Page 9 - Presbyterian Connection Newspaper

Connection
HISTORY
Roman Catholic/Presbyterian Relations in Canada Today
presbyterian.ca
fall 2017
presbyterian
9
Bishop don Bolan, archbishop of Re- gina, and member of the Ponti cal Council for Promoting Christian unity
By the Rev. Stephen Kendall, Principal Clerk, General Assembly
This is the second in a series of ar- ticles sponsored by the Committee on Church Doctrine to reflect on the 500th anniversary of the Reforma- tion in Germany.
Many years ago, just before be- ing appointed Principal Clerk by the General Assembly, I was yearning for some time away for reflection. I chose an eight-day silent retreat at Loyola House in Guelph, Ont., a cen- tre run by Roman Catholic Jesuits. They could not have been more wel- coming and open to a Presbyterian minister! Being in a Catholic retreat setting was an important part of my Reformed spiritual nurturing.
As we commemorate 500 years since the beginning of the Reforma- tion based in Germany, there is much to be thankful for in the relations be- tween the Roman Catholic and Pres- byterian churches in Canada.
In 1997, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) joined the Canadian Council of Churches (CCC), after ten years of “trying out” the relationship. In his letter to the president of the CCC (who happened to be Alexandra Johnston, an elder at Rosedale Presbyterian Church and writer of the previous article in this series), Archbishop Spence prayed that “the Spirit will lead us all together in ever greater witness to that unity for which Christ prays, so that the world may believe.” The ecumenical commitment of the CCCB in Canada has been a strengthening influence for the CCC ever since. Each year I have been invited to represent The Presbyterian Church in Canada at the CCCB and I, or a designate, have always been welcomed and in- cluded in significant conversations. This past year, I was part of a panel (photo, seated on the stage) along with Bishop Susan Johnston (at the podium) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, on the ecumeni- cal commemoration of the 500th an- niversary of the Reformation.
If you search for “Presbyterian” on the CCCB website you will find 41 news articles that include references to our church. This is an example of the thoughtful connection between our churches.
Like members of any family, rela- tions between our churches are not always smooth. But the personal
connections we enjoy help us to deal with any differences head-on, with respect and friendship. In 2000, the Catholic Church published Domi- nus Iesus. It described Protestant
80 million Reformed Christians to the agreement (see article p. 21). We will celebrate that deepening theological connection this fall here in Canada at the next CCC govern- ing board meeting. The Rev. Amanda Currie, convener of our Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations Committee, will be able to lead that celebration. Amanda happens to be married to Nicholas Jesson, a Roman Catholic scholar who has been working with the CCC and is the Ecumenical Of- ficer for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon. Another testament to happy Roman Catholic–Presbyterian relations in Canada!
The relations are more than theo- logical. This summer, at the request of the CCCB, Presbyterian World Ser- vice & Development joined an inter- faith appeal to end famines in South Sudan, Somalia, Nigeria and Yemen. Shared resources produced by the CCCB undergird this important ap- peal.
Locally, many Presbyterians will have attended Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (WPCU) services in January of each year, perhaps in Roman Catholic Churches. These services are jointly prepared by the World Council of Churches and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and edited for dis- tribution in Canada by the Canadian Council of Churches weekofprayer. ca. These are often high points to getting to know each other ecumeni- cally, for as we worship together, we experience our unity in Christ in new ways.
We have long ago discovered that there is far more that unites us as Christians than divides us as Roman Catholics and Protestants. If you look for Roman Catholic friends anywhere in Canada, you will be sure to find many!
A momentous step in undoing one of the most signi cant points of division that remained long after the Reformation
The Rev. Stephen Kendall (centre, seated) and Bishop Susan Johnston (po- dium) at the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
churches as “ecclesial communi- ties” rather than churches in the full- est sense (even though Christ has “not refrained from using them as a means of salvation”).
Presbyterian eyebrows were raised. Our Ecumenical and Inter- faith Relations Committee wrote to the CCCB with our concerns and the CCCB responded with a significant meeting of ecumenical representa- tives with several Canadian bishops to discuss the document, and as- sured us of their ongoing ecumeni- cal respect for our churches. In fact, once differences are set aside, Domi- nus Iesus is very helpful as a road map for evangelism and an affirma- tion of the centrality of Christ in the mission of the church today.
In 1999, the CCC celebrated the publication of the Joint Declara- tion on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ) by the Catholic Church’s Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Lutheran World Federation. This document represented a momentous step in undoing one of the most significant points of division that remained long after the Reformation. It means that there is essential agreement between previously divided churches on how we understand coming into a saving relationship with God. This summer in Wittenberg, Germany, the World Communion of Reformed Churches “associated” with the document, adding the theological affirmation of
e Committee on History,
e Presbyterian Church in Canada presents
Soli Deo Gloria
(For God’s Glory Alone)
e 5th Sola of the Reformation
Keynoters:
Christine O’Reilly, Knox Presbyterian Church, edford, ON
John Vissers, Principal, Knox College
Panelists:
Jinsook Khang, Barbara Leung Lai, Ephraim Radner, Karla Wübbenhorst
October 28, 2017
10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (EDT)
Knox College, 59 St. George St., Toronto, ON
To join via Internet,
e-mail: five.solas@live.com for instructions
Interactive Q&A available for all participants in person or via Internet.
is Project is supported by:
a bequest to e Presbyterian Church in Canada and a grant from the Ewart Endowment.
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