Category: Events

A half day symposium on Thursday, 23 November 2023, to listen to presentations on the ‘eleventh report of the Joint International Commission for Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the World Methodist Council’. It focuses on the theme of reconciliation, from the words of St Paul that “God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself” (2 Cor 5.19) with both corporate and cosmic dimensions experienced especially in the Church.

The Church’s mission as a reconciling community is to become a more perfect sign of the ministry of Christ as reconciler and therefore to further communion between God and humanity, among human beings themselves and with creation. It also calls for Catholics and Methodists to continue in their own ways to “be reconciled to God” (2 Cor 5:20) and grow on the path of unity with each other to further that witness of unity to the world.

Different speakers, two from the Methodist and two from the Catholic tradition, will present and unpack the themes of the joint statement. There will be opportunities for questions and discussion after each presentation, and during the panel at the end of the event. Refreshments are provided.

SCHEDULE

2.15-2.30: Welcome, Introduction and reflection (Archbishop Bernard Longley, Catholic Bishops Conference, Dept of Dialogue and Rev Neil Stubbens- Methodist co-secretary of the British Methodist-Catholic Commission)

2.30: Reflection on the past 50 years of Catholic-Methodist dialogue Rev Matthew Laferty (director, Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome)

2.50: Chapter One- “God’s reconciling work in Christ” Rev Dr Nicola Price-Tebbutt (director, Research and Scholarship for the Methodist Church).

3.15: Chapter Two: “The Church: Reconciled with One Another through Faith in Christ” (Dr Clare Watkins, ecclesiologist and member of the Methodist-Roman Catholic International Commission)

3.40-4.10: Coffee break

4.10: Chapter Three: “Rites and Practices of Reconciliation” (Fr. Tony Currer – formerly of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, Methodist and Anglican division)

4.35: Chapter 4: “The Church’s Ministry of Reconciliation in the World” Rev Dr Tim Macquiban (former director, the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome)

5.00-5.30pm: Panel: Discussion

REGISTRATION

Register to participate on Eventbrite.

Friendship is at the heart of much ecumenical engagement in social action, according to recent research carried out at the University of Roehampton.

In this webinar Dr Clare Watkins and Dr James Butler share the findings of their research project about how Catholics and Methodist engaged together in social action. They will discuss themes such as the importance of friendship, the ways denomination and tradition influence and shape social action in practice and the light that these findings shed on the kinds of everyday ecumenism of which social action is an example.

While the project builds on specific friendships and work between Methodist and Catholics, the webinar and the report from the research speaks to a wider ecumenical landscape with implications for the ways a wide variety of traditions and denominations can work together in social action.

The webinar will present themes and insights from the research before opening up into wider conversations about ecumenism, social action, tradition and friendship.

The webinar is Wednesday, 24 May 2023 at 18:45 UK/19:45 Rome.

The webinar is organized by Churches Together in England, the Southlands Methodist Trust, and the University of Roehampton.

Click here to register for the webinar.

On Wednesday, 4 May 2022, an ecumenical clergy group from the Association of International Churches in Europe and the Middle East met Pope Francis after the General Audience. The clergy come from Methodist, Lutheran, and Reformed churches. MEOR organized a conference on Christian unity for the group and organized the encounter with Pope Francis.