“Sixty years ago”, with the publication of Nostra aetate, the Second Vatican Council’s Declaration on the relation of the Church to non-Christian Religions, “a seed of hope for interreligious dialogue was planted,” Pope Leo XIV said on Tuesday evening. “Today, your presence bears witness that this seed has grown into a mighty tree, its branches reaching far and wide, offering shelter and bearing the rich fruits of understanding, friendship, cooperation and peace.”

The Holy Father was addressing his remarks to representatives of world religions, members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See, and Vatican and Church officials committed to interreligious dialogue, who had gathered in the Paul VI Hall to celebrate the anniversary of the Council’s historic Declaration.
… Read more » … lire la suite »

Vatican II’s Declaration Nostra Aetate does not delve into Christological understanding in a direct way. But through its affirmations of continued covenantal inclusion on the part of Jews and Judaism, it undercuts a central base for classical Christianity. How can the restored covenantal inclusion for Jews be proclaimed side-by-side with the longstanding belief in Christ’s salvific work?

…

In recent years we have witnessed a movement in scholarly circles to reorient the image of Paul. That effort has led to a focus on the compatibility of Pauline teaching with the tenets of Second Temple Judaism. Hence, any Christology rooted simplistically in a “law-gospel” or “flesh-spirit” dichotomy can no longer stand the test of scholarly inquiry relative to Paul. While the new scholarship may present Pauline teachings on the significance of Jesus the Christ with different shadings, there is a building consensus that earlier portrayals of Paul’s vision in this regard have seriously distorted his intent.
… Read more » … lire la suite »

“Where now for visible unity?” was the theme of the Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order meeting in Egypt from 24 to 28 October and on the final day of the gathering, a panel of theologians from different regions and contexts reflected on the topic of “Living Visible Unity.”

“This conference invites us to ponder how the churches might respond afresh to Christ’s prayer ‘that they may all be one,’ amid new historical and contextual realities and in the continuing shadow of coloniality, whose enduring logics still shape our theologies, identities, and ecclesial relations,” said Rev. Dr Teddy Sakupapa, an ordained minister in the Uniting Presbyterian Church in South Africa.
… Read more » … lire la suite »

In the central courtyard of the Apostolic Palace, the Cortile San Damaso, the red carpets were laid out with great precision. All was prepared for the arrival of King Charles and Queen Camilla for their State Visit to the Holy See.

The events of that day are well known: a private meeting with Pope Leo with an exchange of gifts, a ceremony of prayer in the magnificent Sistine Chapel, a time of further discussion, then another wondrous ceremony in the Basilica of St Paul’s Outside the Walls, and finally a formal reception, and the planting of a tree, in the Beda College.

I was privileged to have front row seats in the two liturgical events, making it a day I shall never forget.
… Read more » … lire la suite »

Brothers and Sisters,

As we celebrate the Jubilee of the Synodal Teams and Participatory Bodies, we are invited to contemplate and rediscover the mystery of the Church. She is not merely a religious institution, nor is she simply identified with hierarchies and structures. The Second Vatican Council reminds us that the Church is the visible sign of the union between God and humanity, where God intends to bring us all together into one family of brothers and sisters and make us his people: a people made up of beloved children, all united in the one embrace of his love.
… Read more » … lire la suite »

Since 1999, the Bridgefolk movement has brought together peace-minded Catholics and sacramentally minded Mennonites from the U.S. and Canada for an annual gathering. In July, approximately 30 Bridgefolk participants met at First Mennonite Church in Winnipeg for worship, connection and keynote presentations by Jennifer Otto and Father John Klassen on “Anabaptism at 500: Ecumenical Dialogue in an Age of Polarization.”
… Read more » … lire la suite »

In a world that is divided and where churches are also divided, the quest for visible unity is more relevant than ever, according to Rev. Prof. Dr Stephanie Dietrich, moderator of the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches (WCC).

“We need to strive for unity and the visible unity of the churches and of Christians,” she said in advance of the WCC’s Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order, meeting from 24 to 28 October at the Logos Papal Center of the Coptic Orthodox Church at Wadi El Natrun in Egypt.
… Read more » … lire la suite »

“We believe.” These are the first words of the original Nicene Creed, written 1,700 years ago at the Council of Nicaea. This ecumenical council in 325 AD produced a summary statement of Christian belief that has been professed by Christians around the world ever since. Both for its longevity and its universal appeal, the Nicene Creed stands apart from every other statement of Christian belief. It also has a profound ecumenical significance, which I explored in January’s One Body article, Do You Believe This?

At the end of November, Pope Leo XIV is expected to visit Nicaea with Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew. Each year, the pope and patriarch send delegations to the other to celebrate their patronal feasts of Sts. Peter and Paul in Rome on June 29 and St. Andrew in Constantinople (Istanbul) on November 30. This year, in the modern city of Iznik, where Nicaea once was, the two leaders will together commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the first ecumenical council. They will also commend the church to continue in the dialogue of life and love begun at the end of the Second Vatican Council.
… Read more » … lire la suite »

A number of years ago, at a local dialogue meeting of Catholics and Mennonites in Edmonton, we considered together that section of the Catechism of the Catholic Church that pertains specifically to the “one-ness” of the Church (#811-822).

I remember in particular a great discussion that ensued around CCC #815. It delineates the “bonds of communion” which, for Catholics, mark and hold Christians in unity with one another within the Body of Christ. That paragraph reads:

What are these bonds of unity? Above all, charity “binds everything together in perfect harmony.” But the unity of the pilgrim Church is also assured by visible bonds of communion:

• profession of one faith received from the Apostles;
• common celebration of divine worship, especially the sacraments;
• apostolic succession through the sacrament of Holy Orders, maintaining the fraternal concord of God’s family.

… Read more » … lire la suite »

This year, 2025, marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of The United Church of Canada (UCC). It is a uniquely Canadian church, formed in part in response to the desire to minister effectively to the many small Christian communities scattered across the sparsely populated prairie provinces. The UCC has been committed to the search for Christian unity from the time of its foundation, something it has clearly expressed in its fifty year dialogue with the Canadian Roman Catholic Church.

Following an exchange of correspondence between the UCC General Council and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) in the fall of 1974, the Roman Catholic/United Church Dialogue held its first meeting in November 1975. Appointed by the UCC’s Inter-Church and Inter-Faith Relations Committee and the CCCB’s Episcopal Commission for Ecumenism, dialogue participants are committed to improving relationships between the two churches, and to countering misinformation, stereotypes, and prejudices. It explores pastoral, theological, and ethical issues, including those that have traditionally prevented full unity.  In consultation with its two sponsoring bodies, the group determines its agenda, reports periodically on the dialogue and seeks ways of communicating what it has learned from the dialogue.
… Read more » … lire la suite »