wfn.org | [WCC NEWS] Roman Catholic & WCC joint work: achievements +

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World Council of Churches 7 Press Update
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 13/05/2004 - pu-04-27

Roman Catholic Church and WCC assess achievements and share hopes for joint
work

Cf. WCC Upcoming Events May 2004

At the close of its 6-13 May 2004 meeting in Crete, the Joint Working Group
(JWG) between the Roman Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches
(WCC) issued the following communiqui. The three study documents mentioned
in the communiqui will be made public after its presentation to the WCC
Central Committee in February 2005. The JWG report 1999-2005 will be made
public after its presentation to the WCC Assembly in February 2006.

"The future of ecumenism demands a return to the spiritual roots of the
movement," stated the Joint Working Group (JWG) between the Roman Catholic
Church and the World Council of Churches (WCC) at its meeting in the
Orthodox Academy of Crete, Kolympari, Greece, 6-13 May 2004.

Formed in 1965 following the Second Vatican Council, the JWG is charged
with initiating, evaluating and sustaining the many forms of collaboration
between the two parent bodies. Its members, most of whom are involved in
pastoral and ecumenical ministries in different regions, are appointed by
the World Council and the Holy See following each Assembly of the WCC.

Led by the co-moderators, Archbishop Mario Conti (Roman Catholic Archbishop
of Glasgow, Scotland) and Bishop Jonas Jonson (Lutheran Bishop of
Strangnas, Sweden), this was the fifth and final meeting of the group
appointed after the Eighth Assembly of the WCC in 1998.

The Academy director, Dr Alexandros Papaderos, welcomed participants and
recalled that through nearly four decades the center had hosted many
significant ecumenical gatherings. His Eminence Irenaeus, Metropolitan of
Kisamos and Selinon, the diocese in which the Academy is located, greeted
the JWG and affirmed strongly the importance of its work.

Representatives of each parent body shared news of significant developments
in ecumenical relations. These included preparations for forthcoming
meetings of the World Council's Faith and Order Commission (2004),
Conference on Mission and Evangelism (2005) and Ninth Assembly (2006) as
well as bilateral relationships between the Roman Catholic Church and other
churches.

The meeting adopted three studies developed by JWG sub-committees, dealing
with The Ecclesiological and Ecumenical Implications of a Common Baptism,
The Nature and Purpose of Ecumenical Dialogue, and Roman Catholic
Participation in National and Regional Councils of Churches.

Participants approved a report covering the work of the JWG 1999-2005 and
the collaborative efforts between the offices and agencies of the WCC and
the Holy See during the same period. Describing the JWG's work as "first
and foremost a journey of faith," they assessed past achievements and
shared their hopes for the movement's future.

The report, with the three study documents, will be submitted to the
Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Assembly of the
World Council of Churches. Until the appointment of new members following
the next WCC Assembly, the JWG Executive Committee will carry forward the
work and maintain the relationship.

Bishop Brian Farrell, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting
Christian Unity, led the group in a fresh examination of the Vatican II
document on ecumenism, Unitatis Redintegratio, on the occasion of the 40th
anniversary of its publication. The JWG marked the feast day of Saints
Cyril and Methodius, Apostles to the Slavs and Patrons of Europe, by
celebrating vespers and the holy liturgy in the Academy chapel dedicated to
the two brothers. Fr. Viorel Ionita informed the group of the significance
of the two saints for the spread of Christianity in Europe.

Each morning and evening, participants gathered for prayer in the Academy's
chapel. On the Sunday, JWG members attended the holy liturgy at the
Monastery of Chrysopigi in Chania, and were introduced to the life and work
of the convent by Mother Theoxeni, superior of the community. Later, at the
dependent Monastery of St. Kyriaki, they were welcomed by His Eminence
Irenaeus, Metropolitan of Chania.

The co-moderators expressed the gratitude of JWG members for the warm
hospitality of the Orthodox Academy of Crete and the kindness and
encouragement of all who had welcomed them to the island.

About the JWG:
http://wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/ecumenical/jwgh-e.html   English
http://wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/ecumenical/jwgh-f.html    French
http://wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/ecumenical/jwgh-s.html   Spanish

A free high resolution photo of the meeting will be available shortly on
our website.

For more information contact:
	 Media Relations Office
 tel: (+41 22) 791 64 21 / (+41 22) 791 61 53
 e-mail:media@wcc-coe.org 
 http://www.wcc-coe.org 

 The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches, now 342, in
 more than 120 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, Netherlands. Its staff is headed by
 general secretary Samuel Kobia from the Methodist church in Kenya.