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07 June 2018
The leaders of the Joint Working Group (JWG) between the Roman Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches met 24-27 May in Targoviste, Romania, to discuss cooperation in peace building and the ecumenical challenge and opportunity posed by migrants and refugees.
Metropolitan Nifon of Targoviste hosted the group in his archdiocese. He is co-moderator of the JWG together with the archbishop of Dublin and primate of Ireland, Diarmuid Martin.
Targoviste is a former capital of Romania, which preserves important architectural and historic treasures dating from the 15th century, including churches and monasteries, as well as the first print of the Holy Liturgy of the Eastern Orthodox tradition from 1508.The JWG visited the city and the nearby Stelea and Dealu monasteries, which provided insights into the history, as well as the present challenges and opportunities, for the Orthodox mission and ministry in Romania.
A Vesper Service in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Targoviste with the presence of the Roman Catholic archbishop of Bucharest, Ioan Robu, and the participation of many young people showed the vitality of the church and its ecumenical commitment.
The group also had the privilege of meeting His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of Romania, which they reported was an outstanding occasion for stimulating and inspiring discussion benefiting from the great experience and wisdom of the patriarch.
As the group continues working on documents on peace-building and migration, it also welcomed the ongoing cooperation between the WCC and the Holy See Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development in preparation for a conference on Migration, Xenophobia, and politically motivated Populism on 12-15 September in Rome.
Other agenda items were the next JWG Plenary meeting in September in Augsburg, Germany, and the forthcoming visit of Pope Francis to the WCC on 21 June.
The JWG Executive is convinced that the visit of Pope Francis to the WCC will be a unique event which will encourage cooperation between the member churches of the WCC and the Catholic Church not only at the international level, but also at regional and national levels.
“Walking, praying and working together”, the motto of the visit, resonates with Pope Francis’ emphasis on journeying together as Christians following Christ and the WCC’s call to join in a pilgrimage of justice and peace. The JWG will take time at its next plenary meeting to evaluate the impact of the visit and to analyze the opportunities that will be opening up.
