wfn.org | Orthodox participation in WCC: reaffirming the vision of common prayer

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World Council of Churches
Update 03-29
For Immediate Use
19 June 2003

Orthodox participation in WCC: reaffirming the vision of common prayer

Cf. Press Release, PR-03-20, of 28 May 2003

The assumption that the report of the Special Commission on Orthodox
Participation in the World Council of Churches (WCC) forbids Christians from
different ecclesial traditions from worshipping together is simply not valid.

An effort to clarify that potential misunderstanding, and reaffirm the vision
of common prayer as a way of enabling WCC member churches to stay and to pray
together within the fellowship of the Council, was one of the main outcomes
of a 4-7 June 2003 meeting of the Steering Committee of the Special
Commission.

Held in Thessaloniki, Greece - where Orthodox challenges to the Council first
came to light five years ago - it was the Steering Committee's first meeting
since reception of the Special Commission report by the WCC Central Committee
last August. The Committee evaluated how the report has been received in
various countries and churches, and focussed on follow-up of its main issues:
common prayer, ecclesiology, the methodology of consensus, and membership
conditions. 

Regarding common prayer, which became one of the Special Commission report's
most contentious subjects, Committee members reaffirmed the report's emphasis
on continued prayer as the heart of efforts towards Christian unity. But, at
the same time, they recognized a failure to communicate the vision. 

The report's vision of common prayer encompassed: the possibility of
banishing fears of the other; of treating every church tradition and every
person's conscience with respect; of allowing the Holy Spirit to lead people
to recognize the richness of other ecclesial traditions; as well as of
allowing everyone to feel welcome and accepted, while everything pertaining
to any particular service is transparent and understandable to all. 

The Special Commission tried to shape this vision by distinguishing between
"confessional" common prayer - with a clear ecclesial identity - and
"interconfessional" common prayer - which combines elements from different
ecclesial traditions -, and by establishing a framework for preparation of
these services in WCC gatherings.

Thus, the intention was not to stifle ecumenical spiritual life, but to
clarify common prayer in order to build up confidence and trust in one
another.  "Unfortunately there were some misunderstandings," said Bishop Dr
Rolf Koppe, head of the department of Ecumenical Relations and Ministries
Abroad of the Evangelical Church in Germany, who is one of the two
co-moderators of the Special Commission and its Steering Committee.

"Those misunderstandings arose because of some of the wording and language,"
Koppe said. "In particular 'common prayer' does not have an appropriate
translation in German and other languages, since 'prayer' also means
'worship/service' in English, and not only a prayer without liturgy," he
added.	

The hard fact, sometimes overlooked, is that the common prayer issue reveals
that unity in faith, witness and common life does not yet exist, the Steering
Committee agreed.  However, its members believe that trust can be built to
help clear up misunderstandings about the proposed framework for common
prayer. 

They anticipate that forthcoming WCC gatherings will reveal whether the
suggested framework can foster common prayer with sensitivity to differing
faith traditions, and sustain the full participation of all. "The framework
is not the last word, and theologians and member churches are invited to
think about it," Koppe said. 

"Since the report was received by the WCC Central Committee, we have
experienced some frustrations, disappointment and also fear," said
Metropolitan Dr Gennadios of Sassima (Ecumenical Patriarchate of
Constantinople), who substituted for the Orthodox co-moderator, Metropolitan
Chrysostomos of Ephesus. "We must encourage mutual understanding and trust,
maybe lost during the past few years. Our pastoral and spiritual task is to
overcome this fear - which is a kind of anti-ecumenical virus now around us -
struggling against it with a lot of discernment and prayer." 

Towards a radical shift in WCC culture

The move to a consensus method of taking decisions was another of the main
issues addressed by the meeting. It was recognized as a radical shift in the
culture of the WCC. As a move to a new ethos based on deliberation and
discernment, it requires new qualities from all participants, and a
willingness to learn new ways of listening, contributing and discerning the
mind of a meeting. 

A manual with guidelines for session moderators and a new set of rules of
debate embodying the consensus method is being developed. The Committee
scheduled the first full implementation and testing of the method during the
2005 Central Committee meeting. In the light of what happens there, a
framework for a consensus methodology will be prepared for use at the WCC's
ninth assembly	in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in February 2006. 

The meeting also addressed the ecclesiological challenge to the WCC from the
Special Commission report. The Steering Committee agreed that WCC member
churches need to engage with the question of how they see the existence of
the Church beyond their own boundaries.  Further development of the
convergence text on "The Nature and Purpose of the Church" by the Faith and
Order Commission was seen as the most appropriate way of dealing with this
issue.

Faith and Order was also entrusted with the task of developing a succinct
statement on ecclesiology for the next WCC assembly. The idea is to invite,
and challenge, churches to consider their relations with one other. According
to the Committee members, the statement should be spiritual, biblical and
ecumenical, allowing church representatives to see themselves in it by
speaking the language that people speak. It should emphasize that more than
50 years of dialogue have led to profound changes in attitude and ecclesial
relationships, even if differences and obstacles remain. 

The Steering Committee also reviewed and discussed a set of amendments to the
WCC Constitution and Rules, new procedures to deal with applications for
membership, as well as mechanisms of grouping member churches for purposes of
representation and participation. Attention was paid to the theological
criteria for membership proposed by the Special Commission report, and it was
suggested that the consensus method should be applied to membership matters.
The question of whether baptism, or recognition of baptism, should be
mentioned in the WCC Constitution will be addressed within the ongoing work
of Faith and Order.

Finally, the character of the "Permanent (or Standing) Committee on Consensus
and Collaboration" set up by the WCC Central Committee was also addressed;
the Steering Committee is fulfilling this role until the next WCC assembly.
Maintaining parity representation - that is, an equal number of Orthodox
representatives and representatives of other churches - the Committee will
concentrate on the quality of relationships between the churches. It will
offer - with moral and ecumenical authority - advice and counsel to the WCC
governing bodies. 

"It was good to have clarification about what the Permanent or Standing
Committee should be: an advisory but not a ruling commission, where we can
think about the future of WCC but not rule it; a strong commission by its
arguments and creative ideas, but not in a juridical sense," Koppe said. 

For Gennadios, the meeting was characterized by  "good spirit, fellowship,
love and good participation". "The committee must carry out a specific task
for the benefit of all of our churches and also for the worldwide ecumenical
family. This is a committed committee, and it is fulfilling its task in a
very responsible way." 

The Steering Committee's meeting was hosted by the Church of Greece Diocese
of Neapolis and Stavrupolis. Committee members enjoyed the hospitality of
five local parishes, learning about the spiritual, diaconal, educational and
social work they do, and also participating in the liturgical life of the
church during the feast of Ascension. 

For further information, please contact the Media Relations Office, 
tel: +41 (0)22 791 6421 / 6153

**********

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a fellowship of churches, now 342, in
more than 100 countries in all continents from virtually all Christian
traditions. The Roman Catholic Church is not a member church but works
cooperatively with the WCC. The highest governing body is the assembly, which
meets approximately every seven years. The WCC was formally inaugurated in
1948 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Its staff is headed by general secretary
Konrad Raiser from the Evangelical Church in Germany.

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