Ecumenism

I wanted to share this article, and it occurred to me that we don't have a thread to discuss Christian ecumenism, so voila, I've started this one. Ecumenism is dear to my heart as the churches in Sudan discerned as far back as the 1960s that in the face of Arabising Islamist regimes, they needed to work together. For them it wasn't so much a theological imperative as a practical one. As one protestant church leader put it succinctly when asked about denominational differences, "Our denomination is survival!" - praxis theology in action, and very much in line with the broader theological move towards ecumenism. I could write much more about ecumenism, but I'll wait and see if others wish to join in.

Meanwhile: More Protestants in Congress on Theology Mean “a more fruitful dialogue”: Baptist Minister (ACI Africa)

Inviting more Protestant Christians in future Pan-African Catholic Congresses on Theology, Society, and Pastoral Life would expand participants’ perspectives, boiling down to “a more fruitful dialogue”, a Baptist Minister who participated in the July 19-22 Congress in Nairobi has said... Rev. John Chan said in reference to a future Catholic Congress, “Coming from a Protestant side, maybe I don't know if there is another one in the future, if it could also expand to include other Protestant members, even from the African Protestant churches.” “I'm sure it would be a fruitful dialogue this way,” Rev. Chan said, and added, “I think there's a lot of dialogue and cooperation that's possible in the very practical access level”...

Ecumenical solidarity, and dialogue with protestant theologians, is not a threat to Roman Catholicism, it is an asset. I have certainly been inspired by many of the protestant Christians with whom I have worked over the last few decades. "May they all be one, just as, Father, you are in me and I am in you, so that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe it was you who sent me... With me in them and you in me, may they be so perfected in unity that the world will recognise that it was you who sent me and that you have loved them as you have loved me" (John 17:21, 23).

Christ's church will be one and the false prophet will create the other. The false church will be worldly, ecumenical, and global. It will be a world parliament of churches, it will have its judas iscariot, and Satan will recruit from among our bishops....JMJ....

>2 brone: You might want to review Part One, Article 9, Paragraph 3. The Church is One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic of the Catechism of the Catholic Church

I pray you do so with your heart open.

I am all for Ecumenism, tonight I go to RCIA classes for that very reason. The Ecumenism I object to is the Ecumenical correct form they got out these days, scholarly detachment dictates that we can criticize our own faith but tread softly when discussing others, especially when the reformation becomes a subject....JMJ....

>4 brone:

I can't say I'm familiar with that sort of "scholarly detachment". My experience of ecumenism has been very practical and down to earth, a lived experience, where we don't worry about each other's theologies and especially not the Reformation, but get on with the business of living, loving, serving and ministering together in a situation of war, oppression and suffering. As one leading South Sudanese churchman says, "Our denomination is survival!"

Or, moving the topic beyond ecumenism to interfaith, as a progressive Muslim imam in South Africa said to a visiting Sudanese ecumenical church delegation twenty years ago, "Let's not talk about theology, because we'll disagree; let's rather explore how we can work together for peace, justice and human rights". Or Buddhist monks from Tibet and Benedictine monks from the USA, who told me, "When we talk about theology, we appear to have nothing in common. When we share our experiences of prayer, meditation and contemplation, we are speaking the same language ".

Regarding criticism, I think self-criticism is usually more valid than criticism of others. We know ourselves better than we know others. Their own internal self-criticism is usually more accurate and more effective than that of outsiders. In my experience of ecumenism (and indeed of life), that appears to have been more fruitful.

Many Priests, theologians, lay people, have advocated making concessions to Potestants, Jews, and Muslims. Back in Leo XIII time to wean them over to the "One True Church". Leo condemned this philosphy which was very prevalent in America, he would not yield up any portion of that divine treasure handed down to him, by Christ himself. Today's philosophy is ambiguous you just can't put your finger on it....JMJ.... Queen of Heaven Pray for Us.

Leo XIII condemned making concessions and would not yield up any portion of the divine treasure handed down to him by Christ. Fast forward a hundred years or so and we have the nonsense proclaimed to the world from the illuminatti capital of the world Astana. PF declares "man is the way for all religions". Confusion.ambiguity, wokeness, and A "final" declaration by the world 7th congress of globalists, The final declaration had to be revised after someone with a brain read it. It was read publicly while the revised version is on some website somewhere. So much for the declaration being final regardless both versions are an utter disaster as far as genunine Catholic Theology goes. The head of the UN, EU. Klaus Swarb, Biden communists, could have read this declaration from their pagan pulpits and been hailed as eccumenical....AMDG....Our Lasy of Fatima Pray For Us.

>7 brone:

That post doesn't make much sense to me. Pope Leo XIII is right; ecumenism is not about "making concessions". What has "the nonsense proclaimed to the world from the illuminatti capital of the world Astana" got to do with anything (and what on earth is it)? I would like to see the context in which Pope Francis said, "man is the way for all religions"; can you give a citation for where you found that, please. What is "wokeness" and what has it to do with ecumenism? What is "the world 7th congress of globalists"? Telling us that something which you don't name nor explain is "on some website somewhere" and is "an utter disaster as far as genuine Catholic Theology goes" is not very helpful as we really have no idea what you are talking about and can't search for it. Who is Klaus Swarb? I've googled and found a Klaus Schwab, who is a multi-millionnaire capitalist; what has he or indeed the heads of the UN and EU got to do with ecumenism? What are "Biden communists" and what have they got to do with ecumenism?

>7 brone:, >8 John5918: Pope Francis said, "man is the way for all religions"

Ah, finally found it after several attempts! You could have saved us the wait by citing a link. It is from APOSTOLIC JOURNEY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS to KAZAKHSTAN (13 - 15 SEPTEMBER 2022) READING OF THE FINAL DECLARATION AND CONCLUSION OF THE CONGRESS ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS "Palace of Independence" (Nur-Sultan) Thursday, 15 September 2022. The short text which you have cherry-picked is part of a paragraph which includes:

What is our point of convergence? Pope John Paul II, who visited Kazakhstan twenty-one years ago this very month, stated that “for the Church all ways lead to man” and that man is “the way for the Church” (Redemptor Hominis, 14). I would like to say that today man is also the way for all the religions. Yes, man, men and women, concrete human beings, weakened by the pandemic, worn out by war, wounded by indifference! Human beings, frail and marvelous creatures, who, “once God is forgotten, are left in darkness” (SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 36) and apart from others cannot survive!

It is an affirmation of the importance of God and of religion for the whole of humanity, and as far as I can see contains no "confusion, ambiguity, wokeness". It's also part of a whole speech emphasising the dignity of the human person, warning against "pseudo-religious terrorism, extremism, radicalism and nationalism, dressed up in religious garb", testifying to the two religious principles of transcendence and fraternity, and emphasising three key words - peace, women and the young.

This quote is also referenced on a number of websites including Pope in Kazakhstan: “Man is the way for all the religions” (Mother of God), Francis at Interreligious Congress: ‘Man is the Way for All Religions’ (Novus Ordo Watch) and BERGOGLIO CALLS FOR “AUTHENTIC RELIGIOSITY” IN INTERRELIGIOUS CONGRESS. BERGOGLIO PROMOTES RELIGIOUS INDIFFERENTISM AND MASONIC UNIVERSAL FRATERNITY IN THE COVEN OF RELIGIONS IN KAZAKHSTAN (Gloria TV). One can form one's own judgement about a so-called Catholic website which refers to the Holy Father as "Bergoglio" and contains links to discredited conspiracy theories about 9/11, COVID, NASA, the World Economic Forum and others. Another Novus Ordo Watch article, Not So Final after all: ‘Final Declaration’ of Interreligious Congress gets quietly revised after Conference is over, is apparently the source of your reference to the “Illuminati capital of the world Astana" (you are aware that the Illuminati doesn't exist and that it is a conspiracy theory, aren't you?) My google search for "Man is the way for all religions" also turned up a Twitter post claiming to speak for the "the true Roman Catholic religion" which says the Holy Father is a "false pope".

Incidentally, the Final Declaration of the Seventh Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions is well worth a read.

Here's another picked cherry for ya. PF has said , it his conviction that"in a synodal church greater light can be shed on the exercise of the Patrine Primacy" In an upcoming lecture series in Jan at the Vatican non catholic theologians will focus on a more of a "cultural dimension" of the apostle Peter....AMDG....

Pope tells patriarch Catholics are ready for a common Easter date (NCR)

Meeting the U.S.-born patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, Pope Francis expressed his hope that Christians of the East and West could finally agree on a common date for celebrating Easter. "Let us have the courage to put an end to this division that at times makes us laugh" with the ridiculous possibility that Christians could ask each other, "When does your Christ rise again?" the pope told Catholicos Awa III, the patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East...

In 1983 I missed Easter completely, as I was in Egypt where the Roman Catholic Church followed the Eastern calendar, then I moved to Sudan where we were back on the Roman calendar. As the Holy Father points out, something to laugh about, but nevertheless ridiculous! Mind you, a few years later, participating in the Sunday mass at a remote and isolated outstation chapel in Sudan, I missed Pentecost as the presiding priest had got the dates wrong and thought we were still on the last Sunday of Easter.

In the town we used to live in, one of the doctors was an Egyptian immigrant. He was always on duty for western Christmas, and took Orthodox Christmas off while his Austrian colleagues took duty. It worked well.

Restoration of Christian Unity "an urgent priority in today’s world": Pope Francis (ACI Africa)

Pope Francis said Wednesday that the full restoration of communion among all Christians is “an urgent priority in today’s world.” In a letter to the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, the pope expressed gratitude that Catholic and Orthodox Christians are seeking “to achieve full communion that will enable us one day, in God’s time, to gather together at the same eucharistic table.” “The full restoration of communion among all the believers in Jesus Christ is an irrevocable commitment for every Christian, for the ‘unity of all’ (Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom) is not only God’s will but an urgent priority in today’s world,” Pope Francis said on Nov. 30...

Pope Francis gives Greek Orthodox archbishop fragments of Parthenon sculptures from Vatican Museums (CNA)

Pope Francis has decided to give the Greek Orthodox archbishop of Athens three fragments of Parthenon sculptures that have been kept in the Vatican Museums for centuries. The Vatican announced on Dec. 16 that the pope wants to gift the artifacts to His Beatitude Ieronymos II, the Orthodox archbishop of Athens and All Greece, “as a concrete sign of a sincere desire to continue on the ecumenical journey of witness to the truth”...

SOUTH SUDAN: Ecumenical Pilgrimage of Peace to Enhance Unity, says SSCC Ahead of Pope’s Visit (AMECEA)

Prior to Pope Francis and other church leaders’ visit to South Sudan in the month of February, members of South Sudan Council of Churches (SSCC) have noted that the Ecumenical Pilgrimage of Peace will enhance unity among various denominations and ethnic divides in the country. In a recent statement shared with AMECEA Online announcing the pilgrimage, representatives from various churches including Archbishop Stephen Ameyu Mulla of the Catholic Archdiocese of Juba said, “This Ecumenical Pilgrimage of Peace that brings together the global Church Leaders for the first time in history, will support and encourage the continued unity of Churches for the good of the nation across denominations, political and ethnic divides.” They continued highlighting that it is “a unity which may portray a peaceful South Sudan; a unity which will show that reconciliation and forgiveness are possible and that relationships can be transformed.” The Church officials noted in their message that the upcoming joint visit to the world’s youngest nation by the global Church leaders of the Catholic, Anglican Communion and Presbyterian family will make the pilgrimage from 3rd to 5th February 2023 “to inspire and call for Love, Hope, Peace, Justice, Forgiveness, Reconciliation and Unity.” The global Church leaders include His Holiness Pope Francis, The Most Rev. Dr. Justin Welby Archbishop of Canterbury, and Rt. Rev. Dr. lain Greenshields Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland...

Inter-faith relations rather than strictly ecumenism, but the two are not unconnected.

S. Sudan named model of religious diversity in Sub-Saharan Africa (Eye Radio)

South Sudan has been named as the preferable model of religious diversity and tolerance between religious communities in the Sub-Saharan Africa. This is according to the Secretary-General of the Islamic Council of South Sudan Dr. Abdallah Baraj Rwal... “Everyone believed that the state of South Sudan would witness religious persecution because of the suffering of the southerners in Sudan from the Muslim regimes in Sudan, but the religious communities in South Sudan reflect the spirit of tolerance and brotherhood among them”... According to the Program for Christians-Muslim Relations in Africa, South Sudanese Christians and Muslims have played a key role in peace-building in the country.

“A historic visit”: Archbishop of Canterbury on Ecumenical Trip to South Sudan (ACI Africa)

The Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has said the planned ecumenical visit to be undertaken alongside Pope Francis and the Moderator of the Church of Scotland, Iain Greenshields later this week is “historic”... “This will be a historic visit,” he says, and adds, “After centuries of division, leaders of three different parts of the Church are coming together in an unprecedented way, and in so doing are seeking to be part of answering another prayer – Jesus’ prayer – that his followers might be one – "ut unum sint" (John: 17)”... “Our visit is a Pilgrimage of Peace. We come as servants – to listen to and amplify the cries of the South Sudanese people, who have suffered so much and continue to suffer because of conflict, devastating flooding, widespread famine and much more.” “Over the past three years and even since July, violence has intensified in many parts of the country,” he laments the violent conflicts in South Sudan. Archbishop Welby expresses optimism, saying, “We hope to review and renew the commitments made by South Sudanese leadership at the Vatican in 2019, and the commitments they have made to their people since then”. “We come as brothers in Christ to worship together and witness to the God who reconciles us”...

The Pope and the archbishop on historic peace mission to South Sudan (BBC)

There has never been a visit like it and it has been years in the planning. A Pope and an Archbishop of Canterbury make a foreign trip together for the first time in history, joined by the most senior figure in the Church of Scotland. "This will be a historic visit. After centuries of division, leaders of three different parts of the Church are coming together in an unprecedented way," says the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. Their mission is to bring hope and to encourage leaders to find a lasting peace in South Sudan...

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-64509799

"My feet are sore, but I am not so tired. When the spirit is with you, you do not get tired," NightRose Falea said as she licked her cracked, dry lips.

She is one of a group who walked for nine days to see the pope.

I've quoted a different part of the following article in the Nonviolence thread, but it is so rich that this part deserves to be posted her too:

Those Who Choose Christ Choose Peace: Pope Francis at Ecumenical Prayer Service in S.Sudan (ACI Africa)

The pontiff said that South Sudanese Christians have been deeply committed to promoting reconciliation during these conflicts and thanked them for “this radiant testimony of faith.” Despite divisions, “there remains one unchanging fact, namely, that we are Christians; we belong to Christ.” He said that Christianity continues to be a “factor of unity” and praised South Sudan’s ecumenical tradition as “a precious treasure” and an example “for the advancement of Christian unity” for everyone...

It's perhaps worth making a standalone post to emphasise that this is the first time ever in history that a Catholic pope has made such a pilgrimage with Anglican and Reformed church leaders. A historic occasion indeed.

Here are links to some of the key speeches and homilies made by the three ecumenical leaders in South Sudan.

From Pope Francis:

- MEETING WITH AUTHORITIES, CIVIL SOCIETY AND THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS, 03/02/23 (https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/february/documents/20230203-autorita-sudsudan.html)

- MEETING WITH BISHOPS, PRIESTS, DEACONS, CONSECRATED PERSONS AND SEMINARIANS, 04/02/23
(https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/february/documents/20230204-clero-sudsudan.html)

- MEETING WITH INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS, 04/02/23
(https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/february/documents/20230204-sfollati-sudsudan.html)

- ECUMENICAL PRAYER, 04/02/23
(https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/february/documents/20230204-preghieraecumenica-sudsudan.html)

- HOLY MASS - HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS, 05/02/23
(https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2023/documents/20230205-omelia-sudsudan.html)

From Archbishop Justin Welby:

https://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/speaking-writing/speeches/archbishop-urge...

https://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/speaking-writing/archbishop-justin-preach...

https://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/speaking-writing/speeches/archbishop-just...

Rt Rev Dr Iain Greenshields' homily is at
https://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/news-and-events/news/2023/articles/moderator...

Vatican blames ‘failure in communication’ for Anglican service in pope’s church in Rome (Vatican News)

About 50 Anglican clergymen, who are not in communion with the Catholic Church, took part in religious services at the highest-ranking papal basilica in Rome on Tuesday, April 18. The Vatican later released a statement of regret, attributing the incident to a failure in communication... The Anglican service was celebrated at the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran in Rome, which is the oldest basilica in Rome and the official seat of the bishop of Rome, the pope...

What seems strange to me is why anyone would think this is a problem or a cause for "regret". All over the world Christian denominations from time to time use the churches of other denominations. It could have been a nice ecumenical gesture if some jobsworth in the Vatican hadn't stuck their oar in after the event.