Do You Believe This? | One Body

 — Jan. 17, 202517 janv. 2025

When Jesus comes to Mary and Martha in Bethany after the death of Lazarus, he says to Martha “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” And then he asks her, “Do you believe this?” Martha responds, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world” (John 11:25-27). This exchange prepares us for the miracle of the raising of Lazarus: one who believed, yet even though he died, he lived. Like Lazarus, we who believe, even though we will die, will be raised by Jesus into eternal life.

“Do you believe this?” Jesus’ question puts us on the spot. Our belief, or profession of faith, determines whether we will inherit eternal life. At the same time, in other passages in the Gospels, Jesus reminds us that love of God is the greatest commandment, “and the second is like it,” to love our neighbour as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39; Mark 12:30-31). “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to the least of these [the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, or imprisoned], you did not do it to me” (Matthew 25:45).

In every time, every place, and every way, Christians are called to profess their faith in Christ. Faith in God cannot be limited to simple dogmatic formulas but must embrace our whole heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:36; Mark 12:30). Faith compels us to order our lives in conformity with Christ’s command to care for the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, and imprisoned. What we have done or left undone exposes the imperfections of our profession of faith. So, Jesus’ question “Do you believe this?” is weighted with enormous significance for our lives in this world and the next.

Read the rest of this article in the One Body blog on Salt+Light Media

What does it mean to profess Christ in our time and place? Our secular society treats faith as a private matter not to be discussed in public. While charitable activities motivated by faith are commended, other intrusions of faith into public discourse are widely dismissed. The public dimensions of Christian society are long gone, especially the influence of churches and church leaders. How are we called to profess Christ in a secular world?

Also, how does our profession of faith strengthen our bonds of communion as Christians? Church history is replete with examples of creeds and other statements of faith used to exclude or divide the community. These documents tend to be used more often in theological debate or inquisition than in catechesis or liturgy, thus easily becoming weaponized. Not just as an end goal, could a common profession of faith contribute to reconciling the divisions within the Christian community?

The theme for our annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (WPCU) is framed around this question, “Do you believe this?” posed by Jesus to Martha. When the ecumenical monastery at Bose in northern Italy was invited to prepare the reflections for the 2025 octave of prayer, they were conscious that 2025 marks the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea (325 CE). This was the first council of the post-apostolic era and is most famous for its Creed, which we now know as the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed.

The centrepiece of the Week of Prayer is the “Ecumenical Celebration of the Word of God,” a service of prayer built around the biblical text for the week, John 11:17-27, with the question “Do you believe this?” Throughout the service, a dialogue occurs between three readers and the assembly based upon the encounter of Jesus with Martha in Bethany. The prayers of intercession are drawn from patristic writings from the 2nd to the 8th centuries, in which we hear a call to grow in faith and to bear witness in the world to the triune God. “This commemoration [of Nicaea] provides a unique opportunity to reflect on and celebrate the common faith of Christians, as expressed in the Creed formulated during this Council; a faith that remains alive and fruitful in our days” (WPCU 2025, “Introduction to the Theme”).

The Council of Nicaea, 325 CE

The Council was convened by the emperor, Constantine, who had issued an edict of toleration a few years earlier, allowing Christianity to flourish throughout the empire. Concerned about divisions within the church and that these would ultimately divide the empire, he charged the assembled bishops with determining the orthodox faith. The word “orthodox” comes from the Greek “ortho” and “doxa,” meaning right or true belief. To be orthodox is to be a true believer.

Numerous issues were addressed by the Council, most prominently the dispute between Arius and Athanasius, both of Alexandria. The dispute, rooted in different philosophical traditions, centred on the divinity of Jesus, beginning with their understanding of the Gospel of John. In the first verses of John, the Greek concept of the logos, the Word, is employed.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people (1:1-4).

Mirroring the first verses of Genesis, John identifies the logos as a divine figure present at Creation at the beginning of time. This was not a completely new idea. A century earlier, Philo, a Jewish philosopher from Alexandria, had identified the Greek logos with the Hebrew notion of sophia, or Wisdom. For Arius, trained in Stoicism, the logos was a created being, the demiurge of Greek philosophy. Stoics rejected the cosmology of Greek mythology, insisting that the divine and the material worlds are completely separate and cannot truly interact. If Jesus was the logos, then the divinity of Jesus was not eternal, he was created in time, a semi-divine figure.

According to Arius, Jesus was divine but not equal to God the Father in essence or status. In contrast, Athanasius defended the idea that Jesus is co-eternal and co-equal with the Father. For Athanasius, a created divinity was not sufficient, because all created beings are subject to entropy and decay. If Jesus is not eternal, then salvation given by Jesus’ death on the cross would not be eternal, because there would be a time “when Jesus was not.” Jesus’ divinity is essential for salvation – only someone fully divine could reconcile humanity with God. The mystery of the Incarnation is precisely that the divine could reach into the material world to be born a human child. The dispute between Arius and Athanasius grew and erupted into violent mobs. My own patron saint, Nicholas, was reportedly present at the Council of Nicaea, where tradition records that he slapped or punched Arius. This was not particularly laudable behaviour by the saint we now call Santa Claus!

Despite the wide popularity of Arianism, in what should be understood as a triumph of orthodoxy, the Council of Nicaea confirmed the teaching of Athanasius and condemned Arianism as heresy. The Council adopted a biological analogy proposed by Athanasius that the Son is “eternally begotten of the Father,” not created, allowing the Council to affirm that Jesus is “of the same substance” (homoousios) as the Father. Arius had been willing to accept “of similar substance” (homoiousios). The difference between these two terms comes down to just one letter: an iota (the Greek letter ‘i’) added in homoiousios. Yet, this small distinction represented a profound theological divide. The phrase “It makes not one iota of difference” ironically stems from this theological dispute. In this case, it made a monumental difference.

The Council presented these teachings in a Creed that was further elaborated at the Council of Constantinople in 381 CE. Together the two Councils presented the Church with the fully developed orthodox doctrine of the Trinity. Further disputes over Christ’s humanity continued in later Councils ending at the Second Council of Nicaea in 787 CE. However, by 381 the Creed was final. The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed is professed by many churches and affirmed by most. Some churches consider themselves “non-credal,” by which they mean that they do not consider creeds to be binding upon the faith or conscience of the individual believer. Thus, they do not use this Creed; however, they can affirm the teaching of the Council. The trinitarian faith taught at Nicaea is universally understood as the cornerstone of Christian orthodoxy. Those groups that reject the trinitarian dogma of Nicaea are therefore not considered Christian.

An ecumenical translation of the Creed into English was developed by the World Council of Churches. It is as follows:

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made;
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us all, and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
and was made human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried.
On the third day he rose from the dead
in accordance with the scriptures.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father.
Who, with the Father and the Son, is worshipped and glorified,
who has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
We confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
and to life in the age to come.

Amen.

The Apostolic Faith Study

In the early 1980s, the WCC’s Commission on Faith and Order began a process to explain in an ecumenical way the apostolic faith that Christians share, in order to move towards confessing that one faith together. The process resulted in a book titled Confessing the One Faith (1991) as well as a companion workbook titled Towards Sharing the One Faith (1996).

The Apostolic Faith Study took the Nicene Creed as a starting point for their study to help separated Christians discover together their unity in the one faith. They identified three stages to recovering unity in faith: explication, recognition, and common confession. The first stage of explicating the faith involved a careful study of the history of the Council of Nicaea and its teaching, a renewed translation of the Creed, and an understanding of the ways that it has been used in catechesis as well as to resolve theological disputes. This stage required study and dialogue over controverted issues such as the filioque, a Latin phrase meaning “and the Son” inserted into the Creed at the Third Council of Toledo in 589 to teach that the Holy Spirit “proceeds from the Father and Son.” The filioque was intended to counter resurgent Arianism in parts of the Western church but was rejected by the Eastern churches because it was not approved by a council of the whole church. Although still retained in Roman Catholic liturgical texts, it is not included in Eastern Catholic liturgies and is generally excluded at papal liturgies when Orthodox guests are present.

The second stage towards recovering unity in faith is to help churches recognize how their own lives of faith are expressions of the apostolic faith of the one Church of Christ. As they do so, the churches are also led to recognize the same apostolic faith in other Christian communities. In this way, separated churches are challenged to remove obstacles to confessing together. As obstacles are removed, this then leads to the third stage, common confession. “If, with confidence, we are able to recognize in the life and witness of others the one faith as we believe it is faithfully confessed in our own life and witness, then we can move from separate confession to a common confession” (Towards Sharing the One Faith, p. 1).

Recognition of a Common Baptism

Although agreement on baptism is not an achievement of the Council of Nicaea, agreement on a common confession of faith is closely tied to the recognition of baptism between separated churches. Ecumenical consensus on baptism depends on the use of the trinitarian formula: “I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” As churches come to recognize the apostolic faith professed in other churches, particularly the Nicene dogma of the Trinity, recognition of baptism becomes easier. Of course, the Nicene Creed is more than a doctrinal statement. It has a close association with Christian initiation. At times, a question-and-answer format is used for baptism. The Creed is also used for the profession of faith at Confirmation and at the reception of Eastern Christians into the Roman rite. Roman Catholic parishes in Canada regularly use the Apostles’ Creed on Sundays, but at Easter, the Nicene Creed is to be used.

A Common Date of Easter

In the One Body blog in April 2023, Sr. Donna Geernaert described the search for a common date for Easter. As she explained then, the date of Easter was one of the great accomplishments of the Council of Nicaea. Until the Council, there was wide variation in determining the date to celebrate the resurrection. The Council was able to reconcile the two traditions based on the Judaic lunar calendar and the Roman solar calendar. Easter was to be the first Sunday after the full moon following the spring equinox. Sadly, the Gregorian revision of the calendar in the 16th century resulted in a difference in the date of the spring equinox, thus Easter would be different between the two calendars. This became particularly obvious as migration led to neighbouring churches that followed the different liturgical calendars.

In 1997, the WCC convened a consultation in Aleppo, Syria which developed a proposal to set the date of the spring equinox using scientific observations. This would reaffirm the Nicene formula and result in a common date of Easter if all churches agree to implement it. Although many churches have endorsed the Aleppo proposal, there are some significant holdouts. In 2025, Easter in the two calendars happens to coincide, which has encouraged further discussion about resolving this matter.

The 6th World Conference on Faith and Order

As part of the observances of the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, the WCC’s Commission on Faith and Order will be holding a world conference at the St. Bishoy Monastery at Wadi El Natrun, near Alexandria, Egypt from 24 to 28 October 2025. The theme of the conference is “Where now for visible unity?” Canadian church historian and ecumenist, Rev. Dr. Sandra Beardsall is guiding the plans for the world conference and related events.

World Conferences on Faith and Order have occurred at key moments in ecumenical history. The first conference in 1927, in Lausanne, Switzerland, was the beginning of the “Faith and Order” movement, the modern ecumenical search for unity. Subsequent world conferences were held in Edinburgh, Scotland (1937), Lund, Sweden (1952), Montreal (1963), and Santiago de Compostela, Spain (1993). Each of these conferences has been an opportunity to refocus the Commission’s work on Christian unity. Important developments at these conferences have continued to guide the work of theologians and church leaders in dialogue and research, as well as helping to connect the goal of full visible unity with the work of the other Commissions and working groups in the ecumenical movement.

As well as church leaders and theologians of different traditions, a major emphasis of the 6th World Conference will be to involve a new generation of younger and emerging theologians, especially through a Global Ecumenical Theological Institute (GETI) organized in conjunction with the world conference. GETI is a program in ecumenical study and formation connected with the Bossey Institute in Geneva.

As the WCC explains,

the times in which we are now living represent a significant ‘moment’ in the life of the world and of the ecumenical movement. There are compelling reasons to bring the churches together in our times for a world conference. A world of climate catastrophe, pandemic, war, and economic concern requires a fresh engagement of the churches with one another on the core issues of faith, unity, and mission that both unite and continue to divide them (Nicaea 2025 website).

Concluding Prayer

Let us conclude these reflections with a prayer from the Bose Community included in the Week of Prayer “Ecumenical Celebration of the Word of God”:

God our Father, accept our praise and thanksgiving for what already unites Christians in the confession of and witness to Jesus the Lord. Hasten the hour when all churches will recognise each other in the one communion you willed and for which your Son prayed to you in the power of the Holy Spirit. Hear us, you who live and reign now and forever.


Nicholas Jesson is the ecumenical officer for the Archdiocese of Regina. He is currently a member of the Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue in Canada and of the Canadian Council of Churches’ Commission on Faith & Witness, editor of the Margaret O’Gara Ecumenical Dialogues Collection, and editor of the Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue archive IARCCUM.org. He was ecumenical officer for the Diocese of Saskatoon (1994-99 & 2008-17), executive director of the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism (1994-99), and member of the Roman Catholic-United Church of Canada Dialogue (2012-20).

Posted: Jan. 17, 2025 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=14466
Categories: One BodyIn this article: Nicaea, Nicholas Jesson, statements of faith, WCC Commission on Faith and Order, WPCU
Transmis : 17 janv. 2025 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=14466
Catégorie : One BodyDans cet article : Nicaea, Nicholas Jesson, statements of faith, WCC Commission on Faith and Order, WPCU


This aerial handout photograph taken and released by India's Uttar Pradesh State Information Department shows Hindu pilgrims taking a holy dip in the sacred waters of the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati rivers, during the Maha Kumbh Mela festival in Prayagraj

Indian diocese welcomes Hindus for millennia-old Hindu festival

 — Jan. 16, 202516 janv. 2025

An Indian diocese has opened its facilities to welcome Hindu pilgrims during a six-week festival in a northern city, hailing it as a “wonderful experience of faith.” Organizers of the millennia-old Maha Kumbh Mela, a mammoth expression of religious piety and ritual bathing that opened on Jan. 13, expect 400 million people in the city of Prayagraj, earlier called Allahabad.

“You have to see it to believe it,” Bishop Louis Mascarenhas of Allahabad in the northern Uttar Pradesh state told UCA News on Jan. 15. “We have thrown open three of our educational institutions — St Joseph College, St Mary’s Convent Inter College, and Bethany Convent School — for the convenience of Hindu pilgrims during the entire duration of the festival,” Mascarenhas said. He said the pilgrims were driven by their faith to take the holy dip in the cold waters despite the temperatures hovering around 4 to 5 degrees Celsius.

Hindus believe that during the auspicious period, a ritual bath in the confluence of the holy rivers Ganges, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswathi can wash away sins, free them from the cycle of rebirth, and help them attain moksha (salvation).

The Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj attracts Hindus worldwide as it occurs only once every 12 years. Many pilgrims begin bathing in the waters before sunrise during the festival scheduled to culminate on Feb. 26.
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Pope Francis speaks with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel during a private meeting in the papal studio of the Vatican audience hall

Cuba to release 553 prisoners for Jubilee at pope’s request

 — Jan. 15, 202515 janv. 2025

Taking up the spirit of the recently inaugurated Holy Year 2025, the Cuban government has announced the release of 553 people currently serving prison sentences.

Cuba said it would gradually release the prisoners “in the spirit of the Ordinary Jubilee of the year 2025 declared by His Holiness” following a “thorough analysis” of the legal and humanitarian avenues to enact their release, Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in a statement Jan. 14.

The statement did not specify who would be among the 553 prisoners designated to be released.

That same day, the White House announced that it will no longer designate Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism and that it would eliminate some restrictions on Cuba.

The White House said the actions were steps “to support the Cuban people as part of an understanding with the Catholic Church under the leadership of Pope Francis and improve the livelihoods of Cubans.”
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Pope Francis reviews and initials each page of the manuscript of

Pope Francis acknowledges mistakes and defends most controversial decisions in new autobiography

 — Jan. 14, 202514 janv. 2025

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — While calling himself an “old man” and saying he never expected to be pope this long, Pope Francis said he still has dreams for the future.

“We must not stumble upon tomorrow, we must build it, and we all have the responsibility to do so in a way that responds to the project of God, which is none other than the happiness of mankind, the centrality of mankind, without excluding anyone,” the 88-year-old pope wrote in his autobiography.

“Hope: The Autobiography” was written with the Italian editor Carlo Musso beginning in 2019. The book was released Jan. 14 in its original Italian and in 17 other languages in about 100 countries. Random House published the book in the United States, and Penguin Random House Canada released it in Canada.

The original plan, Musso said, was for the book to be released after Pope Francis’ death. But Mondadori, the Italian publisher coordinating the release, said the pope decided in August that it should be published at the beginning of the Holy Year 2025, which has hope as its central theme.
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The Vatican City flag, left, and a pride flag

Vatican approves document allowing openly gay men to become priests in Italy

 — Jan. 13, 202513 janv. 2025

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — A provisional document published by the Italian Bishops’ Conference on Friday (Jan. 10) and approved by the Vatican cautiously opens the door for the ordination of openly gay men to the priesthood, while maintaining the normal requirement of chastity.

“In the formative process, when referring to homosexual tendencies, it’s also appropriate not to reduce discernment only to this aspect, but, as for every candidate, to grasp its meaning in the global framework of the young person’s personality,” the document reads, adding that the goal is for the candidate to know himself and find harmony between his human and priestly vocation.

The Vatican department for clergy approved the document, which will be valid for three years. The document was signed by the head of the Italian bishops, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, who is considered a close collaborator to Pope Francis.
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The WCC delegation meeting with Indigenous Clergy and church leaders at the Epiphany Indigenous Anglican Church, Winnipeg

Churches in Canada welcome WCC general secretary

 — Dec. 10, 202410 déc. 2024

Travelling to Winnipeg following time in Toronto, Pillay participated in a tour of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, met with Indigenous church leaders, had an ecumenical dinner with young adults, visited the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, spoke at a panel discussion co-hosted by the Manitoba Multifaith Council and shared a breakfast at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada National Office with church leaders and representatives. 

“It has been so great to be with you,” Pillay said. “We are pilgrims and continue to co-pilgrim together. If there is one message, one takeaway from the past few days, it is this: You are not alone; we are with you. Worldwide, globally, we stand together. Whatever you experience in this part of the world, we would love to journey with you and be as helpful as we can and seek your guidance as we speak into the situation from the outside.
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Participants in the IARCCUM gathering 'New Steps on an Ancient Pilgrimage' (October 2, 2016)

Living Ecumenism: Communion in Mission | One Body

 — Dec. 9, 20249 déc. 2024

The years following the closure of the Second Vatican Council in 1965 witnessed an explosion of bilateral ecumenical dialogues between various churches. Among these is the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission (IARCCUM), which traces its origins to a consultation of Anglican and Roman Catholic bishops in May 2000. It holds a unique place which may offer hope for renewed ecumenical progress.

Pope St. John Paul II and Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. George Carey signed a Common Declaration when Carey visited Rome in December, 1996. In response to that declaration, Carey and Cardinal Edward Cassidy, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPCU), invited pairs of Anglican and Catholic bishops from around the world to gather at a retreat house in Mississauga, ON. Chosen by their fellow bishops to represent their respective Anglican Province or Episcopal Conference, they met to evaluate the state of Anglican-Roman Catholic relations and to chart a course for the future.

Grounded in prayer, the consultation began with a time of retreat, a shared meditation on conversion, communion, and a renewal of baptismal promises. On alternate days, the Eucharist, Morning Prayer, and Evening Prayer were celebrated according to the tradition of each communion. Making use of a theological reflection model based on experience, the gathering was designed with a minimum of input from other presenters at the consultation. Among the goals identified by the planning committee, it was hoped that the bishops would have an experience of exercising their episcopal ministry together during the consultation and continuing after, which might encourage commitment to a more regular exercise of shared ministry locally. With this in mind, a questionnaire was forwarded to the countries of the participating bishops prior to the conference. Responses to the questionnaire provided a kind of “map” of the state of current relationships, examples of ongoing joint witness, and issues which should be addressed together.
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A Vatican delegation led by Cardinal Kurt Koch meets with Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople on the Feast of St Andrew

Pope Francis: ‘Christian fraternal dialogue can be a model for today’s world’

 — Nov. 30, 202430 nov. 2024

Following a long-standing tradition, on the occasion of today’s Feast of St. Andrew the Apostle, patron saint of Constantinople, Pope Francis has sent a delegation to Istanbul to convey his greetings and the assurance of his “fraternal affection” to the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I.

The visit is part of the annual exchange of Delegations between the Holy See and the Patriarchate for their respective patronal feasts, on 29 June in Rome, the Feast of St. Peter and Paul, and on 30 November in Istanbul, Türkiye.

In his message, Pope Francis highlights listening without condemning as the primary path toward unity between Catholics and Orthodox Christians, expressing his hope that the upcoming celebrations 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea may offer an opportunity to strengthen the fraternal relations they have developed over the past six decades.
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Pope Francis and members of the Synod of Bishops on synodality attend the synod's final working session in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican

Final synod document is magisterial, pope says

 — Nov. 26, 202426 nov. 2024

Doubling down on the centrality of synodality in the Catholic Church, Pope Francis said that it is now up to local churches to accept and implement proposals from the final document approved by the Synod of Bishops on synodality.

Approved by the pope, the synod’s final document “participates in the ordinary magisterium of the successor of Peter, and as such, I ask that it be accepted,” the pope wrote in a note published by the Vatican Nov. 25.

“Local churches and groupings of churches are now called upon to implement, in different contexts, the authoritative indications contained in the document, through the processes of discernment and decision-making provided by law and by the document itself,” he wrote nearly a month after the synod’s close.

The final document outlined key priorities for the church, including increased participation of laity through new ministries and adjusted governing structures, greater transparency and accountability among church leadership and creating space for previously marginalized groups.

After synod members voted to approve the final document, Pope Francis announced that he would not write the customary apostolic exhortation after the synod but would instead offer the document to the entire church for implementation.
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Anne-Cathy Graber, with St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican in the background. Graber was a fraternal delegate at the 2024 Synod of Bishops representing the Mennonite World Conference

Synod promotes Christian harmony

 — Nov. 20, 202420 nov. 2024

Anne-Cathy Graber was surprised when Mennonite World Conference received an invitation to send a delegate to the Roman Catholic Synod on Synodality’s concluding assembly in Rome.

“The invitation was amazing, considering how small the Mennonite world is,” said Graber, secretary for ecumenical relations for MWC.

Graber, 60, is an itinerant Mennonite pastor in France. She was tapped by MWC general secretary Cesar Garcia to be one of the 16 fraternal delegates from Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist, Reformed, Baptist, Mennonite, Pentecostal and Disciples of Christ churches at the synod.

As a fraternal delegate at the Oct. 2-26 assembly, Graber — who is also co-director of the Chair of Ecumenical Theology at the Faculties Loyola Paris and a member of a religious order that promotes Christian unity — could fully participate in discussions with 368 delegates from around the world. The only thing she could not do was vote.
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