Ecumenism Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ==Three approaches to Christian unity== For some [[Protestants]], spiritual unity, and often unity on the church's teachings on central issues, suffices. According to [[Lutheran]] theologian [[Edmund Schlink]], most important in Christian ecumenism is that people focus primarily on [[Jesus Christ|Christ]], not on separate church organizations. In Schlink's book ''Ökumenische Dogmatik'' (1983), he says Christians who see the risen Christ at work in the lives of various Christians or in diverse churches realize that the unity of Christ's church has never been lost,<ref>[[Edmund Schlink]], ''Ökumenische Dogmatik'' (1983), pp. 694–701; also his "Report," ''Dialog'' 1963, 2:4, 328.</ref> but has instead been distorted and obscured by different historical experiences and by spiritual myopia. Both are overcome in renewed faith in Christ. Included in that is responding to his admonition (John 17; Philippians 2) to be one in him and love one another as a witness to the world. The result of mutual recognition would be a discernible worldwide fellowship, organized in a historically new way.<ref>[[Edmund Schlink]], ''Ökumenische Dogmatik'' (1983), pp. 707–08; also Skibbe, ''A Quiet Reformer'' 1999, 122–24; Schlink, ''The Vision of the Pope'' 2001.</ref> For a significant part of the Christian world, one of the highest goals to be sought is the reconciliation of the various denominations by overcoming the historical divisions within Christianity. Even where there is broad agreement upon this goal, approaches to ecumenism vary. Generally, Protestants see fulfillment of the goal of ecumenism as consisting in general agreements on teachings about central issues of faith, with mutual pastoral accountability between the diverse churches regarding the teachings of salvation.{{cn|date=January 2022}} For Catholics and Orthodox on the other hand, the true unity of [[Christendom]] is treated in accordance with their more sacramental understanding of the [[Body of Christ]]; this ecclesiastical matter for them is closely linked to key theological issues (e.g. regarding the [[Eucharist]] and the [[historical Episcopate]]), and requires full dogmatic assent to the [[Holy Tradition|pastoral authority of the Church]] for [[full communion]] to be considered viable and valid. Thus, there are different answers even to the ''[[ecclesiology|question of the church]]'', which finally is the goal of the ecumenist movement itself. However, the desire of unity is expressed by many denominations, generally that all who profess faith in Christ in sincerity, would be more fully cooperative and supportive of one another. For the Catholic and Orthodox churches, the process of approaching one another can be described as formally split in two successive stages: the "dialogue of love" and the "dialogue of truth".<ref>“A Church in Dialogue: Towards the Restoration of Unity Among Christians” (The Episcopal Commission for Christian Unity, Religious Relations with the Jews, and Interfaith Dialogue of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2014), 9, 11. Online at http://www.cccb.ca/site/images/stories/pdf/A_Church_in_Dialogue_long_version_EN.PDF.</ref> Examples of acts belonging to the former include the mutual revocation in 1965 of the [[anathema]]s of 1054, returning the relics of [[Sabbas the Sanctified]] (a common saint) to [[Mar Saba]] in the same year, and the first visit of a Pope to an Orthodox country in a millennium ([[Pope]] [[John Paul II]] accepting the invitation of the [[Patriarch]] of the [[Romanian Orthodox Church]], [[Teoctist]], in 1999), among others. Christian ecumenism can be described in terms of the three largest divisions of Christianity: Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant. While this underemphasizes the complexity of these divisions, it is a useful model. ===Catholicism=== {{Main article|Catholic Church and ecumenism}} [[File:Te Deum Ecuménico 2009.jpg|thumb|''Te Deum Ecuménico 2009'' in the [[Santiago Metropolitan Cathedral]], Chile. An ecumenical gathering of clergy from different denominations.]] The Catholic Church has always considered it a duty of the highest rank to seek full unity with estranged communions of fellow Christians and, at the same time, to reject what it sees as a false union that would mean being unfaithful to or glossing over the teaching of sacred scripture and tradition. Before the [[Second Vatican Council]], the main stress was laid on this second aspect, as exemplified in canon 1258 of the 1917 Code of Canon Law: # It is illicit for the faithful to assist at or participate in any way in non-Catholic religious functions. # For a serious reason requiring, in case of doubt, the Bishop's approval, passive or merely material presence at non-Catholic funerals, weddings and similar occasions because of holding a civil office or as a courtesy can be tolerated, provided there is no danger of perversion or scandal. The 1983 [[Canon law (Catholic Church)#Codification|Code of Canon Law]] has no corresponding canon. It absolutely forbids Catholic priests to concelebrate the Eucharist with members of communities which are not in full communion (canon 908), but allows, in certain circumstances and under certain conditions, other sharing in the sacraments. The ''Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms on Ecumenism'', 102<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.adoremus.org/EcumenismNorms.html |title=Directory For The Application Of Principles And Norms On Ecumenism<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2006-09-27 |archive-date=2008-10-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081008040950/http://www.adoremus.org/EcumenismNorms.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> states: "Christians may be encouraged to share in spiritual activities and resources, i.e., to share that spiritual heritage they have in common in a manner and to a degree appropriate to their present divided state." [[Pope John XXIII]], who convoked the council that brought this change of emphasis about, said that the council's aim was to seek renewal of the church itself, which would serve, for those separated from the [[See of Rome]], as a "gentle invitation to seek and find that unity for which Jesus Christ prayed so ardently to his heavenly Father".<ref>Encyclical [https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_xxiii/encyclicals/documents/hf_j-xxiii_enc_29061959_ad-petri_en.html ''Ad Petri cathedram'']</ref> Some elements of the Catholic perspective on ecumenism are illustrated in the following quotations from the council's decree on ecumenism, ''[[Unitatis Redintegratio]]'' of 21 November 1964, and [[Pope John Paul II]]'s encyclical, ''[[Ut Unum Sint]]'' of 25 May 1995. {{quote|Every renewal of the Church is essentially grounded in an increase of fidelity to her own calling. Undoubtedly this is the basis of the movement toward unity … There can be no ecumenism worthy of the name without a change of heart. For it is from renewal of the inner life of our minds, from self-denial and an unstinted love that desires of unity take their rise and develop in a mature way. We should therefore pray to the Holy Spirit for the grace to be genuinely self-denying, humble. gentle in the service of others, and to have an attitude of brotherly generosity towards them. … The words of St. John hold good about sins against unity: "If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us". So we humbly beg pardon of God and of our separated brethren, just as we forgive them that trespass against us.<ref>[https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19641121_unitatis-redintegratio_en.html ''Unitatis Redintegratio''] 6–7</ref>}} {{quote|Christians cannot underestimate the burden of long-standing misgivings inherited from the past, and of mutual misunderstandings and prejudices. Complacency, indifference and insufficient knowledge of one another often make this situation worse. Consequently, the commitment to ecumenism must be based upon the conversion of hearts and upon prayer, which will also lead to the necessary purification of past memories. With the grace of the Holy Spirit, the Lord's disciples, inspired by love, by the power of the truth and by a sincere desire for mutual forgiveness and reconciliation, are called to re-examine together their painful past and the hurt which that past regrettably continues to provoke even today.<ref>[https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_25051995_ut-unum-sint_en.html Encyclical ''Ut unum sint'', 2]</ref>}} {{quote|In ecumenical dialogue, Catholic theologians standing fast by the teaching of the Church and investigating the divine mysteries with the separated brethren must proceed with love for the truth, with charity, and with humility. When comparing doctrines with one another, they should remember that in Catholic doctrine there exists a "hierarchy" of truths, since they vary in their relation to the fundamental Christian faith. Thus the way will be opened by which through fraternal rivalry all will be stirred to a deeper understanding and a clearer presentation of the unfathomable riches of Christ.<ref>''[[Unitatis Redintegratio]]'', 11 [https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19641121_unitatis-redintegratio_en.html]</ref>}} {{quote|The unity willed by God can be attained only by the adherence of all to the content of revealed faith in its entirety. In matters of faith, compromise is in contradiction with God who is Truth. In the Body of Christ, "the way, and the truth, and the life" (Jn 14:6), who could consider legitimate a reconciliation brought about at the expense of the truth?...Even so, doctrine needs to be presented in a way that makes it understandable to those for whom God himself intends it.<ref>[https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_25051995_ut-unum-sint_en.html Encyclical ''Ut unum sint'', 18–19]</ref>}} {{quote|When the obstacles to perfect ecclesiastical communion have been gradually overcome, all Christians will at last, in a common celebration of the Eucharist, be gathered into the one and only Church in that unity which Christ bestowed on his Church from the beginning. We believe that this unity subsists in the Catholic Church as something she can never lose, and we hope that it will continue to increase until the end of time.<ref>''[[Unitatis Redintegratio]]'', 4 [https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19641121_unitatis-redintegratio_en.html]</ref>}} While some Eastern Orthodox churches commonly rebaptize converts from the Catholic Church, thereby refusing to recognize the baptism that the converts have previously received, the Catholic Church has always accepted the validity of all the sacraments administered by the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches.{{cn|date=January 2022}} The Catholic Church likewise has very seldom applied the terms "[[heterodoxy|heterodox]]" or "[[heresy|heretic]]" to the Eastern Orthodox churches or its members, although there are clear differences in doctrine, notably about the authority of the Pope, Purgatory, and the [[filioque]] clause. More often, the term "separated" or "[[schism]]atic" has been applied to the state of the Eastern Orthodox churches.{{cn|date=January 2022}} ===Orthodoxy=== [[File:Fond-du-lac-circus.preview.jpg|350px|thumb|The consecration of [[Reginald Heber Weller]] as an Anglican bishop at the [[St. Paul's Cathedral, Fond du Lac|Cathedral of St. Paul the Apostle]] in the [[Episcopal Diocese of Fond du Lac|Protestant Episcopal Diocese of Fond du Lac]], with the Rt. Rev. Anthony Kozlowski of the [[Polish National Catholic Church]] and the [[Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow]] (along with his chaplains [[John Kochurov]], and Fr. Sebastian Dabovich) of the [[Russian Orthodox Church]] present]] The [[Oriental Orthodox]] and Eastern Orthodox churches are two distinct bodies of local churches. The churches within each body share [[full communion]], although there is not official communion between the two bodies. Both consider themselves to be the original church, from which the [[Western Christianity|West]] was divided in the 5th and 11th centuries, respectively (after the 3rd and 7th [[Ecumenical council]]s).{{cn|date=January 2022}} Many theologians of the Eastern and Oriental Orthodoxies engage in theological dialogue with each other and with some of the Western churches, though short of full communion. The Eastern Orthodox have participated in the ecumenical movement, with students active in the [[World Student Christian Federation]] since the late 19th century. Most Eastern Orthodox<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oikoumene.org/en/church-families/orthodox-churches-eastern|title=Orthodox churches (Eastern)|publisher=oikoumene.org|access-date=2014-02-11}}</ref> and all Oriental Orthodox churches<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oikoumene.org/en/church-families/orthodox-churches-oriental|title=Orthodox churches (Oriental)|publisher=oikoumene.org|access-date=2014-02-11}}</ref> are members of the World Council of Churches. [[Kallistos of Diokleia]], a bishop of the Eastern Orthodox Church has stated that ecumenism "is important for Orthodoxy: it has helped to force the various Orthodox Churches out of their comparative isolation, making them meet one another and enter into a living contact with non-Orthodox Christians."<ref name="Diokleia_1993">{{cite book|last=Ware|first=Kallistos |title=The Orthodox Church|date=28 April 1993|publisher=Penguin Adult|isbn=978-0-14-014656-1|page=322}}<!--|access-date=23 April 2015--></ref> Historically, the relationship between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Anglican Communion has been congenial, with the Patriarch of Constantinople in 1922 recognising Anglican [[Holy orders|orders]] as valid. He wrote: "That the orthodox theologians who have scientifically examined the question have almost unanimously come to the same conclusions and have declared themselves as accepting the validity of Anglican Orders."<ref>[http://www.ucl.ac.uk/~ucgbmxd/patriarc.htm The Ecumenical Patriarch on Anglican Orders<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020125091106/http://www.ucl.ac.uk/~ucgbmxd/patriarc.htm |date=January 25, 2002 }}</ref> Moreover, some Eastern Orthodox bishops have assisted in the ordination of Anglican bishops; for example, in 1870, the Most Reverend Alexander Lycurgus, the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Syra and Tinos, was one of the bishops who consecrated [[Henry Mackenzie (bishop)|Henry MacKenzie]] as the [[Anglican Bishop of Nottingham|Suffragan Bishop of Nottingham]].<ref name="Redmile2006">{{cite book|last=Redmile|first=Robert David|title=The Apostolic Succession and the Catholic Episcopate in the Christian Episcopal Church of Canada |date=1 September 2006|isbn=978-1-60034-517-3|page=239|quote=In 1870, the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Syra and Tinos, the Most Reverend Alexander Lycurgus, paid a visit to the British Isles. During his time in England, Archbishop Lycurgus was invited by the Lord Bishop of London, John Jackson, to join with him in consecrating Henry MacKenzie as the Suffragan Bishop of Nottingham. Archbishop Lycurgus agreed to assist, and on 2 February 1870, he joined in the laying on of hands with the Bishop of London at the consecration of Bishop MacKenzie. Thus the Apostolic Succession in the Greek Orthodox Church was passed on to the Bishops of the Anglican Communion, and through them to the Christian Episcopal Churches in the United States of America and the Dominion of Canada.}}<!--|access-date=23 April 2015--></ref>{{self-published source|date=September 2017}} From 1910 to 1911, the era before [[World War I]], [[Raphael of Brooklyn]], an Eastern Orthodox bishop, "sanctioned an interchange of ministrations with the [[Anglicanism|Episcopalians]] in places where members of one or the other communion are without clergy of their own".<ref name="Herbermann1912">{{cite book|last=Herbermann|first=Charles|title=The Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church|year=1912|publisher=Robert Appleton|page=149|quote=This A.E.O.C.U. is particularly active in the United States, where the existence side by side of Westerns and Easterns offers special facilities for mutual intercourse. It is due mainly to its instances that the orthodox Bishop Raphael of Brooklyn recently sanctioned an interchange of ministrations with the Episcopalians in places where members of one or the other communion are without clergy of their own-a practice which, as coming from the Orthodox side, seemed strange, but was presumably justified by the "principle of economy" which some Orthodox theologians unaccountably advocate (see Reunion Magazine, Sept., 1910).}}</ref> Bishop Raphael stated that in places "where there is no resident Orthodox Priest", an Anglican (Episcopalian) priest could administer Marriage, Holy Baptism, and the Blessed Sacrament to an Orthodox layperson.<ref name="Convention1910">{{cite book|title=Journal of the Proceedings of the One Hundred and Ninth Annual Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0VgQAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA411|access-date=15 April 2014|year=1910|publisher=The Rumford Press |page=411|quote=Inasmuch as there is a variance between your and our Churches in these matters, I suggest that, before any marriage Service is performed for Syrians desiring the services of the Protestant Episcopal Clergy, where there is no Orthodox Priest, that the Syrians shall first procure a license from me, their Bishop, giving them permission, and that, where there is a resident Orthodox Priest, that, the Episcopal Clergy may advise them to have such Service performed by him. Again, in the case of Holy Baptism, that, where there is no resident Orthodox Priest, that the Orthodox law in reference to the administration of the Sacrament be observed, namely immersion three times, with the advice to the parents and witnesses that, as soon as possible, the child shall be taken to an Orthodox Priest to receive Chrismation, which is ''absolutely binding'' according to the Law of the Orthodox Church. Furthermore, when an Orthodox Layman is dying, if he confesses his sins, and professes that he is dying in the full communion of the Orthodox Faith, as expressed in the Orthodox version of the Nicene Creed, and the other requirements of the said Church, and desires the Blessed Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ, at the hands of an Episcopal Clergyman, permission is hereby given to administer to him this Blessed Sacrament, and to be buried according to the Rites and Ceremonies of the Episcopal Church. But, it is recommended that, if an Orthodox Service Book can be procured, that the Sacraments and Rites be performed as set forth in that Book. And now I pray God that He may hasten the time when the Spiritual Heads of the National Churches, of both yours and ours, may take our places in cementing the Union between the Anglican and Orthodox Churches, which we have so humbly begun; then there will be no need of suggestions, such as I have made, as to how, or by whom, Services shall be performed; and, instead of praying that we "all may be one" ''we shall known that we are one in Christ's Love and Faith''. Raphael, ''Bishop of Brooklyn''.}}</ref> In 1912, however, Bishop Raphael ended the intercommunion after becoming uncomfortable with the fact that the Anglican Communion contained different [[churchmanship]]s within Her, e.g. High Church, Evangelical, etc.<ref name="Herbermann1912a">{{cite book|last=Herbermann|first=Charles|title=The Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church|year=1912|publisher=Robert Appleton|page=149|quote=This A.E.O.C.U. is particularly active in the United States, where the existence side by side of Westerns and Easterns offers special facilities for mutual intercourse. It is due mainly to its instances that the orthodox Bishop Raphael of Brooklyn recently sanctioned an interchange of ministrations with the Episcopalians in places where members of one or the other communion are without clergy of their own-a practice which, as coming from the Orthodox side, seemed strange, but was presumably justified by the "principle of economy" which some Orthodox theologians unaccountably advocate (see Reunion Magazine, Sept., 1910), The concordat did not, however last very long' Bishop Raphael seems not to have understood, at first, the motley character of the Episcopalian communion, but having come to realize it, quickly revoked his concession (Russian Orthodox American Messenger, 28 Feb., 1912).}}</ref> However, after World War I, the [[Fellowship of Saint Alban and Saint Sergius]] was organized in 1927, which much like the [[Anglican and Eastern Churches Association]] worked on ecumenism between the two Churches; both of these organisations continue their task today.<ref>{{cite book|title=Church Quarterly Review|date=January–March 1964|publisher=[[Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge]]|location=London|quote=In 1927, the "Fellowship of St Alban and St Sergius" was founded, becoming, like the "Anglican and Eastern Church Association", one of the chief focal points of these contacts.}}</ref> In accordance with the [[Soviet anti-religious legislation]] under the [[state atheism]] of the Soviet Union, several [[Russian Orthodox]] churches and seminaries were closed.<ref name="Greeley">{{cite book|last=Greeley|first=Andrew M.|title=Religion in Europe at the End of the Second Millennium: A Sociological Profile|year=2003|publisher=Transaction Publishers|isbn=978-1-4128-3298-4|page=89|quote=Seminaries were closed, churches turned into museums or centers for atheist propaganda, the clergy rigidly controlled, the bishops appointed by the state.}}<!--|access-date=23 April 2015--></ref><ref name="Liquidation">{{cite book|author=Gerhard Simon|title=Church, State, and Opposition in the U.S.S.R.|publisher=[[University of California Press]]|quote=On the other hand the Communist Party has never made any secret of the fact, either before or after 1917, that it regards 'militant atheism' as an integral part of its ideology and will regard 'religion as by no means a private matter'. It therefore uses 'the means of ideological influence to educate people in the spirit of scientific materialism and to overcome religious prejudices..' Thus it is the goal of the C.P.S.U. and thereby also of the Soviet state, for which it is after all the 'guiding cell', gradually to liquidate the religious communities.|year=1974}}</ref> With ecumenical aid from [[Methodism|Methodists]] in the United States two Russian Orthodox seminaries were reopened, and hierarchs of the Orthodox Church thankfully made the following statement: "The services rendered by the American Methodists and other Christian friends will go down in history of the Orthodox Church as one of its brightest pages in that dark and trying time of the church. Our Church will never forget the Samaritan service which your whole Church unselfishly rendered us. May this be the beginning of closer friendship for our churches and nations."<ref name="Methodism">{{cite web|author=Rev. Thomas Hoffmann; William Alex Pridemore |url=http://www.demokratizatsiya.org/bin/pdf/DEM%2012-3%20Pridemore%20.pdf |title=Esau's Birthright and Jacob's Pottage: A Brief Look at Orthodox-Methodist Ecumenism in Twentieth-Century Russia |publisher=[[Demokratizatsiya (journal)|Demokratizatsiya]] |quote=The Methodists continued their ecumenical commitments, now with the OC. This involved a continuance of financial assistance from European and American resources, enough to reopen two OC seminaries in Russia (where all had been previously closed). OC leaders wrote in two unsolicited statements: The services rendered... by the American Methodists and other Christian friends will go down in history of the Orthodox Church as one of its brightest pages in that dark and trying time of the church.... Our Church will never forget the Samaritan service which... your whole Church unselfishly rendered us. May this be the beginning of closer friendship for our churches and nations. (as quoted in Malone 1995, 50–51) |access-date=19 October 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929054409/http://www.demokratizatsiya.org/bin/pdf/DEM%2012-3%20Pridemore%20.pdf |archive-date=29 September 2011 }}</ref> ===Protestantism=== Protestants are involved in a variety of ecumenical groups, working in some cases toward organic denominational unity and in other cases for cooperative purposes alone. Because of the wide spectrum of Protestant denominations and perspectives, full cooperation has been difficult at times. [[Edmund Schlink]]'s ''Ökumenische Dogmatik'' (1983, 1997) proposes a way through these problems to mutual recognition and renewed church unity. ====Lutheranism==== [[File:2bishopsReformation.jpg|thumb|Bishop [[John M. Quinn]] of the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Winona]] and Bishop Steven Delzer of [[List of ELCA synods|Evangelical Lutheran Southeastern Minnesota Synod]] leading a Reformation Day service in 2017]] The [[Lutheran World Federation]] has several ongoing dialogues with respect to ecumenism:<ref name="LWF2020">{{cite web |title=Ecumenical Relations |url=https://www.lutheranworld.org/content/ecumenical-relations |publisher=Lutheran World Federation|access-date=15 May 2020 |language=en |date=2020}}</ref> * Lutheran-Anglican<ref name="LWF2020"/> * Lutheran-Mennonite-Roman Catholic<ref name="LWF2020"/> * Lutheran-Orthodox<ref name="LWF2020"/> * Lutheran-Reformed<ref name="LWF2020"/> * [[Catholic–Lutheran dialogue|Lutheran-Roman Catholic]]<ref name="LWF2020"/> In 1999, the representatives of Lutheran World Federation and Catholic Church signed the [[Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification]], resolving the conflict over the nature of [[Justification (theology)|Justification]] which was at the root of the [[Protestant Reformation]]. On July 18, 2006, delegates to the [[World Methodist Council|World Methodist Conference]] voted unanimously to adopt the Joint Declaration.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.umc.org/site/c.gjJTJbMUIuE/b.1863123/k.FF49/World_Methodists_approve_further_ecumenical_dialogue.htm|title=News Archives|publisher=UMC.org|date=July 20, 2006|access-date=10 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0604186.htm |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20060725190303/http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0604186.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 25, 2006 |title=CNS Story: Methodists adopt Catholic-Lutheran declaration on justification |publisher=Catholicnews.com |date=July 24, 2006 |access-date=10 October 2013 }}</ref> The [[World Communion of Reformed Churches]] (representing the "80 million members of Congregational, Presbyterian, Reformed, United, Uniting, and Waldensian churches"), adopted the ''Declaration'' in 2017.<ref>Heneghan, Tom. “Reformed Churches Endorse Catholic-Lutheran Accord on Key Reformation Dispute.” ''Religion News Service'' (6 July 2017).</ref> On [[Reformation Day]] in 2016, [[Pope Francis]] of the Catholic Church travelled to Sweden (where the Lutheran Church is the [[national Church]]) to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation at [[Lund Cathedral]], which serves as the cathedra for the [[Bishop of Lund]] of the [[Church of Sweden]], a Lutheran Church.<ref name="MacKinnon2016">{{cite web|url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/pope-francis-visit-sweden-october-mark-reformation-anniversary-113851358.html|title=500 years after reformation, Pope knocks on Lutherans' door|last=MacKinnon|first=Angus|date=25 January 2016|publisher=Yahoo News|language=en|access-date=22 February 2017|quote=Pope Francis will celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation by attending an ecumenical service in Sweden as a guest of the Lutheran Church, the Vatican said Monday. In a highly symbolic act of reconciliation that would even recently have been unthinkable for a Catholic pontiff, Francis will visit the Swedish city of Lund on 31 October for a commemoration jointly organised by his own inter-faith agency and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF).|archive-date=23 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170223045342/https://www.yahoo.com/news/pope-francis-visit-sweden-october-mark-reformation-anniversary-113851358.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> An official press release from the [[Holy See]] stated:<ref name="HSPO2016"/> {{quotation|The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and Roman Catholic Church joint event will highlight the 50 years of continuous ecumenical dialogue between Catholics and Lutherans and the joint gifts of this collaboration. The Catholic-Lutheran commemoration of 500 years of the Reformation is structured around the themes of thanksgiving, repentance and commitment to common witness. The aim is to express the gifts of the Reformation and ask forgiveness for division perpetuated by Christians from the two traditions.<ref name="HSPO2016">{{cite web|url=https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2016/06/01/160601e.html|title=Preparations to commemorate 500 years since the Reformation|date=1 June 2016|publisher=Holy See Press Office|language=en|access-date=22 February 2017}}</ref>}} An ecumenical service was presided over by [[Munib Younan|Bishop Munib Younan]], the president of the Lutheran World Federation, {{ill|Martin Junge|de}}, the General Secretary of the LWF, as well as Pope Francis, the leader of the Catholic Church.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/01/25/pope_to_travel_to_sweden_for_joint_reformation_commemoration/1203462|title=Pope Francis to travel to Sweden for joint Reformation commemoration|date=26 January 2016|publisher=[[Vatican Radio]]|language=en|access-date=22 February 2017}}</ref> Representatives from the Anglican Communion, Baptist World Alliance, Eastern Orthodox Church, and Salvation Army also participated in the predominantly Lutheran and Roman Catholic event.<ref name="Agnew2016">{{cite web|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/pope-to-attend-ceremony-marking-500-years-since-reformation-1.2510015|title=Pope to attend ceremony marking 500 years since Reformation|last=Agnew|first=Paddy|date=25 January 2016|publisher=[[The Irish Times]]|language=en|access-date=22 February 2017}}</ref> Pope Francis, in a joint statement with Bishop Munib A. Younan, stated that "With gratitude we acknowledge that the Reformation helped give a greater centrality to sacred Scripture in the Church's life".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/01/world/europe/pope-francis-in-sweden-urges-catholic-lutheran-reconciliation.html|title=Pope Francis, in Sweden, Urges Catholic-Lutheran Reconciliation|last=Anderson|first=Christina|date=31 October 2016|work=[[The New York Times]]|language=en|access-date=22 February 2017}}</ref> Susan Wood, a [[Sister of Charity]], who is a systematic theology professor and chair of the theology department at Marquette University and a former president of the [[Catholic Theological Society of America]], stated that "Since Vatican II, we have acknowledged an imperfect communion between Lutheran and Catholics" and that "There is no substantial difference in Lutheran and Catholic belief in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist".<ref name="Pattison2017">{{cite web |last1=Pattison |first1=Mark |title=How Catholic-Lutheran ecumenical efforts have borne fruit in past 50 years |url=https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2017/09/18/how-catholic-lutheran-ecumenical-efforts-have-borne-fruit-past-50-years |publisher=[[America Magazine]] |access-date=15 May 2020 |language=en |date=18 September 2017}}</ref> Wood stated that in the near future intercommunion could happen in places "where people can't get out, like nursing homes and prisons."<ref name="Pattison2017"/> The [[Porvoo Communion]] is a [[Communion (Christian)|communion]] that established [[altar and pulpit fellowship]] between Churches of the Lutheran and Anglican tradition.<ref name="Fuchs2008">{{cite book |last1=Fuchs |first1=Lorelei F. |title=Koinonia and the Quest for an Ecumenical Ecclesiology: From Foundations Through Dialogue to Symbolic Competence for Communionality |date=2008 |publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing |isbn=978-0-8028-4023-3 |language=en}}</ref> ====Anglicanism==== {{main article|Anglican Communion and ecumenism}} The members of the Anglican Communion have generally embraced the Ecumenical Movement, actively participating in such organizations as the World Council of Churches and the [[National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA]]. Most provinces holding membership in the Anglican Communion have special departments devoted to ecumenical relations; however, the influence of [[Liberal Christianity]] has in recent years caused tension within the communion, causing some to question the direction ecumenism has taken them. Each member church of the Anglican Communion makes its own decisions with regard to [[intercommunion]]. The 1958 [[Lambeth Conference]] recommended "that where between two Churches not of the same denominational or confessional family, there is unrestricted ''[[full communion|communio in sacris]]'', including mutual recognition and acceptance of ministries, the appropriate term to use is '[[full communion]]', and that where varying degrees of relation other than 'full communion' are established by agreement between two such churches the appropriate term is '[[intercommunion]]'." Full communion has been established between Provinces of the Anglican Communion and these Churches: * Old Catholic Churches of Europe * [[Philippine Independent Church]] * [[Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar]] * [[Evangelical Lutheran Church in America]] * [[Moravian Church]] in America, Northern and Southern Provinces Full communion has been established between the Anglican Churches of Europe ([[Church of England|England]], [[Church in Wales|Wales]], [[Episcopal Church of Scotland|Scotland]], [[Church of Ireland|Ireland]], [[Spanish Reformed Episcopal Church|Spain]], [[Lusitanian Catholic Apostolic Evangelical Church|Portugal]] and [[Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe|Gibraltar in Europe]]) and the Lutheran Churches of Northern Europe ([[Church of Norway|Norway]], [[Church of Sweden|Sweden]], [[Church of Denmark|Denmark]], [[Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland|Finland]], [[Church of Iceland|Iceland]], [[Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church|Estonia]], [[Evangelical Lutheran Church of Lithuania|Lithuania]], [[Lutheran Church in Great Britain|Great Britain]] and the [[Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church Abroad]]) with the [[Porvoo Communion]]. The [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal Church]] is currently engaged in dialogue with the following religious bodies: * [[Churches Uniting in Christ]] (CUIC) * [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] * [[Catholic Church]] * [[Presbyterian Church USA]] * [[United Methodist Church]] * [[Reformed Episcopal Church]] and the [[Anglican Province of America]] Worldwide, an estimated forty million Anglicans belong to churches that do not participate in the Anglican Communion {{Citation needed|date=April 2013}}, a particular organization limited to one province per country. In these Anglican churches, there is strong opposition to the ecumenical movement and to membership in such bodies as the World and National Councils of Churches. Most of these churches are associated with the [[Continuing Anglican movement]] or the movement for [[Anglican realignment]]. While ecumenicalism in general is opposed, certain Anglican church bodies that are not members of the Anglican Communion—the [[Free Church of England]] and the [[Church of England in South Africa]], for example—have fostered close and cooperative relations with other evangelical (if non-Anglican) churches, on an individual basis.{{cn|date=January 2022}} Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page