The first plenary of the 11th mandate of the Joint Working Group between the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Roman Catholic Church convened at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey from 3–5 September.
The mandate of the group from 2024 to 2030. The primary objectives of the meeting were to foster relationships among participants, share the priorities of the parent bodies, provide a comprehensive understanding of the history and work of the group, and reflect on the priorities for the current mandate.
In a communique, the Joint Working Group identified the following as possible areas of tension to address: “the persecution and martyrdom of Christians, religious indifference, and moral diversity.”
The communique reads: “The members suggested to explore these areas through the lens of salvation theology and to propose possible tools for collective reconciliation.”
Biblical narratives, such as the Emmaus story and others, will inspire and inform the work of the group. “Special attention will be given to harvesting the fruits of the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea,” reads the communique. “Differing models of salvation can underlie differing visions of what the good life and wholeness entail, and when left unarticulated, can lead to tension and fragmentation within churches and within societies.”
The Joint Working Group decided to organise its work in three working groups, the first to explore different understandings of salvation as described, including how those understandings may contribute to religious indifference; the second to study processes that have been implemented in different global contexts in order to offer practical tools of collective reconciliation to the parent bodies; and the third to encourage the parent bodies to urgently increase efforts to counter all forms of violence and discrimination based on religious affiliation, given the widespread persecution of Christians and people of other faiths around the world.
The members of the Joint Working Group prayed for an end of the bloodshed in the many parts of the world where violence continues to unfold, and for a lasting peace.
