Joint Statement on the occasion of the Joint Catholic-Lutheran Commemoration of the Reformation Lund, 31 October 2016 «Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me» (John 15:4). With thankful hearts With this […]
Ecumenical Corner Blog: Ecumenical News
Pope Francis Meets Patriarch Kirill in Cuba
The Orthodox Patriarch of Moscow (Russia) has not met with the Pope since 1054 A.D. …until February 12, 2016. The two religious leaders met in the airport at Havana as the Pope travelled to Mexico for an apostolic visit. They issued a joint declaration of thirty paragraphs clearly expressing their desire for unity, peace, and […]
Synod’s final document focuses on discernment in family life
(Vatican Radio) The Synod of Bishops on the Family completed its final working day on Saturday, as bishops voted on a final document and approved a statement on families affected by conflicts in the Middle East, Africa and Ukraine. Philippa Hitchen has been following the different stages of the meeting and talking to many of […]
“Today more than ever we are united by the ecumenism of blood”
Pope’s message to His Holiness Tawadros II: continuing friendship between the Orthodox Coptic Church and the Catholic Church Vatican City, 11 May 2015 (VIS) – Pope Francis has sent a message to His Holiness Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, to commemorate the second anniversary of […]
Pope Francis at Interreligious Meeting in Sri Lanka
Please find below the full text of Pope Francis’ Address to the Interreligious and Ecumenical Gathering in Colombo: Dear Friends, I am grateful for the opportunity to take part in this meeting which brings together, among others, the four largest religious communities integral to the life of Sri Lanka: Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity. I […]
Ecumenical Blessing and Signing of the Common Declaration by Pope Francis & Patriarch Bartholomew I
Apostolic Journey of His Holiness Pope Francis to Turkey (28-30 November 2014) Istanbul Sunday, 30 November 2014 [Multimedia] We, Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, express our profound gratitude to God for the gift of this new encounter enabling us, in the presence of the members of the Holy Synod, the clergy […]
Cambridge Scholar Argues Liturgy’s Relevance
In an era where religious experiences often take place at venues and where concerts have replaced ritual, Rowan Williams, the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury, came to Fordham University Church to make an argument for the relevance of the liturgy in today’s world. Archbishop Williams made his case in a lecture, “Liturgical Humanism: Orthodoxy and the […]
Challenging Extremism: A Religious Perspective
Introduction Imam Shamsi Ali, a Muslim leader who emigrated from Indonesia to New York founded the Nusantara Foundation in this city with its headquarters at 4 West 43rd Street in Manhattan in 2008. He invited me to a panel discussion on Tuesday, September 24, 2014 on the challenge of extremism. The discussion included some of […]
Pope Meets Leaders of Other Churches and faiths in Korea
2014-08-18 Vatican Radio (Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met on Monday morning with leaders of the different Christian Churches in Korea, together with the heads of the other main religious communities. The encounter was held in Seoul’s Catholic cathedral, just ahead of a concluding Mass which marked the final event on a packed, five day, papal […]
Pope Francis Recieves Archbishop of Canterbury
THE POPE RECEIVES THE PRIMATE OF THE ANGLICAN CHURCH: GREAT SAINTS, TEACHERS AND COMMUNITIES DEMONSTRATE OUR COMMON ROOTS Vatican City, 16 June 2014 (VIS) – The awareness that the objective of unity may seem distant, but is always the aim of the path of ecumenism and common concern for the ills of humanity, especially human […]