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
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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 …
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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.
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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.
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Joint communiqué of the symposium on “Religion and peaceful co-existence”

The World Council of Churches (WCC, Geneva, Switzerland) and Centre for Inter-religious Dialogue of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (Tehran, Iran) held their fifth symposium in Tehran on13-14 December 2008.
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The Coordinating Committee of the Joint International Commission for the Theological Dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church met in Elounda, Crete, Greece from 27 September to 4 October 2008.

At the opening session, the two Co-Presidents of the Commission, His Eminence Cardinal Walter Kasper (President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity) and His Eminence Metropolitan John of Pergamon (Ecumenical Patriarchate), expressed their joy and thankfulness to God for the continuation of the theological dialogue between the two Churches. They reaffirmed the goal of the dialogue as stated at its beginning in 1980: “The purpose of the dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church is the re-establishment of full communion between these two churches. This communion, based on unity of faith according to the common experience and tradition of the early Church, will find its expression in the common celebration of the Eucharist.”
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The Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON), which was held in Jerusalem from 22-29 June 2008, is a spiritual movement to preserve and promote the truth and power of the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ as we Anglicans have received it. The movement is global: it has mobilised Anglicans from around the world. We are Anglican: 1148 lay and clergy participants, including 291 bishops representing millions of faithful Anglican Christians. We cherish our Anglican heritage and the Anglican Communion and have no intention of departing from it. And we believe that, in God’s providence, Anglicanism has a bright future in obedience to our Lord’s Great Commission to make disciples of all nations and to build up the church on the foundation of biblical truth (Matthew 28:18-20; Ephesians 2:20). GAFCON is not just a moment in time, but a movement in the Spirit, and we hereby:

• launch the GAFCON movement as a fellowship of confessing Anglicans
• publish the Jerusalem Declaration as the basis of the fellowship
• encourage GAFCON Primates to form a Council.
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Anglican-Lutheran meeting focused on mission and ‘servant ministry’

[The Anglican Journal • Marites N. Sison] Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, said that “an emerging focus around mission” characterized a spring gathering of the third Anglican Lutheran International Commission (ALIC) in Chennai, India.

Meeting from April 28 to May 5, the group discussed “how Anglicans and Lutherans approach mission, how they understand it, how they carry it out,” said Archbishop Hiltz, co-chair of ALIC, which oversees Anglican-Lutheran relationships worldwide. “Within that focus there was yet another focus around diakonia, which is the servant ministry of the church,” he said.

In the three years that he has co-chaired the ALIC, Arcbishop Hiltz said that he has noted “movement and progress around a common understanding of what we call ecclesiology, that is, the nature of the church.” There has also been progress around such issues as, “What do we mean by the visible unity of the church? What does that really mean, what might that look like?” He added that they have also “gone deep on the ecclesiological question of, ‘what is the church in the world for, anyway?'”

The commission received reports from various regions where Anglicans and Lutherans are present and exercise ministry together.

“In some parts of the world, they’ve got agreements like we have in Canada, the Waterloo Declaration. (The 2001 accord brought the Canadian Anglican and Evangelical churches closer together in a relationship called full communion.) Different places have different agreements. Some places are not at a point where they actually have an agreement,” said Archbishop Hiltz. “We are at different stages in our dialogue.”

“Regional check-ins” are important because concerns and challenges are brought to light, he said. “As they do that, they may hear from other members of the commission from different regions who have already addressed a similar challenge.”

Archbishop Hiltz underscored the value of holding the ALIC’s meetings in different regions of the world, noting that the commission always creates space in its agenda to engage with the local church. “That engagement is everything from bringing in leaders from all over the church to tell us their story” to worshipping in local churches, he said.

In a communiqué released after its meeting, the ALIC welcomed the re-activation of the All Africa Anglican-Lutheran Commission. Archbishop Hiltz noted that when the commission first met in Moshe, Tanzania, the African members of the commission and the local bishops and clergy had reported that their regional grouping “was at a kind of low ebb, primarily because they were so absorbed in trying to cope with HIV–AIDS” in their areas. He added: “As they said, until the people and leadership of the church can see … Anglicans and Lutherans working together on the ground to address this immediate, in-your-face issue, dialogue doesn’t make sense. Why would we have this conversation if you’re not following through on action on the ground?” There was a recognition of “a bit of a need for some renewed leadership in the conversation,” he said. “Lo, and behold, at this meeting, we heard that (its) work has been rekindled … they’ve got a plan laid out for the next couple of years whereby Lutheran and Anglican bishops will meet, theologians and clergy will meet.”

The commission also discussed the proposed Anglican Covenant, which will be presented at the upcoming Lambeth Conference this July. “One of the big concerns at the joint commission (meeting) last year, as we heard from the other provinces, and certainly, from the Lutherans, was the concern around a growing authority for the primates’ meetings,” said Archbishop Hiltz. (At last year’s meeting, the commission said it had “extensive discussions” on the first draft of the covenant, and “offered a response from the perspective of the document’s potential impact on ecumenical relations between the two communions.”)

Archbishop Hiltz said that the commission has noted that, “the role of the primates as some kind of magisterium (doctrinal authority) is downplayed considerably,” in the second draft released early this year, known as the St. Andrew’s Draft.

The establishment of a covenant was one of the key recommendations of the 2004 Windsor Report, a document published by the Lambeth Commission on Communion, which was created by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams to address a schism in the Anglican Communion over the issue of sexuality.

The Lutheran World Federation, in co-operation with the United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India, hosted the ALIC meeting.
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Communiqué: Anglican – Lutheran International Commission

[ACNS 4405 • Chennai, India] The Third Anglican – Lutheran International Commission (ALIC) held its third meeting at Chennai, India, between 28 April and 5 May 2008, under the co-chairmanship of the Most Reverend Fred Hiltz, Primate of Canada, and of Reverend Dr. Cameron Harder, Lutheran Theological Seminary, Saskatoon, Canada, in the absence of Bishop Thomas Nyiwé, Cameroon, who was unable to attend.

The meeting was hosted by The Lutheran World Federation, in co-operation with the United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India. Its Executive Secretary, Reverend Dr. A. G. Augustine Jeyakumar, welcomed the group at an opening dinner, and the UELCI was host for an excursion to the temple sites at Mamallapuram and dinner there. On Sunday 4 May commission members attended the Broadway Congregation of The Arcot Lutheran Church and visited Chennai sites associated with the memory of the Apostle Thomas. On Ascension Day, the commission worshipped in the chapel of the Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute and heard about ecumenical education in this setting from members of its faculty: Reverend Dr. Ponniah Manoharan, Director and Professor in Christian Ministry, Reverend Dr. Jacob Thomas, Professor of Systematic Theology, and Reverend Dr. David Udayakumar, Professor of Mission and Ecumenism. The commission was also welcomed by Bishop V. Devasahayam, Bishop in Madras of the Church of South India, who guided the group in a tour of St. George’s Cathedral and welcomed it to a programme of dance by children from the Cathedral’s Bible schools. He also challenged the commission and its communions to take seriously the injustices caused by the persistence of caste in Indian society.

The commission received reports from various regions where Anglicans and Lutherans live in covenanted relationship. It welcomed the re-activation of the All Africa Anglican – Lutheran Commission (AAALC), which had met in Johannesburg in December 2007, and received a report from the co-chairs, the Right Reverend Musonda Mwamba and Bishop Ndanganeni Phaswana. The commission sent greetings to Nippon Sei Ko Kai, a member of the Anglican Communion, and to the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church, a member of the LWF, as they gather together for worship on Pentecost Sunday; commission member Reverend Professor Renta Nishihara will speak about the dialogue between the communions.

The commission’s work in Chennai continued discussions begun in earlier meetings: the character of the visible unity the commission seeks to commend, the developing ecclesiologies of the two communions, their understandings of ordained ministry in the context of the life of the Church, and the centrality of diakonia to the Church’s mission. Reflection on diakonia was enriched by presentations from Reverend Dr. Kjell Nordstokke, Director of the Department for Mission and Development at the LWF, and the Reverend David Peck, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Secretary for International Development; they reviewed the work undertaken by the two communions in these areas and asked about ways in which this work might be helpful to the quest for greater visible unity.

At this meeting discussion centred on the shape and direction of the commission’s report, which is mandated to make recommendations about ways in which the two communions can move toward more visible unity. The commission recognised diakonia and communion as the central elements of their discernment. The challenge of proclamation and service embodied in diakonia, modelled on the ministry of Jesus, promises a fresh and dynamic entry point into questions of ministry and unity in the service of the Gospel.

We give thanks to God for the witness of the UELCI and the Church of South India in their country, and for the ministry of diakonia in which they engage. We were profoundly moved by their accounts of societal discrimination against Dalits which the churches’ ministry seeks to transform, and resolve to remember these issues as we return to our own contexts. We pray that God will bless and guide all we met here, and also the life of both communions as we seek to proclaim the Gospel in active service and mission.

The commission plans to meet again between 18-26 May 2009 at a venue to be identified by the LWF.

The members of the commission are:

Anglicans:

The Most Revd Fred Hiltz, Canada (Co-Chair)
The Revd. Dr Charlotte Methuen, Germany and United Kingdom
The Rt. Revd Musonda T. S. Mwamba, Botswana
The Revd. Professor Renta Nishihara, Japan (unable to be present)
The Very Revd. William H. Petersen, USA
The Revd Dr Cathy Thomson, Australia
The Revd Canon Gregory K. Cameron, Anglican Communion Office (Co-Secretary)

Consultants:

The Revd Canon Alyson Barnett-Cowan, Canada
The Revd Dr. Günter Esser, the Old Catholic Churches of the Union of Utrecht, Germany

Lutherans:

Rev. Dr. Cameron R. Harder, Canada (Acting Co-Chair)
Professor Dr. Kirsten Busch Nielsen, Denmark
Rev. Angel Furlan, Argentina
Landesbischof Jürgen Johannesdotter, Germany
Rev. Dr. Thomas Nyiwé, Cameroon (Co-Chair; unable to be present)
Rev. Helene Tärneberg Steed, Sweden and Ireland
Professor Dr. Kathryn Johnson, Lutheran World Federation (Co-Secretary)

Consultants:

Professor Dr. Kenneth G. Appold, USA
Bishop Ndanganeni P. Phaswana, South Africa

Administrative support was provided by Ms. Sybille Graumann of The Lutheran World Federation and the Reverend Terrie Robinson of the Anglican Communion Office.

The Commission was established by the Anglican Consultative Council and The Lutheran World Federation to continue the dialogue between Anglicans and Lutherans on the world-wide level which has been in progress since 1970. ALIC is building upon the work reflected in The Niagara Report (1987), focusing on the mission of the church and the role of the ordained ministry, The Diaconate as Ecumenical Opportunity (1995), and most recently Growth in Communion (2002), the report of the Anglican – Lutheran International Working Group (ALIWG), which reviewed the extensive regional agreements which have established close relations between Anglican and Lutheran churches in several parts of the world.
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Communiqué: Anglican-Old Catholic International Co-ordinating Council

[ACNS 4404] The Anglican-Old Catholic International Co-ordinating Council (AOCICC) met in Schloss Beuggen, Germany, from 14 to 18 April 2008. The Council welcomed the new Old Catholic Co-chair, the Rt Revd Joachim Vobbe (who also served as the Co-chair from 1998 to 2003), and the new Old Catholic member, the Revd Henriette Crüwell, both appointed by the Old Catholic International Bishops’ Conference (IBC). The Council awaits the appointment of a representative of the Convocation of American Churches in Europe.

The members received reports from developments in each Communion and reviewed the present ecumenical dialogues, with which our Communions are engaged.

A draft text for a common statement of ecclesiological understanding, including missionary dimensions of the Church’s life, which was commissioned at last year’s meeting of the Council, was discussed at length. Practical implications will be considered in due course. Intense discussion also took place concerning a canonists’ report on a proposal for a shared bishop of Deventer (NL). Thus we reflected on the common mission of our churches and on the fact that we both exist in diaspora situations in continental Europe. Concrete examples of “fresh expressions” of church were also discussed.

Attention was given to the agreed statement “Growing Together in Unity and Mission“, of the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission (IARCCUM).

Morning Prayer was celebrated daily with the community of Schloss Beuggen. The Eucharists during the meeting, and a Bible study each morning, were led by members of the Council. The late Rt Revd Dr Jan Lambert Wirix-Speetjens, Bishop of Haarlem, who served as the Co-chair from 2004 to 2005 was remembered in prayer. On Wednesday 16 April, Solemn Vespers were celebrated at the Old Catholic St Martinskirche in Rheinfelden (CH) with the Bishop of Switzerland, the Rt Revd Fritz-René Müller officiating. Bishop Müller served as the Old Catholic Co-chair of the Council from 2005 to 2007. Afterwards the Council attended a dinner generously hosted by the Old Catholic Church of Switzerland. The next meeting of the Council will take place 26 – 30 October 2009.

For further information, please contact the Revd Professor Dr Angela Berlis, tel +31 (0)23 532 68 78, email , or the Revd Canon Gregory K Cameron at the Anglican Communion Office, tel +44 (0)20 7313 3900, email .

The members of the Anglican-Old Catholic International Co-ordinating Council are:

Anglicans

The Rt Revd Jonathan Gledhill – Co-chair
The Revd Canon Gregory K Cameron – Co-secretary (absent)
The Rt Revd David Hamid, Suffragan Bishop of the Diocese in Europe (absent)
Mrs Maryon Jägers
The Revd Dr Jeremy Morris
Administrative Support: The Revd Terrie Robinson

Old Catholic

The Rt Revd Joachim Vobbe – Co-chair
The Revd Professor Dr Angela Berlis – Co-secretary
The Revd Henriette Crüwell
The Revd Professor David R Holeton
The Revd Dr Harald Rein (absent)
The Revd Dr Dick Schoon

Administrative Support and Interpretor: The Revd Lars Simpson
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The Third Anglican-Lutheran International Commission (ALIC) held its third meeting at Chennai, India, between 28 April and 5 May 2008, under the co-chairmanship of the Most Reverend Fred Hiltz, Primate of Canada, and of Reverend Dr. Cameron Harder, Lutheran Theological Seminary, Saskatoon, Canada, in the absence of Bishop Thomas Nyiwé, Cameroon, who was unable to attend.
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Joint declaration from Catholic-Shi’a Muslim colloquium

The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (Vatican) and the Centre for Inter-religious Dialogue of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organisation (Tehran, Iran) held their sixth Colloquium in Rome from 28 – 30 April 2008 under the joint presidency of His Eminence Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, and His Excellency Dr. Mahdi Mostafavi, President of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organisation.
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[CECC Communiqués] Dans un message rendu public aujourd’hui, Mgr V. James Weisgerber, président de la Conférence des évêques catholiques du Canada, se fait le porte-parole de ses confères évêques en réclamant qu’un réel débat porte sur la présence et la mission canadiennes. Il souhaite que ce débat se concentre sur les enjeux fondamentaux qui affligent le peuple afghan.

Selon lui, les membres du parlement du Canada, au moment de leurs délibérations, devraient toujours garder en tête le souhait le plus cher des Afghans et de toute population : la paix. « Les considérations d’ordre politique ou électoral sont secondaires lorsqu’il s’agit de l’avenir d’un peuple et de vies humaines. Nous invitons les parlementaires à mettre de côté leurs positions préétablies et à reconnaître que la vérité est à rechercher ensemble. La diversité des points de vue doit être accueillie comme une richesse possible pour l’élaboration d’un plan d’action concret et positif, mais dont le but ultime est l’établissement de la paix », a-t-il déclaré.

Se référant au Rapport Manley, le Président de la CECC affirme que les autorités gouvernementales doivent faire preuve d’une plus grande transparence auprès de la population. « Une information plus complète et de meilleure qualité de la part de notre gouvernement permettrait aux citoyens et citoyennes de notre pays de mieux comprendre le but, les enjeux, les modalités du conflit en Afghanistan et de mieux évaluer l’engagement de nos forces armées et des organismes humanitaires canadiens. Cette information est essentielle si l’on veut ensemble prendre des décisions qui permettront de faire progresser une paix réelle et durable dans ce pays. »

S’il avoue que la situation est très complexe, Mgr Weisgerber reprend les propos du pape Benoît XVI afin d’étayer son argumentation : « La guerre est la pire des solutions pour tous. Elle n’apporte rien de bon, pour personne, pas même pour ses apparents vainqueurs. »

Pour le Président de la CECC, la voix que les évêques font entendre aujourd’hui s’appuie sur un riche enseignement de l’Église catholique en matière de doctrine sociale. Il en souligne particulièrement trois éléments : des négociations de paix, réalisées de bonne foi et qui impliquent toutes les parties en présence; une nette distinction entre les opérations militaires et l’aide humanitaire; et, une protection de la dignité humaine des soldats canadiens.

Enfin, c’est aussi par la prière que Mgr Weisgerber enjoint les croyants à se joindre à lui afin « que le peuple afghan retrouve la paix et la sécurité; que les familles des soldats qui ont donné leur vie trouvent la consolation; que nos soldats et leurs familles se retrouvent bientôt rassemblés; que nos dirigeants politiques tiennent un débat sérieux qui permettra aux Canadiens et aux Canadiennes de décider du rôle du Canada en Afghanistan. »

• Message de Mgr V. James Weisegerber « Appel pour un réel processus de paix en Afghanistan » www.cccb.ca/site/content/view/2567/1152/lang,frc/
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From Nov. 22 to 25, the Joint Anglican-Lutheran Commission met in Toronto to review the Full Communion relationship between the Anglican Church of Canada and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. The two churches have shared this unique relationship since the Waterloo Declaration of 2001, and now, six years later, they are assessing what they’ve accomplished and where they can go.
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[Nairobi] Réunis au Kenya, des responsables issus de toutes les principales traditions chrétiennes et provenant de différents pays – de l’Arménie au Zimbabwe – ont promis d’organiser des réunions aux niveaux international, régional et local afin d’aller plus loin dans la réconciliation et la compréhension.

“Reconnaissant que l’unité est le tout premier don de Dieu à travers l’oeuvre du Saint-Esprit, nous nous engageons à promouvoir davantage de compréhension et de coopération entre chrétiens, tout en respectant la diversité de nos identités, traditions et dons individuels”, ont déclaré les responsables dans un communiqué publié à l’issue de la réunion, qui s’est tenue du 6 au 9 novembre.
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Theologians from the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) participating in the second meeting of the Lutheran-Reformed Joint Commission agreed to the need for further study on the understanding of the Church from the perspectives of the two faith traditions.
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The third meeting of the Lutheran-Mennonite International Study Commission took place from 18 to 22 June 2007 at the Institute for Ecumenical Research in Strasbourg, France.
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The Third Anglican-Lutheran International Commission (ALIC) held its second meeting at White Point, Nova Scotia, Canada between 14 and 20 May, 2007, under the chairmanship of the Rt Rev. Fred Hiltz, Anglican Bishop of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, and the Rev. Dr Thomas Nyiwé, President of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Cameroon.
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Des responsables d’Eglise de Jérusalem ont averti les factions palestiniennes en conflit qu’elles risquaient de déclencher une guerre civile et, proposant de jouer les médiateurs, ils les ont exhortés à mettre fin à la violence afin de pouvoir se concentrer sur la priorité absolue de leur peuple : l’indépendance.

“En tant que responsables des Eglises chrétiennes à Jérusalem préoccupés par la situation actuelle dans les territoires palestiniens, nous tenons à exprimer nos craintes pour nos populations, qu’elles soient chrétiennes ou musulmanes, en raison de la détérioration des relations entre les leaders du Fatah et du Hamas et entre leurs forces armées,” ont-ils déclaré.
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[LWI] The participants of the 13th Plenary of the international Lutheran-Orthodox Joint Commission have affirmed recognition of the “broad areas of agreement” in their respective traditions with a view to the understanding of the Eucharist in the life of the church. They adopted a Common Statement titled, “The Mystery of the Church: The Holy Eucharist in the Life of the Church.” In a communiqué from the 2-9 November meeting of the Joint Commission in Bratislava, Slovak Republic, members of the international dialogue group stated that the “Orthodox and Lutherans both confess that Christ’s body and blood are united with bread and wine, to be consumed by communicants, uniting them with Christ and with each other.”
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The recent controversy over cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed has exposed a disagreement between Western secular democracies and the Muslim community over appropriate limits on public expression. Agreement on when or whether there should be limits on free speech remains elusive. Such an agreement appears to be developing between Anglicans and Muslims, at least if a report released today is accurate. In a dialogue meeting last week between delegates of the Anglican Communion and the Al-Azhar Al-Sharif Permanent Committee for Dialogue with Monotheistic Religions, the participants reportedly found consensus on the right to comprehensive religious freedom and on the related problem of limiting public expression.
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“Pourquoi une destruction si épouvantable?” C’est la question que les membres d’une délégation pastorale œcuménique n’ont cessé d’entendre à propos des attaques israéliennes contre le Liban.

Chargée par le Conseil œcuménique des Eglises (COE), la Conférence des Eglises européennes (KEK), la Fédération luthérienne mondiale (FLM) et l’Alliance réformée mondiale (ARM) d’exprimer la solidarité du monde œcuménique envers les Eglises et les populations touchées par le conflit au Moyen Orient, la délégation est rentrée avec pour mandat de transmettre à la famille œcuménique internationale les espoirs et les attentes des Eglises du Liban, de Palestine et d’Israël.
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Dear Prime Minister Harper:

As national leaders of Canadian Churches and members of the Canadian Council of Churches, we are extremely concerned about the human impact of the global AIDS pandemic. Currently more than 40 million people are infected with HIV. Last year, over 3 million people died as a result of AIDS. There are 15 million child orphans because of AIDS. These statistics speak powerfully to the human cost.

Our first response to the depth of this tragedy is compassion. We suffer with those who suffer, and work to ease that suffering. We support the many members of our Churches who dedicate themselves to caring for persons living with HIV and AIDS.
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Monsieur le Premier ministre,

En tant que dirigeants nationaux d’Églises canadiennes et membres du Conseil canadien des Églises, nous sommes extrêmement préoccupés par l’impact humain de la pandémie du SIDA. Plus de 40 millions de personnes sont actuellement infectées par le VIH, tandis que l’an dernier, le SIDA faisait plus de 3 millions de victimes. Quinze millions d’enfants sont orphelins à cause du SIDA. Voilà des statistiques qui illustrent de façon éloquente le coût humain de ce fléau.

Notre première réaction à la gravité de cette tragédie en est une de compassion : nous souffrons avec ceux qui souffrent et nous travaillons à alléger leurs souffrances. Nous appuyons les nombreux membres de nos Églises qui se dévouent pour les personnes vivant avec le VIH et le SIDA.
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The Third Anglican-Lutheran International Commission (ALIC) held its first meeting at the Lutheran Uhuru Hostel in Moshi, Tanzania, between 13th and 19th January, 2006, under the chairmanship of the Rt Revd Fred Hiltz, Anglican Bishop of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, and the Revd Dr Thomas Nyiwe, President of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cameroon.
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When Pope Benedict met with representatives of the World Methodist Council in December of 2005, he alluded to the Speech of Pope Paul VI, noting that when we look back to the nearly 40 years of patient and persevering dialogue between Methodists and Catholics since the end of the Second Vatican Council, “there is much for which we can today give thanks”.
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Colloque international sur les investissements responsables
« Une Réponse non violente à l’occupation israélienne? »

Toronto, Ontario, 25-29 octobre 2005
Un rapport de voyage par Dr. Stuart Brown, Centre canadien d’œcuménisme
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VATICAN CITY, MAY 13, 2005 (VIS) – The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Anglican Communion Office announced in a communique today that the most recent report of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC), entitled “Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ,” will be presented on May 16, 2005 in Seattle, U.S.A., where the
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The Episcopal Church of Burundi wishes to express appreciation for the Windsor Report, and to congratulate the Lambeth Commission that produced it. It is an interesting, coherent, and sensitive report that challenges the Communion to dialogue constructively as a way forward.

The Episcopal Church of Burundi remains totally committed to the Anglican Communion and will continue to endeavour to “keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). We should always be mindful of the Gospel imperative to maintain unity and communion that is rooted in truth and love.
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The Most Revd Peter Kwong, Primate of Hong Kong, today released the first details of the reception process being adopted by the Reception Reference Group appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury in conjunction with the Primates’ Standing Committee on the 20 October this year, following the publication of the Windsor Report 2004 in London on 18 October.

Full details will be placed on the Anglican Communion web site in the coming week.

“There will be three major threads to the process that the group are adopting”, the Archbishop commented, “First, we shall be using the official channels of the Anglican Communion to undertake consultation with the provinces and churches of the Anglican Communion, its official commissions and networks. This will also include approaches to Anglican mission agencies and ecumenical partners.”
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The Primates’ Standing Committee, meeting in London, between 18 and 20 October, 2004, received the Windsor Report at the same time that copies of the report were circulated to the Primates at 9.00am prior to its publication at 12 noon here in London.

We would like to begin by thanking Archbishop Robin Eames and his Commission, together with the staff who supported them, for the hard work and dedication which is represented by this document. The Commission members came from a wide range of geographical backgrounds, and brought many different perspectives to their work. That they have been able to commend this report unanimously to the members of the Anglican Communion is a sign of hope to our Communion. If there is a real desire to walk together in our discipleship of Christ, then a course can be plotted to maintain the highest degree of Communion possible, in spite of differences about the way in which Christ’s Gospel is to be interpreted in a diverse and troubled world.
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I welcome the sincerity and hard work of those who have prepared ‘The Windsor Report 2004‘. After an initial reading it is clear to me that the report falls far short of the prescription needed for this current crisis. It fails to confront the reality that a small, economically privileged group of people has sought to subvert the Christian faith and impose their new and false doctrine on the wider community of faithful believers. We have watched in sadness as sisters and brothers who have sought to maintain their allegiance to the faith once delivered to the saints have been marginalized and persecuted for their faith. We have been filled with grief as we have witnessed the decline of the North American Church that was once filled with missionary zeal and yet now seems determined to bury itself in a deadly embrace with the spirit of the age. Instead of a clear call for repentance we have been offered warm words of sentimentality for those who have shown no godly sorrow for their actions and harsh words of condemnation for those who have reached out a helping hand to friends in need of pastoral and spiritual care.
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I have the honour to submit to you the Report of the Lambeth Commission on Communion, entitled ‘The Windsor Report 2004′. In the last twelve months, we have laboured hard and prayerfully listened to all shades of opinion across the Anglican Communion, and have been able to come to a common mind on a diagnosis for the current situation in the life of the Communion, and the remedies which could be offered.

We have made a remarkable journey. The Commission members had strongly held and differing opinions on both the presenting issues and their underlying causes, and we have not been afraid to discuss those views openly and honestly in our work. But equal to all of this is our central belief that the forty-four churches of the Anglican Communion belong together in witness and common mission for the sake of the Gospel, and this has helped us to develop a set of unanimous recommendations.
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I welcome the publication of the Windsor Report. I was privileged to be part of the Lambeth Commission, and despite some very honest exchanges, we were able to come together as a Commission to offer what I believe represents a genuine way forward for the future of the Anglican Communion.

The report we have agreed now offers to our brothers and sisters in Christ very real ways in which we could begin to strengthen our common life in the Lord, and to strengthen the workings of the Instruments of Unity so that they will be able to function more effectively in drawing our forty-four churches into greater interdependence and mutual life.
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Voici le texte intégral de la Déclaration commune signée par le pape Jean-Paul II et le patriarche œcuménique Bartholomaios Ier au terme de la visite de celui-ci au Vatican.
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Here is a translation of the Joint Declaration signed by John Paul II and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople and published today.
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The meeting of the Anglican-Oriental Orthodox International Commission, which was to have taken place at Walsingham from Tuesday 28 October to Sunday 2 November 2003, has been postponed at the suggestion of the Heads of the Coptic Orthodox Church (His Holiness Pope Shenouda III), the Syrian Orthodox Church (His Holiness Patriarch Zakka I) and the Armenian Orthodox Church, Catholicosate of Cilicia (His Holiness Catholicos Aram I), who met in Antelias, Lebanon, on 17 and 18 October 2003.

The present time is clearly a moment of uncertainty in the life of the Anglican Communion, with the consecration of a homosexual person in a committed, same-sex relationship as a Bishop within the Episcopal Church (USA). The developments facing the Communion were addressed in the Statement of the Primates of the Anglican Communion who met together with the Moderators of the United Churches at Lambeth Palace, London, on 15 and 16 October, to consider their reactions and the way forward for the Communion. In the light of that meeting, the Archbishop of Canterbury has set up a Commission which will look at the future structures of the Communion in the light of decisions taken in the Episcopal Church (USA) and in the Anglican Church of Canada.
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The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has announced the makeup and the terms of reference for a Commission to look at life in the Anglican Communion in the light of recent events. It is to be made up of members appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury and will be chaired by the Most Revd Robin Eames, Archbishop of Armagh.

The Commission, which is expected to begin its work early in the New Year, was formed as a result of a request from the recent Primates meeting at Lambeth Palace to the Archbishop of Canterbury. It will take particular account of the decision to authorise a service for use in connection with same sex unions in the Diocese of New Westminster, Canada, and the expected Consecration of the Revd Canon V Gene Robinson as Bishop Co-adjutor of New Hampshire in the Episcopal Church (USA) on Sunday, November 2nd.
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I returned home from our meeting at Lambeth grateful for the spirit of candor in which we shared our thoughts and feelings. I thank God for the opportunity to come together in Christ’s name and for the strong bonds and mutual affection that exist between us. I pray that our common commitment to mission and God’s ongoing work of reconciliation will continue to bind us together in Christ in the days and years ahead. I remind myself that the church is not our possession but the risen body of Christ of which each one of us is a limb and member in virtue of our baptism.

As I tried to make plain in the course of our meeting, we in the Episcopal Church have been dealing openly with the place of homosexual persons in the life of our church for at least thirty years. Though the question still remains unresolved, the presence among us of deeply faithful men and women whose lives reveal the fruit of the Spirit, and whose primary affections are ordered to persons of the same sex, has brought us to this difficult, and very public, moment. I recognize that while many in our church give thanks for where we have come, many others are deeply pained and distressed. I further recognize how our decisions have also affected you and I hope you know how profoundly I regret the pain our Province’s action has caused many of you.
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At the final press conference at the end of the Primates’ Meeting yesterday, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, USA, gave the following statement:

“I’d certainly like to underscore the Archbishop’s point about it being a difficult but truthful meeting. I think one thing that became very clear early on is that we seek to embody and proclaim the Gospel in very different contexts and what may, in fact, be good news to a majority in one province may, in fact, be bad news somewhere else in the world. And here I think particularly of my own province, the United States in which a majority, though not the whole province, has wrestled with the whole question of homosexuality for at least the last 30 years and come to a sense that men and women whose affections are ordered to members of the same sex are faithful members of the church; are people with whom we share ministry; are people we in many instances ordain, which of course has led to the confirmation of the election of the Bishop Elect of New Hampshire, which has caused such a division and certainly been one of the major focuses of our meeting here. But I do think what binds us together is deeper than some of the things that divide us and certainly the whole question of human sexuality; more particularly homosexuality; is far from settled and as we continue to struggle together I think it’s also important, as the Archbishop said, that we keep our focus on the mission we share because there is so much in the world that cries out for our attention beyond issues of human sexuality.
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The Primates of the Anglican Communion and the Moderators of the United Churches, meeting together at Lambeth Palace on the 15th and 16th October, 2003, wish to express our gratitude to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, for calling us together in response to recent events in the Diocese of New Westminster, Canada, and the Episcopal Church (USA), and welcoming us into his home so that we might take counsel together, and to seek to discern, in an atmosphere of common prayer and worship, the will and guidance of the Holy Spirit for the common life of the thirty-eight provinces which constitute our Communion.

At a time of tension, we have struggled at great cost with the issues before us, but have also been renewed and strengthened in our Communion with one another through our worship and study of the Bible. This has led us into a deeper commitment to work together, and we affirm our pride in the Anglican inheritance of faith and order and our firm desire to remain part of a Communion, where what we hold in common is much greater than that which divides us in proclaiming Good News to the world.
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VATICAN CITY, MAR 4, 2003 (VIS) – After a preliminary meeting in Jerusalem on June 5, 2002, high ranking delegations of the Holy See’s Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews and of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel met in Grottaferrata near Rome, February 23-27, 2003, according to a joint communiqué made public yesterday afternoon
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A vision for the most inclusive Christian organization ever in the United States advanced dramatically when a diverse group of 46 national church leaders agreed Jan. 29, 2003, on a concrete proposal to take back to their church bodies for consideration.
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Amsterdam – May 23, 2002: Delegates of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches met with representatives and leaders of some classical Pentecostal churches in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, May 16-23, 2002. This meeting started what is expected to be the second cycle of dialogue to which both groups have committed themselves in order to build upon areas of common faith and witness while seeking to overcome tensions in other aspects of church life. The report of the first round was published under the title “Word and Spirit, Church and World”, the theme of this cycle is “Experience in Christian Faith and Life”.
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The joint commission, appointed by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity of the Roman Catholic Church and by the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, held its annual session at Mondo Migliore in Castel Gandolfo, near Rome, Italy, from September 13 to 19, 2000. This was the third session of the third round of this international bilateral dialogue. The report of the first round, 1970-1977, was entitled The Presence of Christ in Church and World, and that of the second, 1984-1989, Towards a Common Understanding of the Church.
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Thirty representatives from throughout the world gathered from 9-11 September 2000 at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California, to explore the idea of a Global Christian Forum that would include a wide spectrum of churches and organisations. Those present came from Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Anglican, Reformation Protestant, Pentecostal and Evangelical churches as well as Christian networks and
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Rev. Dr Setri Nyomi, general secretary of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, has written to Cardinal Edward Cassidy, head of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, to express “disappointment and dismay” following the publication this week of Dominus Iesus, a declaration by the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
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The dialogue between Anglicans and Lutherans on the worldwide level has been underway in varying formats since 1970. Prominent among the reports produced by this dialogue are The Niagara Report (1987), focusing on the mission of the church and the role of the ordained ministry, and The Diaconate as an Ecumenical Opportunity (1995), which concluded the work of the Anglican-Lutheran International Commission.
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1. A theological consultation between Evangelicals and Catholics took place from 7-13 November 1999. Jointly sponsored by the World Evangelical Fellowship‘s Theological Commission and the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, the meeting took place at the George Williams Campus of Aurora University, Williams Bay, Wisconsin, USA. It followed on from two previous consultations between WEF and Catholic Church representatives, held in 1993 in Venice, Italy and in 1997 at the Tantur Ecumenical Institute near Jerusalem. [Note: The World Evangelical Fellowship (WEF) changed its name to World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) in 2000.]

2. The Williams Bay meeting sought to deepen mutual understanding and respect between Evangelicals and Catholics, using the occasion to hear how each understood one another’s traditions, convictions and concerns. More particularly its aim was to face misunderstandings that put stumbling blocks in the way of the Good News being proclaimed and heard.

Four papers were prepared for the consultation. On the theme of koinonia (fellowship or communion) two papers were discussed: “An Evangelical Perspective on Church Koinonia” by Henri Blocher and “The Church as Communion: A Catholic Perspective,” by Avery Dulles. Later discussion of evangelization and common witness and their difficulties began on the basis of a paper by M. Daniel Carroll R., “The Evangelical-Roman Catholic Dialogue: Issues Revolving around Evangelization. A View from Latin America” and one by Thomas Stransky, “Religious Freedom, Christian Witness and Proselytism.”
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[CHICAGO | ELCA News] Talks between the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas have arrived at “A Lutheran-Orthodox Common Statement on Faith in the Holy Trinity.” The 13-paragraph communique explains the emphasis of both traditions on the Nicene Creed and draws attention to a
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