"Testy" and "provocative" were words often heard at the national workshop on Christian unity in San Diego April 30 through May 3. There was much candor, but also a strong commitment to continue to work for unity.

Keynote speaker John H. Erickson, professor at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Seminary in Crestwood, N.Y., painted a dismal picture of ecumenism in the world's second largest Christian church.

"When the Berlin Wall fell down, Orthodoxy's interests in ecumenism went down with it," he said.

Enraged by the aggressive proselytizing in which Roman Catholics and protestants alike have engaged in the countries of the former Soviet bloc, Orthodox churches are withdrawing from ecumenical commitments the world over. Far from helping and supporting Christian Orthodoxy in its recovery from nearly a century of suppression and persecution under Communism, Western Christians have assumed a judgmental and competitive posture, Prof. Erickson said, and he charged "sheep stealing" on a massive scale.

East and West was not the only area where diminished optimism was acknowledged.

The Rev. Louis Weil of the Church Divinity School of the Pacific was the principal speaker at a sub-group composed of ecumenical officers from the Episcopal, Lutheran and Roman Catholic churches.

Fr. Weil's principal concern was the need for an Anglican reassessment of the role of the papacy. Such a step, he concluded, would only be possible if there were first fundamental changes forthcoming from Rome.

By way of example, he cited the reference in Ut unum sint to a papacy that encouraged theological inquiry. "Where is that papacy?" he asked and went on to cite several recent examples of highly reputable Roman Catholic theologians who have been silenced by the Vatican. Such efforts to stifle the consideration of new insights and ideas has a chilling effect on theological inquiry, according to Fr. Weil.

Another obstacle in closer relations between Anglicans and Roman Catholics cited by Fr. Weil was the concept of papal infallibility. He said he could not find any understanding that would be acceptable to Anglicans.

Even where recent results have been most promising, there remains some cause for concern. Despite recent agreement on full communion between Episcopalians and Lutherans, there remain some issues between the two churches. Members of the Lutheran Ecumenical Representatives Network and the Episcopal Diocesan Ecumenical Officers met together to discuss a proposed Lutheran bylaw which would allow exceptions to the episcopal ordination of Lutheran clergy. A statement opposing passage of this bylaw was drafted by the Lutherans and met with applause from their Episcopal colleagues.