Last week I had the privilege of once again attending the Episcopal Diocesan Ecumenical and Interreligious Officers (EDEIO) annual meeting at their beautiful retreat house, Duncan Conference Center, in Delray Beach, Fla.
I represent the Catholic Association of Diocesan Ecumenical and Interreligious Officers (CADEIO) as liaison to EDEIO. I attended the meeting this year with the president of CADEIO, Father Don Rooney, and met with the executive committee of EDEIO, led by their president, the Very Rev. Daniell Hamby.
EDEIO is the national network of those designated by their diocesan bishops of the Episcopal Church to foster and encourage the search for wider visible unity among Christian churches and collegial relationships with members of other religions. EDEIO provides support and training for diocesan ecumenical and interreligious officers of the Episcopal Church as it encourages ecumenical activity within parishes and dioceses, and enhances communication on anything ecumenical or interreligious. EDEIO also supports ecumenical and interreligious activity through educational events in Episcopal parishes, dioceses, provinces and other ecclesial bodies. It regularly hosts ecumenical guests and dignitaries at their Annual General Convention, where its presence serves to focus attention on ecumenical issues.
CADEIO is the national network of those delegated as Ecumenical/
Interreligious Officers in each Catholic Diocese in the United States, to whom is given the care of Christian unity and understanding among faiths. The purposes of CADEIO are to stimulate the exchange of ideas, experiences and networking among the ecumenical officers of the dioceses in union with Rome. To promote programs which further the work of Christian unity and interreligious cooperation. To work with the Bishops’ Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and other ecumenical and interreligious agencies.
One of the more interesting and controversial discussion at this year’s meeting centered around the various “full communion agreements” that the Episcopal Church has entered into with other Christian denominations, as well as those soon to be celebrated. Part of the discussion centered on the various problems being experienced with the reception of these full communion agreements on the grassroots levels.
As the deadline for agreement with the United Methodist Church draws near for Episcopalians, some major differences in their self understandings of validity of orders, real presence in the Eucharist and a number of other issues need to be ironed out before the hoped for date of a 2015 signing. The executive board of EDEIO will respectfully suggest to their judicatory heads to contemplate a postponement of signing an agreement until a consensus can be reached, perhaps by 2018.
I shared with the EDEIO Board that CADEIO has announced our seminar speakers for the upcoming National Workshop on Christian Unity in April in Albuquerque. Michael Root, the Ordinary Professor of Systematic Theology at The Catholic University of America, Washington, will be discussing the Reformation as we prepare for the 500 anniversary. He is a veteran of many ecumenical dialogues and a frequent speaker at ecumenical gatherings. He served on the drafting teams that produced the Lutheran-Roman Catholic Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification and the Episcopal-Lutheran full communion agreement Called to Common Mission.
He will discuss Martin Luther’s posting of his 95 Theses on Indulgences in October 1517 as the catalyst that began the Protestant Reformation. He will explain how the 500th anniversary of this event in 2017 presents an ecumenical opportunity but also a challenge. He will discuss what happened in 1517 and how we can remember this event in an ecumenically fruitful way.
The other eminent speaker will be Auxiliary Bishop Denis Madden of Baltimore, chair of the Bishops’ Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Bishop Madden is a gentle, wonderful role model for all those involved in the ministry of ecumenical reconciliation. Bishop Madden will be discussing his many years at Tantur Ecumenical Institute in Jerusalem and his many interreligious travels as director of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association.
Bishop Madden will focus much of his presentation on Pope Francis and the many ways in which the Holy Father has given a great deal of new life to the reality of encounter in dialogue and will explain the importance of his upcoming visit to the Holy Land in May.
Father Joseph D. Wallace is coordinator, Ecumenical and Inter-religious Affairs, Diocese of Camden.
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