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Episcopalians and Roman Catholics in Minnesota Forge Local Ecumenical Ties

Episcopal News Service. November 7, 1996 [96-1615]

Walt Gordon, Editor of Soundings, the Newspaper of the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota

(ENS) While disagreement over issues such as the ordination of women continues to put a damper on global ecumenical discussions between the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church, Minnesota Episcopalians and Catholics have formed their own bond of mutual prayer and support.

The signing of a covenant between the Diocese of Minnesota and the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis in late September affirms the many things the denominations hold in common, rather than focusing only on the differences. It marks one of the latest among many local ecumenical initiatives connecting Episcopal dioceses with their Roman Catholic and other denominational counterparts.

At the Cathedral Church of St. Mark in Minneapolis, Bishop James Jelinek and Roman Catholic Archbishop Harry Flynn signed the covenant in a service that featured four choirs and a procession of both Catholic and Episcopal clergy.

In his homily, Flynn recalled that in the encyclical Ut Unum Sint (That they all may be one) published in May, 1995, Pope John Paul II reaffirmed the Vatican Council's statement on ecumenism that Christians share a common grace in our yearning for the unity of the church, and that this calls them to a fuller conversion to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Recalling that the great biblical covenants were always between God and an individual or a people, Flynn suggested that this present covenant was fundamentally not between Roman Catholics and Episcopalians, but rather between God on the one hand and both communions on the other.

"Ecumenism is grounded in faith and it grows in prayers," Flynn said. "It requires intelligent analysis and deliberation; it grounds a common life of holiness, and I believe it touches one other part of our humanity, namely our affections for one another."

A particular tie is "one of the newest aspects of Christian ecumenism, namely our dialogue on the moral life, as fed by Christ's love," he said. "This conversation, presently unique in international ecumenical dialogue, reminds us that we are called to a common holiness and by our quest to live within such a holiness we manifest a tremendously important testimony to society."

The covenant pledges members of the diocese and archdiocese to pray for each other, "to ask God's forgiveness for our sinfulness in fostering the division of the church," and "to seek to remove any obstacle to union while maintaining the traditions of our communions." The two churches also promise to "collaborate in planning liturgical, educational, and social programs and sharing physical and human resources whenever possible."

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