Ecumenical history has been made with the appointment for the first time of a Catholic priest as chair of the Dublin Council of Churches. Fr Damian McNiece is the first Catholic priest to hold the position in the 50 year history of the DCC. The Catholic Church only became a full member of the council six years ago, Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Ecumenism’
Coptics want to buy Timaru’s Chalmers Church
Tuesday, September 30th, 2014
A small group of Coptic Orthodox Christians say they are in the process of buying Timaru’s Chalmers Church. This is the second time they have tried to buy this church. If a sale goes ahead the group will rename it St George’s Coptic Church. Businessman Dean van Buuren purchased the church, Friendship Centre and neighbouring Read more
Anglicans beat the Catholics by a narrow margin
Tuesday, September 23rd, 2014History was made in Canterbury, England, last Friday when the Vatican’s newly formed cricket team played its first ever match against the Church of England. The Anglicans beat the catholics answering the Catholics’ score of 106 with just five balls remaing. The Vatican scored 106 runs to which the Anglican XI replied with 108 runs Read more
Cardinal Nichols to have role in Richard III’s burial ceremony
Tuesday, September 9th, 2014
The Catholic Archbishop of Westminster will join the Archbishop of Canterbury and representatives of other faiths to bury King Richard III next year. Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster said it is fitting that King Richard’s “remains should be reinterred with dignity and accompanied by the prayers of the Church in Leicester Cathedral, the mediaeval parish Read more
Catholics reaching out to Anglicans
Tuesday, September 2nd, 2014
November this year will mark the 50th anniversary of the solemn promulgation of the Second Vatican Council Decree on Ecumenism, Unitatis Redintegratio. It still remains the authoritative document of the Catholic Church setting out the principles of ecumenical dialogue, though much of its teaching was expounded by St John Paul II in his encyclical Ut Read more
Advisor says Francis wants to reform papacy for Christian unity
Tuesday, August 5th, 2014
Pope Francis wants to reform the papacy to allow greater unity between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, a newly appointed senior adviser says. Enzo Bianchi was appointed on July 22 as a consultor of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. The Tablet reported him saying the Pope could allow a council of bishops, including Read more
Ward church decommissioned ahead of demolition
Tuesday, August 5th, 2014Marlborough’s Catholics marked the end of an era on Sunday when the earthquake-damaged Ward church was formally decommissioned ahead of demolition. After singing, a reading, and a prayer at the site, the congregation took the church’s altar and sign and processed to St Peter’s Anglican church nearby, where the sign would be installed and the Read more
Pope Francis apologises for treatment of Italy’s Pentecostals
Friday, August 1st, 2014
Pope Francis has apologised for the complicity of some Catholics in the fascist-era persecution of Italy’s pentecostal and evangelical Christians. While in southern Italy, in Caserta on July 27, Pope Francis made what the Vatican called a “strictly private” visit with 200 pentecostal and evangelical Christians. Francis apologised for the persecution in the 1920s and 1930s, Read more
Pope doesn’t want to convert Evangelicals to Catholicism
Friday, July 18th, 2014
Pope Francis has reportedly told a Protestant leader that he is not interested in converting evangelical Christians to Catholicism. Writing of his recent visit to Pope Francis with other leaders, World Evangelical Alliance global ambassador Brian Stiller said he asked the Pontiff what he felt about evangelism. Stiller said the Pope’s comment was: “I’m not Read more
CofE ordaining women bishops deemed harmful to ecumenism
Friday, July 18th, 2014The Church of England’s decision to ordain women bishops has harmed relations with the Catholic Church, an archbishop says. Speaking on behalf of the England and Wales bishops’ conference, Archbishop Bernard Longley said the commitment to further dialogue between the two churches remains. “The decision of the Church of England to admit women to the Read more