Ecumenism at Roman Catholic Meeting of Latin America
Diocesan Press Service. March 3, 1967 [52-9]
The spirit of ecumenical cooperation which prevailed at the Fourth Annual National Conference of the Roman Catholic Inter-American Cooperation Program (CICOP) was evident particularly in the participation of a number of Protestant leaders at major events in the program.
The conference, held in Boston Jan. 26-28 heard suggestions from an inter-denominational panel that cooperation in missionary efforts in Latin America must be extended and intensified, and responded positively. The panel stated that such cooperation would include the joint preparation of missionaries going to Latin America, the unification of social services and the establishment of ecumenical study and research centers.
The conference, attended by more than 1,500 persons from the United States and all the Latin American republics, except Cuba, also showed the influence of the Second Vatican Council in the fact that it gave great responsibility to Latin American laymen. These laymen gave several major speeches and led many of the workshops.
CICOP is basically a study conference founded to provide an opportunity to examine carefully the conditions facing Christian mission in Latin America. It has already created a renewed interest in Latin American throughout the Roman Catholic Church in the United States and has published several informative studies.