Susan Harrison insists: Interfaith dialogue must include those “you can’t talk to”

Susan Kennel Harrison

Drawing especially on her experience with Iranian Shiites, former Bridgefolk Board member Susan Kennel Harrison recently spoke at Eastern Mennonite University’s Interfaith Forum recently.  Her forum presentation, “You Can’t Talk to Them – Peacemaking and Dialogue,” focused on the importance of building relationships with persons of other religious affiliations, particularly fundamentalists, in order to promote understanding and respect.  The talk is available as a podcast at http://emu.edu/now/podcast/2011/09/14/cie-interfaith-forum-susan-kennel-harrison.

Sant’Egidio convenes 9-11 peace reflection in Germany, emphasizes solidarity with the poor

Geneva (WCC) — A call for solidarity with the poor was delivered to a gathering of religious and political and civil society leaders from all over the world by one of the presidents of the World Council of Churches (WCC). The meeting on the topic “Bound to Live Together: Religions and Cultures in Dialogue” is taking place from 11-13 September in Munich, Germany.

The Roman Catholic lay community of Sant’Egidio has convened the gathering in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 in New York. Continue reading “Sant’Egidio convenes 9-11 peace reflection in Germany, emphasizes solidarity with the poor”

Reflections on 9/11 and Catholic peacebuilding in US Catholic

Maryanne Cusimano Love
Maryanne Cusimano Love

In its September issue, US Catholic interviewed Maryann Cusimano Love on the aftermath of 9/11 and Catholic understandings of peacebuilding.  Cusimano Love is a friend of Bridgefolk who teaches at the Catholic University of America in Washington DC.  Among her reflections are these:

That nonviolent resistance can be very effective is something most Catholics don’t understand, but we’ve seen it in Egypt and Tunisia. Sometimes it takes an outside example to help us draw on our own tradition.

For the U.S. military, peace is the absence of the use of military force right now. So if nothing’s blowing up today, that’s peace in Iraq, right?

The Catholic Church says, not so much. You have to rebuild social relationships, restore people who have been traumatized by violence, reintegrate refugees and internally displaced persons back into their communities, and rebuild the human infrastructure.We think about peace in a sustainable and holistic way, as being about education and development.

When the U.S. military or other state organizations talk about building peace, they’re really talking about construction projects. How many roads and bridges can we put in?

The Catholic Church says building peace is not just about bricks and mortar. It’s about rebuilding the people and the human community. If you don’t do that work, then the bricks-and-mortar stuff you rebuild today is going to be blown up tomorrow.

To read the entire article in US Catholic, click here.

Benedict XVI calls for simple lifestyles, nonviolence

Pope: God’s Love Is Cure for Ills of Society
Offers Reflection on “Yoke” of Christ

VATICAN CITY, JULY 3, 2011 (Zenit.org).- The answer to the many situations of injustice, poverty and suffering around the world lies in the love of God, says Benedict XVI.

The Pope said this today in a reflection on the “yoke” of Christ, which he delivered before praying the midday Angelus with those gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

“In today’s Gospel,” the Holy Father began, “the Lord Jesus repeats to us those words we know well, but which always move us: ‘Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.'” Continue reading “Benedict XVI calls for simple lifestyles, nonviolence”

Message of International Ecumenical Peace Convocation:
“Churches can teach nonviolence, if we dare”

The final message of the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation, held in Jamaica in May, closes by highlighting the witness of historic peace churches, and insisting that all churches can teach peace to the powerful:

History, especially in the witness of the historic peace churches, reminds us of the fact that violence is contrary to the will of God and can never resolve conflicts. It is for this reason that we are moving beyond the doctrine of just war towards a commitment to Just Peace. It requires moving from exclusive concepts of national security to safety for all.  This includes a day-to-day responsibility to prevent, that is, to avoid violence at its root. Many practical aspects of the concept of Just Peace require discussion, discernment and elaboration. We continue to struggle with how innocent people can be protected from injustice, war and violence. In this light, we struggle with the concept of the “responsibility to protect” and its possible misuse. We urgently request that the WCC and related bodies further clarify their positions regarding this policy.

We advocate total nuclear disarmament and control of the proliferation of small arms.

We as churches are in a position to teach nonviolence to the powerful, if only we dare. For we are followers of one who came as a helpless infant, died on the Cross, told us to lay aside our swords, taught us to love our enemies and was resurrected from the dead.

To read the entire document click here.

For a reflection on the IEPC and its message by Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches, click here.

Pastor explains Mennonite faith on CNN blog

Goshen College, a Mennonite school in northern Indiana, has been in the news lately following the decision of its board to reverse an earlier decision and stop playing the U.S. national anthem before athletic events.  In a blog post for CNN today, Mennonite pastor Mark Schloneger does an exceptionally good job of explaining Mennonite beliefs succinctly for a general audience.  Bridgefolk participants may be interested.   Click here to read.

Bridgefolk 2011 to explore hospitality, forgiveness, common worship

News release

MCC Welcoming Place
MCC Welcoming Place

Akron, PA (Bridgefolk) – Mennonites and Catholics will join together this summer in prayer and friendship at the tenth annual Bridgefolk summer conference.  Entitled “Practices for our Life Together in Christ,” the 2011 summer conference will take place August 4-7 in Akron, Pennsylvania, and focus on the practices of hospitality, forgiveness, and common worship.

This summer’s conference will be the second in a series of summer conferences focusing on nine “key practices” of Bridgefolk. Over the course of three years, Bridgefolk conferences are exploring spiritual practices that sustain the active Christian lives of both Catholics and Mennonites. Mennonite Central Committee’s Welcoming Place will host the gathering. Continue reading “Bridgefolk 2011 to explore hospitality, forgiveness, common worship”

Conference on “just peace” in the Netherlands later in June

An Amsterdam university and a Dutch Mennonite seminary will host a conference on “just peace” later this month.  The occasion will also follow up on a recent international convocation on peace in Kingston, Jamaica, and inaugurate the professorship of Mennonite ecumenist Fernando Enns.  Continue reading “Conference on “just peace” in the Netherlands later in June”

Canadian Mennonite reports on ecumenical peace convocation

Canadian Mennonite magazine has just published a report on the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation held in May in Jamaica.   The article draws on some of the news releases already posted here at Bridgefolk.Net, but also provides a helpful summary.   Click here to read.