Pope Francis affirms priority of Christian unity, cites “ecumenism of blood”

In a mid-December interview with the Italian periodical La Stampa, Pope Francis affirmed continuing work for Christian unity. But Christians should also recognize that they already are united through the “ecumenism of blood”:

Is Christian unity a priority for you?

“Yes, for me ecumenism is a priority. Today there is an ecumenism of blood. In some countries they kill Christians for wearing a cross or having a Bible and before they kill them they do not ask them whether they are Anglican, Lutheran, Catholic or Orthodox. Their blood is mixed. To those who kill we are Christians. We are united in blood, even though we have not yet managed to take necessary steps towards unity between us and perhaps the time has not yet come. Unity is a gift that we need to ask for. I knew a parish priest in Hamburg who was dealing with the beatification cause of a Catholic priest guillotined by the Nazis for teaching children the catechism. After him, in the list of condemned individuals, was a Lutheran pastor who was killed for the same reason. Their blood was mixed. The parish priest told me he had gone to the bishop and said to him: “I will continue to deal with the cause, but both of their causes, not just the Catholic priest’s.” This is what ecumenism of blood is. It still exists today; you just need to read the newspapers. Those who kill Christians don’t ask for your identity card to see which Church you were baptised in. We need to take these facts into consideration.”

Click here to read entire interview by Andrea Tornielli, “Never be afraid of tenderness.”

New resource: Just Peace: Ecumenical, Intercultural, and Interdisciplinary Perspectives

Christian theology and ethics have wrestled with the challenge to apply Jesus’s central message of nonviolence to the injustices of this world. Is it not right to defend the persecuted by using violence? Is it unjust if the oppressed defend themselves—if necessary by the use of violence—in order to liberate themselves and to create a more just society? Can we leave the doctrine of the just war behind and shift all our attention toward the way of a just peace?

In 2011 the World Council of Churches brought to a close the Decade to Overcome Violence, to which the churches committed themselves at the beginning of the century. Just peace has evolved as the new ecumenical paradigm for contemporary Christian ethics. Just peace signals a realistic vision of holistic peace, with justice, which in the concept of shalom is central in the Hebrew Bible as well as in the gospel message of the New Testament. Continue reading “New resource: Just Peace: Ecumenical, Intercultural, and Interdisciplinary Perspectives“ →

Schedule of events for the celebration of the Feast of Saint Marcellus 2013

Shawn Storer, director of Catholic Peace Fellowship, has issued the following public invitation:

Peace. The Saint Marcellus Day 2013 events that will take place in South Bend and Notre Dame, Indiana on Marcellus’ feast day, Wednesday, October 30th, are as follows: Continue reading “Schedule of events for the celebration of the Feast of Saint Marcellus 2013” →

12th annual Bridgefolk conference meets in Waterloo

Collegeville, MN (BRIDGEFOLK) — Meeting for the first time in Canada, the 12^th annual Bridgefolk conference was held July 25-28 at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario under the theme, “Reconciliation: A Way to Peace.”

Bridgefolk is a movement of sacramentally-minded Mennonites and peace-minded Roman Catholics who come together to celebrate each other’s traditions, explore each other’s practices, and honor each other’s contribution to the mission of Christ’s Church.

Previous conferences have alternated between Catholic and Mennonite locations in the United States. Of the sixty participants gathered for this year’s conference, about thirty-five were Mennonite and twenty-five Catholic. Half the participants were from Canada, with the other half being mainly from the United States in addition to a couple participants from outside of North America.

The conference’s keynote speakers were Christian McConnell, who teaches Liturgical Studies at the University of St. Michael’s College in Toronto, and John Rempel, director of the Toronto Mennonite Theological Centre, both of whom spoke on practices of reconciliation within their respective churches’ traditions. Continue reading “12th annual Bridgefolk conference meets in Waterloo” →

Catholic News Service on the life and work of Bro. Jeffrey Gros

By Carol Zimmermann, Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Christian Brother Jeffrey Gros, a leader in the ecumenical movement and former official with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, died Aug. 12 at age 75. For more than a year, he struggled with pancreatic cancer.

For decades, Brother Gros participated in an untold number of dialogues with religious groups, delivered keynote addresses around the world, edited numerous books and wrote hundreds of book reviews. He has been remembered by colleagues for his zealous work in broadening the scope of ecumenism.

An online posting described him as “a public thinker” in theology, ecumenism and catechesis. Continue reading “Catholic News Service on the life and work of Bro. Jeffrey Gros” →

Brother Jeffrey Gros, RIP

Brother Jeffrey Gros, 75, died in Chicago, IL on August 12, 2013. A De La Salle Christian Brother for 58 years, he was born John Jefferson in Memphis, TN, the son of Jeff and Faye (Dickinson) Gros. He graduated from Price College in Amarillo, TX, entered the novitiate of the Brothers in Glencoe, MO, in 1955, and professed his final vows in 1963. He received a BA and a MEd from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota.

Brother Jeffrey earned an MA in Theology from Marquette University and a PhD in Theology from Fordham University. During his years as an educator, he taught in Evanston and Romeoville, IL, Glencoe and St. Louis, MO, and Memphis, TN. He was well known in the ecumenical movement for broadening its scope, published widely in theological journals and periodicals, edited numerous books on ecumenism, and spoke to various religious and educational groups throughout the world. Continue reading “Brother Jeffrey Gros, RIP” →

Sharing Peace: Mennonites and Catholics in Conversation now available

Papers from our 2007 conference at the University of Notre Dame on the Mennonite-Catholic dialogue report “Called Together to be Peacemakers” have now been published. Edited by Gerald Schlabach and Margaret Pfeil, Sharing Peace: Mennonites and Catholics in Conversation, is available directly from Liturgical Press or other booksellers. Copies will also be available at the upcoming Bridgefolk conference in Ontario.

Sharing Peace brings together leading Mennonite and Catholic theologians and ecclesial leaders to reflect on the recent, first-ever international dialogue between the Mennonite World Conference and the Vatican. The search for a shared reading of history, theology of the church and its sacraments or ordinances, and understandings of Christ’s call to be peacemakers are its most prominent themes. Continue reading “Sharing Peace: Mennonites and Catholics in Conversation now available” →

Catholics, Lutherans jointly to mark Reformation anniversary

(Reuters) – Senior Roman Catholic and Lutheran officials announced on Monday they would mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017 as a shared event rather than highlight the clash that split Western Christianity.

The Vatican and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) presented a report in Geneva admitting both were guilty of harming Christian unity in the past and describing a growing consensus between the two churches in recent decades.

The 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses, the doctrinal challenge that launched the Protestant Reformation, will be the first centenary celebration in the age of ecumenism, globalization and the secularization of Western societies.

“The awareness is dawning on Lutherans and Catholics that the struggle of the 16th century is over,” the report said. “The reasons for mutually condemning each other’s faith have fallen by the wayside.”

They now agree belief in Jesus unites them despite lingering differences, it said, and inspires them to cooperate more closely to proclaim the Gospel in increasingly pluralistic societies.

“This is a very important step in a healing process which we all need and we are all praying for,” LWF General Secretary Martin Junge said at the report’s presentation in Geneva.

“The division of the church is something we cannot celebrate but we can see what is positive and try to find ways towards the future together,” said Cardinal Kurt Koch, head of the Vatican’s department to promote Christian unity. Continue reading “Catholics, Lutherans jointly to mark Reformation anniversary” →

Darrin Synder Belousek: Pope Francis and ecumenical relations

Bridgefolk perspectives on Pope Francis

The question of whether Pope Francis will emphasize ecumenical dialogue and promote efforts for church unity has already been answered. It is no accident the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians, attended Francis’ inauguration mass in St. Peter’s Square. This marked a first since the Great (East-West) Schism that divided the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions in the 11^th tentury,. Upon Francis’ election, Bartholomew I, who had friendly relations with John Paul II and Benedict XVI, commented confidently that the new Pope “will give a new impetus to the two Churches’ journey towards unity.”

Giving substance to that expectation, Francis held a special audience the day after his inaugural for delegations from various non-Catholic Christian churches and communities, at which Bartholomew I offered the opening address. In his prepared remarks, Francis recalled the significance of the Second Vatican Council, now marking its fiftieth anniversary, “for the progress of ecumenism.” He quoted John XXIII’s opening address to the Council: “The Catholic Church considers it her duty to work actively for the fulfillment of the great mystery of that unity for which Jesus Christ prayed”—ut unum sint [“that they may all be one,” John 17:21]. Francis then confirmed that “in continuity with my predecessors, it is my firm intention to pursue the path of ecumenical dialogue” and thanked the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, which has conducted dialogues with various ecclesial bodies (including Mennonite World Conference), for its work in service of the church.

Personally, I am encouraged by Francis’s election. His message and demeanor evidence the humble spirit of a disciple and the gentle heart of a pastor, which is precisely what the church needs—a shepherd who can lead “the people of God’s pasture” toward one another in love and toward Jesus Christ in faith and hope.

Darrin W. Snyder Belousek is executive director of Bridgefolk.