United Church approves boycott

The United Church of Canada, the country’s largest Protestant denomination, has approved a recommendation to boycott products produced in Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory. The intent is to bring pressure to bear on the government of Israel to stop expansion of the settlements and end the occupation. The church’s General Council, its senior decision-making body, received the recommendation last week at its meeting in Ottawa. More than 350 elected delegates met for the eight-day event that concluded August 18. The recommendations were approved on August 15 and the policy paper was approved on August 17.
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Posted: August 20, 2012 • Permanent link: ecu.net/?p=2238
Categories: News • In this article: United Church of Canada Transmis : 20 aoüt 2012 • Lien permanente : ecu.net/?p=2238
Catégorie : News • Dans cet article : United Church of Canada

Catholics, United Church find common ground on marriage

While the Catholic Church and the United Church aren’t about to agree about same-sex marriage (Catholic against, United in favour), the official Roman Catholic-United Church of Canada Dialogue has found significant common ground in their theologies, liturgies and pastoral approaches. “In the end it is good news that we were able to say something together on marriage,” said Michael Attridge, a University of St. Michael’s College theology professor who was one of the Catholic representatives on the dialogue. “A very important topic — something that’s very important to both our Churches.” The 23-page final report on marriage makes no change in either Church’s teaching on marriage and does not try to paper over significant differences on same-sex marriage, divorce and marriage as a sacrament. However, by analysing the Catholic and United Church marriage ceremonies and official Church documents, the dialogue found common ground. Both believe marriage must be the free choice of the spouses, is intended to be a lifelong commitment, is “a commitment to self-transcendence” which serves not just the couple but children and the whole community, is a vocation to holiness, and pastorally marriage preparation is important. The Churches decided to tackle marriage in their official dialogue after the United Church and Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops found themselves submitting opposing factums to the Supreme Court in 2004, before the court ruled on the constitutionality of same-sex marriage.
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Posted: January 25, 2013 • Permanent link: ecu.net/?p=7606
Categories: Catholic Register • In this article: Catholic, dialogue, marriage, United Church of Canada Transmis : 25 janvier 2013 • Lien permanente : ecu.net/?p=7606
Catégorie : Catholic Register • Dans cet article : Catholic, dialogue, marriage, United Church of Canada

Roman Catholic and United churches agree on marriage

The meeting of the Roman Catholic-United Church of Canada dialogue group which I attended in October reaffirmed the report on marriage that was submitted to our sponsoring bodies last spring. I have had the pleasure to be a part of this dialogue for the last 5 years as we discussed the often personal topic of marriage and our churches’ policies regarding marriage. What could have been a very confrontational discussion ended up being a wonderful celebration of the ideals of the institution as well as the rites involved in a wedding. Indeed, our two churches have much in common around marriage.
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Posted: February 8, 2013 • Permanent link: ecu.net/?p=2902
Categories: Communiqué • In this article: Canada, Catholic, Christian unity, dialogue, ecumenism, UCC, United Church of Canada Transmis : 8 février 2013 • Lien permanente : ecu.net/?p=2902
Catégorie : Communiqué • Dans cet article : Canada, Catholic, Christian unity, dialogue, ecumenism, UCC, United Church of Canada

United churches seek full communion across the border

The General Secretary of the United Church of Canada, Nora Sanders, has issued a message to the church’s General Council to announce that the General Synod of the United Church of Christ (USA) has accepted the United Church of Canada as an ecumenical partner. The announcement, issued 11 July, follows.
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Posted: July 11, 2013 • Permanent link: ecu.net/?p=6487
Categories: News • In this article: Canada, Christian unity, ecumenism, full communion, united & uniting churches, United Church of Canada, United Church of Christ, USA Transmis : 11 juillet 2013 • Lien permanente : ecu.net/?p=6487
Catégorie : News • Dans cet article : Canada, Christian unity, ecumenism, full communion, united & uniting churches, United Church of Canada, United Church of Christ, USA

Anglican and United churches discuss differences

“Both friendly and intense”—that’s how the Rev. William Harrison describes the latest phase of the dialogue between representatives of the Anglican Church of Canada and the United Church of Canada after the last of three annual meetings wrapped up at the Vancouver School of Theology on Jan. 16.

Harrison, the group’s Anglican co-chair, said the participants from both churches have prepared an interim report, which has to be submitted the Anglican Church of Canada’s Council of General Synod (CoGS) for its next meeting in May before it can be discussed in detail. In the meanwhile, he answered a few questions from the Journal by email about the latest meetings and their progress.

In keeping with a resolution from the 2010 General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada, and with the agreement of the United Church’s Theology and Inter-Church Inter-Faith Committee, these most recent talks have focused on “the doctrinal identities of the two churches and the implications of this for the lives of the churches—including understandings of sacraments and orders of ministry.”

“Both sides have been willing to engage and ask tough questions,” Harrison wrote. “Where the previous phase focused on what we have in common, this phase has been more inclined to recognize differences. The result is that we have challenged one another and ourselves.” The previous dialogue took place over six years and ended in 2009. Those conversations were described in Drawing from the Same Well: The St. Brigid Report.

In spite of those differences, Harrison wrote, “We found that on core theological commitments (as expressed in the Nicene and Apostles’ Creeds, for example) we are really in much the same place, facing common challenges. Our differences on these matters tend to be more in the realm of how we do theology than in the things that we affirm.”
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Posted: February 14, 2014 • Permanent link: ecu.net/?p=7352
Categories: Anglican Journal • In this article: Anglican Church of Canada, Christian unity, dialogue, United Church of Canada Transmis : 14 février 2014 • Lien permanente : ecu.net/?p=7352
Catégorie : Anglican Journal • Dans cet article : Anglican Church of Canada, Christian unity, dialogue, United Church of Canada

United Church moderator sends open letter to LGBTQ community

I am writing today as the spiritual leader of Canada’s largest Protestant denomination, The United Church of Canada. I am also writing as an openly gay man, married to another United Church minister. This introduction may come as a surprise, seeing that so often it is religious leaders who condemn homosexuality, quoting scripture to justify their prejudice.

And so, as we approach this year’s International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia, I want to deliver a different sort of message from a religious leader to all members of the LGBTQ community, whether they are people of faith or not.

It is a message that states unequivocally that not all Christians think the same way; that the hatred, condemnation, and judgment inflicted upon LGBTQ people by some within the Christian church is wrong and does not reflect the sum total of all Christian understanding of gender identity and sexual orientation.

For too long LGBTQ persons have been ostracized because of who they are, and the cost has been tremendous suffering, oppression, and diminishment of their humanity. For this I grieve.

I believe that we are all made in the image of God, wholly good and wholly loved by the Creator. This is why I feel such sadness when I see religious leaders and organizations failing to recognize that reality in every member of the LGBTQ community.
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Posted: May 12, 2014 • Permanent link: ecu.net/?p=7574
Categories: Opinion • In this article: human sexuality, United Church of Canada Transmis : 12 mai 2014 • Lien permanente : ecu.net/?p=7574
Catégorie : Opinion • Dans cet article : human sexuality, United Church of Canada

Anglican-United dialogue to work towards interchangeability of ministries

The Anglican and United Church of Canada dialogue has issued an interim report that proposes “to explore what steps can be taken to make a mutual exchange of ministries between our two churches normative”. As a first step, the dialogue members propose to explore the interchangeability between the order of priests in the Anglican Church and ordained ministers in the United Church. The interim report, prepared in January, has been received by the respective churches and was published May 20. Approving the proposal, the two churches have asked the dialogue to report on its progress in time for the Anglican General Synod in 2016.

The latest “iteration” of the dialogue between the Anglican and United churches began in January 2012. The dialogue was established in 2003 and issued a report in 2009 entitled “Drawing from the Same Well: The St. Brigid Report”. A Plan of Union between the two churches was unsuccessful forty years ago. Central to the concerns in the old Plan of Union was a proposal to reconcile ministries between the two churches with the union church having episcopal orders.
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Posted: May 21, 2014 • Permanent link: ecu.net/?p=7601
Categories: News • In this article: Anglican Church of Canada, dialogue, ministry, ordination, United Church of Canada Transmis : 21 mai 2014 • Lien permanente : ecu.net/?p=7601
Catégorie : News • Dans cet article : Anglican Church of Canada, dialogue, ministry, ordination, United Church of Canada

Anglican-United Church Dialogue meets in Saskatoon

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Posted: January 30, 2015 • Permanent link: ecu.net/?p=7987
Categories: News • In this article: Anglican Church of Canada, dialogue, United Church of Canada Transmis : 30 janvier 2015 • Lien permanente : ecu.net/?p=7987
Catégorie : News • Dans cet article : Anglican Church of Canada, dialogue, United Church of Canada

United Church Asks for Clarity on Meaning of “Zero Tolerance”

In a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, The United Church of Canada has asked for clear reassurance that the government does not intend to limit the democratic rights and freedoms of individuals and organizations opposed to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories.

The church’s letter was prompted by a recent CBC news story that cited the possibility of the government using hate crime laws to clamp down on activities they consider to be singling out Israel for criticism.

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Posted: May 13, 2015 • Permanent link: ecu.net/?p=8315
Categories: News • In this article: Canada, divestment, Israel, Palestine, United Church of Canada Transmis : 13 mai 2015 • Lien permanente : ecu.net/?p=8315
Catégorie : News • Dans cet article : Canada, divestment, Israel, Palestine, United Church of Canada

Response of the Churches to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada

The Anglican Church of Canada, The Presbyterian Church in Canada, the Roman Catholic Entities Parties to the Settlement Agreement, The United Church of Canada and the Jesuits of English Canada make the following statement in response to the findings and Calls to Action issued by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

It is with gratitude and humility that we are here today to speak together as representatives of churches that participated in the operation of Indian Residential Schools. We are grateful to the Commissioners and staff of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada for the commitment with which they have carried out their mandate, and we are humbled in the knowledge that we continue to share a responsibility to ensure that the task of reconciliation does not end today.
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Posted: June 2, 2015 • Permanent link: ecu.net/?p=8618
Categories: Documents • In this article: Anglican Church of Canada, Catholic, Jesuits, Presbyterian Church in Canada, Truth and Reconciliation Commission, United Church of Canada Transmis : 2 juin 2015 • Lien permanente : ecu.net/?p=8618
Catégorie : Documents • Dans cet article : Anglican Church of Canada, Catholic, Jesuits, Presbyterian Church in Canada, Truth and Reconciliation Commission, United Church of Canada