Senior archbishops, presiding bishops, and moderators of the churches of the Anglican Communion will meet in Rome for the 2024 Primates’ Meeting (April 29-May 3). Conceived as a pilgrimage, they will pray and study Scripture together, visit holy sites in Rome, and reflect together about the mission and witness of the Church in the world.

In the first gathering of Anglican Primates to be held in Rome, the Primates’ programme will include a meeting with Pope Francis and conversation with Cardinal Grech about the meaning and promise of synodality for the whole Church.

The city of Rome is full of historical and spiritual significance for the whole Christian world. Pope Gregory the Great sent Augustine of Canterbury on mission to England in 597. Especially since the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), Rome has been a centre of inter-Christian encounter and ecumenical research.
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The rain came with a cool breeze, driving away the humid heat through the open windows of the church. An auspicious blessing from God! So began the collective story of the 4th Global Gathering of the Global Christian Forum in Ghana, a country where Christianity is vibrant and thriving. An outpouring of hospitality and generosity characterised our time together from 16-19 April, 2024.

The very first youth gathering in GCF’s history preceded the main Forum from 13-15 April. The diversity and vision of the young adults gave energy to their own conversations about justice, hope, and reconciliation.

This is the 25th Anniversary of the Global Christian Forum, something we celebrated joyfully. Throughout its existence, the GCF has been a unique space for all major streams of Christianity to be together for encounter and prayer. It is the broadest expression of Christian faith and one that reflects the movement of the majority of churches from the global north to the global south.
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With our recent celebration of the Easter Vigil in mind, it’s a good time to reflect on the ecumenical significance of baptism and offer a brief review of some of the dialogues that have taken place on this topic. From a Catholic perspective, the ecumenical significance of baptism is clearly affirmed in Vatican II’s Decree on Ecumenism, which states that: “all who have been justified by faith in baptism are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers [and sisters] by the children of the Catholic Church” (#3).
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Two things struck me while reading Dignitas Infinita or “Infinite Dignity,” the new declaration on surrogacy, gender and life from the Vatican released April 8 by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

For one, the document sets a new standard for transparency about how it was written, and, second, it goes to lengths to impress on its readers how long the church has taught on these topics.

The document, which applies church teaching to current threats to human dignity, makes clear that human dignity does not depend on wealth, intelligence, social status or abilities, but on the intrinsic worth of every human being.
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Archbishop Linda Nicholls, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, has announced that she will step down from her role on September 15, 2024.

The canons of the Anglican Church of Canada require primates to retire upon reaching their 70^th birthday. Archbishop Nicholls will reach mandatory retirement age in October.

Archbishop Nicholls was elected as the 14th Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada on July 13, 2019. She was the first woman to hold the office in Canada and only the second in the Anglican Communion.

Prior to her election, she served as Bishop of Huron (2016-2019) and Area Bishop of Trent-Durham in the Diocese of Toronto (2008-2016). She was also Coordinator for Dialogue for Ethics, Interfaith Relations and Congregational Development at the Anglican Church of Canada’s national office. She spent almost twenty years as a parish priest in the Diocese of Toronto.
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The world’s cultures, traditions, spiritualities and languages must be acknowledged, respected and protected, especially those of Indigenous peoples, Pope Francis said.

The entire patrimony of human knowledge “should be employed as a means of overcoming conflicts in a nonviolent manner and combating poverty and the new forms of slavery,” he said in remarks read by an aide March 14 to participants attending a workshop at the Vatican.

The Pontifical Academies of Sciences and of Social Sciences jointly sponsored a workshop March 14-15 on the knowledge of Indigenous peoples and the work and research being carried out in the sciences.
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On January 25, at the annual ecumenical service in Rome that marks the end of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Pope Francis spontaneously invited Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby to offer remarks after Francis’ own homily. Archbishop Justin’s reflection constituted a second homily, though it was called a “discourse” in the Vatican media. Such an invitation had only been offered to Orthodox bishops in the past, so this marked a significant sign of welcome between two leaders who have become close collaborators in a number of projects. On previous occasions, Archbishop Justin and his predecessors had been invited to offer remarks at a later portion of the liturgy, but never immediately after the homily.
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The Anglican Church of Canada’s Council of General Synod (CoGS) has passed resolutions on the need for further discussion and education around medical assistance in dying (MAID), the formation of a discipleship and evangelism task force, and a review of the process by which ecclesiastical provinces elect CoGS representatives. General Synod last year referred all three resolutions to CoGS, which passed them at a March 9 online meeting held over Zoom.

Resolution C003, on MAID, reaffirmed “the teaching of Scripture that life is a divine gift, the call of the Baptismal Covenant to ‘respect the dignity of every human being,’ and the teaching of Jesus Christ that he has come so that people may have ‘abundant life’ (John 10:10).” It requested that Archbishop Linda Nicholls, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, write to Canada’s minister of health expressing concerns about the expansion of the MAID program as well as the church’s support for a robust palliative care system.
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The Coptic Orthodox Church halts its theological dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church because of Vatican’s publication of “Fiducia supplicans”

The Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria has made the momentous decision to suspend its two-decades-long doctrinal dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church after the Vatican recently approved blessings for same-sex couples, something Coptic officials have called a “heresy”.

The Holy Synod of the ancient, Egypt-based Church announced on March 7 that it had decided “to suspend the theological dialogue with the Catholic Church, re-evaluate the results that the dialogue has achieved since its beginning twenty years ago, and establish new standards and mechanisms for the dialogue to proceed.” The catalyst for the decision, however, was the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith’s publication last December of Fiducia supplicans, the document on blessings for couples “in irregular situations” — including those of the same sex.
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Original English text. A translation was published in the Italian edition of L’Osservatore Romano, 23 January 2023.

Like many ecumenical partners, Methodists and Anglicans walked very closely with the Catholic Church throughout many significant events in 2023. This common journeying has taken various forms, including sympathy and prayerful solidarity on the occasion of the funeral of Pope Benedict XVI at the very beginning of the year, to participation in the Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in the later part of the year, with many other events and encounters in between.
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The Canadian Council of Churches is pleased to announce the launch of a new archive website: justiceandpeace.ca!

This digital library contains over 25 years of theological resources, position statements, advocacy letters, briefing notes, and other materials. They can be used as a starting point for thought, conversation, advocacy, and ecumenical participation. These resources arose through ecumenical dialogue, communal prayer, bible study, and advocacy efforts amongst members of the CCC‘s Commission on Justice and Peace. Statements and letters from the Canadian Council of Churches, Canadian churches, and religious leaders are also included in the archives.
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As the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine approaches on February 24, Christian leaders of Orthodox, Catholic, Evangelical, and other faith traditions in Canada, together with the World Evangelical Alliance’s Peace & Reconciliation Network, the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, and the Canadian Council of Churches invite all Christians and people of goodwill to join in united prayer and action for peace.

This call to prayer and action—signed by 45 Canadian Church leaders—also acknowledges ongoing conflict elsewhere in the world:

“Without in any way minimizing or ignoring the suffering and sorrow caused by war and violence in other areas of the world, we stand together in inviting Christians and all people of goodwill to prayerfully consider how we are all called, and might contribute to, the achievement of peace in and for Ukraine.”
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À l’approche du deuxième anniversaire de l’invasion à grande échelle de la Russie en Ukraine le 24 février, les chefs chrétiens des traditions orthodoxe, catholique, évangélique et d’autres confessions au Canada, en collaboration avec le Réseau de paix et de réconciliation de l’Alliance évangélique mondiale, l’Alliance évangélique du Canada et le Conseil canadien des Églises invitent toutes les chrétiens et les personnes de bonne volonté à se joindre à une prière et à une action unies pour la paix

Cet appel à la prière et à l’action—signé par 45 chefs d’églises canadiens—reconnaît également les conflits en cours ailleurs dans le monde :

« Sans minimiser ou ignorer de quelque manière que ce soit la souffrance et le chagrin causés par la guerre et la violence dans d’autres régions du monde, nous nous tenons ensemble pour inviter les chrétiens et toutes les personnes de bonne volonté à réfléchir avec prière à la manière dont nous sommes tous appelés, et pourraient contribuer à la réalisation de la paix en et pour l’Ukraine. »
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A series of lectures and workshops given by Rev Dr Karen Petersen Finch were held January 24-27, 2024 in Saskatoon and Regina. The first lecture, held at Campion College at the University of Regina, was titled “Re-imagining Lay People as Stewards of Doctrine” and the second lecture, titled, “Doctrine as the Fuel for Renewal”, was held January 25th in Saskatoon at St. Thomas More College at the University of Saskatchewan. A workshop titled, “The Eucharist: Where is Jesus?” was held at Holy Spirit Parish in Saskatoon on Friday, January 26 and at Christ the King Parish in Regina on Saturday, January 27.
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Commemorating the 1700th anniversary in 2025 of the Council of Nicaea is an inspiration to Christians today to work for the unity of the church, according to Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC).

At the Council of Nicaea, bishops representing the whole of Christendom gathered together for the first time to discuss the faith and witness of the church.

“Recalling the significance of the Council of Nicaea renews our call for full visible unity, the cornerstone of the ecumenical movement,” Pillay said in a greeting to an 8 February webinar, “From Nicaea, Walking Together to Unity: The Beginning of a New Beginning.”
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The newly-appointed WCC Faith and Order Commission met face-to-face for the first time to plan its next eight years of work. Theologians from all continents gathered in Tondano, North Sulawesi, Indonesia, hosted by the Indonesian Communion of Churches.

The Faith and Order Commission is a unique body, bringing together theologians and church leaders from Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant traditions – women and men, lay and ordained – with several places reserved for younger theologians.

In this its first meeting, the commission considered plans for the 2025 world conference commemorating the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. The Council of Nicaea shaped the creed that is still used by most Christian churches today, and the Faith and Order conference in 2025 will ask “Where now for visible unity?” The commission heard research on Nicaea and its continuing influence, and considered how to use the conference and the anniversary to bring Faith and Order work to a wider audience.
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A document released by the Roman Catholic Church reconsidering its policy on blessings—including those to people in same-sex relationships—offers Anglicans a new way to think about divisions within their own communion, says the Rev. Iain Luke, principal of the Saskatoon-based College of Emmanuel and St. Chad and a member of the Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue in Canada.

The declaration Fiducia Supplicans, endorsed by Pope Francis on Dec. 18, lays out a shift in the Roman Catholic Church’s approach to blessings. It encourages clergy to offer blessings from the church to any who ask without first scrutinizing whether they are in compliance with the church’s doctrines or meet some moral standard.
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In what could prove to be a landmark case for religious and conscience rights in Canada, Montréal’s Archbishop Christian Lépine has taken on the Attorney General of Québec.

In an appeal for judicial review submitted to the Québec Superior Court on Feb. 5, Lépine asked for an immediate stay of the application of an amendment to the Act respecting End-of-Life Care that requires palliative care hospices to offer Medical Aid in Dying (MAID).

The June 2023 amendment specifies that “no palliative care hospice may exclude medical aid in dying from the care they offer.”

The palliative care centre that Lépine hopes to shield is the St. Raphael Palliative Care Home and Day Centre in Montréal, but the appeal raises larger questions of the future of the collaborative charitable work of faith communities unable to act according to their conscience.
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With the help of a woman Anglican bishop, a Salesian sister and a consecrated virgin, Pope Francis and his international Council of Cardinals devoted the first morning of their February meeting “to deepening their reflection, begun last December, on the role of women in the church,” the Vatican press office said.

Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office, said Feb. 5 the pope and cardinals heard from Bishop Jo Bailey Wells, deputy secretary-general of the Anglican Communion; Salesian Sr. Linda Pocher, a professor of Christology and Mariology at Rome’s Pontifical Faculty of Educational Sciences “Auxilium,” and Giuliva Di Berardino, a consecrated virgin and liturgist from the Diocese of Verona, Italy.
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In the face of continued liturgical abuses, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith releases a doctrinal Note entitled “Gestis verbisque,” reiterating that the words and elements established in the essential rite of each Sacrament cannot be changed because such changes render the Sacrament invalid.

The Note from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, entitled “Gestis verbisque,” was published on Saturday, February 3.

The Note was discussed and approved unanimously by the Cardinals and Bishops who are Members of the Dicastery and were present at the recent Plenary Assembly. Pope Francis then approved the text of the Note.

It reaffirms that the formulas and material elements established in the essential rite of each Sacrament cannot be changed at will in the name of creativity.

Doing so, in fact, renders the Sacrament itself invalid; therefore, it never existed and no Sacramental grace was conferred.
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Some friends of mine recently undertook a little renovation project in their home: nothing major – just a couple of bathrooms, a laundry room and a fresh coat of paint on some walls.

The plan looked simple enough on paper, but the reality of the renos soon became a bit more complicated – and costly – than initially anticipated. Removing old walls disclosed some surprises, newer building codes required adjustments to plumbing and electrical works, old appliances didn’t quite fit into new spaces, and a few unforeseen wall repairs were needed before the simple step of applying new paint.

I think about this in the context of the upcoming Lenten season, and the renovation project that Lent invites into all of our lives: individually and communally, and particularly as churches journeying together on the path of Christian unity.
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Speaking to the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on Faith and Order during the commission’s historic meeting in Indonesia, WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay expressed gratitude for the commission’s work, and hope for the ecumenical journey in 2025.

“This marks a significant milestone in our journey, and I am filled with gratitude for the commitment and dedication each of you brings to the ecumenical table,” said Pillay. “The online interactions in the last months of last year, including the Faith and Order Commission and the Nicaea 2025 Steering Group Meetings, served as a testament to your resilience and adaptability.”
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The Roman Catholic-Anglican dialogue is advancing on the path of reconciliation after four centuries of conflict and separation. This decades-long effort is now moving beyond theological dialogue at the international level to building a movement whose guiding principle is: “The Christian churches should do all things together except where deep differences require that we act separately.”

Canada’s Catholic archbishop of Regina, Don Bolen, and the Canadian British-born Anglican suffragan bishop in Europe, David Hamid, explained this to America at the Basilica of St. Bartholomew the Apostle, on Tiber Island in Rome, on Jan. 25.

The two bishops are the co-chairmen of the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission, which goes by the acronym IARCCUM. Composed entirely of bishops from both churches, the commission came into existence in 2001 and held a two-part summit in Rome and Canterbury during this year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Jan. 18-25. The summit brought together pairs of bishops from 27 countries, one from each Anglican province and one from the Catholic bishops’ conference in the same region.
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As Catholics and Anglicans pray and work for the day when they can celebrate the Eucharist together, they are called to support one another in situations of suffering, apologize together for times when they have sinned and work together to share the good news of God’s love, said bishops from both communities.

Pairs of Catholic and Anglican bishops from 27 nations traveled to Rome Jan. 22-25 and to Canterbury, England, Jan. 26-29 for prayer, discussion and a commissioning by Pope Francis and Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury.

The pilgrimage was organized by the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission, a body established in 2001 to promote common prayer and joint projects to demonstrate concretely how the theological agreements the churches have made also have practical implications in witnessing together to the Christian faith.

A final statement drafted by participants was posted Feb. 1 [at IARCCUM.org] and on the websites of the Anglican Communion and the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity.
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This letter was sent by Pope Francis on Feb. 2 to Karma Ben Johanan, who teaches at the department of comparative religion at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Dr. Ben Johanan was the coordinator of the open letter to the pope from more than 400 Jewish rabbis and scholars last November.

Dear brothers and sisters,

We are experiencing a moment of great travail. Wars and divisions are increasing all over the world. We are truly, as I said some time ago, in the midst of a sort of “piecemeal world war”, with serious consequences on the lives of many populations.

Unfortunately, even the Holy Land has not been spared this pain, and since October 7 it too has been cast into a spiral of unprecedented violence. My heart is torn at the sight of what is happening in the Holy Land, by the power of so much division and so much hatred.
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The bishops of the ‘Growing Together’ ecumenical summit have travelled from Rome to Canterbury for the second phase of their programme. The summit coincided with the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and run from January 22-29.

Meeting in Anglican and Catholic bishop pairs, it has been a week seasoned with themes of friendship, conversation and journeying together.

The bishops have explored the importance of listening and learning from one another, celebrating what they have in common and how faith traditions can work together as partners in the gospel.

This sense of partnership was celebrated most significantly on January 25, when Pope Francis and the Archbishop of Canterbury commissioned the bishops in joint mission, during Vespers, at the conclusion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, the church of Saint Paul Outside The Walls.
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Divided Christians will draw closer to one another only by loving God and loving their neighbours, serving one another and not pointing fingers in blame for past faults, Pope Francis said.

Closing the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity with an evening prayer service Jan. 25 at Rome’s Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, Francis was joined by Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury and, at the end of the service, the two commissioned pairs of Anglican and Catholic bishops from 27 countries to “bear witness together to the hope that does not deceive and to the unity for which our Savior prayed.”

Members of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches, who were meeting in Rome, also participated along with representatives of Orthodox, Protestant and Anglican communities in Italy.

In his homily, Francis reflected on the theme for the 2024 celebration of the week of prayer: “You shall love the Lord your God … and your neighbour as yourself” from Luke 10:27.

The passage comes from a Gospel story in which a scholar of the law asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. After Jesus affirms the need to love God and one’s neighbour, the scholar asks, “And who is my neighbour?”
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Aujourd’hui, en la mémoire liturgique de saint François de Sales, et avec l’approbation du Conseil permanent, la Commission épiscopale pour la justice et la paix de la Conférence des évêques catholiques du Canada (CECC) publie une lettre pastorale sur l’utilisation des médias sociaux intitulée : « Que vos paroles soient toujours bienveillantes ».

Reconnaissant le rôle prépondérant des médias sociaux au niveau individuel et sociétal, cette lettre pastorale opportune examine les avantages et les dangers des médias sociaux dans la perspective de l’enseignement social de l’Église catholique. Elle fournit des outils de réflexion morale et d’auto-examen, et propose sept engagements qui doivent guider une utilisation plus éthique des médias sociaux.
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Today, on the liturgical memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, and with the approval of the Permanent Council, the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) releases its Pastoral Letter on the use of social media titled: “Let Your Speech Always Be Gracious.”

Acknowledging the prominent role social media has come to play at an individual and societal level, this timely Pastoral Letter considers the benefits and dangers of social media from the perspective of Catholic Social Teaching. It provides tools for moral reflection and self-examination, and suggests seven commitments by which to be guided for a more ethical use of social media.
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A World Council of Churches (WCC) conference in 2025 in Egypt is to gather major Christian traditions to explore how churches can call each other to visible unity, inspired by the experiences of the early church, according to one of the key planners of the event.

The gathering – the Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order – will mark the anniversary of the world’s first Ecumenical Council, the Council of Nicaea of 325, a key moment in the history of Christian faith.

In a WCC video interview, the Rev. Prof. Dr Sandra Beardsall, moderator of the Nicaea 2025 steering group of the WCC’s Commission on Faith and Order, reflects on the significance of the Council of Nicaea and the inspiration it provides for the World Conference.

“Nicaea was the very first Council that brought together Christians from all around the world to meet together, to make decisions,” says Beardsall in the interview with Dr Stephen Brown, editor of the WCC’s journal, The Ecumenical Review.
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A major leap forward in Christian unity began with an embrace, as Pope Francis recalled.

St. Paul VI and Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I of Constantinople met, and embraced, in Jerusalem in January 1964 and the following year they lifted the mutual excommunications their churches had issued in 1054.

Pope Francis marked the anniversary during his Angelus address Jan. 6, 2024 telling a crowd in St. Peter’s Square that the two leaders had broken down “a wall of incommunicability that had kept Catholics and Orthodox apart for centuries. Let us learn from the embrace of those two great men of the church on the path to Christian unity: praying together, walking together, working together.”

The praying, walking and working will be highlighted Jan. 18-25 as Christians around the world celebrate the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
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Praying together with other Christians and even with members of other faiths has become so common over the past half century, it’s easy to forget earlier practice.

Archbishop Gilles Ouellet, a former chair of the CCCB’s Ecumenism Commission, talked about his experience in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. His father was a town councillor, and in this capacity took the young Gilles with him to attend the funeral of a prominent Protestant citizen. As they were entering the church, he recalled his father saying that they were attending the funeral “because it’s the right thing to do.” However, Archbishop Gilles was to remember that he was not to pray in that church.
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