Mennonite – Roman Catholic International Dialogue

NEWS RELEASE
Mennonite World Conference (MWC)
For Immediate Release
November 3, 1999

VENICE, Italy – The second meeting of the Mennonite-Roman Catholic international dialogue took place in Venice, Italy, at the Casa Cardinal Piazza, October 12-18, 1999. Co-sponsored by the Mennonite World Conference (Strasbourg) and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (Vatican City), the dialogue began in 1998 and is anticipated to run for five annual sessions after which it will issue a report. Dr. Helmut Harder (Mennonite, Winnipeg, Canada) and Bishop Joseph Martino (Roman Catholic, Philadelphia PA, USA) are co-Chairmen.

Two sets of papers were presented. One set was historical in nature as the two sides seek to foster the healing of memories between Mennonites and Catholics. Continue reading “Mennonite – Roman Catholic International Dialogue” →

Official communique issued jointly by the MWC and the PCPCU

NEWS RELEASE
Mennonite World Conference (MWC)
For Immediate Release
November 2, 1998

STRASBOURG/VATICAN CITY – For the first time, Mennonite and Catholic theologians met in international dialogue, October 14-18, to discuss the reasons for the centuries long separation between the two churches, starting in the sixteenth century. The meeting took place in Strasbourg, France.

This international consultation was sponsored by the Mennonite World Conference (Strasbourg) and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (Vatican City). Dr. Helmut Harder (Winnipeg, Canada) and Bishop Joseph Martino (Philadelphia, Pa., USA) were co-chairmen. Dr. Larry Miller (Strasbourg) and Monsignor John A. Radano (Rome) served as co-secretaries.

The purpose of the consultation was to promote better understanding of positions about Christian faith held on each side and to contribute to overcoming prejudices that have long existed between Mennonites and Catholics. Continue reading “Official communique issued jointly by the MWC and the PCPCU” →

Mennonites and Roman Catholics Sit Down and Talk — for Five Days

NEWS RELEASE
Mennonite World Conference (MWC)
November 2, 1998

STRASBOURG, France – Why would representatives of the Vatican suggest a meeting with Mennonites? Where might the conversation begin?

From October 14-18, a delegation of Mennonite leaders sat down with a delegation of Roman Catholic leaders to talk about relationships between the two church bodies, today as well as historically. The meeting was a first. What prompted the conversations, and why did they happen now? Continue reading “Mennonites and Roman Catholics Sit Down and Talk — for Five Days” →

Mennonites and Roman Catholics to Converse

NEWS RELEASE
Mennonite World Conference (MWC)
For Immediate Release
September 23, 1998

STRASBOURG, France – Nearly five hundred years after they separated, Mennonites and Roman Catholics will be sitting down together to talk.

“Toward a Healing of the Memories” is the name of a dialogue scheduled for October 14-18 in Strasbourg, France. Six Mennonites, led by Helmut Harder, theologian and general secretary of the Conference of Mennonites in Canada, will begin conversation with representatives from one of the world’s oldest and most powerful churches. Continue reading “Mennonites and Roman Catholics to Converse” →

C.J. Dyck’s reports on Vatican II

Click here to read reports by church historian C.J. Dyck, published in February 1966 in the Mennonite denominational magazine The Gospel Herald. Dyck was a professor at the Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana, and executive secretary of Mennonite World Conference.