Sweden's Catholic cardinal came to Washington, D.C., in August for an ecumenical dialogue with a Lutheran bishop. In NCR interviews, the two prelates spoke about their hopes for Pope Francis' upcoming Synod of Bishops.
The ministry of a Catholic bishop must reflect the Catholic Church's commitment to Christian unity and must give ecumenical engagement the same kind of attention as work for justice and peace, said a new Vatican document.
Paying tribute to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople for his contributions to the theology and spirituality of care for the environment, the Franciscan-run Pontifical University Antonianum awarded him an honorary doctorate.
The German Catholic bishops' conference and the council of the Evangelical Church in Germany plan to continue their discussions about shared Communion, reported the German Catholic news agency, KNA.
The Vatican has ordered Enzo Bianchi, the 77-year-old founder and former prior of the ecumenical Monastery of Bose, to leave the community following an apostolic visitation to clarify leadership within the group.
Commentary: Would Catholic, Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches consider an expansion of sacramental sharing, especially eucharistic sharing, on a reciprocal, ordinary basis?
For the 30 years from the Second Vatican Council to the publication of St. John Paul's encyclical May 25, 1995, official ecumenical dialogues tended to focus on comparing and contrasting Catholic teachings or practices with the teachings or practices of its dialogue partners.
Pope's quotes: "When terrorists or world powers persecute Christian minorities or Christians, they do not ask: 'Are you Lutheran? Are you Orthodox? Are you Catholic? Are you Reformed? Are you Pentecostal?' "
