A Bishops’ Seminar on Ecumenism

The seminar, “The Search for Christian Unity: Where We Stand Today,” jointly sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPCU), the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC), and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), was held on 7-11 February 2007, in Manila, Philippines. The seminar brought together 133 participants and representatives of the episcopal conferences of Kazakhstan, Japan, Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei, the Philippines, and Taiwan, and a representative of the Catholic Church in Mongolia. The participants included Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the PCPCU, Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales of Manila, Cardinal Ricardo Vidal of Cebu, Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, president of the CBCP, and 33 other bishops. The seminar was generously hosted by the Archdiocese of Manila and held at the archdiocese’s Pius XII Catholic Center.

The keynote address, entitled “Ut Unum Sint and Catholic Principles of Ecumenism: Implications for Churches in Asia,” was delivered by Cardinal Walter Kasper. Other speakers in the seminar included Bishop Luis Antonio Tagle (diocese of Imus), Bishop Deogracias I ñ iguez (diocese of Kalookan), Msgr. Juan Usma Gomez (PCPCU), Fr. Ramil Marcos (diocese of Pasig) and Fr. Thomas Michel (FABC). Fr. Jose Salvador Mallari, Ms. Amelita Herrera, and Ms. Norma Valencia gave personal testimonies to the spiritual value they experienced in their ecumenical encounters.

Theological Foundations of Ecumenism

In Cardinal Kasper’s keynote address, he stated that in ecumenical endeavor, three things must be kept in mind: a) an awareness that our goal is nothing less than the fullness of communion among Christians; b) a realization that the other Churches and Ecclesial Communities possess elements of ecclesiality, sanctification and grace, and therefore are already, even though only partially, in communion with the Catholic Church; and c) an acceptance that communio is the basic ecumenical principle. The Catholic Church’s ecumenical commitment is a journey towards a full sharing with all Christians in the one faith, sacraments, and apostolic ministry, bearing in mind that unity does not mean uniformity.

Spiritual Ecumenism

The ecumenical movement is inspired by the Holy Spirit, who moves people to pray fervently and work sincerely to restore the unity intended by Christ for his disciples. Spiritual ecumenism involves prayer, change of heart, and holiness of life. By presenting Cardinal Kasper’s A Handbook of Spiritual Ecumenism, the seminar offered a renewed appreciation of what is described by Unitatis Redintegratio as “the soul of ecumenism.” The handbook provides insightful perspectives, practical suggestions and concrete courses of action to be taken in the pursuit of unity. When applied to the real situations of the Churches in Asia, the work promises to be a valuable companion for individuals and communities who are committed to work to build Christian unity. Participants recommended that our episcopal conferences will promote study and reflection on this important aspect of ecumenism.  

Ecumenical Formation

All Catholics are called to work for Christian unity; hence there is a pressing need for ecumenical formation, especially for clergy and laity who have leadership roles in the Church. Such ecumenical formation should prepare and enable Catholics to respond fully and personally to the challenge of working to promote Christian unity. Comprehensive ecumenical formation must shape attitudes by heightening an ecumenical awareness and sensitivity in its human, spiritual, intellectual and apostolic aspects. The goal of this formation is to develop a true ecumenical spirit among Catholics. To assist in the process of ecumenical formation, the local Churches must have well-trained ecumenists accompanying our people to understand and respond positively to the challenges of the search for Christian unity.

The Pentecostal Challenge

Since the appearance of the phenomenon of Pentecostalism in Asia, profound changes, both positive and negative, have been taking place within the Churches. Positive developments are the rediscovery of the powerful activity of the Holy Spirit and the Spirit’s charisms and gifts, a stress on personal prayer, and the experience of a continuous and explicit personal conversion. Indeed, there are very attractive elements in Pentecostalism: their joyful and spontaneous worship; the intimate, friendly nature of their community life; and the opportunity for all believers to contribute their talents and charisms for the spiritual benefit of all. These are factors in drawing Christians from other Churches into the Pentecostal fold. However, there are also negative elements, such as the overemphasis on wealth and health that often leads to a disregard for the message of the cross, the stress on feelings at the expense of truth, worship perceived more as a moment of entertainment rather than an encounter with Jesus, the misuse of mass media, and the unwillingness to recognize the validity of other Christians’ faith commitment and spiritual experience. The richness of Catholic sacramental life can be abandoned in favor of emotional experience and the centrality of faith, hope, and love in Christian life can be overshadowed by reliance on the “lesser” charismatic gifts.

Changing Situation and New Opportunities

The broad attractiveness and rapid growth of Pentecostalism present the Church in Asia with both a challenge and an opportunity. In its response to this phenomenon, (1) the Church’s ecumenical engagement must begin from a dialogue of love and life and involve the Church more deeply in the task of spiritual ecumenism. (2) While keeping in mind that ignorance of the faith and the rootlessness caused by rapid urbanization are among the causes of departures from the Catholic Church, we consider it urgent to educate our faithful more deeply in the beauty of the Catholic faith through lively catechesis, sermons and Christian formation of adults. (3) The Church must help Catholics to rediscover a sense of belonging and overcome their anonymity; in this regard, the following are necessary: a warm, familial atmosphere in churches; worship services characterized by participation and joyful prayer; an enhanced openness to the contributions of the laity; solidarity with the poor, and others with physical and spiritual needs; and the restructuring of parish life into welcoming, neighborly basic communities.

Pastoral Suggestions

Therefore, we suggest the following concrete measures:

• We should support Basic Christian Communities, which will help our people overcome the sense of feeling unknown and uncared for by creating an affectionate and neighborly communitarian life.
• We can learn from the insights of the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements that worship should be joyful and participatory, without losing sight of the august and solemn character of our liturgical tradition.
• Where they are not already being held, our parishes, BCCs, and ecclesial movements should inaugurate weekly Bible study programs, whereby our people can be guided by the Gospel message and enrich one another with their own insights into the Word of God.
• The Church can help its members to benefit from the personal testimonies of faith and salvation in Jesus Christ by creating courses, days of recollection, and retreats which focus on testimonial approaches to one’s personal experience of Christ’s saving power.
• Reflection on the implications of the Ecumenical Directory and the Handbook of Spiritual Ecumenism is needed.
• Parish communities, religious congregations, contemplative orders, and ecclesial movements must be exhorted to pray for the unity of Christians.
• Ecumenical formation of future priests and lay pastoral workers must be a priority.
• The Bishops’ Conferences should invite other Churches to explore prayerfully the possibilities of new ecumenical associations.