Priests reaffirm ecumenical stance

The National Conference of Priests in England and Wales has issued a strong reaffirmation of its commitment to ecumenism in response…

The National Conference of Priests in England and Wales has issued a strong reaffirmation of its commitment to ecumenism in response to the Vatican's latest declaration, Dominus Iesus.

The conference - which represents the 5,500 Catholic priests of the two countries - is holding its annual meeting in Wales for the first time.

At the conference yesterday, the priests asked the bishops of England and Wales "to give public assurance at this time that the Catholic Church is deeply committed to continuing dialogue with other Christians".

The resolution, which was adopted with four abstentions, recognised that the document was merely re-affirming Catholic teaching about the uniqueness of Jesus Christ as saviour.

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But it went on to express its concern "that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith did not foresee the way certain sections of the media have reported the document, which has resulted in widespread confusion as to the Catholic Church's commitment to ecumenism".

The document, published last Tuesday by Cardinal Ratzinger's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said that because the Catholic Church was the only legitimate Church of Christ, other communities such as Protestants "are not Churches in the proper sense".

Father David Williamson of St Albans reminded the conference that there was "no need whatsoever" for the hurt this document had caused.

A Benedictine, Father Simon McGurk of Belmont Abbey, pointed to a "considerable degree of insensitivity" in an awful lot of what came out from Rome.

The conference also asked the bishops "to make clear that the document does not undermine our respect for the many Christian bodies in this country and their fidelity to Christ, nor does it minimise the extent to which we are indebted to their many insights into Gospel living".