The path towards the future?

A service of vespers in Westminster’s Cathedral on January 22 commemorated the end of the mandate of Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor as president of the ecumenical body “Churches Together in England”. Prayers will be said in churches across the country with the material prepared by Korea and focused on the passage from Ezekiel 37:15-28 narrating the story of the two wooden sticks representing the two kingdoms dividing Israel. These events mark the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Jan. 18-25) celebrated by the Christian Churches of England and Wales. Silvia Guzzetti interviewed for Sir Europe two experts actively committed in ecumenical activities, Msgr. Andrew Faley, in charge of ecumenical dialogue for the “Episcopal Conference of England and Wales” and Father Peter Colwell, from the “United Reformed Church”, Secretary for the life of the church and inter-religious relations of the ecumenical association “Churches Together in Britain and Ireland”.Loss of enthusiasm. Reportedly, a number of theological obstacles such as divisions on the role of the Pope as the centre of unity along with the ordination of women and homosexual pastors slowed down the path leading to unity. “When the ecumenical movement began in the 1970s and 1980s under the Catholic leadership of Cardinal card. Basil Hume and the Anglican leadership of Archbishop Michael Ramsey – recalls reverend Peter Colwell – there was a great deal of enthusiasm. The passion for the unity of the two leaders boosted the dialogue. Moments of communal prayer, and the joint work of the different churches also at local level, ensued. This was something new”. “An ecumenical winter is felt today, especially at national level, due to a loss of enthusiasm”. “Perhaps in twenty years we made so much progress that a momentary slow-down is normal. We ought to pray and work together to identify the next step”. “Difficulties are being experienced also at economic level. The different congregations are losing vocations, thus attention and energies are being diverted to the financial problems and to the drop in vocations. It’s important to be patient, prayer will enable us to see the path God wants us to follow”. Ongoing progress. Msgr. Andrew Faley conveyed a more optimistic view on the present state of ecumenical relations. “I agree with the fact that the general enthusiasm for the ecumenical work carried out in the 1970s and 1980s has subdued. However, the Catholic Church is fully committed in this area, as Pope Benedict XVI recently pointed out. Important steps were made with the Eastern Churches, with the Russian Church, the Orthodox Byzantine and Eastern Orthodox Churches as recorded with the Ravenna agreement. The Catholic Church is strongly marked by a universal dimension and local difficulties won’t prevent its progress towards unity”. The difficulty of Anglicans. “Ecumenism – Faley remarked – made more progress in the dialogue with Eastern Churches compared to Protestant European Churches”. “The Anglican Communion is going through a difficult phase and is reflecting on its meaning as a Church and on the path it ought to undertake. Current divisions make it hard for the Catholic Church to find an interlocutor. We share with Eastern Churches the recognition of the Sacraments and of priestly ordinations, but problems remain regarding the role of the Pope as the centre of the Church”. Dialogue depends on Church leadership. “Ecumenical dialogue largely depends on the personality of Church leaders”, Faley remarks. “For instance, Catholic Primate Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor and Anglican Primate Rev. Rowan Williams are on excellent terms and are both committed in ecumenical dialogue that is reflected also at local level”. The path towards the future? “As Cardinal Kasper justly said, spiritual ecumenism is the path leading to the future along with prayer and reading the Scriptures. Until now we made great progress in the realm of active ecumenism, now it’s time we focus on prayer. We ought to encourage our Christian brothers to pray together and jointly read the Scriptures”.