Category: Commentary

A Tribute to Brother Roger of Taizé

by Ken Henke, Princeton Theological Seminary

On Tuesday, August 23, funeral services will be held for Brother Roger of Taizé. At the age of 90, he was attacked with a knife by a woman, most probably mentally disturbed, in the midst of community prayer in the Church of Reconciliation at Taizé, France. He died shortly afterward.

The son of a Swiss Reformed pastor, at age 25 he left his native Switzerland and came bicycling into the tiny, poor hamlet of Taizé in France, seeking a place where he could quietly devote himself to a life of prayer and contemplation. A peasant woman, keeper of the keys to the run-down house and property which Roger Schutz had come to look at, begged him to buy the house and stay. Later on, when asked, “Why Taizé?” Roger Schutz was to say: “I chose Taizé because the woman was poor. Christ speaks through the poor, and it’s good to listen to them. Anyone who begins with the poorest of the poor is not likely to go wrong.” Continue reading “A Tribute to Brother Roger of Taizé” →

Wise counsel on “bridging” many divides

The latest cover story in Sojourners magazine caught my eye for an obvious reason — it is about “bridging.”  No, it is not about Mennonite-Catholic or even Catholic-Protestant bridging.  It is about left-right, blue-state-red-state bridging.  Those divides are quite familiar within both the Mennonite and the Catholic Church, however.  And the article offers some wise counsel for any Christian in any kind of bridging ministry.  So here are the opening paragraphs, and a link to the entire article for those who are interested in reading on.  — Gerald Schlabach  Continue reading “Wise counsel on “bridging” many divides” →

Articles on John Paul II and Benedict XVI

This week’s Mennonite Weekly Review gives prominent place to an article by Ivan Kauffman on John Paul II’s role in promoting dialogue between Mennonites and Catholics, an editorial on John Paul II by MWR editor Robert Rhodes, and an intriguing letter to the editor by historian Robert Kreider about the role that two Catholics with Mennonite family connections played in a lay group that especially formative in the priesthood of the young Karol Wojtyla in Poland.  The article and the editorial are available online:

Ivan Kauffman, “Mennonite-Catholic dialogue grew at John Paul’s behest”
http://www.mennoweekly.org/APRIL/04-18-05/DIALOGUE04-18.html

Robert Rhodes, “John Paul: A pope revered by all”  (editorial)
http://www.mennoweekly.org/APRIL/04-04-05/POPE-edit04-11.html

Also, the Catholic Peace Fellowship as posted very hopeful article on its website about the peace commitments of the new pope, Benedict XVI:

“New Pope A Strong Critic of War”
http://www.catholicpeacefellowship.org/nextpage.asp?m=2252

 

Ivan Kauffman reflects on the legacy of John Paul II

Has there ever been another person mourned on a global scale in the way Pope John Paul is being mourned? We in Bridgefolk have special reason to join this outpouring of emotion and appreciation. Surely the speed with which the Mennonite Catholic bridge has developed is due, in some major way, to his leadership. It will be years if not centuries before the full impact of this historic life is apparent, but already there are several things for which we may be grateful: Continue reading “Ivan Kauffman reflects on the legacy of John Paul II” →

The challenge of being a “pro-life” progressive

Living in the Twin Cities as I do, I cross back and forth over the Mississippi River that divides Minneapolis and St. Paul fairly often.  Crossing one bridge, I can usually look across the water and see parallel bridges.

So it is that many of us in Bridgefolk who are “sacramentally-minded Mennonites” or “peace-minded Catholics” and are finding ways to bridge our traditions will easily recognize the challenge of living on another kind of bridge.  This is the bridge between “pro-life” commitments often associated with conservative politics and “social justice” commitments often associated with progressive politics.  It is a challenge that Catholics in the United States are especially feeling this electoral year. (Apologies to Bridgefolk in Canada and Europe!)  But if Mennonite debates around a churchwide resolution on abortion a year ago are any indication, it is a challenge at least some Mennonites may be feeling too.

We haven’t talked much yet in Bridgefolk about the challenges and possibilities in what Catholics call the “seamless garment” of moral and social issues that Christians need to hold together in order to maintain a “consistent ethic of life.”  If we are going to continue an honest and fruitful dialogue between Mennonites and Catholics we should expect to take this up too.   A recent cover story in Sojourners magazine seems to be a good place to start.

“No Place to Stand” is by Heidi Schlumpf, managing editor of U.S. Catholic magazine.  As the editors of Sojourners say in introducing the article, “When you’re Christian, progressive, and ‘pro-life,’ voting your conscience is often easier said than done.”  To find the article, click here.

Gerald Schlabach

No Place to Stand

When you’re Christian, progressive, and “pro-life,” voting your conscience is often easier said than done.

by Heidi Schlumpf

Sojourners

What does it mean to be “pro-life”? For some, the term is understood very narrowly as the opposition to abortion, particularly through legal sanction. Others are committed to reducing the number of abortions, truly making them rare, but favor policies that don’t criminalize abortion—and prosecute women and/or their doctors—to do so. And as U.S. Catholic’s Heidi Schlumpf explains in this article, many people, on both sides of the legality question, see a genuinely pro-life stance as one that embraces respect for the human person at every stage—a position that’s hard to find in today’s polarized politics, and one that cries out for broad (and civil) dialogue across our various divides. —The Editors

It’s an election year, and once again Jennifer Roth is wondering if she might as well flip a coin. The 31-year-old systems administrator is one of those “swing voters” who could go either way—a demographic highly coveted by both Democrats and Republicans as the key to winning in 2004. But neither the Dems nor the GOP does much to inspire or excite Roth.

The problem? Roth is a self-described liberal on nearly all issues except one: Abortion. It’s a view that she—and countless other “pro-life progressives”—finds entirely consistent. “In my view liberalism is all about looking out for the little guy, the people who don’t have power, money, or protection,” she says.

But where does that leave her when it comes to the political process? Continue reading “No Place to Stand” →

Common threads: Mennonites in dialogue with the Community of Sant’Egidio in Rome

by Marilyn Stahl and Dirk Giseburt

In early May, several Mennonites from the United States paused in the 16th century Church of Sant’Egidio in Rome.  In the 1970s, after many years as an adjunct to a Carmelite convent, the church became the gathering place of the new Community of Sant’Egidio, a loosely organized group of young people who had come together in prayer and in dedication to service to the poor.  With simple, white walls, the church is in the form of a cross.  The altar on the left side is piled with Bibles in all the languages of countries where the Community has active membership.  The altar on the right is decorated with a multitude of crosses made by craftspersons in many countries.  The altar in front bears a very old Russian icon of Christ that had been found at the church.

“We pray here, between Holy Scripture and the poor, facing Jesus,” explained Claudio Betti, a Sant’Egidio member.  When Sant’Egidio was founded in 1968, this twin devotion to the Bible and the poor had set the Community apart in Rome.  But today, with 40,000 members worldwide, the Community has the support of Church leaders and has become a widely respected advocate both for the poor and for peace.

The tour continued:  In the former convent dining room, Sant’Egidio members once acted as mediators between the factions in a civil war in Mozambique that had taken several hundred thousand lives. The negotiations lasted over two years but finally resulted in a peace agreement, signed in the dining room in 1992.  The Community has several times been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize as a result.

Sant’Egidio had invited American Mennonites to visit their community in Rome after making contact through the Mennonite-Catholic Bridgefolk conversations in the U.S.  Continue reading “Common threads: Mennonites in dialogue with the Community of Sant’Egidio in Rome” →