The consultation between the World Evangelical Alliance and the Catholic
Church, which began in 2009, hopes to finalize an agreed statement when they
meet later this year. The current round of consultation was planned by Cardinal Walter Kasper,
then President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (pcpcu), Msgr Juan Usma, pcpcu staff member for relations with
Evangelicals, and Dr Rolf Hille, Director for Ecumenical Affairs of the World
Evangelical Alliance (wea). The wea draws together families of
Evangelical Churches and Christians, and estimates that it has connections to
approximately 600 million Christians. Given the number of Catholics and Evangelicals in the world today, this
consultation is both urgently important and full of potential. It is the
principal way in which Evangelicals and Catholics are in conversation on a
global level. National and local dialogues or working relationships also exist
in some parts of the world, while relations remain very poor in other places. At the international level, there have been two earlier phases of dialogue
between Roman Catholics and Evangelicals. The first phase resulted in the 1984
report Evangelical-Roman Catholic Dialogue on Mission. The broad focus of the
report was on the Christian mission, but it included initial treatment of a
variety of theological points of tension, including the Scriptures, salvation,
the Church, Mary and the saints, and the sacraments. A second phase of dialogue
(1993- 2002) produced a report entitled Church, Evangelization and the Bonds of
Koinonia. This document outlined an understanding of the church as communion or
fellowship using the ecumenically rich theme of ‘koinonia’. On the basis of the
degree of communion recognized, the dialogue moved to a consideration of the
prospects for cooperation in witness and evangelization. The goal of the current round of consultation was to come to better
understanding of each other, and to foster more efficient cooperation between
Catholics and Evangelicals especially at the grassroots level. The 13 members
of the consultation come from 10 different countries — Brazil, Canada,
Columbia, Germany, Guatemala, Italy, Kenya, the Philippines, Spain, and usa. Canadian Catholic Bishop Donald
Bolen, on the consultation, noted that “the dialogue has built on the
experience of common witness and friendship which characterizes
Evangelical-Catholic dialogue relations in some places, and has attended to
places where those relations continue to be marked by tension and distrust.
Many different voices have been given expression in our discussions”. Three principal themes have been taken up in the consultation: a mapping out
of convergences on doctrinal foundations and moral questions which open the
door to closer relations; the relationship between Scripture and Tradition and
the authoritative roles of each in our respective communities; and the role of
the Church in salvation. The consultation members noted that they were not in
the business of compromise and negotiation; the way forward was to patiently
map out convergences, and to engage in a respectful and frank conversation
about remaining differences. Along the way, they developed a methodology which
has proven helpful. Bolen noted, “our meetings involved presentations and
discussions which we have tried to summarize by first articulating common
ground; secondly, by naming aspects of the other tradition which give us
encouragement, where we rejoice in seeing God at work, and where we may learn
from the other; thirdly, we have asked each other questions, questions which
linger at this point in our conversations. It is to be hoped that these
questions will be our contribution to further rounds of consultation”. Rev. Dr Joel Elowsky, an Evangelical participant who is professor of
historical theology in St Louis, usa,
affirms that this process “has contributed to a level of trust and camaraderie
that has allowed both sides to be frank and honest with one another. We
continue to learn from each other and also gain further insight about each
other that moves beyond stereotypes. Previous caricatures of the other dialogue
partner have been shown to be too simplistic and often unfair. These
discussions have enabled us to hear one another and to challenge some of our
preconceived notions regarding issues that continue to divide us while seeking
to chart a course forward”. It has been helpful for the consultation to meet in different places and to
experience Evangelical-Catholic relations, which differ greatly from place to
place, in various parts of the world. This round of consultations took place at
São Paulo, Brazil (2009), Rome, Italy (2011), Wheaton/Chicago, usa (2012), Guatemala City, Guatemala
(2013), Bad Blankenburg, Germany (2014), and the final meeting will take place
at Saskatoon, Canada from 30 August to 4 September, 2015. The consultation also
commissioned a survey to assess Evangelical-Catholic relations and attitudes
towards each other in different parts of the world. Bolen summarized the situation of relations and the Evangelical-Catholic
consultation as follows: “real differences remain between us. Yet the Lord
prayed that his disciples would be one. It is in his name that we have been
called into conversation, and called to live out the implications of that
conversation. The unity that Jesus desires for his disciples is not a
theoretical unity but a lived one. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we
hope our consultation will help our communities to take some steps in that
direction”….
(Vatican Radio) Although he is in retreat in the hills of Rome, immersed in Lenten Spiritual Exercises, Pope Francis is following the situation in Syria with deep concern. Listen to the report by Linda Bordoni :
Speaking to Vatican Radio, Archbishop Mario Zenari, the Apostolic Nuncio in Damascus, says “the Pope is constantly adjourned of developments and his prayers are tuned to the suffering of the people”. A three-day offensive this week has seen at least 220 people abducted by so-called Islamic State militants, most of them from Assyrian Christian villages in the north east. Not only the Christians are afraid – Archbishop Zenari says – and those who have the possibility to do so are fleeing the region. He says that the perception of the people is that they have been abandoned by the International Community because there have been no tangible changes to the situation as yet. Zenari expresses his belief that measures that have been undertaken to isolate the fundamentalists such as freezing bank accounts, cutting off provisions and fuel and tracking down potential Jihadists in Europe must continue. The Archbishop describes the situation as one of the most serious humanitarian catastrophes after the Second World War, and he says: it is under the eyes of all! “The civil conflict must be halted but so must the advance of the so-called Caliphate” he says. Yes because, Zenari says, we are dealing with two different fronts: “the civil war front which has been going on for almost five years, a conflict which has killed over 200,000 people, has injured more than a million and displaced 11 million; and then there are all the terrible things that are happening in the areas under the control of the so-called Islamic State: two different fronts, the one worse than the other!” he says. (from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) French economist and author Pierre de Lauzun is the winner of this year’s “Economy and Society Award” of the Centesimus Annus – Pro Pontefice Foundation. He was selected in particular for his 2013 book dedicated to a Christian perspective of finance from medieval banking to contemporary financial models: “Finance. Un regard chrétien. De la banque médiéval à la mondalisation financière”. The prestigious international Award was announced today at a press conference in the Vatican. During the event presided over by jury members, the winners of the “youth” section of the Award were also announced along with their theses focusing on the importance and influence of the Social Doctrine of the Church on international relations, and on scientific debate. Listen to the report by Linda Bordoni :
Owing its name and birth to Saint John Paul II’s 1991 Encyclical “Centesimus Annus” – the Foundation’s main aim is to promote and raise awareness of Christian Social Doctrine among professionals whose work has an impact on society. That’s why economist and banking expert Pierre de Lauzun’s three-part volume, with its reflection on the Holy Scriptures and economical issues; its spotlight on the contributions of Church Doctrine during the period of recent Popes in the area of finance; and its observations on the need for long-term vision, was the Jury’s prime choice for the 2015 Edition of the Prize. Luazun, who has worked for decades in the financial and banking sector, is described as a person who cannot be called a scholar who confines himself to the library, but rather a person who has enhanced his professional experience with deep political, cultural and religious expression. His award-winning book offers no easy answers, but underlines that rules imposed on the market with the ultimate task of ensuring the common good need to depend on the morality of the human agents, and that in the long term, morality allows for greater freedom. As explained on the Foundation’s website: The Foundation “Centesimus Annus – Pro Pontifice” owes its name and birth to the Encyclical “Centesimus Annus” published by Pope John Paul II on May 1st, 1991.The connection reveals CAPP’s inspiring idea and purpose:heartfelt endorsement of papal social teachings and committed support to the Holy Father’s charitable initiatives.The Foundation chose to add the words “Pro Pontifice” out of admiration and gratitude for the Holy Father’s ministry as Teacher and Universal Shepherd.
The Foundation of religion and cult, established by His Holiness John Paul II on June 5th, 1993, is incorporated in the State of Vatican City and governed in accordance with the Church’s Canon Law, the Civil Law of Vatican City and its By-Laws. For more information on the Foundation click here . (from Vatican Radio)…
Vatican City, 26 February 2015 (VIS) – This morning in the Holy See Press Office the Foundation Centesimus Annus presented its activity during the past two years, its programmes and the names of the winners of the second edition of its the biennial international award, “Economy and Society”. The speakers in the conference were Domingo Sugranyes Bickel, president of the Foundation, Michael Konrad, secretary of the jury, Msgr. Giuseppe Antonio Scotti, a jury member and Alberto Quadrio Curzio, president of the scientific committee of the foundation and deputy president of the Italian Lincean Academy.
The Foundation Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice, the president explained, was created by St. John Paul II in 1993, is managed by a council made up of nine laypeople and reports to the president of the APSA (Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See), currently Cardinal Domenico Calcagno, under the supervision of the Secretariat of State. Its main objective is to promote the Social Doctrine of the Church and it therefore invites the participation of businesspeople and professionals who acknowledge the principles of this Doctrine and of the papal Magisterium, and who wish to contribute to the creation of a new economic and social culture. Sugranyes Bickel emphasised that in these last two years the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice has worked in line with the themes of Pope Francis’ 2013 address, in which he remarked that it was essential to “restore to this word ‘solidarity’, viewed askance by the world of economics – as if it were a bad word – the social dignity that it deserves”.
Msgr. Scotti reiterated the importance of following Pope Francis’ example in challenging the “deviant culture” that has reached the point of discarding people. “There are many who believe that the economy should assume the role of absolute producer of the aims and values to which every single aspect of the human dimension should be subject, justifying this with the fact that we live in a post-ideological, post-political age. Certainly, this would be an interesting aspect to analyse. … However, contemporary culture can also be analysed from the perspective of the Word of God. Considering that this award is assigned to authors who seek to contribute, through their studies, reflections and publications to learning anew how to take a scholarly view of the present and on the use of money, it seems appropriate to me to recall the words of the Qoheleth: ‘Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless’”.
The names of the recipients of the second edition of the award were then announced: Pierre de Lauzun, for his work “Finance: un regard chrétien. De la banque mediéval a la mondialisation financière”, a profound reflection on the morality that motivates financial markets, viewed in the light of the social doctrine of the Church, inviting consideration of an order other than that purely linked to profit, and emphasising that there is no form of financial operation that may be separated from social realities and moral needs.
In the special section dedicated to young researchers of the social doctrine of the Church, the winner was Alexander Stummvoll, born in 1983, for his thesis “A Living Tradition. The Holy See, Catholic Social Doctrine and Global Politics 1965-2000”, presented in 2012 at the European University Institute, Florence, Italy. The study examines the Social Doctrine of the Church in international relations, referring to four major international issues that take a concrete event as a starting point. With reference to the war in Vietnam, he analyses the Holy See’s commitment to peace; taking as a point of reference the Polish crisis before 1989 he studies the politics of the Holy See in relation to communism; from the conferences in Cairo and Beijing in 1994 and 1995 he examines the position of the Holy See regarding bioethical questions, and finally in relation to the campaign against Third World debt on the occasion of the 2000 Jubilee, he studies the Holy See’s criticism of unfettered capitalism.
The awards will be presented by Cardinal Reinhard Marx, archbishop of Munich und Freising and president of the Jury, during the next International Congress of the Foundation, scheduled to take place from 25 to 27 May in the Vatican’s New Synod Hall and in the Palazzo della Cancelleria in Rome, on the theme “Rethinking Key Features of Economic and Social Life”….
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis is continuing his week-long retreat with the senior officers of the Roman Curia in the small town of Ariccia, a short trip south-east of Rome. In his Message for Lent this year, the Holy Father called the faithful everywhere to make this privileged time of prayer and penance one in which – as we pray in the litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus – we all ask the Lord to Make our hearts like His “In this way,” writes Pope Francis, “we will receive a heart which is firm and merciful, attentive and generous, a heart which is not closed, indifferent or prey to the globalization of indifference.”
These were all themes that the Major Penitentiary-emeritus of the Church, Cardinal James Francis Stafford, took up in a reflection on Lent, and the Holy Father’s Lenten Message. In this first part of Cardinal Stafford’s reflection, which we share with you now, he begins by placing the Message in the context of Pope Francis’ broader pastoral writings, specifically the Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii gaudium , and the Christmas, 2014 examination of conscience , which the Holy Father offered to the Roman Curia.
Click below to hear part 1 of Cardinal Stafford’s reflection on Pope Francis’ Message for Lent
(from Vatican Radio)…