Bonds of Friendship

Nine months ago the Roman Catholic hierarchy in the U.S. set up an Ecumenical Affairs Commission to carry on a dialogue with other churches. It is rapidly becoming the busiest Catholic agency in the country. Last week eleven members of the commission, headed by Bishop Ernest Unterkoefler of Charleston, S.C., met with a delegation from the United Presbyterian Church for a day-long dialogue. Within the past two months, similar meetings have been held with Episcopal and Lutheran representatives, and the commission plans to meet in the future with the National Council of Churches, the Greek Orthodox hierarchy and several more Protestant bodies.

The dialogues have no common theme. The Catholic-Episcopal talks focused primarily on the sacraments--including the validity of Anglican baptism. With the Lutherans, discussion centered on how the two faiths interpret the Nicene Creed. Last week's meeting with the Presbyterians was intended primarily to settle on subjects for future talks, ended with the decision to explore reform and renewal within the two bodies. So far, of course, no issues have been resolved. But, adds Bishop Unterkoefler, "a bond of friendship and unity has been created that augurs well for our future meetings."

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