Atlantic School of Theology (AST) will establish a pioneering ecumenical shared ministries training program after receiving a US$2.5-million grant from the Lilly Endowment foundation.

Designed for students preparing for ordained or lay professional ministry, as well as continuing education for existing clergy and lay ministers, the program will be the first formal training program of its kind, AST president the Rev. Heather McCance says. Ecumenical shared ministries refer to Christians from different denominations worshipping together or sharing a program, mission, ministry, clergy, staff and/or building.
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Archbishop Shane Parker, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, has written an open letter asking the Canadian government to reconsider an amendment to an upcoming bill that would remove religion as a defence against hate speech charges — while other critics describe the bill itself as an attack on free speech.

The primate otherwise expressed his support for Bill C-9, which he described as intended to address a growing number of incidents involving hateful speech or conduct, including antisemitism and Islamophobia.
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This past fall, I attended an event honouring the late Rabbi Reuven Bulka, a loved and respected rabbi from Ottawa. I was struck by the high level of security and how such measures are now common in Jewish circles. I thought, How sad we’ve come to this point in Canada where Jews are constantly forced to prepare for potential physical violence!

Antisemitism isn’t new. For millennia, Jews have faced slander, hatred and violence – and far too often from the Church. In the latter half of the 20th century, many hoped for the end of antisemitism after Auschwitz. Alarmingly, antisemitism is rising yet again.
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GAFCON, a conservative Anglican movement that claims to represent the majority of Anglicans worldwide, particularly in the Global South, is moving toward a formal reordering of global Anglican leadership following its October renunciation of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s authority.
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‘We believe in One God’ is the title of a new publication by the Catholic Church and the World Methodist Council, detailing progress made over the past six decades towards full visible unity between the two Christian world communions.

Printed by the Vatican Publishing House as part of an ecumenical series, the volume draws together the results of 11 reports produced by the Methodist-Roman Catholic International Commission (MERCIC) since their formal dialogue began back in 1967. These reports, named after the cities in which they were presented to the World Methodist Conference, explore topics such as baptism, holiness, Scripture and tradition, Eucharist, nature and mission of the church and the call to visible communion.
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Religious organisations urge Ottawa to consult them before redefining the limits of protected expression for religious groups.

Christian, Muslim and Jewish organisations are responding to a proposal to eliminate a religious exemption to Canada’s federal hate crimes legislation.

In September, the government introduced Bill C-9, the Combating Hate Act, which would introduce offences for publicly displaying symbols such as the swastika, impeding access to places of worship or other social centres, or committing offences motivated by hate.
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A report presenting the results of the Commission’s work has been released. It rules out admitting women to the diaconate understood as a degree of the sacrament of Holy Orders, but says that it is not currently possible “to formulate a definitive judgment, as in the case of priestly ordination.”

“The status quaestionis of historical research and theological investigation, as well as their mutual implications, rules out the possibility of moving in the direction of admitting women to the diaconate understood as a degree of the sacrament of Holy Orders. In light of Sacred Scripture, Tradition, and the Church’s Magisterium, this assessment is strongly maintained, although it does not at present allow for a definitive judgment to be formulated, as is the case with priestly ordination.”
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A Vatican commission studying the possibility of female deacons reported that the current state of historical and theological research “excludes the possibility of proceeding” toward admitting women to the diaconate, a conclusion that slows momentum on one of the church’s most debated questions while stopping short of a definitive no.

In a letter sharing the results of its work with Pope Leo XIV and released by the Vatican Dec. 4, the commission reported a 7-1 vote in favour of a statement concluding that the church cannot currently move toward admitting women to the third degree of holy orders, the diaconate.
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In December, even as the days grow shorter and the nights longer, Jews and Catholics celebrate the holidays of Hanukkah and Christmas. Advent candles and Hanukkah lamps are to be found throughout Canada, their respective symbolisms mirrored in other winter solstice festivals, both ancient and modern, that find spiritual meaning in the calendar’s gradual turn towards light.
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The Public Health Agency of Canada has reached out to Canadian faith groups, asking them to share information about measles with their members.

The agency made its request to the Canadian Council of Churches, the Canadian Interfaith Conversation, and the Canadian Multifaith Federation, three organisations that represent a wide range of faith groups.

The agency’s request followed a roundtable with faith leaders hosted by the Public Health Agency of Canada on Sept. 16.
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