Mennonite World Conference met last summer in Asunción, Paraguay for its every-sixth-year general assembly. While the central purpose of the assembly was to strengthen bonds of communion between Mennonites from around the globe, the assembly also welcomed guests from other Christian traditions, including the Anglican Church, the Baptist World Alliance, the Catholic Church, the Lutheran World Federation, the Methodist Churches, African Initiated Churches, the Salvation Army, the World Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, the World Council of Churches and the World Evangelical Alliance. Here are a couple of items gleaned from MWC news releases that will be of particular interest to Bridgefolk: Continue reading “Mennonite-Catholic news from Mennonite World Conference”
Tag: Ecumenical news
Eastern & Oriental Orthodox churches debate ethics of peace
The World Council of Churches news service reports on a recent meeting in Romania in which representatives of Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches examined the ethics of peace. Click here to read.
German Mennonite theologian on short list to lead World Council of Churches
According to a recent news release from Ecumenical News International, German Mennonite theologian Fernando Enns is on the “short list” of church leaders under consideration to become the next General Secretary of the World Council of Churches. He has served on the executive committee of the WCC and has been the visionary behind the Decade to Overcome Violence, an effort by churches around the world to call all the world’s people to engage in violence prevention, the pursuit of justice and peacemaking. “Fernando is a friend for many of us,” notes Bridgefolk board member Weldon Nisly. “Having a Mennonite pacifist as head of the World Council of Churches would be a real milestone.” Click here to read more.
May 15: International Day for Conscientious Objectors
Anticipating an international day to honor conscientious objectors to war and military participation, the World Council of Churches has released results of a study on the current status of legal recognition for COs worldwide. In spite of a global trend to better recognize the right to conscientious objection to military service, those who exercise that right are often discriminated, persecuted, repeatedly punished or sent to prison in many countries. The report cites advocacy by both Anabaptist and Catholic groups. Click here to read more.
Summer Ecumenical Institute in Saskatoon, SK
Here is another opportunity for ecumenical conversation in which Mennonites and Catholics have both played a part, in western Canada.
Summer Ecumenical Institute 2009: Telling our story, shaping our future: Christian unity and reconciliation in Canada
June 2-5, 2009 in Saskatoon, SK
The Summer Ecumenical Institute will function as a stock-taking and a vision-building exercise for the grassroots ecumenical community in Canada. 2009 marks the 25th anniversary of the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism. It is also the 50th anniversary of the announcement by Pope John XXIII of the Second Vatican Council, one of whose main aims was the advancement of Christian unity. It is 50 years since our founder, Fr. Bernard de Margerie, received his call to the path of ecumenism. There is much to celebrate!
This conference will be the climax of a year of themed events giving thanks for the past achievements of the ecumenical movement and committing ourselves to Christian unity and reconciliation for the future. Continue reading “Summer Ecumenical Institute in Saskatoon, SK”
Joint statement by Mennonites and Catholics to WCC Decade to Overcome Violence now available
Following up on their 1998-2003 dialogue and ground-breaking document, Called Together to Be Peacemakers Mennonite and Catholic leaders met together for a brief conference October 23-25, 2007 in order to offer joint suggestions for the World Council of Churches’ Decade to Overcome Violence (DOV). The DOV will culminate in an International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (IEPC) in 2011. In preparation, representatives from the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Mennonite World Conference met at the Centro Pro Unione in Rome with the goal of submitting theological reflections that Mennonites and Catholics, committed to overcoming violence, might affirm together as a witness to peace in the ecumenical context. Continue reading “Joint statement by Mennonites and Catholics to WCC Decade to Overcome Violence now available”
Two major new articles by Bridgefolk board members
Two major new articles by Bridgefolk Board members are now available in the “Theological Resources” section of the Bridgefolk website,
http://www.bridgefolk.net/theology/resources Continue reading “Two major new articles by Bridgefolk board members”
Mennonite delegation well received by Catholic leaders in Rome
News Service
November 5, 2007
Strasbourg, France – Mennonites and Catholics are developing a common
statement to the World Council of Churches (WCC) as it prepares for the
International Ecumenical Peace Convocation in 2011. The convocation,
convened by the WCC, will come as the culmination of the WCC “Decade to
Overcome Violence. Churches seeking Reconciliation and Peace” (2001 – 2010). Continue reading “Mennonite delegation well received by Catholic leaders in Rome”
Notre Dame Theology Conference now available online
Wish you could have been at the Mennonite-Catholic Theological Conference at the University of Notre Dame late in July? The conference brought together top Mennonite and Catholic theologians and ecclesial leaders in order to stimulate scholarly interest in Called Together to Be Peacemakers — the final report of the international dialogue between Mennonite World Conference and Vatican representatives — while also providing resources for Catholic and Mennonite ecclesial communities to study and discuss this text in an informed way.
Well now you have another chance. You can “attend” the conference on-line. Continue reading “Notre Dame Theology Conference now available online”