New initiatives foster deeper understanding
2003 was an eventful year in relations between the Catholic Church and the
World Methodist Council, characterized both by an ongoing perseverance in
our long-standing theological dialogue and by new initiatives which have
been made possible by advances in that dialogue and by the friendship and
understanding which have emerged over the past decades.
In June 2003, Methodists worldwide celebrated the 300th anniversary of
the birth of John Wesley, and in small but significant ways, invited the
Catholic Church to join in these celebrations. It was also a year in which
a promising initiative took important steps forward
—
towards a Methodist affirmation of the agreement reached by Lutherans and
Catholics in the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification.
Following both of these initiatives closely, the International
Methodist-Catholic Dialogue Commission continued its work on ecclesiology
towards a clearer understanding of convergences and differences in our
understanding of the nature and mission of the Church. We will look
briefly at each of these in turn.
1. 300th anniversary of the birth of John Wesley
Cardinal Walter Kasper, President of the Pontifical Council for
Promoting Christian Unity, preached at the Methodist Church in Rome on the
occasion of the 300th anniversary of the birth of John Wesley. Later in
the year, he sent a message to a celebration marking both the anniversary
of Wesley's birth and that of the chapel Wesley opened in London 225 years
ago.
Cardinal Kasper made use of the opportunity provided by these occasions
to contribute to a Catholic reassessment of John Wesley, particularly
attentive to "his wholehearted commitment to spreading the good news of
salvation, his fostering of Scriptural holiness and his structuring of
communities of Christians for witness and mission".
Cardinal Kasper noted that while the Catholic Church does not agree
with all of Wesley's theological stances and inevitably needs to grapple
with his ambivalent understanding of the Catholic Church, our assessment
of Wesley cannot stop there. "We must also seek a wider view, to see what
dynamized Wesley's ministry, to see the evangelical passion which gave
direction to his life and the movement he started", the Cardinal said. He
stressed that this reassessment of Wesley, which was "rich with
possibilities", was possible because Catholics could now look to Wesley
through eyes educated by our international dialogue and by the emergence
of friendship and shared mission in various local contexts throughout the
world, wherein "we have come to recognize each other as brothers and
sisters in Christ".
Addressing the congregation of Methodists but also our Methodist
dialogue partners worldwide, Cardinal Kasper noted that just as Methodists
"continue to turn to the ministry of John Wesley for inspiration and
guidance, we can look to see and find in him the evangelical zeal, the
pursuit of holiness, the concern for the poor, the virtues and goodness
which we have come to know and respect in you". Cardinal Kasper's homily
and message were warmly received and much appreciated.
2. Methodism and the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of
Justification
Following an exploratory meeting in November 2001 between Catholic,
Lutheran, Methodist and Reformed representatives, the World Methodist
Council (WMC) has actively pursued the possibility of having its member
churches affirm the agreement reached in the Joint Declaration on the
Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ), endorsed in 1999 by the Catholic Church
and the Lutheran World Federation.
During the past year, at the request of the WMC, Methodist theologians
Professor Geoffrey Wainwright (co-chair of the Methodist-Catholic Dialogue
Commission) and Bishop Walter Klaiber prepared a draft of a text wherein
the Methodist understanding of justification and its relationship to the
agreements reached in the JDDJ were theologically explained and
substantiated.
Their draft statement was sent to Catholic and Lutheran authorities to
determine whether it would be acceptable to them, and was clarified in
light of those conversations. The statement indicates Methodist acceptance
of the basic consensus statements of the JDDJ and of the specifically
Lutheran and Catholic explanations in the text (noting that these diverse
emphases should not be communion-dividing), and sets forth the distinctive
Methodist emphases on the doctrine of justification and related doctrines.
The Methodist statement has now been sent to the 76 member churches of
the World Methodist Council for study and debate. It is to be hoped that
this process will culminate in an endorsement of the text by the WMC's
member churches at their international Conference in 2006, coupled with an
acceptance and welcome of the text by the Catholic Church and the Lutheran
World Federation.
In its final form such a statement would allow the WMC and its member
churches officially to become associated with the JDDJ in such a way as to
enter the new relationship that had been established between the original
partners.
The process has significant implications not only for
Methodist-Catholic relations, but also as an exploration of the means by
which a third partner could join in an agreement established by two
others. It signals a new genre of ecumenical text and a new means of
advancing in the search for Christian unity.
3. The International Methodist-Catholic Dialogue Commission
The member churches of the World Methodist Council, all with roots in
the Wesleyan tradition, understand themselves as being bound together more
by a common pursuit of holiness and a common mission than by a consistent
and well-articulated ecclesiology. Having emerged as a movement within
Anglicanism fostering individual holiness and the revitalization of parish
communities, Methodism has often been compared (by Methodists and
Catholics alike) to religious movements and orders within the Catholic
Church.
Methodist involvement in the ecumenical movement, however, has given
rise to an increasing attentiveness to the ecclesiological foundations of
Methodism. The Methodist-Catholic theological dialogue, which began in
1967, has correspondingly been increasingly focused on foundational
ecclesiological issues. The last three reports of our International
Methodist-Catholic Dialogue Commission have treated in sequence the
Apostolic Tradition, divine revelation and the teaching authority of the
Church.
The Commission is presently studying the relationship between Catholic
and Methodist definitions of what essentially constitutes the Church, and
is in the process of preparing a report which would be presented to
authorities in the Catholic Church and the World Methodist Council in two
years' time. The intent is for the report to look to past ecclesiological
interpretations of each other, to give an account of our common
ecclesiological foundations, to offer an assessment of each other's
ecclesiology and to propose possible steps in our relationship that would
reflect the extent to which we share a common understanding of the Church
and its mission in the world.
While we both recognize that there are still significant
ecclesiological issues separating us, the Methodist-Catholic dialogue has
proceeded effectively in continually seeking to bridge the gap between us,
and the present round of dialogue is proceeding very well. Professor
Wainwright noted that "we are in this for the long haul, because clearly
there are many matters to be resolved at the level of doctrine between the
two communions; but we are making steady and sure, if slow, progress".
The declared aim of the dialogue is to help bring Catholics and
Methodists into "full visible unity in faith, mission and sacramental
life".
This year's meeting of the International Dialogue Commission took place
in York, England, making it possible for the Commission members to make a
joint pilgrimage to Epworth, the birthplace of John and Charles Wesley,
visiting the home where they grew up and the church in which they were
baptized. Meeting in England also made it possible for Commission members
to attend the signing of a covenant between British Methodists and the
Church of England, to participate in festivities marking the 225th
anniversary of Wesley's Chapel (referred to above), and to hold a meeting
with members of the British Methodist-Roman Catholic Committee. The latter
body has been in existence for well over 30 years, engaging in a wide
range of projects, from the study of international dialogue reports to the
fostering of common witness and shared mission on a local level.
The meeting signalled the possibility of closer collaboration between
the international commission and some of the regional or national
Methodist-Catholic dialogues presently taking place.
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