Vous auriez souhaité participer à la conférence qui se tiendra du 9 au 16 mai à Athènes, sur le thème de la guérison et la réconciliation, mais vous ne pourrez pas être présent ? Participez sur Internet ! Voici comment : * Suivez les sessions plénières en direct en vidéo sur Internet. * Regardez les
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As Christian leaders in Saskatoon we are hearing with deep concern the report of the impending closure of the College of Emmanuel and St. Chad, the Anglican theological college in Saskatoon. Theological education on the University of Saskatchewan campus has been a beacon of hope for prairie communities through the cooperation of Anglican, Lutheran and
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Genève — En félicitant le pape nouvellement élu, le secrétaire général du Conseil œcuménique des Eglises (COE), le pasteur Samuel Kobia, a prié pour un “engagement renouvelé” en faveur de “l’ouverture œcuménique” et pour “un dialogue de conversion.” Décrivant Benoît XVI comme un homme “connu pour son intégrité théologique et sa loyauté ecclésiale, sa simplicité
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Geneva — In congratulating the newly-elected pope, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia prayed for “renewed commitment” to “ecumenical openess” and “a dialogue of conversion.” Describing Benedict XVI as a man “known for his theological integrity and ecclesial loyalty, his evangelical simplicity and pastoral sensitivity,” Kobia expressed his hope that his
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For all the Vatican’s increasingly enlightened view of women’s role in the world, prejudice still prevents many from participating fully within Catholicism. Changing that needs to be high on the next pope’s agenda

Last week I stood in a pew at Westminster Cathedral watching the procession to the altar for Solemn Vespers for Pope John Paul II. It was an impressive, dignified sight, with Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, the bishops of Westminster diocese, priests, ecumenical and interfaith guests, and the choir gathering for a service to commemorate John Paul II. Both the procession and the service could be perceived as a metaphor for the Church and its relationship with women. The voice of a woman was heard just once, reading a bidding prayer and the reader, a cleric from another denomination, was one of just two females in the procession. The other was a young teenage altar server. The congregation, however, was different: I would estimate that more than half the people attending were women.
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CHICAGO (ELCA) — Benjamin J. Dueholm received a $500 grant toward his tuition at the University of Chicago Divinity School for his essay, “Separated by a Common Faith: Dialogue and Proclamation in Light of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification.” The Lutheran Ecumenical Representatives Network (LERN) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
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Le personnel du Centre Canadien d’œcuménisme partage le deuil des fidèles et des gens de bonne volonté du monde entier en rendant grâce à Dieu pour la vie et l’oeuvre de Sa Sainteté Jean-Paul II, qui nous a quittés samedi passé. Nous sommes surtout reconnaissants pour les nombreuses instances d’appui que le Saint Père a fournies
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The staff of the Canadian Centre for Ecumenism share the sorrow of the faithful and people of goodwill around the world in thanking God for the life and work of His Holiness John Paul II, who left us last Saturday. We are especially grateful for the many occasions of encouragement which the Holy Father gave to
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The full text of the tribute paid by WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia to Pope John Paul II, highlighting some of the specific achievements of his pontificate, is available from the WCC website. Pope John Paul II has been among the most outstanding personalities during these last decades, with an impact far beyond the Roman
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Le texte complet du tribut rendu par le secrétaire général du COE, le pasteur Samuel Kobia, au pape Jean-Paul II est dans le site web du COE. Ce texte met en évidence certains aboutissements de ce pontificat. Le pape Jean-Paul II a été l’une des personnalités les plus marquantes de ces dernières décennies, et son influence a
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Exprimant la profonde sympathie du Conseil œcuménique des Eglises (COE) à la suite de l’annonce par le Saint Siège de la mort ce jour de sa sainteté le pape Jean-Paul II, le pasteur Samuel Kobia, secrétaire général du COE a déclaré: “Sa Sainteté le pape Jean-Paul II restera dans les mémoires comme l’un des chefs spirituels les
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Expressing the profound sadness of the World Council of Churches (WCC) following the announcement by the Holy See of the death of His Holiness Pope John Paul II today, the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia stated that: “His Holiness Pope John Paul II will be remembered as one of the most courageous spiritual leaders of
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Faith played a vital role in the lives of our forebears. As villages were established across Saskatchewan, various denominations sprang up with them. It is this aspect of the province’s centennial that Christian church leaders want to celebrate. Rev. Allan Grundahl is head of a committee planning a Celebration of Christian Faith in Saskatoon. “This
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Communion is sign of unity, but often it leaves people feeling excluded, on the outside of the community of the faithful. In the fifth of our series, a Benedictine monk seeks a theological basis for a pastoral re-examination of the problem
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“Ministering together when we are small and scattered…” That is how retired Presbyterian minister Jim McKay paraphrased the thrust of the upcoming Collaborative Ministries Conference being hosted by the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism. Marie Klombies puts it this way: “The purpose of the conference is to bring together people in Christian ministry — ordained, lay
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The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is celebrated worldwide from January 18 to 25 each year. In Canada, the observance is slightly modified to span the week during which January 25 falls. This allows for two Sundays to observe the week. In Saskatoon (Saskatchewan) where I live, we have a long tradition of early
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Two churches examine shared ministries: Anglican dialogue with United Church began in 2003 by Solange De Santis, Anglican Journal Nearly 30 years after the Anglican and United churches broke off merger talks, the two denominations are again discussing closer ties – but a merger is not on the table. “It’s still in an exploratory phase,
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The Christian Churches face a crisis in ecumenism. Before rapprochement with other faiths becomes possible, they must overcome their own differences

There are four areas which are crucial to Christianity within the next 20 years and which have to be faced by all Christians. They will certainly be among the main challenges facing the next pope.

The first is the de-christianisation of Europe. How extraordinary that in the space of 50 years the secularist culture of Europe should have gained such sway, especially at a time when, around the world, the Enlightenment prediction that religion would become merely a private affair seems to have been so misplaced. The rise of an assertive Islam, with all its huge challenges, speaks for itself, as does the new popularity of religious practice in the former Soviet Union. The crucial 2 per cent or 3 per cent margin which handed victory to President Bush is being attributed to the newly galvanised ranks of evangelical Christians in the United States. In Africa, Asia and Latin America, the Churches are expanding fast. Even in our old, tired Europe, religious belief is exerting a new fascination among the young, as is evident in the increased take-up of RE at A-level and theology at university.
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National Council of Churches General Secretary Bob Edgar welcomed the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ decision Nov. 17 to join Christian Churches Together in the U.S.A. (CCT), an effort to bring Catholics, evangelical and mainline Protestants, and Orthodox Christians around a common table for the first time.
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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 Prairie Centre for Ecumenism has much to celebrate: new premises, a new director, and 20 years of bringing people of faith together. Board member Rev. Hugh Farmer says the location change has been in the works for a while, but the actual move from Second Avenue began in May. PCE‘s new home is the
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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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The Board of Directors of the Canadian Centre for Ecumenism is pleased to announce that Dr. Stuart E. Brown has taken up the duties of Director of the Centre as of the 1st of October. From British Columbia, Dr. Brown holds an MA and a PhD in Islamic Studies from McGill University. In Canada, the United States, England, Switzerland, India, Australia, and numerous African countries, he has taught and written on various aspects of Islam and interfaith dialogue as well as on the history and future of ecumenism.

Dr. Brown was Program Secretary for Christian-Muslim Relations in the Department of Dialogue with People of Living Faiths at the World Council of Churches in Geneva from 1983-1988 and General Secretary of the Canadian Council of Churches from 1988-1993. He is fluent in English, French, and Arabic and reads German, Italian, Spanish, Swahili, and Turkish. Dr. Brown and his wife, Margaret, have four adult children and five grandchildren. His appointment as Director of the Canadian Centre for Ecumenism marks the first time an Anglican or layperson has held this post.
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Le Conseil d’administration du Centre canadien d’œcuménisme est heureux d’annoncer la nomination de M. Stuart E. Brown comme directeur du Centre, il est entré en fonction le 1er octobre. Originaire de Colombie-Britannique, M. Brown détient une maîtrise et un doctorat en études islamiques de l’université McGill de Montréal. Au cours de sa carrière, qui s’est déroulée au Canada ainsi qu’aux États-Unis, en Angleterre, en Suisse, en Inde, en Australie et dans nombre de pays africains, il a enseigné et écrit sur divers aspects de l’Islam et du dialogue interreligieux ainsi que sur l’histoire et l’avenir de l’œcuménisme.

M. Brown a été secrétaire du programme des relations entre chrétiens et musulmans au sein de l’équipe responsable du dialogue interreligieux du Conseil œcuménique deConseil œcuménique des Églises à 1988, et secrétaire général du Conseil canadien des Églises de 1988 à 1993. Il parle couramment l’anglais, le français et l’arabe et lit l’allemand, l’italien, l’espagnol, le swahili et le turc. Sa femme Margaret et lui ont quatre enfants et cinq petits-enfants. M. Brown est le premier anglican et le premier laïc à détenir le poste de directeur du Centre canadien d’œcuménisme.
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Top leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) discussed a wide variety of topics in a meeting here Oct. 14, including the possibility that both could be part of a new round of theological dialogues with the Roman Catholic Church.

The subject was discussed in the Committee on Lutheran Cooperation (CLC), hosted here by the ELCA. Participants included the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, and the Rev. Gerald B. Kieschnick, LCMS president, St. Louis.

The Rev. Randall R. Lee, director, ELCA Department for Ecumenical Affairs, and assistant to the presiding bishop, reported on the ELCA’s church-to-church dialogues, including the recently concluded 10th round of the Lutheran-Roman Catholic dialogue in the United States. The two churches released a statement this year, “The Church as Koinonia of Salvation: Its Structures and Ministries.” A proposed topic for the next round of talks is “Hope for Eternal Life,” Lee said.

“Regardless of the topic, we are interested in being full participants in the discussion [in the next round],” said the Rev. Samuel H. Nafzger, executive director, LCMS Commission on Theology and Church Relations.
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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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The Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification — a significant document for Lutherans and Catholics signed in 1999 in Augsburg, Germany — “should not remain a paper and a ‘dead’ letter,” said Cardinal Walter Kasper. The document “must become known, lived out and become a reality in the body of the church,” he said.

Kasper, president, Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, The Vatican, made the comment in an Oct. 2 address to the Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The Conference of Bishops is an advisory body of the church, consisting of the church’s 65 synod bishops, presiding bishop and secretary. It met here Sept. 30-Oct. 4. ELCA synod vice presidents, meeting here simultaneously with the conference, met with the bishops Oct. 2.

Cardinal Kasper’s visit was in recognition of the 5th anniversary of the signing of the Joint Declaration on Oct. 31, 1999. Kasper also noted this is also the 40th anniversary year of the Second Vatican Council, convened by Pope John XXIII. “Vatican II” marked a fundamental shift toward the modern Catholic Church and emphasized ecumenism.
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by Jana G. Pruden, Regina Leader Post [Lumsden, SK] On a day that celebrates the life of St. Francis of Assisi, four Christian church groups came together in an agreement that would have made him proud. Representatives of the Anglican Church, Roman Catholic Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church and Franciscan Friars met Monday on St. Francis’s
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Sister Katherine MacDonald, or Sister Kay, sees herself as moving gently into retirement, no small feat for a woman whose 70-plus years of Christian service and achievement could fill a book. MacDonald was born and educated in Saskatoon. She earned a B.Ed. and a BA in History and English at the U of S, and
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La 5e déclaration commune produite par la Commission internationale mixte anglicane-catholique romaine, consacrée à la place de Marie dans la vie et la doctrine de l’Église et aux dogmes mariaux de l’Immaculée conception et de l’Assomption, a été soumise pour approbation au Conseil pontifical pour la promotion de l’unité des chrétiens, à l’archevêque de Cantorbéry,
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The Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission has produced a new document on the Blessed Virgin Mary that it hopes will advance the cause of communion. The Commission submitted the document entitled “Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ” to the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and to the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury together with the Anglican
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Les Églises canadiennes ont lancé une campagne en vue de sensibiliser l’opinion publique à la violence perpétrée contre les femmes autochtones. Selon les estimations, cinq cent d’entre elles ont disparu ou ont été assassinées au Canada ces vingt dernières années. La campagne Sisters in Spirit était lancée dans la capitale canadienne, Ottawa, le 22 mars,
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A campaign to raise public awareness about violence against Aboriginal women, an estimated five hundred of whom have disappeared over the past twenty years, has been launched by Canadian churches. Called Sisters in Spirit, the campaign was inaugurated in Canada’s capital, Ottawa, on 22 March by the United and Anglican Churches, and the Native Women’s
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Ouest « Ombre et lumière : les relations œcuméniques dans un contexte intérimaire » était le titre d’une conférence donnée le 29 avril au Campion College de Regina par Don Bolen, prêtre catholique de l’archidiocèse de Regina et membre du personnel du Conseil pontifical pour la promotion de l’unité chrétienne à Rome. La conférence était
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West Light and Shadows: Ecumenical Relations in an Interim Context was the title of a lecture given April 29 at Campion College in Regina by Rev. Dan Bolen, a priest of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Regina who is currently on the Staff of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity in Rome. The talk
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From September 30th until October 4th, The Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia, General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, will be paying his first official visit to the churches of Canada.

Dr. Kobia will begin his visit in Winnipeg where he will give a public lecture on the topic of ‘Ecumenism in the 21st century’ at the University of Winnipeg. In the afternoon of September 30th he will meet with aboriginal leaders.

In Toronto, Dr. Kobia will meet with various church houses and speak at a dinner for the church leaders of Canada. On Saturday, October 2nd, he will give the theme address at a public lecture, at 10:00 a.m., sponsored by Toronto School of Theology and the Canadian Centre for Ecumenism at Emmanuel College, Toronto School of Theology. The topic of his address will be ‘The Impact of Inter-Faith Relationships on the Theology and Practice of Classical Ecumenism’.
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Le Rév. Samuel Kobia, secrétaire général du ConsConseil œcuménique des Églises parmi nous du 30 septembre au 4 octobre; il s’agira de sa première visite officielle aux Églises du Canada.

M. Kobia se rendra d’abord à Winnipeg, où il prononcera une allocution publique sur le thème de « l’œcuménisme au 21e siècle » à l’université de Winnipeg. L’après-midi du 30 septembre, il rencontrera des dirigeants autochtones.

À Toronto, il rencontrera diverses organsations ecclésiales et prendra la parole lors d’un dîner pour les dirigeants des Églises canadiennes. Le samedi 2 octobre à 10 heures, il prononcera l’allocution thématique lors d’une conférence publique parrainée par la Toronto School of Theology et le Centre canadien d’œcuménisme à Emmanuel College, Toronto School of Theology. Son allocution aura pour thème « L’impact des relations interreligieuses sur la théologie et la pratique de l’œcuménisme classique.»

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Rome’s new document on men and women shows that feminists and the Church have more in common than perhaps either realises, but Catholic theology has yet to describe the sacramental nature of women.
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[ACNS 3847] The International Commission of the Anglican-Orthodox Theological Dialogue met in the International Study Centre, Canterbury Cathedral, in the United Kingdom, from Monday, June 21st – Friday, June 25th, 2004. The Commission is composed of representatives of the Orthodox Churches and of the Anglican Communion. The Dialogue began its work by exploring theological and
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The Ninth Biennial Assembly was a significant moment in the 120-year history of the Deaconess Community of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). After more than a year without a motherhouse or a directing deaconess, the community met May 14-17 here at the Cenacle Retreat House and elected Sister E. Anne Keffer to a four-year term as its directing deaconess.

The Deaconess Community is a community of lay women consecrated by the church to a ministry of Word and service. Sisters in the community work in a variety of settings such as health care, Christian education and social services.

Deaconesses are theologically trained and professionally prepared for their careers. They are called to ministry by congregations and synods of the ELCA and Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC).
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The Anglican Consultative Council and the Lutheran World Federation, in accordance with the resolutions of the Twelfth Meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council in Hong Kong in September 2002, and the commitments of the Tenth Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation in Winnipeg in July 2003, approve the establishment of a new Anglican-Lutheran International Commission (ALIC), with the following mandate.
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Hello, I am looking for a volunteer translator to assist with English to French translation or proof-reading of the website. The tasks are not onerous. We are interested in translating small sections of the site at a time. A few paragraphs here or there. Eventually, we hope that all of the shared sections of the
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Blogs, or weblogs, are one of the most flexible of the new internet toys available. Using a blog, I or any other member of the blog can post notes of interest for our readers. The readers, in their turn, can post comments and links to each of the blog notes, beginning a dialogue of sorts
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POSITION AVAILABLE The Canadian Centre for Ecumenism is searching for a Director to begin during the Summer of 2004. QUALIFICATIONS: The successful candidate will be a man or a woman with a well-rounded education, and a solid theological background, sound judgment, leadership ability and a clear vision of the current state of culture and religion
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WCC News flash What should we do after seeing Mel Gibson’s film ‘The Passion of Christ’? That is the question being asked by Rev. Dr Hans Ucko, who specializes in Christian-Jewish dialogue at the World Council of Churches. He discusses the impact of our reactions to this controversial film in an opinion piece published in
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In an Easter message to member churches, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia expresses his hope that “Christians throughout the world will join in prayer and celebration” as they celebrate Easter on the same date this year, an occurrence he considers a “real gift and blessing”.
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Women are either victims of civil strife or beneficiaries of humanitarian efforts, but they are not full partners or equal participants in the peace process, proclaims Sarah Shteir of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. Shteir was one of several panelists at an ecumenical women’s gathering convened by the World Council of Churches (WCC), the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA and a national women’s peace organization called PEACE X PEACE.
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