual Anglican Christians whose goal is to reform, heal and revitalise the Anglican Communion and expand its mission to the world.

Our fellowship is not breaking away from the Anglican Communion. We, together with many other faithful Anglicans throughout the world, believe the doctrinal foundation of Anglicanism, which defines our core identity as Anglicans, is expressed in these words: The doctrine of the Church is grounded in the Holy Scriptures and in such teachings of the ancient Fathers and Councils of the Church as are agreeable to the said Scriptures. In particular, such doctrine is to be found in the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion, the Book of Common Prayer and the Ordinal. We intend to remain faithful to this standard, and we call on others in the Communion to reaffirm and return to it. While acknowledging the nature of Canterbury as an historic see, we do not accept that Anglican identity is determined necessarily through recognition by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Building on the above doctrinal foundation of Anglican identity, we hereby publish the Jerusalem Declaration as the basis of our fellowship.

The Jerusalem Declaration

In the name of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit:

We, the participants in the Global Anglican Future Conference, have met in the land of Jesus' birth. We express our loyalty as disciples to the King of kings, the Lord Jesus. We joyfully embrace his command to proclaim the reality of his kingdom which he first announced in this land. The gospel of the kingdom is the good news of salvation, liberation and transformation for all. In light of the above, we agree to chart a way forward together that promotes and protects the biblical gospel and mission to the world, solemnly declaring the following tenets of orthodoxy which underpin our Anglican identity.

1. We rejoice in the gospel of God through which we have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Because God first loved us, we love him and as believers bring forth fruits of love, ongoing repentance, lively hope and thanksgiving to God in all things.
2. We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God written and to contain all things necessary for salvation. The Bible is to be translated, read, preached, taught and obeyed in its plain and canonical sense, respectful of the church's historic and consensual reading.
3. We uphold the four Ecumenical Councils and the three historic Creeds as expressing the rule of faith of the one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
4. We uphold the Thirty-nine Articles as containing the true doctrine of the Church agreeing with God's Word and as authoritative for Anglicans today.
5. We gladly proclaim and submit to the unique and universal Lordship of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, humanity's only Saviour from sin, judgement and hell, who lived the life we could not live and died the death that we deserve. By his atoning death and glorious resurrection, he secured the redemption of all who come to him in repentance and faith.
6. We rejoice in our Anglican sacramental and liturgical heritage as an expression of the gospel, and we uphold the 1662 Book of Common Prayer as a true and authoritative standard of worship and prayer, to be translated and locally adapted for each culture.
7. We recognise that God has called and gifted bishops, priests and deacons in historic succession to equip all the people of God for their ministry in the world. We uphold the classic Anglican Ordinal as an authoritative standard of clerical orders.
8. We acknowledge God's creation of humankind as male and female and the unchangeable standard of Christian marriage between one man and one woman as the proper place for sexual intimacy and the basis of the family. We repent of our failures to maintain this standard and call for a renewed commitment to lifelong fidelity in marriage and abstinence for those who are not married.
9. We gladly accept the Great Commission of the risen Lord to make disciples of all nations, to seek those who do not know Christ and to baptise, teach and bring new believers to maturity.
10. We are mindful of our responsibility to be good stewards of God's creation, to uphold and advocate justice in society, and to seek relief and empowerment of the poor and needy.
11. We are committed to the unity of all those who know and love Christ and to building authentic ecumenical relationships. We recognise the orders and jurisdiction of those Anglicans who uphold orthodox faith and practice, and we encourage them to join us in this declaration.
12. We celebrate the God-given diversity among us which enriches our global fellowship, and we acknowledge freedom in secondary matters. We pledge to work together to seek the mind of Christ on issues that divide us.
13. We reject the authority of those churches and leaders who have denied the orthodox faith in word or deed. We pray for them and call on them to repent and return to the Lord.
14. We rejoice at the prospect of Jesus' coming again in glory, and while we await this final event of history, we praise him for the way he builds up his church through his Spirit by miraculously changing lives.

The Road Ahead

We believe the Holy Spirit has led us during this week in Jerusalem to begin a new work. There are many important decisions for the development of this fellowship which will take more time, prayer and deliberation. Among other matters, we shall seek to expand participation in this fellowship beyond those who have come to Jerusalem, including cooperation with the Global South and the Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa. We can, however, discern certain milestones on the road ahead.

Primates' Council

We, the participants in the Global Anglican Future Conference, do hereby acknowledge the participating Primates of GAFCON who have called us together, and encourage them to form the initial Council of the GAFCON movement. We look forward to the enlargement of the Council and entreat the Primates to organise and expand the fellowship of confessing Anglicans.

We urge the Primates' Council to authenticate and recognise confessing Anglican jurisdictions, clergy and congregations and to encourage all Anglicans to promote the gospel and defend the faith.

We recognise the desirability of territorial jurisdiction for provinces and dioceses of the Anglican Communion, except in those areas where churches and leaders are denying the orthodox faith or are preventing its spread, and in a few areas for which overlapping jurisdictions are beneficial for historical or cultural reasons.

We thank God for the courageous actions of those Primates and provinces who have offered orthodox oversight to churches under false leadership, especially in North and South America. The actions of these Primates have been a positive response to pastoral necessities and mission opportunities. We believe that such actions will continue to be necessary and we support them in offering help around the world.

We believe this is a critical moment when the Primates' Council will need to put in place structures to lead and support the church. In particular, we believe the time is now ripe for the formation of a province in North America for the federation currently known as Common Cause Partnership to be recognised by the Primates' Council.

Conclusion: Message from Jerusalem

We, the participants in the Global Anglican Future Conference, were summoned by the Primates' leadership team to Jerusalem in June 2008 to deliberate on the crisis that has divided the Anglican Communion for the past decade and to seek direction for the future. We have visited holy sites, prayed together, listened to God's Word preached and expounded, learned from various speakers and teachers, and shared our thoughts and hopes with each other.

The meeting in Jerusalem this week was called in a sense of urgency that a false gospel has so paralysed the Anglican Communion that this crisis must be addressed. The chief threat of this dispute involves the compromising of the integrity of the church's worldwide mission. The primary reason we have come to Jerusalem and issued this declaration is to free our churches to give clear and certain witness to Jesus Christ.

It is our hope that this Statement on the Global Anglican Future will be received with comfort and joy by many Anglicans around the world who have been distressed about the direction of the Communion. We believe the Anglican Communion should and will be reformed around the biblical gospel and mandate to go into all the world and present Christ to the nations.

Jerusalem
Feast of St Peter and St Paul
29 June 2008

Resources:

• Canadian Primate responds to GAFCON statement
• Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church USA responds to GAFCON statement
• Archbishop of Canterbury responds to GAFCON statement

A long decade has passed since the last inter-Orthodox women's consultation took place in Istanbul, Turkey in 1997. In the intervening years, the participation of Orthodox women in the life of the church has improved. Significant milestones range from the recognition of women's issues by church structures to women's participation in some church ministries and decision-making processes.

Many of the concerns of women, however, have not yet been fully addressed within the life of the church. A list of them includes: access to and funding for theological studies and subsequent employment opportunities within the church; supporting and equipping women for pastoral care and other church ministries; broader participation in church decision-making processes; taking a new look at prayers and practices associated with women's biology.

These were amongst the main findings of a five-day long consultation, which brought together some 45 women from Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and North America. Meeting from 8-12 June in Volos, Greece, they discussed the participation, ministry and concerns of Orthodox women in the church and in the ecumenical movement.

Participants at the consultation recommended undertaking a full assessment of the current situation and needs of Orthodox women, given the many changes that have taken place over the last decade, as well as the development of a framework for future action. "We see the need to identify, together with our church leadership, the ways and instruments to implement decisions and recommendations of women's consultations in our churches", the participants stated in a report on the deliberations.

The consultation took place at the Volos Academy for Theological Studies and was sponsored by the World Council of Churches Programme for Women in Church and Society and hosted by the Diocese of Dimitrias.

Resources

• Full text of the Report of the Inter-Orthodox Consultation
• WCC Programme for Women in Church and Society
• Diocese of Dimitrias, Church of Greece (in Greek)
• Volos Academy for Theological Studies (partially in Greek)

Une longue décennie s'est écoulée depuis que s'est tenu le dernier rassemblement de femmes orthodoxes, à Istanbul, en Turquie, en 1997. Dans cet intervalle, la participation des femmes orthodoxes à la vie de l'Eglise a progressé. Les étapes franchies vont de la reconnaissance des thématiques féminines par les structures de l'Eglise à la participation des femmes à différents ministères de l'Eglise dans le mouvement œcuménique et dans le processus de prise de décisions.

Beaucoup de préoccupations exprimées par les femmes n'ont cependant pas été pleinement entendues. Parmi elles, on peut citer l'accès aux études théologiques - y compris leur financement - et aux possibilités d'emploi qui en découlent au sein de l'Eglise; le soutien apporté aux femmes pour l'accompagnement pastoral et d'autres ministères au sein de l'Eglise; la participation accrue au processus de prise de décisions; et l'adoption d'une nouvelle approche concernant les prières et les pratiques associées à la biologie féminine.

Il s'agit là de quelques-unes des principales conclusions qui ont été présentées à l'issue du rassemblement de cinq jours, qui a réuni plus d'une quarantaine de femmes des Eglises orthodoxes d'Europe, du Moyen-Orient, d'Asie, d'Australie et d'Amérique du Nord. Réunies du 8 au 12 juin à Volos, en Grèce, elles ont évoqué la participation, le ministère et les préoccupations des femmes orthodoxes dans l'Eglise et dans le mouvement œcuménique.

Les participantes à la consultation ont recommandé de réaliser une évaluation complète de la situation actuelle et des besoins des femmes orthodoxes, en prenant en compte les nombreux changements qui sont intervenus au cours des dix dernières années, et d'élaborer un cadre pour l'action. "Nous voyons la nécessité de déterminer, en collaboration avec les dirigeants de nos Eglises, les moyens et les instruments permettant de mettre en œuvre dans nos Eglises les décisions et les recommandations prises lors des rassemblements de femmes", ont indiqué les participantes dans un rapport sur les délibérations.

Le rassemblement s'est tenu à l'Académie d'études théologiques de Volos. Il a été soutenu par le Programme du Conseil œcuménique des Eglises pour les femmes dans l'Eglise et la société et organisé par le diocèse de Dimitrias.

Ressources :

• Texte intégral du rapport du Rassemblement interorthodoxe (en anglais)
• Programme du COE pour les femmes dans l'Eglise et la société
• Diocèse de Dimitrias, Eglise de Grèce (en grec)
• Académie d'études théologiques de Volos (en grec)

This resource is the fruit of rich editorial work by the Faith and Witness Commission of the Canadian Council of Churches, under the guidance and leadership of Rev. Judee Archer-Greene, Rev. Richard Vandervaart and Dr. Mary Marrocco.

ISBN-13: 978-2-89507-958-3 • Price: $27.95 • Paperback, 200 pp., 8.5 x 11

[Geneva • LWI] The Protestant understanding of the church is the central theme of an international conference of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Department for Theology and Studies (DTS) taking place at the Bossey Ecumenical Institute near Geneva, Switzerland.

Scholars from 11 countries are participating in the 12–16 June gathering, with the theme "The one holy, catholic and apostolic Church – reflections on the understanding of the church in an ecumenical horizon." According to Rev. Dr Hans-Peter Grosshans, DTS Study Secretary for Theology, the meeting will help make the Evangelical Lutheran understanding of the church more visible. It is the "historical obligation of the Evangelical Lutheran church to make the ecclesiological consequences of Reformed theology clear to itself and to other churches," he said prior to the meeting, being organized in collaboration with the University of Geneva Faculty of Theology.

Grosshans said the conference ushers in a new LWF/DTS study program, in which the phrase from the Nicene Creed "We believe in the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church" will be interpreted from the perspective of the Evangelical Lutheran church and contemporary Protestant theology and given new life.

The study program's first meeting in Bossey will focus on the significance of the Nicene phrase in its entirety for today's Protestant churches. Follow-up meetings to be held in South America, Asia and Africa, will examine significance of the four hallmarks of the church—oneness, holiness, catholicity and apostolicity—for today's Protestant churches. The program will address questions such as: "What is the importance for Protestant churches of achieving the 'one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church? And what is meant, from a Protestant point of view, when referring to the church in terms of oneness, holiness, catholicity and apostolicity?"

Participants at the Bossey meeting come from Brazil, Denmark, Ethiopia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Malaysia, Myanmar, Switzerland, United States of America and Zambia.

Different Contexts

While many of them are specialists on questions of ecclesiology, their experience of the concept of "church" occurs in very different contexts and extremely diverse religious, political, legal and economic situations, said Grosshans. "They represent various theological styles, methods and approaches, and demonstrate the great diversity of theological thinking within the Evangelical Lutheran church," he added.

In addition to Lutheran scholars, other confessional traditions represented at the conference include the Orthodox, Roman Catholics, Baptists and Reformed. For Grosshans, the Evangelical Lutheran understanding of the church must not seek to assert itself in opposition to other Christian confessions, but rather with them. Emphasis must be placed on ecumenical dialogue and pursuing contextual attempts to define what church is and make it a reality.

Since the signing of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ) by representatives of the LWF and the Roman Catholic Church on 31 October 1999 in Augsburg, Germany, "church" has increasingly been the central theme of ecumenical dialogues, said Grosshans. The JDDJ reception made it poignantly clear that the main obstacle to church unity was the divergent conceptions of the church. The Evangelical Lutheran understanding of the church has, by and large, defined itself in terms of its difference with other confessions. Until now, Lutheran churches and Protestant theology have paid far too little attention to clarifying the understanding of church on the basis of their own principles.

He went on to say that the Protestant understanding of church therefore lacks a clear identity and consequently, an essential prerequisite toward making progress in ecumenical discussions on the topic of "church". Until now Protestant churches have not been sufficiently successful in making clear how, based on their understanding of the church, they can bring about the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church in accordance with the Gospel and the implications this has for the life and organization of the churches. In many ways, Protestant churches have regressed with regard to Reformation ideals, due to their understanding of their own ecclesiality.

The rich and diverse experiences in many Lutheran churches all over the world, which could deepen our interpretation of these hallmarks of the church, have not been brought to fruition, he added.

Archbishop Fred Hiltz, the leader of the Anglican Church of Canada, said he was moved by the apology given by Harper in Ottawa on 11 June in the lower house of the Canadian parliament on behalf of the government, followed by apologies from other party leaders.

"I was very encouraged by their determination to make sure that this apology is seen as a beginning, and that it will be accompanied by actions that will significantly improve the quality of life for First Nations people in this land," Hiltz said in an interview with the Anglican Journal after the prime minister's statement.

A law passed by the government of Canada in 1920 made it compulsory for aboriginal children aged 7-15 to leave their communities and live in residences at schools run by churches including the Catholic, Anglican, Presbyterian and United Church of Canada. The last of the schools closed in 1996.

During the 1980s former students began making allegations of sexual and physical abuse inflicted on them in the schools. In 2006, a class action suit on behalf of a group of students resulted in the awarding of the largest financial settlement in Canadian legal history.

"The treatment of children in Indian residential schools is a sad chapter in our history," Harper said in his parliamentary speech. "Today, we recognise this policy of assimilation was wrong, has caused great harm, and has no place in our country. The government of Canada sincerely apologises and asks the forgiveness of the Aboriginal peoples of this country for failing them so profoundly."

The moderator of the United Church of Canada, the Rev. David Giuliano said his denomination hoped the apology would spark a substantive grass-roots response. "The 11 June apology offers the opportunity to begin the process of healing, forgiveness, and reconciliation," said Giuliano.

The 2006 settlement included provision for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the first time the model used after the demise of apartheid in South Africa has been applied in a stable democracy.

The commission, headed by an aboriginal judge, Justice Harry S. LaForme, has a five-year mandate to travel throughout the country to meet former students. LaForme, a member of the Mississauga tribe, is joined by commissioners Jane Morley, a lawyer, and Claudette Dumont-Smith, an aboriginal nurse from the Algonquin tribe.

"We know what occurred," said LaForme. "What we now want to hear are the stories from themselves not so we can punish, but so we can walk forward into the future and build a new relationship."

In Geneva on 13 June the general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation, the Rev. Ishmael Noko welcomed the Canadian government public apology to the First Nations, as a significant indication of the willingness to confront painful legacies of injustice against Indigenous Peoples.

"Honest examination of past wounds is a necessary step to the healing of memories. I pray that these apologies represent the beginnings of an open process of deeper reconciliation between Aboriginal and non-indigenous peoples," said Noko, who is a Zimbabwean.

"I was equally grateful for the apologies – and that's what they were – offered on behalf of the other political parties," he said in an interview with the Anglican Journal on Parliament Hill after Mr. Harper delivered the apology in the House of Commons June 11, followed by apologies from the other party leaders. "I was very encouraged by their determination to make sure that this apology is seen as a beginning, and that it will be accompanied by actions that will significantly improve the quality of life for First Nations people in this land," the primate said.

The government's apology was directed at the generations of victims of what Mr. Harper called "a sad chapter in our history" and asked for forgiveness for the students' suffering and for the damaging impact the schools had on aboriginal culture, heritage and language.

Aboriginal leaders and abuse victims, among them Phil Fontaine, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, were in the chamber as Mr. Harper delivered the apology.

"Today, we recognize this policy of assimilation was wrong, has caused great harm, and has no place in our country," said Mr. Harper. "The Government of Canada sincerely apologizes and asks the forgiveness of the aboriginal peoples of this country for failing them so profoundly.

"The Government of Canada now recognizes it was wrong to forcibly remove children from their homes ... to separate children from rich and vibrant traditions," he said. "We apologize for having done this."

Mr. Harper also noted that while some former students have spoken positively about their experiences at residential schools, "these stories are far overshadowed by tragic accounts of the emotional, physical and sexual abuse and neglect of helpless children, and their separation from powerless families and communities."

Several First Nations, Métis and Inuit leaders spoke in the chamber in response to the government's apology with Mr. Fontaine – wearing a traditional aboriginal headdress – calling it "the achievement of the impossible." He added: "Finally we have heard Canada say it is sorry."

Clement Chartier, Métis National Council President thanked the government for the apology and said, "It has taken courage and conviction on the parts of many, many people to confront this dark period in Canada's history."

Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion said the apology "is about a past that should have been completely different." But, he added, "it must be also about the future. It must be about collective reconciliation and fundamental changes."

Native groups and leaders of the four churches that operated the residential schools on behalf of the federal government – Anglican, Roman Catholic, United and Presbyterian – had urged the government to consult with First Nations leaders in the drafting of the apology.

The government rejected the idea but Archbishop Hiltz said the groups seemed satisfied that the apology had the necessary ingredients. These included "acknowledgement of a policy of assimilation that was flawed and wrong in its inception, words of contrition on the part of the government for removing children from their families, (and) words of contrition for abuse which many of them suffered in the school," he said.

Bishop Mark MacDonald, the national indigenous bishop of the Anglican Church of Canada, said he was pleased with the government's apology. "I'm going to be processing it for a long time," he told the Journal. "It was an extraordinary event and I was very happy with what I heard and moved by what I heard and I'm filled with all kinds of emotions. So it will take me a while to process it. But I thought it was an extraordinary day and one of the best days of my life."

Bishop MacDonald and Archbishop Hiltz, along with other church leaders and scores of First Nations people watched the proceedings in the House of Commons on screens set up in two large meetings rooms nearby. Also in attendance were Archdeacon Sidney Black and the Rev. Gloria Moses, co-chairs of the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples.

More than 1,000 others watched from outside the House of Commons where a big screen television was set up. About 30 events marking the historic formal apology were organized in cities and communities across Canada. The Anglican Church of Canada urged parishes to ring their church bells at 3 p.m., the time Mr. Harper was scheduled to deliver the apology.

After the apology was delivered, Mr. Harper and Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl led the procession from the House to one of the rooms for a smudging ceremony, the presentation of tobacco and tea to aboriginal elders, and the signing of the Statement of Apology.

Eleven of the special guests, including Mr. Fontaine and 104-year-old Marguerite Wabano, the oldest residential school survivor, were presented with a framed Statement of Apology from Mr. Harper, and congratulations and hugs from Governor General Michaëlle Jean.

The government's apology to residential school students comes 15 years after the Anglican Church of Canada, through former primate Archbishop Michael Peers, issued an apology for its involvement in the schools. The church ran about 30 of the schools between 1820 and 1969. About 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis children were taken from their communities over most of the last century and forced to attend state-funded but church-run boarding schools aimed at assimilating them.

Art Babych is the editor of Crosstalk, the monthly newspaper of the diocese of Ottawa.

Mr. Speaker, I stand before you today to offer an apology to former students of Indian residential schools. The treatment of children in Indian residential schools is a sad chapter in our history.

In the 1870's, the federal government, partly in order to meet its obligation to educate aboriginal children, began to play a role in the development and administration of these schools.

Two primary objectives of the residential schools system were to remove and isolate children from the influence of their homes, families, traditions and cultures, and to assimilate them into the dominant culture.

These objectives were based on the assumption aboriginal cultures and spiritual beliefs were inferior and unequal.

Indeed, some sought, as it was infamously said, "to kill the Indian in the child."

Today, we recognize that this policy of assimilation was wrong, has caused great harm, and has no place in our country.

Most schools were operated as "joint ventures" with Anglican, Catholic, Presbyterian or United churches.

The government of Canada built an educational system in which very young children were often forcibly removed from their homes, often taken far from their communities.

Many were inadequately fed, clothed and housed.

All were deprived of the care and nurturing of their parents, grandparents and communities.

First Nations, Inuit and Métis languages and cultural practices were prohibited in these schools.

Tragically, some of these children died while attending residential schools and others never returned home.

The government now recognizes that the consequences of the Indian residential schools policy were profoundly negative and that this policy has had a lasting and damaging impact on aboriginal culture, heritage and language.

While some former students have spoken positively about their experiences at residential schools, these stories are far overshadowed by tragic accounts of the emotional, physical and sexual abuse and neglect of helpless children, and their separation from powerless families and communities.

The legacy of Indian residential schools has contributed to social problems that continue to exist in many communities today. It has taken extraordinary courage for the thousands of survivors that have come forward to speak publicly about the abuse they suffered.

It is a testament to their resilience as individuals and to the strength of their cultures.

Regrettably, many former students are not with us today and died never having received a full apology from the government of Canada.

The government recognizes that the absence of an apology has been an impediment to healing and reconciliation.

Therefore, on behalf of the government of Canada and all Canadians, I stand before you, in this chamber so central to our life as a country, to apologize to aboriginal peoples for Canada's role in the Indian residential schools system.

To the approximately 80,000 living former students, and all family members and communities, the government of Canada now recognizes that it was wrong to forcibly remove children from their homes and we apologize for having done this.

We now recognize that it was wrong to separate children from rich and vibrant cultures and traditions, that it created a void in many lives and communities, and we apologize for having done this.

We now recognize that, in separating children from their families, we undermined the ability of many to adequately parent their own children and sowed the seeds for generations to follow, and we apologize for having done this.

We now recognize that, far too often, these institutions gave rise to abuse or neglect and were inadequately controlled, and we apologize for failing to protect you.

Not only did you suffer these abuses as children, but as you became parents, you were powerless to protect your own children from suffering the same experience, and for this we are sorry.

The burden of this experience has been on your shoulders for far too long.

The burden is properly ours as a government, and as a country.

There is no place in Canada for the attitudes that inspired the Indian residential schools system to ever again prevail.

You have been working on recovering from this experience for a long time and in a very real sense, we are now joining you on this journey.

The government of Canada sincerely apologizes and asks the forgiveness of the aboriginal peoples of this country for failing them so profoundly.

We are sorry.

In moving towards healing, reconciliation and resolution of the sad legacy of Indian residential schools, implementation of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement agreement began on September 19, 2007.

Years of work by survivors, communities, and aboriginal organizations culminated in an agreement that gives us a new beginning and an opportunity to move forward together in partnership.

A cornerstone of the settlement agreement is the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

This commission presents a unique opportunity to educate all Canadians on the Indian residential schools system.

It will be a positive step in forging a new relationship between aboriginal peoples and other Canadians, a relationship based on the knowledge of our shared history, a respect for each other and a desire to move forward together with a renewed understanding that strong families, strong communities and vibrant cultures and traditions will contribute to a stronger Canada for all of us.

Residential schools were developed in the 1870s as part of a policy of assimilation. As the PM explained: "Two primary objectives of the residential schools system were to remove and isolate children from the influence of their homes, families, traditions and cultures, and to assimilate them into the dominant culture. These objectives were based on the assumption aboriginal cultures and spiritual beliefs were inferior and unequal. Indeed, some sought, as it was infamously said, 'to kill the Indian in the child.' Today, we recognize that this policy of assimilation was wrong, has caused great harm, and has no place in our country."

"Therefore, on behalf of the government of Canada and all Canadians, I stand before you, in this chamber so central to our life as a country, to apologize to aboriginal peoples for Canada's role in the Indian residential schools system.

To the approximately 80,000 living former students, and all family members and communities, the government of Canada now recognizes that it was wrong to forcibly remove children from their homes and we apologize for having done this.

We now recognize that it was wrong to separate children from rich and vibrant cultures and traditions, that it created a void in many lives and communities, and we apologize for having done this.

We now recognize that, in separating children from their families, we undermined the ability of many to adequately parent their own children and sowed the seeds for generations to follow, and we apologize for having done this.

We now recognize that, far too often, these institutions gave rise to abuse or neglect and were inadequately controlled, and we apologize for failing to protect you.

Not only did you suffer these abuses as children, but as you became parents, you were powerless to protect your own children from suffering the same experience, and for this we are sorry."

• The full text of the PM's apology
• Video of the PM's apology (CBC.ca)
• In depth background information by the CBC on Residential schools and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (CBC.ca)
• Historic apology to residential schools students seen as a beginning (Anglican Journal)
• After the Apology of June 11, 2008: A Prayer (United Church of Canada)
• Canadian churches welcome PM's apology on residential schools (ENI)

Church apologies:

• Anglican Church of Canada's Apology to Native People (August 6, 1993)
• The Confession of The Presbyterian Church (adopted by the 120th General Assembly in 1994, it was presented to First Nations peoples at The Forks National Site in Winnipeg on October 8, 1994)
• Apology to First Nations (United Church of Canada, 1986)
• Apology to Former Students of Indian Residential Schools (United Church of Canada, 1998)

For further information, please contact the Canadian Centre for Ecumenism at 1819 René-Lévesque Ouest, Montréal, QC, H3H 2P5; phone 514-937-9176; fax 514-937-4986; email or their new website www.oikoumene.ca. The registration brochure is also available online.

Note: The Prairie Centre for Ecumenism will not be holding a Summer Ecumenical Institute in 2008 and encourages Prairie ecumenists to participate in this SEI in Montreal.

The Deaconess Community of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) elected Sister E. Anne Keffer to a second four-year term as its directing deaconess April 27 during its biennial assembly April 25-28 at the Carol Joy Holling Camp in Ashland, Neb. In the balloting for directing deaconess, Keffer received 29 votes, Sister Davia A. Baldauf, Mount Holly Springs, Pa., received 19 votes and Sister Carolyn R. Hellerich, Lincoln, Neb., received three votes. The community elected Baldauf, Sister Melinda A. Lando, New York, and Sister Amy M. Lindquist, St Paul, Minn., to its board of directors.

Keffer is a graduate of Waterloo Lutheran University (now Wilfrid Laurier University), Waterloo, Ontario, and the Baltimore Deaconess School, Baltimore. She earned bachelor of education and master of education degrees from the University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, and a doctor of ministry degree from the Graduate Theological Foundation, South Bend, Ind. Keffer served as a director of Christian education and youth ministry in urban and rural team ministry settings across Canada, and as a chaplain on two university campuses and a retirement home. She was director of the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, when elected directing deaconess of the ELCA Deaconess Community in 2004.

The Deaconess Community is a community of lay women consecrated by the church to a ministry of Word and service. Sisters in the community work in a variety of settings such as health care, Christian education and social services. Deaconesses are theologically trained and professionally prepared for their careers. They are called to ministry by congregations and synods of the ELCA and Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.

Au moment de sa nomination, l'évêque-élu était Supérieur provincial de la Société des Missionnaires d'Afrique pour l'Amérique du Nord, dont les bureaux sont situés à Montréal. Quant à Mgr Morand, qui a été ordonné évêque en juin 1981, il prend sa retraite conformément au Code de droit canonique, ayant atteint l'âge de 75 ans en décembre 2007.

Après son ordination presbytérale, le 2 août 1980, il a successivement œuvré en Tanzanie jusqu'en 1985, puis au Canada jusqu'en 1992, à nouveau en Tanzanie jusqu'en 1998, et à Rome jusqu'en 2004, comme membre du Conseil général de la Société des Missionnaires d'Afrique. Après une année de ressourcement à l'Institut des Dominicains de Montréal, il a été Secrétaire national de l'Oeuvre pontificale de la propagation de la foi, de janvier 2005 jusqu'au moment de son élection comme Supérieur provincial, en juillet 2006.

Le diocèse de Prince Albert compte 21 prêtres diocésains, 8 prêtres religieux et 90 religieuses au service d'une population de plus de 55 450 catholiques répartis dans 87 paroisses et missions.

At the time of his nomination, Bishop-elect Thévenot was the Provincial Superior for North America of the Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers), which is based in Montreal. Bishop Morand is retiring as required by Canon Law, having reached the age of 75 years in September 2007.

After his ordination to the priesthood on 2 August 1980, he successively worked in Tanzania until 1985, then in Canada until 1992, again in Tanzania until 1998, and in Rome until 2004 as a member of the General Council of the Missionaries of Africa. After a period of renewal at the Dominican Institute of Montreal, he became the National Secretary for the French Sector of the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith from January 2005 to July 2006, just before his election as Provincial Superior.

The Diocese of Prince Albert has 21 diocesan priests, 8 priests who are members of religious communities and 90 religious Sisters serving over 55,450 Catholics in 87 parishes and missions.

Admitting the current tensions in Catholic-Jewish relations in Germany, Cardinal Kasper said: "Germany is, of course, particularly sensitive for historical reasons. This is a difficult period but I think we will be able to get back to the level of dialogue we have had up to now - at least that is what we would like to achieve."

Asked why a German Pope "of all people" had been so "insensitive to German history" Cardinal Kasper said Pope Benedict "wanted to do something positive. He wanted to improve a prayer that the Jews found offensive and he succeeded. But that did not go quite as far as people wanted or expected. The Pope showed his good will as his unplanned visit to a synagogue in the US shows. This was seen as something most positive in America. In Germany things are different but we are doing all we can to overcome the difficulties."

Asked why Pope Paul VI's Good Friday Prayer for the Jews had not been adopted for the Tridentine Mass, Cardinal Kasper replied, "The present Pope wanted the language of the old prayer kept while improving the contents. He did not want to introduce a new liturgical form into the old, extraordinary form."

Meeting from April 28 to May 5, the group discussed "how Anglicans and Lutherans approach mission, how they understand it, how they carry it out," said Archbishop Hiltz, co-chair of ALIC, which oversees Anglican-Lutheran relationships worldwide. "Within that focus there was yet another focus around diakonia, which is the servant ministry of the church," he said.

In the three years that he has co-chaired the ALIC, Arcbishop Hiltz said that he has noted "movement and progress around a common understanding of what we call ecclesiology, that is, the nature of the church." There has also been progress around such issues as, "What do we mean by the visible unity of the church? What does that really mean, what might that look like?" He added that they have also "gone deep on the ecclesiological question of, 'what is the church in the world for, anyway?'"

The commission received reports from various regions where Anglicans and Lutherans are present and exercise ministry together.

"In some parts of the world, they've got agreements like we have in Canada, the Waterloo Declaration. (The 2001 accord brought the Canadian Anglican and Evangelical churches closer together in a relationship called full communion.) Different places have different agreements. Some places are not at a point where they actually have an agreement," said Archbishop Hiltz. "We are at different stages in our dialogue."

"Regional check-ins" are important because concerns and challenges are brought to light, he said. "As they do that, they may hear from other members of the commission from different regions who have already addressed a similar challenge."

Archbishop Hiltz underscored the value of holding the ALIC's meetings in different regions of the world, noting that the commission always creates space in its agenda to engage with the local church. "That engagement is everything from bringing in leaders from all over the church to tell us their story" to worshipping in local churches, he said.

In a communiqué released after its meeting, the ALIC welcomed the re-activation of the All Africa Anglican-Lutheran Commission. Archbishop Hiltz noted that when the commission first met in Moshe, Tanzania, the African members of the commission and the local bishops and clergy had reported that their regional grouping "was at a kind of low ebb, primarily because they were so absorbed in trying to cope with HIV-AIDS" in their areas. He added: "As they said, until the people and leadership of the church can see … Anglicans and Lutherans working together on the ground to address this immediate, in-your-face issue, dialogue doesn't make sense. Why would we have this conversation if you're not following through on action on the ground?" There was a recognition of "a bit of a need for some renewed leadership in the conversation," he said. "Lo, and behold, at this meeting, we heard that (its) work has been rekindled … they've got a plan laid out for the next couple of years whereby Lutheran and Anglican bishops will meet, theologians and clergy will meet."

The commission also discussed the proposed Anglican Covenant, which will be presented at the upcoming Lambeth Conference this July. "One of the big concerns at the joint commission (meeting) last year, as we heard from the other provinces, and certainly, from the Lutherans, was the concern around a growing authority for the primates' meetings," said Archbishop Hiltz. (At last year's meeting, the commission said it had "extensive discussions" on the first draft of the covenant, and "offered a response from the perspective of the document's potential impact on ecumenical relations between the two communions.")

Archbishop Hiltz said that the commission has noted that, "the role of the primates as some kind of magisterium (doctrinal authority) is downplayed considerably," in the second draft released early this year, known as the St. Andrew's Draft.

The establishment of a covenant was one of the key recommendations of the 2004 Windsor Report, a document published by the Lambeth Commission on Communion, which was created by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams to address a schism in the Anglican Communion over the issue of sexuality.

The Lutheran World Federation, in co-operation with the United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India, hosted the ALIC meeting.

I am writing with my Board's unanimous backing to ask your financial and personal support for the re-designed Station 20 West project. The project seeks to raise $1.675 million by December 31, 2008 in order to build in the spring of 2009.

Background
$8 million of provincial funding was withdrawn earlier this year from a project designed to bring food security, nutrition education and health services within the reach of residents of Saskatoon's core neighbourhoods, many of whom cannot travel to get food and services.

Decision to go ahead
Public support since the announcement of the funding cut has been overwhelming. Saskatoon City Council unanimously agreed to give Station 20 West an extension on the time it has to begin building. The Station 20 West Board decided to go ahead with what was always at the heart of the project – a community grocery store, including a small café, with a commercial kitchen next door managed by CHEP to provide nutrition education and help for people wishing to develop small catering businesses. There will also be office space in the complex available for health and community services.

Why a church-based appeal?
Church organizations and Christian people have been involved in Station 20 West from the outset, happy to partner with all who share this vision. A recent meeting of Saskatoon senior church leaders expressed strong support for the revised Station 20 West project. The Prairie Centre for Ecumenism wants to bring this need before the Christian community as a whole because:
• Serving and giving dignity to the poor was at the heart of Jesus' ministry (Luke 4:18)
• The first apostles urged their churches to "remember the poor" (Galatians 2:10)
• Jesus loved bodies as well as souls – his healing miracles and feeding of large crowds (Matthew 14: 13-21) show his care for the whole person. As his followers, we take his example seriously.

Ways to give (and get a tax receipt)
• organize a fundraiser: e.g. St. John's Anglican Cathedral recently had a community BBQ.
• have a 'bakeless bake sale', an event where everyone brings a financial gift instead of baking
• Invite a speaker from Station 20 West to your worship service, and take a special offering.
• If you have been blessed financially (perhaps through the recent increase in the value of your home) become part of the "Silver Dollars Club" – making a major gift in multiples of $1000.
• Contribute to the PCE Appeal online. Make sure to mark your donation 'Station 20 West' Cheques made out to 'Prairie Centre for Ecumenism' and marked 'Station 20 West Appeal' can be mailed to the PCE at 600- 45th St. West, Saskatoon S7L 5W9. 100% of all funds so marked will go to Station 20 West.

Find out more
• Station 20 West website
• Good Food Junction Grocery Store
• Look for Appeal updates on the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism website

Each year, the Canadian Community Economic Development Network holds a national conference to bring together those who support community-based efforts to improve social conditions and create economic opportunities in Canada and beyond. The 2008 National Community Economic Development (CED) Conference is hosted by the Canadian CED Network in partnership with Quint Development Corporation.

As the premier CED event in Canada, the conference aims to:

• Strengthen CED practitioners and organizations
• Advance a pan-Canadian policy agenda for CED
• Contribute to skills development and capacity building
• Increase the profile of CED as a viable approach to the economic revitalization of Canadian communities.

Each year, the conference attracts over 400 CED practitioners, civil society representatives, civil servants, business and co-operative developers, and academics for dozens of learning and information sharing sessions, inspirational keynote speakers, networking opportunities, and local site visits. The annual conference provides an opportunity for participants to pause and reflect on our grassroots beginnings, while coming together to develop a vision for what we wish to achieve.

**Registration will be open mid-February 2008**

To download a PDF of the program, click here.

The commission received reports from various regions where Anglicans and Lutherans live in covenanted relationship. It welcomed the re-activation of the All Africa Anglican – Lutheran Commission (AAALC), which had met in Johannesburg in December 2007, and received a report from the co-chairs, the Right Reverend Musonda Mwamba and Bishop Ndanganeni Phaswana. The commission sent greetings to Nippon Sei Ko Kai, a member of the Anglican Communion, and to the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church, a member of the LWF, as they gather together for worship on Pentecost Sunday; commission member Reverend Professor Renta Nishihara will speak about the dialogue between the communions.

The commission's work in Chennai continued discussions begun in earlier meetings: the character of the visible unity the commission seeks to commend, the developing ecclesiologies of the two communions, their understandings of ordained ministry in the context of the life of the Church, and the centrality of diakonia to the Church's mission. Reflection on diakonia was enriched by presentations from Reverend Dr. Kjell Nordstokke, Director of the Department for Mission and Development at the LWF, and the Reverend David Peck, the Archbishop of Canterbury's Secretary for International Development; they reviewed the work undertaken by the two communions in these areas and asked about ways in which this work might be helpful to the quest for greater visible unity.

At this meeting discussion centred on the shape and direction of the commission's report, which is mandated to make recommendations about ways in which the two communions can move toward more visible unity. The commission recognised diakonia and communion as the central elements of their discernment. The challenge of proclamation and service embodied in diakonia, modelled on the ministry of Jesus, promises a fresh and dynamic entry point into questions of ministry and unity in the service of the Gospel.

We give thanks to God for the witness of the UELCI and the Church of South India in their country, and for the ministry of diakonia in which they engage. We were profoundly moved by their accounts of societal discrimination against Dalits which the churches' ministry seeks to transform, and resolve to remember these issues as we return to our own contexts. We pray that God will bless and guide all we met here, and also the life of both communions as we seek to proclaim the Gospel in active service and mission.

The commission plans to meet again between 18-26 May 2009 at a venue to be identified by the LWF.

The members of the commission are:

Anglicans:

The Most Revd Fred Hiltz, Canada (Co-Chair)
The Revd. Dr Charlotte Methuen, Germany and United Kingdom
The Rt. Revd Musonda T. S. Mwamba, Botswana
The Revd. Professor Renta Nishihara, Japan (unable to be present)
The Very Revd. William H. Petersen, USA
The Revd Dr Cathy Thomson, Australia
The Revd Canon Gregory K. Cameron, Anglican Communion Office (Co-Secretary)

Consultants:

The Revd Canon Alyson Barnett-Cowan, Canada
The Revd Dr. Günter Esser, the Old Catholic Churches of the Union of Utrecht, Germany

Lutherans:

Rev. Dr. Cameron R. Harder, Canada (Acting Co-Chair)
Professor Dr. Kirsten Busch Nielsen, Denmark
Rev. Angel Furlan, Argentina
Landesbischof Jürgen Johannesdotter, Germany
Rev. Dr. Thomas Nyiwé, Cameroon (Co-Chair; unable to be present)
Rev. Helene Tärneberg Steed, Sweden and Ireland
Professor Dr. Kathryn Johnson, Lutheran World Federation (Co-Secretary)

Consultants:

Professor Dr. Kenneth G. Appold, USA
Bishop Ndanganeni P. Phaswana, South Africa

Administrative support was provided by Ms. Sybille Graumann of The Lutheran World Federation and the Reverend Terrie Robinson of the Anglican Communion Office.

The Commission was established by the Anglican Consultative Council and The Lutheran World Federation to continue the dialogue between Anglicans and Lutherans on the world-wide level which has been in progress since 1970. ALIC is building upon the work reflected in The Niagara Report (1987), focusing on the mission of the church and the role of the ordained ministry, The Diaconate as Ecumenical Opportunity (1995), and most recently Growth in Communion (2002), the report of the Anglican – Lutheran International Working Group (ALIWG), which reviewed the extensive regional agreements which have established close relations between Anglican and Lutheran churches in several parts of the world.

A draft text for a common statement of ecclesiological understanding, including missionary dimensions of the Church's life, which was commissioned at last year's meeting of the Council, was discussed at length. Practical implications will be considered in due course. Intense discussion also took place concerning a canonists' report on a proposal for a shared bishop of Deventer (NL). Thus we reflected on the common mission of our churches and on the fact that we both exist in diaspora situations in continental Europe. Concrete examples of "fresh expressions" of church were also discussed.

Attention was given to the agreed statement "Growing Together in Unity and Mission", of the International Anglican–Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission (IARCCUM).

Morning Prayer was celebrated daily with the community of Schloss Beuggen. The Eucharists during the meeting, and a Bible study each morning, were led by members of the Council. The late Rt Revd Dr Jan Lambert Wirix-Speetjens, Bishop of Haarlem, who served as the Co-chair from 2004 to 2005 was remembered in prayer. On Wednesday 16 April, Solemn Vespers were celebrated at the Old Catholic St Martinskirche in Rheinfelden (CH) with the Bishop of Switzerland, the Rt Revd Fritz-René Müller officiating. Bishop Müller served as the Old Catholic Co-chair of the Council from 2005 to 2007. Afterwards the Council attended a dinner generously hosted by the Old Catholic Church of Switzerland. The next meeting of the Council will take place 26 – 30 October 2009.

For further information, please contact the Revd Professor Dr Angela Berlis, tel +31 (0)23 532 68 78, email , or the Revd Canon Gregory K Cameron at the Anglican Communion Office, tel +44 (0)20 7313 3900, email .

The members of the Anglican-Old Catholic International Co-ordinating Council are:

Anglicans

The Rt Revd Jonathan Gledhill – Co-chair
The Revd Canon Gregory K Cameron – Co-secretary (absent)
The Rt Revd David Hamid, Suffragan Bishop of the Diocese in Europe (absent)
Mrs Maryon Jägers
The Revd Dr Jeremy Morris
Administrative Support: The Revd Terrie Robinson

Old Catholic

The Rt Revd Joachim Vobbe – Co-chair
The Revd Professor Dr Angela Berlis – Co-secretary
The Revd Henriette Crüwell
The Revd Professor David R Holeton
The Revd Dr Harald Rein (absent)
The Revd Dr Dick Schoon

Administrative Support and Interpretor: The Revd Lars Simpson

Le Saint-Père a accepté en même temps la démission de Mgr Michael Wiwchar, C.Ss.R., qui occupait ce siège épiscopal depuis 2001. Conformément au code de droit canonique fixant l'âge de la retraite à 75 ans, Mgr Wiwchar avait présenté sa démission au Souverain Pontife lors de son 75e anniversaire, le 9 mai 2007.

Mgr Bayda a prononcé ses vœux solennels au sein de la Congrégation des Pères rédemptoristes en 1986 et il a été ordonné prêtre en 1987. Il a ensuite occupé divers postes dans le domaine de l'éducation et de la formation à la vie spirituelle, en plus d'exercer un ministère pastoral dans plusieurs paroisses de l'Ouest canadien. Au moment de sa nomination, il était pasteur de la paroisse Our Lady of Perpetual Help, à Yorkton, en Saskatchewan.

L'éparchie ukrainienne (diocèse) de Saskatoon compte 21 prêtres diocésains, 8 prêtres religieux, 3 diacres permanents et une vingtaine de religieux et religieuses au service d'une population de près de 18 000 catholiques répartis dans 87 paroisses et missions.

The Holy Father also accepted the resignation of Most Reverend Michael Wiwchar, C.Ss.R., who held the position since 2001. Conforming to the mandatory age of retirement at 75, Bishop Wiwchar formally requested retirement following his 75th birthday in May 2007.

The newly appointed Eparchial Bishop of Saskatoon made his final profession as a member of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer on September 13, 1986 and was ordained to the priesthood on May 30, 1987. Redemptionists assignments have included serving as a teacher and director of St. Vladimir's College and formation director of the major seminary of his community, and serving as parish priest in a number of parishes throughout Western Canada. Most recently, he was the pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Yorkton, within the Eparchy of Saskatoon.

The Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saskatoon includes 21 diocesan priests, three permanent deacons and more than 20 men and women religious who serve a population of 18,000 Catholics in 87 parishes and missions.

Full communion means the churches will work for visible unity in Jesus Christ, recognize each other's ministries, work together on a variety of ministry initiatives, and, under certain circumstances, provide for the interchangeability of ordained clergy.

April 28 was "a banner day" because of the UMC General Conference vote on full communion, said the Rev. William Oden, ecumenical officer, UMC Council of Bishops, at an April 29 news conference. "This has been a long time coming. A lot of careful work has been done," he said. Oden emphasized that the proposal is a relationship between the two church bodies and not a "church union."

The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, Chicago, said he eagerly awaits the ELCA Churchwide Assembly vote in 2009 and hopes that it, too, will be a strong affirmation of full communion with the UMC. Hanson also preached at an April 29 worship service at the UMC General Conference.

"This is about revival of two church bodies that are deeply committed to re-presenting themselves in a pluralistic, dynamic changing culture for the sake of mission," Hanson said.

The two church bodies must consider what they can do together as full communion partners that was not possible before, Hanson said. He suggested possible cooperative ministries in campus ministry, global mission, advocacy for justice and peace, to name only a few. He also agreed with Oden's assertion that full communion cannot be successful if it is considered to be a "top down" action. Full communion should be a relationship in which mission initiatives should "bubble up" in the two churches, Hanson said.

"I always think of full communion as merely a step along the way toward a new, possible future because of the relationship," Hanson said. "That new, possible future is the for the sake of the world. It's for the sake of mission. Full communion calls for ecumenical, missional imagination."

Full communion also gives "formal expression" to what is happening in both churches already, said the Rev. Greg Palmer, president, UMC Council of Bishops. "In one way we're leading, and in another way, we're following. We are catching up with people on the ground who are doing things in partnership, in mission and in ministry," he said.

Christians "must find meaningful, significant and substantive ways of honoring the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in one another and together, living that before the world. We must live before the world what God intends for the world," Palmer added.

Assuming the full communion proposal is adopted by the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in 2009, a coordinating council with representatives of both churches will be appointed, said the Rev. Donald J. McCoid, executive, ELCA Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations, Chicago. That council will coordinate how the two churches will plan for mission together and consider practical matters such as interchangeability of ordained ministers, he said.

The ELCA's five full communion partners are the Episcopal Church, the Moravian Church in America, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Reformed Church in America and United Church of Christ.

While the ELCA has successful cooperative ministries with its full communion partners, it must improve how it receives and implements full communion agreements, McCoid said. "We need to do better with how we are able to be intentional (in) sharing ministry. Grassroots sharing is really very critical, and I'll just echo that again and again and again. The best way we can do that is by giving people permission and encouragement."

If adopted by both churches, this will be the UMC's first full communion agreement outside of the Methodist tradition.

The ELCA is one of 140 churches in the Lutheran World Federation and is the third-largest Lutheran church in the world with 4.8 million members. The United Methodist Church is a worldwide church with nearly 8 million members in the United States.

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Audio of comments made at the April 29 news conference in Fort Worth:
The Rev. William Oden • http://media.ELCA.org/audionews/080429a.mp3
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson • http://media.ELCA.org/audionews/080429b.mp3
The Rev. Greg Palmer • http://media.ELCA.org/audionews/080429c.mp3
The Rev. Donald J. McCoid • http://media.ELCA.org/audionews/080429d.mp3

Information about the Lutheran-United Methodist Dialogue is on the ELCA Web site.

Information about the UMC General Conference is on the Web.

For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or • http://www.elca.org/news • ELCA News Blog

The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (Vatican) and the Centre for Inter-religious Dialogue of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organisation (Tehran, Iran) held their sixth Colloquium in Rome from 28 - 30 April 2008 under the joint presidency of His Eminence Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, and His Excellency Dr. Mahdi Mostafavi, President of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organisation.

The delegation of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue was composed as follows:
- His Excellency Archbishop Pier Luigi Celata
- His Excellency Archbishop Ramzi Garmou
- Reverend Monsignor Khaled Akasheh
- Reverend Monsignor Prof. Piero Coda
- Reverend Father Prof. Michel Fédou, S.J.
- Prof. Vittorio Possenti
- Dr. Ilaria Morali

The delegation of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organisation was composed as follows:
- Hojjat al-Islam Dr. Mohammad Jafar Elmi
- Hojjat al-Islam Dr. Mohammad Masjedjamei
- Dr. Abdolrahim Gavahi
- Hojjat al-Islam Dr. Seyyed Mahdi Khamoushi
- Hojjat al-Islam Dr. Hamid Parsania
- Dr. Rasoul Rasoulipour
- Mr. Mohsen Daneshmand

The participants, with the help of six papers presented by three scholars from each side, examined the theme Faith and Reason in Christianity and Islam, which was developed through three sub-themes from the point of view of Catholics and Shi'a Muslims: 1) Faith and reason: Which relation? 2) Theology/Kalam as inquiry into the rationality of faith; 3) Faith and reason confronted with the phenomenon of violence.

And the end of the meeting the participants agreed upon the following:

1. Faith and reason are both gifts of God to mankind.

2. Faith and reason do not contradict each other, but faith might in some cases be above reason, but never against it.

3. Faith and reason are intrinsically non-violent. Neither reason nor faith should be used for violence; unfortunately, both of them have been sometimes misused to perpetrate violence. In any case, these events cannot question either reason or faith.

4. Both sides agreed to further co-operate in order to promote genuine religiosity, in particular spirituality, to encourage respect for symbols considered to be sacred and to promote moral values.

5. Christians and Muslims should go beyond tolerance, accepting differences, while remaining aware of commonalities and thanking God for them. They are called to mutual respect, thereby condemning derision of religious beliefs.

6. Generalization should be avoided when speaking of religions. Differences of confessions within Christianity and Islam, diversity of historical contexts are important factors to be considered.

7. Religious traditions cannot be judged on the basis of a single verse or a passage present in their respective holy Books. A holistic vision as well as an adequate hermeneutical method is necessary for a fair understanding of them.

The participants expressed their satisfaction with the level of the presentations and the debates as well as the open and friendly atmosphere during the colloquium.

The participants were honoured and pleased to be received at the end of the colloquium by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, who was particularly satisfied with the choice of the theme and the venue of the meeting.

The next colloquium will be held in Tehran within two years, preceded by a preparatory meeting.

Source: Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue

"This is an important step in our commitment to the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement, and another example of our government doing the right thing for former students, and all Canadians," said Minister of Indian Affairs Chuck Strahl who announced on April 28 Justice LaForme's appointment as chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in Ottawa. Mr. Strahl said that Justice LaForme, who is a member of the Mississaugas of New Credit First Nations in southern Ontario, "brings a wealth of respect and leadership experience and is the most senior aboriginal judge in the country."

Assembly of First Nations chief Phil Fontaine hailed Justice LaForme's appointment saying, "Not only is he a proud First Nations citizen, he is an outstanding jurist and a compassionate and understanding person." He added: "I have no doubt he will leave no stoned unturned in his investigation of exactly what happened in residential schools, the harm caused, why and how it happened and who was responsible. At the same time, he will bring the grace and compassion required in the truth commission's work so necessary for healing to begin."

Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, sent his envoy for residential schools, retired Archishop Terence Finlay, as his representative to attend the announcement of Justice LaForme's appointment in Ottawa. Archbishop Hiltz is currently attending a meeting in Chennai, India of the Anglican-Lutheran International Commission.

Last March, Archbishop Hiltz and Bishop Mark MacDonald, national Anglican indigenous bishop, joined other church leaders in a national tour to raise awareness about the commission.

Justice LaForme was unanimously chosen from more than 300 nominees by a panel composed of representatives from national native organizations and parties to the revised settlement agreement that came into effect last September. He will help select the two other members of the commission, which is part of the revised settlement agreement between the government, representatives of former residential schools students and churches who operated the boarding schools.

The TRC is meant to provide former students and their families with a chance to share their experiences in a "holistic, culturally-appropriate and safe setting." Representatives of government and churches that operated the schools will also be invited to share their stories. (The Anglican church operated 35 of about 130 boarding schools attended by aboriginals from the mid-19th century into the 1970s. In recent years, hundreds of former students have sued the church and the federal government, which owned the schools, alleging physical and sexual abuse.)

During its five-year term, the commission will produce a report and recommendations, and establish a national archive/research center regarding residential schools.

Justice LaForme, 61, began his law career as an associate of a corporate commercial law firm before specializing in aboriginal law. He has litigated and focused on matters involving the Constitution and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

He was appointed a judge of the Ontario Court of Justice, now the Superior Court of Justice, in 1994. At the time of his appointment, he was one of three native judges appointed to this level of trial court in Canada. He was appointed to the Ontario Court of Appeal in 2004.

In 1989, he was appointed commissioner of the Indian Commission of Ontario, and in 1991, as chief commissioner of the Indian Specific Claims Commission on Aboriginal land claims.

Justice LaForme has taught "The Rights of Indigenous Peoples" course at Osgoode Law School, where he graduated in 1977.

He has been awarded with the National Aboriginal Achievement Award (1997) and aboriginal elders have, on three occasions, presented him with an eagle feather, symbolizing the virtues of honesty, integrity, and respect.