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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 communiqué. The JWG report 1999-2005 and the three study documents mentioned in the communiqué will be made public after presentation to the WCC Central Committee in February 2005.
“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 TheEcclesiological 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:
wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/ecumenical/jwgh-e.html English
wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/ecumenical/jwgh-f.html French
wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/ecumenical/jwgh-s.html Spanish
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