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Ecumenical Relations: International

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Several Anglican groups accept Vatican invitation for full communion

Since the Vatican issued an Apostolic Constitution, Anglicanorum Coetibus ("On groups of Anglicans"), welcoming Anglicans who wish to come into the Catholic Church, three groups have responded. The Vatican specifies they may have a special structure, an ordinariate, in which parts of the Anglican heritage and married clergy will be accepted. Most recent to respond are the bishops of the Anglican Church in America, who act for some 100 U.S. parishes. Groups in the U.K. and Australia have also responded affirmatively. All are a part of the Traditional Anglican Communion, the grouping that Cardinal Walter Kasper (pictured) has said is the target of the pope's invitation. TAC addressed the Holy See in 2007 seeking to pursue full visible unity while maintaining the best of the Anglican heritage.

Bp. Christopher Epting, the then ecumenical officer for the Episcopal Church in the U.S., said when the Vatican document was issued, "[W]hat is being touted by some as an 'ecumenical gesture' may be understood as 'pastoral' but is not necessarily very ecumenical. . . . .This is 'come home to Rome' with absolute clarity." Richard McBrien of the University of Notre Dame commented, however, that the move had ecumenical potential. He wrote, "If the Catholic church is prepared to foster reunion with a small portion of the Anglican Communion . . ., why couldn't it do the same for other churches. . .?" He suggested that there could be "a Presbyterian community in full communion with the Catholic church without sacrificing or jettisoning any of its most cherished traditions."

Since the Vatican announcement, Pope Benedict XVI and Rowan Williams, the archbishop of Canterbury, have met briefly. A new round of dialogue for the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) will begin within a year, dealing with 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. The two churches' dialogue in the U.S. continues.

Canterbury raises questions about primary and secondary issues

"When so very much agreement has been firmly established in first-order matters about the identity and mission of the Church, is it really justifiable to treat other issues as equally vital for its health and integrity?” the Archbishop of Canterbury (pictured right) asked recently in an address he gave in Rome. There is "very striking" agreement about what the Church of God really is," he said. "The Church is a community, in which human beings are made sons and daughters of God, and reconciled both with God and one another. The Church celebrates this through the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion in which God acts upon us to transform us ‘in communion.’" The archbishop asked if remaining issues are "theological questions in the same sense as the bigger issues on which there is already clear agreement? And if they are, how exactly is it that they make a difference to our basic understanding of salvation and communion? But if they are not, why do they still stand in the way of fuller visible unity?" Walter Kasper told reporters in response, "We have to distinguish between differences that are contradictory and differences that are complementary." See Cardinal Kasper's book, Harvesting the Fruits: Basic Aspects of Christian Faith in Ecumenical Dialogue (ISBN #10-1441162720 and ISBN #13-978-1441162824).

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Worldwide bilateral and multilateral relationships

Information on some of the dialogues now underway

Catholic relations with other churches move forward

Catholics in relationship and dialogue

The Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith touched an ecumenical sore spot when it released "Responses to Some Questions Regarding Certain Aspects of the Doctrine on the Church" in 2007. MORE Listen to John Radano speak on "Ecumenical Dialogue in the 2lst Century, Some Steps Forward and Some Continuing Concerns: A Catholic Perspective." See links to a wide variety of dialogue reports and a 2009 bibliography on theological dialogues, the latter for detailed information only.

The Joint working group

A joint working group advises the Vatican and the World Council of Churches (WCC) on their mutual relations. It is pursuing study on the "reception process," by which churches appropriate the results of dialogue into their life, and on the "spiritual roots of ecumenism." When it met on October 12-19, 2009 in Spain, it also examined global migration and the role of youth. It will next meet in the Middle East in September 2010.

Catholics and Anglicans: Unity and Mission

The International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission on Unity and Mission published Growing Together in Unity and Mission: Building on 40 Years of Anglican and Roman Catholic Dialogue, in early 2007. At that time a common declaration of the Pope and the Archbishop of Canterbury listed areas for cooperation: pursuit of peace, promotion of the respect for life and of the family, outreach to the poor and vulnerable, care of the creation, interreligious dialogue.

Catholics, Lutherans, and United Methodists: Justification

In a 2006 theological statement, the World Methodist’s (WMC) governing body associated itself with the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ) made originallly by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the Catholic Church ten years ago in 1999. LWF general secretary Ishmael Noko said the WMC acceptance made JDDJ no longer an ecumenical specialty of two churches alone. Cardinal Kasper of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity has denied the criticism that "the Joint Declaration has had no consequences for the teaching and practice of the church," saying that the joint Lutheran-Catholic document on the apostolicity of the church adopted in 2007 was built on the Joint Declaration. In the U.S., conversation on "Hope for Eternal Life" has stemmed from principles in the Joint Declaratiion. Michael Root of the U.S. (pictured) is a LWF member for the next round of Catholic-Lutheran dialogue, on "Baptism and Growth in Communion." LWF is preparing a “Text on the Anniversary of the Reformation in 2017."

Catholics and Baptists: the sacraments and more

December 2007 talks between the World Baptist Alliance (BWA) and the Catholic Church centered on "Baptism and Lord's Supper/Eucharist as Visible Word of God in the Koinonia of the Church." Pope Benedict XVI told the group that other "historically controverted issues" to be faced together include Scripture and tradition, the place of Mary, and oversight in the church's ministerial structure. The dialogue's Catholic co-chair is Arthur Serratelli, bishop in Patterson, N.J. (pictured).

Catholics and Pentecostals: on becoming a Christian: insights from Scriptures and Patristic writings

A study document that has no authoritative status for either set of dialogue partners concluded the work from 1998 to 2006 for Catholics and leaders of "some classic Pentecostal churches," many from the U.S.
Co-chairs were Kilian McDonnell and Cecil Robeck, both of the U.S.

Catholics and Disciples: the presence of Christ in the ministry of the church

The International Commission for Dialogue between the Disciples of Christ and the Roman Catholic Church met in late June 2008 to discuss the "priesthood of Christ in church and ministry." This was the final session in a dialogue on the "presence of Christ in the church, with special reference to the eucharist," for which an agreed statement will now be prepared. American William Tabbernee (pictured) is co-chair of the dialogue.

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Ecumenical Patriarch: no fear of dialogue

Bartholomew, the Ecumenical Patriarch (pictured), issued on encyclical on February 21 in which he spoke of the unity, saying, "Truth does not fear dialogue." Dialogue, he said, "cannot reach the outside world unless it first passes through all those that bear the Christian name." Bartholomew was refuting critics who oppose ecumenical dialogue.

Orthodox dialogues yield common statements

Orthodox difficulties in ecumenical dialogue

Metropolitan Gennadios of Sassima of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople say there is difficulty for the Orthodox engaged in ecumenical dialogue. The Orthodox churches' "thought forms and terms of reference are different from those of the West" yet the ecumenical movement works mainly with western thought patterns. "Orthodox participants were, from the very beginning, forced to express their positions and points of view within a theological framework alien" to their Tradition.
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Orthodox and Lutherans: the Eucharist

In a 2006 common statement, The Mystery of the Church: The Holy Eucharist in the Life of the Church, stated, the International Lutheran-Orthodox Joint Commission stated, “Orthodox and Lutherans both confess that Christ’s body and blood are united with bread and wine, to be consumed by communicants, uniting them with Christ and with each other.” The commission last met during the summer of 2008. In North America, possible Lutheran-Orthodox understandings are said to be threatened by ELCA's full communion agreements made on the basis of "agreement on a few points of theology."

Orthodox and Anglicans: the ordained ministry

The Church of the Triune God: the Cyprus Agreed Statement, a document released by the International Commission for Anglican–Orthodox Theological Dialogue, examines the ordained ministry and the question of who may be ordained. The main topic for current stage of the dialogue, begun at a September 2009 meeting, 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. The dialogue will next convene on August 31-September 6, 2010, in Oxford, England.

Orthodox and Catholics: focus on the role of the pope

The international theological dialogue commission of the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church met in Cyprus on October 16-23, 2009. They focused on the key factor of the role of the pope as the bishop of Rome, an issue that has been an obstacle. In spite of Orthodox protests, Metropolitan Ioannis, representing the Ecumenical Patriarchate and co-president of the dialogue, has defended its continuation, saying, "All of us who participate in dialogue with the Catholic Church are giving testimony to Orthodoxy with frankness in this difficult task." (ENI #09-0921) A recent meeting of the pope and the president of Russia led to expectation of warming in relations between the Vatican and the Russian Orthodox. Ecclesiology and Canonical Consequences of the Sacramental Nature of the Church: Ecclesial Communion, Conciliarity and Authority (the "Ravenna document") was issued earlier by the commission.

A second international commission handles dialogue of the Oriental Orthodox churches with Catholics. "The Nature, Constitution, and Mission of the Church," the first substantial paper to come from this dialogue, was published in early 2009. The dialogue will next meet in January 2010.

Orthodox and Reformed: the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed

See below.

Lutheran dialogue addresses problematic statements in confessions

Lutherans and Mennonites: condemnations of Anabaptists in confessional writings
The Lutheran-Mennonite International Study Commission in 2007 considered what it means for Lutherans to have within their confessional writings condemnations that contributed to persecutions and killing of Anabaptists during the Reformation. As an outcome, in October 2009 the council of the Lutheran World Federation adopted a statement seeking forgiveness and praying that "God may grant to our communities a healing of our memories and reconciliation."

Lutherans and other Protestants: divergent views of the church

Lutherans have a growing understanding that the main obstacle to church unity is divergent views of the church. An international group of Lutherans, joined by an ecumenical group of other Christians, looked at the Protestant understandings recently.

Anglicans and others review progress in their relationship

Anglicans and Lutherans: diakonia and communion

"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," the Anglican-Lutheran international commission said in its 2008 report. The group will meet again in May 2009. Kathryn Johnson (pictured), a Louisville Presbyterian Seminary professor, is Lutheran co-secretary for the commission.

In northern Europe, in the mid-1990s, ten churches entered into the Porvoo Communion, a fellowship of Anglican and Lutheran churches who share a common sacramental life and ministry through the Porvoo Declaration. Now in a significant ecumenical action the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark has announced its decision to sign. It had been an official observer but had not signed the agreement after being a participant in the original theological discussions. Two churches on the Iberian peninsula have also become members. See the entire common statement.

Anglicans and Methodists: sharing in the apostolic communion

A London consultation in late 2007 reviewed the progress made since the Anglican-Methodist International Commission's report on "Sharing in the Apostolic Communion" and, in the London Document, set a mandate for advancing the full visible communion of Anglicans and Methodists at every level. A document of full communion between the Episcopal Church and the Moravian Church in the U.S., "Finding Our Delight in the Lord," is viewed as setting a precedent for relationships with like churches such as the Methodist. Interim eucharistic sharing between American Episcopalians and United Methodists is occurring. Now, as of January 2009, the Anglican-Methodist International Commission for Unity in Mission has held its first meeting and will next meet in February 2010. Participants included Bp. Franklin Brookhart of the Episcopal Church in the U.S. and Douglas Mills (pictured) of the United Methodist Church.

Anglicans and Catholics, Orthodox, and Lutherans: ordination of women as bishops

A Vatican statement after the July 2008 decision by the Church of England (CoE) to move ahead with allowing women as bishops said it "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." Bishop Hilarion of the Russian Orthodox Church also reacted negatively, while the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) welcomed the decision. There are now Anglican women bishops in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Next CoE steps will be considered in February 2009.

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Seventh-day Adventists explore possible areas of cooperation

Seventh-day Adventists and the World Evangelical Alliance

The Seventh-day Adventist Church and the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) see the possibility of cooperating together, they say in a joint statement issued after August 2007 theological conversations. Adventists can subscribe to the WEA statement of faith, though the two bodies disagree on the authority of Ellen White, pre-Advent judgment, and the day of Sabbath observance. Areas of cooperation could include prayer, Bible study and Bible society work, religious liberty, and meeting society's needs.

Seventh-day Adventists and the Salvation Army

Both rooted in the theology of John Wesley and dating from the 1860s, the Seventh-day Adventist Church and the Salvation Army have had formal dialogue with one another since 2002, most recently in February 2008. In spite of significant differences, the two see that they could cooperate in selected efforts "to meet humanity’s crying spiritual and material needs."

Pentecostals and World Council of Churches meet around faith testimony

A joint consultative group enables links between the World Council of Churches (WCC) and those Pentecostal churches not traditionally part of the ecumenical movement. The co-moderators are Americans Jennifer Leach (AME, pictured left) and Cecil Robeck (Assemblies of God).

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The Reformed dialogue with widely different partners

See links to information from official international Reformed dialogues on a web page of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC). Find texts of official WARC statements on the ecumenical movement and reports of ecumenical dialogues co-sponsored by WARC.

Reformed and Pentecostals: experience, justice, and koinonia

The international Pentecostal-WARC dialogue discussed "Experience in Christian Faith and Life" through looking at justice in May 2007. The co-chairs are David Daniels (Pentecostal, pictured) of McCormick Seminary and Joe Small (WARC) of the PC(USA) staff. See a report of the dialogue's 2006 session on the ways Pentecostal and Reformed Christians experience koinonia in the local congregation and between churches. See also Spirit's Gifts -- God's Reign (PDS # 70-420-99-008).

Reformed and Lutherans: confessions, ecclesiology

In October 2008, the international Lutheran-Reformed Joint Commission reaffirmed that there are no church-dividing differences between the two traditions. They noted an "ecclesial deficit" in the traditions, "as an unintended consequence of the freedoms claimed in the Reformation." The commission next meets in January 2010. Anna Case-Winters (pictured) of McCormick Seminary is its Reformed co-chair. The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) has affirmed its cooperation during the transition into the World Communion of Reformed Churches.

Reformed and Catholics: the Church

“The Church as Community of Common Witness to the Kingdom of God” was the theme of the third phase of conversations between the Catholic Church and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches in 1998-2005. See the final report. See also a history of the conversations dating back to 1970 and a general review, Catholic and Reformed (PDS #70-420-96-200). PC(USA) scholars David Willis and Lewis Mudge served as co-chairs at earlier stages. Heidi Hadsell (pictured) was a consultant for the third phase.

Orthodox and Reformed: the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed

Since its inception in 1988, the Orthodox-Reformed dialogue has studied the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, resulting in agreed statements on the doctrine of the Trinity (1992) and on the doctrine of Christ (1994). Convergences on the doctrine of the Church (dialogue of 1996-2005) were published in The Reformed World, March 2007, pp. 86ff.

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World relationships within communions

xLutheran World Federation: a new general secretary

A new general secretary, for the first time from Latin America, was elected for the Lutheran World Federation on October 26. Martin Junge, a Chilean, will replace the current general secretary, Ishmael Noko, who steps down on October 31, 2010. "To be ecumenical is not an option but an expression of who we are as a communion of churches," Junge has said. (ENI #09-0842) See a report of his thoughts about the communion.

Regional councils/conferences around the globe

A November 2009 meeting of the All African Conference of Churches' (AACC) advisory committee on theology, ecumenical formation and interfaith issues was the scene for the release of a report on theological education in the 21st century prepared by an international group as part of the Edinburgh 2010 process. See the report , a shorter version of it, and its accompanying papers.

The Caribbean Conference of Churches (CCC) works to promote ecumenism and social change in obedience to Jesus Christ and in solidarity with the poor. In making a statement concerning the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, it has said it views "the current situation as a stark indicator to the international community of the urgent need to strengthen its resolve to support Haiti in its quest for authentic development."

The Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) general assembly will meet on April 14-21,2010 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.. As it prepares for the gathering, it is following the controversy there over the use of the word Allah and calling upon the Malaysian government to "ensure the safety of civilians and to allow Christians to exercise their right to worship freely."

The Conference of European Churches (CEC) Church and Society Commission of the has developed the contribution of the European churches for the European year for combatting poverty in 2010. The churches' response is linked to their 2010 emphasis on migration. They say that poverty and social exclusion have an impact not only on the affected individuals but onn the whole of society.

The Latin American Council of Churches (CLAI) general secretary, Nilton Giese, a Brazilian Lutheran pastor, has articulated his aims for the council as giving priority to national witness and getting closer to the "national church reality." Julio Murray, CLAI's president, is the first black to serve in the position..

A Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) consultation heard that the churches should acknowledge the situation of migrant workers in the region, who especially work in construction and as domestic maids (for example, from the Philippines). Church leaders need to build relationships with local authorities and advocate for migrants on a person to person level.

The Fellowship of Middle East Evangelical Churches, finding no biblical or theological reason to oppose women's ordination and recognizing the obstacle of societal traditions, adopted a statement saying it "supports the ordination of the women in our churches in the position of ordained pastor and her partnership with men as an equal partner in decision making." It called on its 16 member churches "to take leading steps in this concern." See more.

The general secretary of the Pacific Conference of Churches says climate change needs to be its top issue. One of its church leaders challenged participants at the WCC's UN Advocacy Week, saying, “it is now too late to do something for Kiribati, Tuvalu, and the Marshall Islands; but together, we are the world, and it is not too late to do something for us all.” See questions used for the UN Advocacy Week's emphasis on climate displaced peoples.

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For international dialogue texts and agreed statements, see the Growth in Agreement series of books.

MORE on Ecumenical Relations: U.S. on the following page

On the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) web site

Committee on Ecumenical Relations: information on this permanent General Assembly committee

The Department of Ecumenical and Agency Relationships, Office of the General Assembly: resources of the office

On this web site

General Assembly: ecumenical and interfaith business

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) ecumenical dialogues
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Ecumenical & Interfaith News Network - PCUSA

Ecumenical & Interfaith
News Network - PCUSA