NEWS RELEASE
Mennonite World Conference (MWC)
November 3, 1999
Why did a few Mennonites sit down with several Roman Catholics for seven days of talking – again? From October 12-18, seven Mennonites and six Roman Catholics met for conversation, designed to dispel misunderstandings from the past and to gain a more accurate knowledge about each other in the present. The Mennonites came on behalf of the member churches of Mennonite World Conference (MWC). The Catholics participated at the direction of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (the Vatican).
This was the second get-together of these 13 people. The first of the International Dialogues, held last fall, was hosted by the Mennonites in Strasbourg, France. The Catholics hosted this year’s event in Venice, Italy. This second round permitted the participants to inch past the initial politeness between two parties who know each other only a little, but have reason to suspect each other a lot.
Serious interest in faithfulness and truthful witness brought the two bodies together again for extended conversation. In fact, a growing urgency for Christian unity has propelled these discussions along parallel paths – exploring the often ugly past, and learning from one another now and in the future.
With the advantage of its global view, Mennonite World Conference observes that many of its member churches no longer live in a primarily Christian world. Dr. Nzash Lumeya of Congo, and a member of the Mennonite delegation, teaches among people groups in central Africa who think the Catholics have one God, and the Protestants a different God. “How,” he asked, “can we then witness to the one true God? We all call ourselves Christians. Our divisions and lack of unity as Christians are major deterrents to our witness. In addition, with the rising of Islam in Congo, we understand we must work together as Christians.”
Despite their vast differences in size and style, the Mennonites and Catholics have managed to speak pointedly to each other, and to discover some common ground. “We probed the medieval background to the crisis that developed with the Radical Reformation,” said Helmut Harder of Canada, and co-chairman of the Dialogue.
“One of the questions being faced by the Catholics is how they express grief and sorrow for the thousands of Anabaptists who died at the hands of Christendom hundreds of years ago,” commented Larry Miller of France, and co-secretary of the event. “And yet they can’t assume guilt for something today’s church didn’t do. What ought they to say?
“A fact we Mennonites must face is that we have often repeated and transmitted stereotypes of the Catholic Church,” Miller remarked.
“Together, how do we work at coming to terms with these memories? How do we learn who each is today – and operate more accurately in that regard?”
The two groups have discovered they hold remarkably similar commitments and convictions, at least in some areas, many of them basic and profound.
“We agreed that the Scriptures are foundational for the faith and life of the church; that the church is the visible community of the people of God; that the church’s mission is to bring the good news of salvation to all people; that the teachings and witness of the church has its basis in Jesus Christ; that the chosen leaders are to minister to the church in a servant role; that Christ is present in the world through the church; that both groups have a zeal for the holiness of the church,” summarized Harder.
The conversations were conceived originally to clear up the past and to understand one another better in the present. The get-togethers have also brought somewhat awkward yet beneficial self-discovery for the Mennonites. “We’re having to try to articulate what is the core Anabaptist understanding of our particular identity and history. We are so aware of our diversity,” observed Larry Miller.
The interchange has highlighted another matter Mennonites have frequently dodged. Said Miller, “We say decisive spiritual authority lies in the congregation or conference. But we haven’t solved the problem of what to do when congregations or conferences have decisive disagreement. We don’t have a well-developed theology of unity. Most of our ideas of unity have been fashioned in a Protestant context. Protestants typically say, as we do, that decisive authority is in the congregation or conference. And we don’t push it beyond that.
“The Catholics say decisive authority lies in the council of bishops. We don’t like their answer, but I think we need to do more work on finding one that does make biblical sense to us,” reflected Miller.
The meetings have provoked self-examination and exposed thin spots in theology and practice. They have also provided an opening for interchange at local levels that likely wouldn’t have happened otherwise. Co-chairman Bishop Joseph Martino, based in Philadelphia, reported on conversations with Mennonite bishop Freeman Miller of the same city. Dr. Joan Back of Rome reads MWC’s publication and, she volunteered, “Whenever I see a page in Courier about a country, I send it to our people in that country.” Dr. Mario Higueros of Guatemala experienced a mixed response when he reported to his fellow Mennonites: “Some were astonished, others were skeptical, some were happy. The reaction in Latin America is divided because in many places the situation is still one of confrontation.”
Reflecting his own environment in Paris, Dr. Neal Blough of the Mennonite delegation remarked, “I hope that as a result of our conversations, there will be better relationships and mutual understanding between Mennonites and Catholics throughout the world, especially where Mennonites are a very small minority in a Catholic context – Latin America, ‘Catholic’ Europe and Africa, for example. This effort will likely have more effect on Mennonites than on Catholics, because we have a lot more to ‘gain.’
“The dialogue needs to foster local and regional counterparts, or it will have little real effect.”
The third of the five planned International Dialogues is scheduled for November, 2000, with Mennonites assuming hosting responsibilities. The two primary themes for that session have already been chosen: “The Impact of the Constantinian Shift on the Church” – with case studies on conversion, baptism and violence – and “What is a Peace Church?”
When representatives of MWC member churches next meet in General Council (July, 2000), they will discuss the results of the meetings already held and give guidance to the Mennonite delegation for the remaining ones. At the conclusion of the five years of conversation, MWC and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity will issue a joint report to the churches.
– Phyllis Pellman Good, Mennonite World Conference News Service