Ecumenism in Canada / Oecumenisme au Canada

Mennonites, Lutherans and Catholics to dialogue on baptism

2010-08-27T01:54:51Z

A recent meeting of the executive committee of the Mennonite World Conference (MWC) was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from July 28 to August 4, 2010. Among other topics on the agenda for the meeting were proposals for two ecumenical dialogues, one with Seventh Day Adventists, and the other with Lutherans and Catholics.

After hearing positive and emotional reports from the MWC representatives who had just come from a Lutheran World Federation assembly in Stuttgart, Germany, at which Lutherans apologized for the legacy of the persecution of Anabaptists in the 16th century, the executive committee approved participation in two interchurch dialogues:

� 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.

Apply now: Stewards Programme 2011

2010-08-18T18:00:00Z

Young Christians from around the world are invited to apply to the World Council of Churches (WCC) stewards programme for one of two hands-on learning experiences at major ecumenical meetings in 2011, the WCC Central Committee meeting, 8-24 February, and the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation, 12-26 May. Applicants must be between the age of 18-30 years.

During the meetings stewards will work in the areas of worship, conference room, documentation, press office, sound, and other administrative and support tasks.

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)

Webcam for the new Saskatoon cathedral construction

2010-08-06T20:04:46Z

[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.

]]> Building committee chair Jim Nakoneshny has described features of the building, which �will be a place where we can all gather for major diocesan celebrations and other liturgical events; a new centre that will provide leadership and support for over 40 programs throughout the diocese.� He notes that the new building will house the office of the Chancery, which includes the offices of bishop and chancellor; offices for parish and pastoral centre staff; residences for both parish and visiting diocesan clergy; meeting and conference facilities; a library and secure archive facility; areas for private devotions; and a banquet facility and community centre. The cathedral hall will be named Bishop LeGatt Hall in honour of the former bishop, who played an important role in launching and leading the project.

�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.�

Munib Younan elected President of Lutheran World Federation

2010-07-24T18:00:00Z

[Stuttgart, Germany • ELCIC news] Bishop Munib A. Younan of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) has been elected President of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) by the Eleventh Assembly here, a gathering of 418 delegates and others from the LWF member churches.

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.

]]> Ordained in 1976 after study in Palestine and gaining a degree from Helsinki [Finland] University, Younan was a youth pastor and teacher in his homeland. From 1976 to 1979 he was pastor of the Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem and he has also served parishes in Beit Jala and Ramallah. He studied at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and he holds an honorary doctorate, granted by Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa.

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 W�rttemberg.

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.

Lutherans to seek formal reconciliation with Anabaptists

2010-07-19T15:12:08Z

by Byron Rempel-Burkholder, Mennonite World Conference news service

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.�

]]> In Stuttgart, a delegation of leaders from the Mennonite World Conference will be on hand for the passing of the resolution. MWC president and Brethren in Christ bishop Danisa Ndlovu-who, remarkably, is also Zimbabwean-will respond with words of gratitude, forgiveness, and commitment to further healing.

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.

World Communion of Reformed Churches is Born

2010-06-18T18:00:00Z

By Jerry van Marter, Uniting General Council correspondent

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.

]]> Although the long-awaited merger went through, afternoon discussion on passage of a constitution and bylaws grew lively and took longer than planned over the issue of representation of women on committees and in leadership positions in the new body.

"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."

Orthodox leader 'resists opposition' with call for church unity

2010-02-19T18:00:00Z

by Peter Kenny

[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.

]]> In his Lenten letter that will be read in Orthodox churches worldwide on 21 February, Bartholomeos says, "Orthodoxy must be in constant dialogue with the world. The Orthodox Church does not fear dialogue because truth is not afraid of dialogue."

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

Ecumenical catechism proposed by Cardinal Kasper

2010-02-09T06:00:00Z

Cardinal asks dialogue partners if an ecumenical catechism might work

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.

]]> Cardinal Kasper, a theologian who will be 77 in March and has led the council for nine years, also said that ecumenical dialogue "is perhaps in danger of becoming a matter for specialists and thus of moving away from the grassroots."

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.

New Catholic bishop appointed for Saskatoon: Donald Bolen

2009-12-21T17:45:00Z

Glad tidings for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon arrived a few days before Christmas with the appointment of Msgr. Donald Bolen of Regina as seventh bishop of the diocese.

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.

]]> �The announcement of the appointment of Bishop-elect Bolen to the diocese of Saskatoon brought me the joy one experiences when two of your best friends get to meet each other,� said Archbishop James Weisgerber of Winnipeg, a former bishop of Saskatoon, and a former pastor of Bolen�s. �Saskatoon is a wonderful Church, vibrant, generous, alive, and Don Bolen is a wonderful person, intelligent, faith-filled, deeply human. This is a marriage literally made in heaven.�

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.

WCC Faith & Order issues are relevant for Mennonites

2009-12-15T18:55:33Z

WCC dialogue questions relevant for Mennonites says Neufeld

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.

]]> Mennonite World Conference was also invited to participate. Alfred Neufeld of Paraguay, who is the chair of MWC�s Faith and Life Commission, represented MWC. He made the long trip to the beautiful setting in the Mediterranean Sea to hear what might be relevant for the global Mennonite fellowship.

�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.

Symposium on War and Peace: Mennonites and Christian Reformed Churches discuss and discern

2009-12-11T17:06:39Z

by Dan Dyck

[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).

]]> The CRC has a long standing tradition of just war theology: war should be used only as a last resort for the defence of the weak and vulnerable who are unable to defend themselves, and military service to one�s country is an obligation because �government is a positive force in our society and divinely ordained,� said Adema � though duty to obey government is neither absolute nor unconditional, but subject to God�s law.

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.�

Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity Faith and Order Communiqu�

2009-12-08T18:45:00Z

[Canterbury • ACNS4675] Grateful for the gracious guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order held its first meeting in Canterbury, England from 1 to 8 December 2009.

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.

]]> In addition to outlining areas of longer-term work, the Commission committed itself to five immediate tasks:

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.

Canadian Government cuts funding for KAIROS overseas work

2009-12-02T20:41:04Z

CIDA cuts to KAIROS will devastate human rights work overseas

(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�.

]]> The CIDA-funded overseas program received matching financial support from KAIROS� member churches, church-related organizations and other donors. Since 1973, KAIROS, and the church coalitions from which it was formed eight years ago, had received funding from CIDA to support partners working in regions experiencing some of the world�s most egregious human rights violations.

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 Organizaci�n 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

Jewish-Catholic Dialogue Rejects Coercion in Matters of Faith

2009-11-30T06:00:00Z

[USCCB Media 09-249] Catholic and Jewish leaders agreed at a fall dialogue that proselytism understood as coercion or manipulation is a corruption of authentic witness to one�s faith.

�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.

]]> Jews generally prefer �education� and �continuity� as terms that define how faith is passed on within families and cultures. Only recently with authors such as Emil Fackenheim and Elie Wiesel has the idea of witnessing to the faith become operative within Jewish circles, and generally in response to the unprecedented horrors of the Holocaust.

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.

New Anglican bishop elected for Saskatoon: David Irving

2009-11-18T21:13:00Z

[Leigh Anne Williams • Anglican Journal]
David Irving, currently the executive archdeacon of the diocese of Kootenay, has been elected the new bishop of the diocese of Saskatoon. Bishop-elect Irving will replace Bishop Rodney Andrews , who is retiring on Feb. 28.

�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.�

Lutherans adopt statement asking forgiveness from Mennonites

2009-11-01T06:00:00Z

LWF Council Unanimously Adopts Statement Asking Forgiveness from Mennonites
Mennonites Welcome Move Toward Reconciliation, says MWC General Secretary Miller

[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."

]]> Receiving recommendations from the Program Committee for Ecumenical Affairs today, the Council also agreed that the International Lutheran Council (ILC) is informed about the report and statement, and that ILC's participation is invited in affirming regret and sorrow over the Lutheran persecution of Anabaptists.

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

Vatican offers new provisions for Anglican "converts"

2009-10-23T21:08:14Z

UPDATE:
On November 9, the Vatican announced the publication of the apostolic constitution enacting the canonical provisions for new Anglican ordinariates. As well, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued "complementary norms" to accompany the apostolic constitution.

• 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."

]]> The new provisions will be contained in an upcoming "apostolic constitution" coming from Pope Benedict XVI. An apostolic constitution is simply a document used for amending Canon Law. The specific details are not yet public, but the general force was described by Cardinal Levada. Under the new provisions, "personal ordinariates" may be established by the bishops' conferences to provide for the pastoral needs of former Anglicans. These will be led by former Anglican bishops or priests. Closely modelled on the structure of the existing military ordinariates, the Anglican ordinariates will be established on a national or regional level. Parishes within the ordinariates will use modified Roman Catholic liturgies that will incorporate significant elements of Anglican liturgical texts. Former Anglican clergy who are married will be eligible for ordination as Roman Catholic clergy within these ordinariates. As well, seminarians currently preparing for ordination in Anglican churches will be permitted to continue to ordination in the ordinariates, even if they are already married. The ordinariates will be permitted to establish houses of formation at Roman Catholic seminaries to provide formation for seminarians who will be serving in the Anglican-use parishes of the ordinariates.

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 Bruised Reed: A Christian Reflection on Suffering and Hope

2009-10-23T19:47:30Z

More than five years in the making, the Canadian Council of Churches' Commission for Faith and Witness, has published a beautiful theological text on Suffering and Hope. The book stands apart from others in its highly experiential quality. It follows eight real Canadian stories to give rise to a highly experiential encounter with these challenging theological topics. This resource is an invaluable addition to any library.

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.

KAIROS Week of Action: Connecting Climate Justice and Global Poverty

2009-10-09T19:33:25Z

Beyond the traditional categorization of climate change as an environmental issue, it is clearly also a development issue; a poverty reduction, food security, economics, health, human rights, governance and equality issue. It is a Millennium Development Goal issue. (UN Millennium Campaign)

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.

Preparing for Ecumenical Ministries

2009-09-23T19:02:16Z

Saskatoon Theological Union (St. Andrew's College) will be offering a "Preparing for Ecumenical Ministries" course from January 18-22, 2010, for credit or audit. It will run from 9-5 daily. The instructor will be Sandra Beardsall (Professor of Church History and Ecumenics).

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.