Voici le numéro de fin de printemps d’Ensemble. Le Conseil Canadien des Églises a été particulièrement occupé au cours des derniers mois. Son Conseil de direction s’est élu de nouveaux membres. Nous avons écrit un bon nombre de lettres au gouvernement fédéral sur des questions relatives à la confidentialité génétique, la guerre civile au Sri Lanka, la traite des personnes et les soins de santé au Canada. Nous nous sommes joints à Twitter, vous vous êtes joints à nous. Nous avons préparé L’impératif divin de la défense des droits, un recueil de réflexions sur la place de la religion dans l’espace public. Nous nous sommes également rendus à Winnipeg et à Ottawa, deux villes animées d’un esprit œcuménique palpable.
… Read more » … lire la suite »

Welcome to a late spring edition of Together. These past few months have been especially busy around The Canadian Council of Churches. The Governing Board elected a new executive. Quite a few letters have been sent to the federal government on issues relating to genetic privacy, the civil war in Sri Lanka, human trafficking, and heath care in Canada. We joined Twitter, and you joined us. The Gospel Imperative to Advocacy, a collection of reflections on faith and its relationship to the public square. We also visited Winnipeg and Ottawa – two cities filled with a palpable ecumenical spirit.
… Read more » … lire la suite »

Peace and Justice? Mennonite and Shiite perspectives in dialogue

Seventeen Mennonite-Christian and Shiite-Muslim scholars of religion met together for four days in Qom, Iran, to discuss the theme of peace and justice. The dialogue conference was planned and hosted May 24-27, 2009 by the Imam Khomeini Education and Research Institute (IKERI), under the direction of its president, Ayatollah Mesbah-Yazdi. Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) organized and sponsored the conference from the Mennonite side. The dialogue was the fourth in a series begun in 2002.

— read the complete story on our website
… Read more » … lire la suite »

The Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Korea (PCK) has told members of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) that he believes churches should be motivated to engage in a movement for “ecumenical tithing”. Referring to the Christian tradition of church members giving ten percent of their earnings to the church, Sam Hwan Kim
… Read more » … lire la suite »

Marchons ensemble : Documentation 2009 sur la justice raciale

Une nouvelle ressource conçue par le Réseau œcuménique canadien contre le racisme pour aider les Canadiens à engager le dialogue avec la Commission Vérité et réconciliation sur les pensionnats autochtones et à mieux comprendre l’héritage de colonisation avec lequel les peuples autochtones vivent aujourd’hui.
… Read more » … lire la suite »

Let Us Walk Together: Racial Justice Resource 2009

A new resource from the Canadian Ecumenical Anti-Racism Network (CEARN) designed to help Canadians to engage with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Indian Residential Schools and to better understand the legacies of colonization that Aboriginal peoples live with today.
… Read more » … lire la suite »

An extract from the report of the Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations Committee to the Presbyterian Church in Canada‘s 135th General Assembly, June 2009
… Read more » … lire la suite »

Governing Board of Officers of the Canadian Council of Churches met recently at Saint Paul University. The acceptance of the new Denominational Member of the Canadian Council of Churches – the Ukrainian Catholic Church of Canada – was moved by Archbishop Yurij of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and seconded by Bishop Ron Fabbro of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. It was adopted unanimously in accordance with the CCC Constitution.
… Read more » … lire la suite »

The third Anglican-Lutheran International Commission (ALIC) held its fourth meeting in Lilleskog, Sweden, between 20 and 27 May 2009, under the leadership of the Most Reverend Fred Hiltz, Primate of Canada, and of Reverend Dr. Cameron Harder, Lutheran Theological Seminary, Saskatoon, Canada, acting as Lutheran co-chair in the absence of Bishop Dr. Thomas Nyiwé, Cameroon, who was unable to attend. Commission members sent congratulations and best wishes to their colleague Professor Dr. Kirsten Busch Nielsen, who was ordained in Copenhagen during the meeting.
… Read more » … lire la suite »

À Ottawa, dans le contexte d’échanges avec les leaders parlementaires du Canada sur des questions urgentes de justice et de développement pour tous, le Conseil canadien des Églises vient d’élire sa nouvelle Administration pour le triennat 2009-2012.

Les nouveaux administrateurs élus reflètent la grande diversité du Conseil canadien des Églises, qui représente 85 % des chrétiens du Canada : à la présidence, le Très Révérend Bruce Adema, de l’Église réformée chrétienne; à la vice-présidence, le Major Gillian Brown, de l’Armée du Salut, Mgr Gilles Cazabon, de la Conférence des évêques catholiques du Canada et le Père John Jillions, de l’Église orthodoxe d’Amérique; à la trésorerie, Don Taylor, de l’Église presbytérienne du Canada.

Texte intégral …
… Read more » … lire la suite »

In Ottawa, in the context of conversations with the parliamentary leaders of Canada on pressing issues of justice and development for all people, the Canadian Council of Churches elected a new Executive for 2009-2012.

The newly elected Officers come from the wide diversity of the Canadian Council of Churches which represents 85% of the Christians in Canada. As President, The Rev. Bruce Adema of the Christian Reformed Church. As Vice Presidents, Major Gillian Brown of the Salvation Army, Bishop Gilles Cazabon of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and Father John Jillions of the Orthodox Church in America. As Treasurer, Don Taylor of the Presbyterian Church in Canada.

read further …
… Read more » … lire la suite »

The hope that all Christians will be able to celebrate Easter on the same day in the future was reaffirmed by an international ecumenical seminar organized by the Institute of Ecumenical Studies at the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv, 15 May.

read the full story …
… Read more » … lire la suite »

Senior Church Leaders Congregate in Ottawa
The Canadian Council of Churches holds its May Governing Board meeting in the Capital

From May 11 to 15, 2009 The Canadian Council of Churches is engaging the Government of Canada through several high profile events. Outgoing President, The Rev. Dr. James Christie, said “Through this Churches’ Week in Ottawa The Canadian Council of Churches is strengthening the presence of churches in public life, drawing on a long tradition of engagement in the public square, and contributing to the public dialogue today on matters, which affect all people in Canada and the world.”
… Read more » … lire la suite »

Ecumenical News International and Washington-based Religion News Service (RNS) have launched a shared-content agreement to distribute selected stories from each others’ newswires.

… see more
… Read more » … lire la suite »

The Worldwide Church of God announced that, effective April 3, 2009, it changed its denominational name to Grace Communion International. Although the church’s official, incorporated denominational name has changed, it nonetheless retains ownership of the United States Registered Trademark “Worldwide Church of God” and continues to license that name to those of its local congregations across the country who wish to use it.
… Read more » … lire la suite »

Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev, an Oxford-educated cleric who served as the Moscow Patriarchate’s representative to European organizations in Brussels, has been appointed as head of the Russian Orthodox Church’s Department of External Church Relations.

… continued
… Read more » … lire la suite »

Ecumenical Shared Ministries: an idea whose time has come?

by Rev. Dr. Jan Bigland-Pritchard
(Executive Director, Prairie Centre for Ecumenism & Coordinator, Shared Ministries Bureau)

In Winnipeg, a Catholic parish and an Anglican parish share a large building on a busy city street. In Shell Lake Saskatchewan, Anglican, Lutheran and United Church Christians have joined buildings and hearts together to form one worshipping community with joint staff and programming. In Montreal, downtown clergy of two denominations start talks about sharing a worship space: one has a big church with a small congregation, while the other has a congregation with no suitable place to meet. In Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, three existing congregations are about to break ground for a new church facility which will serve them as one congregation and help them serve the needs of their town. In Biggar, Saskatchewan, the Anglican and Lutheran pastors run a ‘Monday School’ kids club for the children of the whole town. What are all these Christians doing? They are exploring ecumenical shared ministry.

An Ecumenical Shared Ministry (ESM) exists where Christians of more than one denomination worship and serve God in a united way while still maintaining their denominational identities and connections. ESMs take many forms, from sharing a building, to sharing programs, staff and worship. There are an estimated 80-150 ESMs in Canada. Some are found in tiny rural communities. Some are in major cities. Most ESMs are located in Western Canada and the Maritimes, and new ones are forming all the time.

Ecumenical Shared Ministries are showing themselves to be part of the solution to the problem our churches face in the rural areas, and in new urban areas. In places where numbers are diminishing due to rural depopulation, ESMs offer a way for rural Christians of several denominations to work together in ministry to their communities without losing their denominational allegiances. In the new city suburbs in Western Canada, denominations are stretched to finance the planting of new churches, and some are creating new urban ESMs, like the Living Spirit Centre in Regina. These ESMs not only maximize limited financial resources, but also give ‘flesh’ to Christians’ spiritual commitment to seek Christian unity and reconciliation.

… continued
… Read more » … lire la suite »

An international expert on church unity has urged the Roman Catholic Church to declare officially that its excommunication of Martin Luther no longer applies.

… continued
… Read more » … lire la suite »

Pope Benedict XVI has acknowledged “mistakes” in the way the Vatican lifted the excommunication of four bishops from a breakaway Catholic group, including a prelate who had denied that Jews died in Nazi gas chambers. In a letter issued on 12 March to Roman Catholic bishops around the world, the Pope described as an “unforeseen mishap” the case of British-born Richard Williamson, one of the four bishops belonging to the Society of St Pius X (SSPX).

… continued
… Read more » … lire la suite »

Normally we don’t post material on our site that is not in English or French. However, this talk given by Cardinal Walter Kasper was published today in L’Osservatore Romano, and is not yet available in a language other than Italian. A very rough translation can be produced using Google’s translation tool.
… Read more » … lire la suite »

Bishops call for Critical Reflection on Uranium Mining and a Proposed Nuclear Power Plant in Saskatchewan

The Bishops of the Anglican, Evangelical Lutheran, Roman Catholic and Ukrainian Catholic churches in Saskatchewan call on their members and all Saskatchewan citizens to consider with care the issues surrounding the proposed expansion of the uranium industry in Saskatchewan and make their views known to the Government of Saskatchewan.

The Government of Saskatchewan is exploring “value-added” initiatives to expand the uranium industry in our province, including the possibility of a nuclear power plant being built in Saskatchewan. Bruce Power, the country’s only private nuclear generating company, has deemed an area of Saskatchewan (roughly from Lloydminster to Prince Albert) to be a potentially suitable site for such a development. In March 2009 a government-appointed panel is expected to make recommendations regarding such initiatives. It is critical that any recommendations be made only after full and open consultation with the people of this province.

Christian churches affirm that God created the earth and that God continues to establish and preserve a just and ordered life for all creation. Human beings are part of the vast ecosystem of the planet. Choices made by human beings must respect God’s creation in its careful interrelationship of earth, water, air and all living things. Exploiting the earth’s resources without regard for the consequences is sinful against God and God’s creation, according to Christian belief. Technology and economic development, including mining and power generation, must be subject to critical reflection in light of the impact that such actions have on people and the environment in the present and into the future.

The Bishops recognize the global need for urgent action on climate change and the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from coal-burning power plants in Saskatchewan. They appreciate the intention of the Government in proposing nuclear power to reduce emissions. At the same time, they see the necessity for careful examination of the costs and benefits of a range of energy options and encourage the Government to invite public participation in developing a new energy strategy for Saskatchewan.

The Bishops call on Premier Brad Wall, Crown Corporations Minister Ken Cheveldayoff, Environment Minister Nancy Heppner, Energy and Resources Minister Bill Boyd, First Nations Minister June Draude, Enterprise Saskatchewan Minister Lyle Stewart, and the Government of Saskatchewan to provide adequate opportunities for Saskatchewan citizens to engage in open, informed discussion based on unbiased and complete information before the Government acts on recommendations from the nuclear industry or the government-appointed panel.

+Rodney Andrews, Anglican Bishop of Saskatoon
+Bryan Bayda, CSsR, Ukrainian Eparchial Bishop of Saskatoon
+Cynthia G. Halmarson, Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
+Daniel Bohan, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Regina
+Gregory Kerr-Wilson, Anglican Bishop of Qu’Appelle
+Albert Legatt, Roman Catholic Bishop of Saskatoon
+Albert Thévenot, M. Afr., Roman Catholic Bishop of Prince Albert
… Read more » … lire la suite »

Made public yesterday afternoon was the final declaration of the annual meeting of the Joint Committee for Dialogue of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue (Vatican) and the Permanent Committee of al-Azhar for Dialogue among the Monotheistic Religions (Cairo, Egypt). The meeting was held in Rome on 24 and 25 February.

… read more
… Read more » … lire la suite »

The head of the Vatican’s education office has described the religious education curriculum introduced by the government of Quebec as bordering on “anti-Catholic”.

Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, the Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, stepped into the row over religious education, which has divided the Canadian province, when he criticised the Ethics and Religious Culture programme. It was implemented last September and has replaced all other RE curricula in the province’s state schools and Protestant and Catholic schools.

Eighty-two per cent of Quebec’s 7.5 million population are at least nominally Catholic, and boycotts of the course are occurring throughout the province. Cardinal Grocholewski said: “Talking in the same way about all religions is almost like an anti-Catholic education, because this creates a certain relativism.” He said this approach could ultimately be anti-religious, since young people are left with the impression that each faith is a fictional narrative. Speaking to the Zenit news agency in Rome, he also said that teaching all religions equally “violates the right of parents to educate their own children according to their own religion”.

Some Quebec schools have suspended pupils who take part in the boycotts. Loyola High School, a private Jesuit school in Montreal, is suing the province after its request that it be exempted from teaching the programme because it was “contrary to its faith mission” was denied.

• Read the complete news article in The Tablet, February 28, 2009
… Read more » … lire la suite »

The Vatican’s new YouTube channel has posted the following short video about a dialogue this past week between the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID) and a Muslim partner, the Permanent Committee of Al-Azhar for the Dialogue with Monotheistic Religions.

Watch it here
… Read more » … lire la suite »

In a pastoral letter to the faithful in his diocese, Roman Catholic Bishop Luc Bouchard of St. Paul in Alberta, Canada decried that “the integrity of creation in the Athabasca Oil Sands” – the largest reservoir of crude bitumen in the world and the largest of three major oil sands deposits in Alberta – “is clearly being sacrificed for economic gain.”

… continued
… Read more » … lire la suite »

Alors que le système financier mondial vacille, de nombreux militants de la société civile et des Eglises voient la crise actuelle comme une chance pour pousser à la mise en œuvre de réformes radicales depuis longtemps nécessaires. Ils pourront s’atteler à cette tâche dès début avril, lors d’une réunion du G20 à Londres.

…
… Read more » … lire la suite »

As the global financial system falters, many civil society and church activists see the crisis as an opportunity to press for long-overdue, radical reforms. The first opportunity for them to do so will come in early April, when the G20 will meet in London.

… continued
… Read more » … lire la suite »

La décision du pape Benoît XVI d’annuler l’excommunication d’un ecclésiastique qui s’est révélé être un négationniste de l’holocauste continue d’alimenter les critiques les plus vives.

La réintégration par le pape de Richard Williamson, membre de la Fraternité sacerdotale Saint Pie X, a été décidée peu avant une interview télévisée de la télévision suédoise montrant Richard Williamson nier que des juifs ont péri dans des chambres à gaz nazies pendant la seconde guerre mondiale. Ce scandale continue de susciter des critiques acerbes en Allemagne. Certains Allemands ont été surpris lorsque la chancelière Angela Merkel, qui se tient généralement à l’écart de ce genre de polémiques, est entrée dans le débat.
… Read more » … lire la suite »

La décision de la Cour suprême du Canada de ne pas accorder l’autorisation dans le cas de la contestation de l’Entente sur les tiers pays sûrs entre le Canada et les États-Unis a été déplorée aujourd’hui par le Conseil canadien pour les réfugiés, Amnesty International et le Conseil canadien des Églises.
… Read more » … lire la suite »

The decision of the Supreme Court of Canada not to grant leave in the case challenging the Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement was met with regret today by the Canadian Council for Refugees, Amnesty International and the Canadian Council of Churches.
… Read more » … lire la suite »

Le métropolite Kirill de Smolensk et Kaliningrad, qui a été intronisé à Moscou 16e patriarche de l’histoire de l’Eglise orthodoxe russe sous le nom de Kirill Ier, a souligné qu’il est de son devoir d’assurer l’unité au sein de l’Eglise afin de préserver la foi. Cependant, certains observateurs considèrent qu’il a davantage les qualités d’un “leader politique” que son prédécesseur.
… Read more » … lire la suite »

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has awarded the Cross of St Augustine to Monsignor Donald Bolen for his service to Anglican-Roman Catholic relations. In a private audience at Lambeth Palace the Archbishop paid warm tribute to the theological acumen and spiritual discernment that Monsignor Bolen had put unreservedly at the service of Anglican-Roman Catholic relations during his seven-year assignment to the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity in Rome.

… continued
… Read more » … lire la suite »

It came during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and on the eve of the fiftieth anniversary of Pope John XXIII’s announcement of the Second Vatican Council – news that Pope Benedict had decreed that the “Lefebvrists”, the four bishops excommunicated for disobedience and who have never fully accepted the Council, could return to the Church.

The Pope instructed the Congregation for Bishops to “remit” the excommunications of four leaders of the schismatic Society of St Pius X (SSPX) otherwise known as Lefebvrists. The four men — Bernard Fellay, Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, Richard Williamson and Alfonso del Gallareta — incurred automatic (latae sententiae) excommunication in June 1988 when they were illicitly ordained bishops by renegade Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (d. 1991), who founded the SSPX in 1970 and the Seminary of Ecône in south-west Switzerland.
… Read more » … lire la suite »

C’est le métropolite Kirill de Smolensk et Kaliningrad qui a été élu à la tête du Patriarcat de Moscou de l’Eglise orthodoxe russe, par une victoire écrasante. Le métropolite Kirill occupait déjà par intérim la fonction laissée vacante par le patriarche Alexis II, décédé en décembre 2008.
… Read more » … lire la suite »

Pope on Shoah: Never again may violence humiliate the dignity of man!

In his weekly audience Pope Benedict categorically condemned all attempts to deny the Holocaust and explained the reasons for the lifting of the excommunication of four bishops from the fraternity of St. Pius X. … Pope Benedict’s thoughts then turned to the Shoah, the memorial of which was celebrated this week. He said “the memories and images of my many visits to Auschwitz come back to me in these days, a death camp in which blind racial and religious hatred led to the ferocious extermination of millions of Jews and other innocent victims”.
… Read more » … lire la suite »

In a letter congratulating Metropolitan Kyrill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad on his election as the new patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia expressed the appreciation of the worldwide ecumenical fellowship for this “outstanding Orthodox theologian, leader and hierarch.”
… Read more » … lire la suite »

Pope Benedict XVI says he has “full and unquestionable solidarity” with Jewish people and he has warned against any form of Holocaust denial. The Pope’s statement comes after outrage at his recent reinstatement of an excommunicated bishop, who has said the genocide of Jews in gas chambers never took place.
… Read more » … lire la suite »

Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad has been elected as the new head of the Moscow Patriarchate in the Orthodox Church after serving a period as interim leader and following an election in which he got an overwhelming majority of votes.
… Read more » … lire la suite »

The delegates to the Church Council meeting underway in Moscow have elected Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad the 16th Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.
… Read more » … lire la suite »

Dear faithful of the Diocese of St. Paul, the ecological crisis, described above by Pope Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II, is evident in many parts of Canada. Our wasteful consumerist lifestyle, combined with political and industrial short-sightedness and neglect, are damaging our air, land, and water. Personal, social, and political change will be necessary to meet this national challenge.

As the Bishop of the Diocese of St. Paul in north-eastern Alberta, it is my responsibility to provide moral advice and leadership on questions that affect the faithful who live in my diocese. It is therefore impossible for me to ignore the moral problem created by the proposed one hundred and fifty billion dollars oil sands developments in the Municipality of Wood Buffalo because these projects are in “my own backyard,” and have aroused strong ethical criticism. In this pastoral letter I will consider this extraordinary and controversial industrial development from a Catholic perspective.

Whenever I drive to Fort McMurray and enter the city on highway 63, I appreciate reading the prominently displayed motto of the Municipality of Wood Buffalo: “We Have the Energy!” The energy is not only in the sands but is also, as the sign implies, in the very hard working people who live in this northern community. The general public has only recently become conscious of Fort McMurray. They do not know of its history as a trading and shipping center, of its connection to the early fur traders, missionaries, and voyageurs, of its First Nations and Metis communities, of the near fifty year old history of the development of the oil sands industry and the risks the pioneers of this industry undertook. It is not generally known that Suncor and Syncrude in the 1980’s had contingency plans to shut down, padlock, and mothball their plants due to the then very low price of oil, twelve dollars a barrel!
… Read more » … lire la suite »

Pope Benedict XVI has lifted the excommunication of four bishops ordained against papal orders in 1988 by the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. The move was considered a major concession to the archbishop’s traditionalist followers. The Vatican said the decree removing the excommunication, signed Jan. 21 and made public three days later, marked an important step toward full communion with the Society of St. Pius X, founded by Archbishop Lefebvre in 1970.

… continued
… Read more » … lire la suite »

The Anglican-Methodist International Commission for Unity in Mission held its first meeting in the Centro Anglicano de la Diócesis de México in Mexico City, as guests of the Anglican Consultative Council. The Commission was co-chaired by the Right Revd Harold Miller, the Bishop of Down and Dromore (Church of Ireland), for the Anglican Communion, and the Revd Professor Robert Gribben (Uniting Church in Australia), Chairman of the Standing Committee on Ecumenics and Dialogue, on behalf of the World Methodist Council.

continued …
… Read more » … lire la suite »

When Lynne Smith was a girl growing up in El Paso, Texas, she said she wanted to be a nun.

And so Smith followed the more conventional path … to ordained Presbyterian ministry and a first pastorate in Dodge City, Kan. But the yearning for a more contemplative spiritual life was never far from her mind.

While in Dodge City, Smith went on a spiritual retreat in 1985 sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph, “and had a deeper experience than I’d ever had before,” she told the Presbyterian News Service in a recent interview here. “It really changed my spirituality toward the contemplative.”
… Read more » … lire la suite »

That they may become one in God’s hand

Inspired by the witness of churches from a divided country, Christians throughout the world will be praying “that they may become one in God’s hand” during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2009.

continued …
… Read more » … lire la suite »

Pope Benedict XVI and the general secretary of the World Council of Churches, the Rev. Samuel Kobia, have condemned violence in Gaza, calling for its immediate cessation following an intense bombing campaign by Israel there.

continued …
… Read more » … lire la suite »

Women in Ministry: Lives Taken, Blessed, Broken & Shared

“Women who serve professionally in ecclesial ministry have much to offer the church and have much to share with one another.” It is with this conviction that the second Women in Ministry gathering will take place at Queen’s House Retreat and Renewal; Centre, Saskatoon, from February 15 to 17, 2009. This year’s gathering takes inspiration from the book “Life of the Beloved” by Henri Nouwen.

The purpose of bringing together ordained and lay women employed in ecclesial ministry of all Christian traditions is to share and celebrate our journeys of faith and of call, to learn from and to support each other. Ministry commitments and responsibilities can have a way of insulating us from one another if we are not intentional about forging connections and encounters.

Facilitated by Marie-Louis Ternier-Gommers, Rev. Amanda Currie, Rev. Debbie Walker, and Elizabeth Nickel. There will be a special guest presenter, Bishop Cindy Halmarson of the ELCIC Saskatchewan Synod.

Pre-registration is required at least two weeks in advance in order to ensure that the program has adequate attendance to proceed.
Register online at Queen’s House, use the Registration form, or phone (306) 242-1916; fax (306) 653-5941; or email info [at] queenshouse [dot] org.
… Read more » … lire la suite »

Join the Saskatoon faith communities on December 31st for candle lighting, quiet music, reflections, and prayer for peace. An annual tradition in Saskatoon, the interfaith Gathering for Peace is held at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Spadina Crescent and 22nd Street East on New Year’s Eve at 7:30 pm. This year, the theme is “Combating poverty, Building Peace”.

The evening begins with candle lighting and quiet reflection, followed by song, readings from various religious texts, and reflections from the multi-faith community. The evening ends with a time for fellowship with hot apple cider and cookies.

Please join us at 7:30 pm on New Year’s Eve at St. Paul’s Cathedral. Everyone, of all religious traditions, is welcome.
… Read more » … lire la suite »

The Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Ecumenical Relations (IASCER) held its last meeting in Kyoto, Japan, under the chairmanship of the Most Revd Drexel Gomez, Primate of the Church in the Province of the West Indies. The Commission is charged with reviewing current international ecumenical dialogues involving Anglicans, and provincial and regional initiatives towards unity with other Christians. IASCER consists of representatives from each international dialogue involving Anglicans, including the multilateral dialogue of Faith and Order, and of certain other commissions and networks, and consultants who bring particular regional or theological expertise.
… Read more » … lire la suite »

Final Communiqué on the 11th Catholic-Muslim Colloquium

[Vatican • VIS] Today was made public the final communiqué on the 11th Colloquium organized by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the World Islamic Call Society (WICS), which took place in Rome from 15 to 17 December.
… Read more » … lire la suite »

A few years ago, other than a few specialists in Christian-Muslim dialogue, the average churchgoer would have little awareness of the tentative steps taken in dialogue between Christians and Muslims. The Danish cartoon controversy and Pope Benedict’s comments at a lecture in Regensburg re-focused attention on the difficult relationship between Christianity and Islam. Since then, there has been an intentional effort to bring more publicity to the existing forms of dialogue. There have also been new forums for dialogue established.
… Read more » … lire la suite »