“Unlike Pontius Pilate who washed his hands I am thankful that the leaders of these denominations and this eparchy have not washed their hands. They’ve struggled with the difficult questions and in struggling with the questions we’ve come to love one another.”

Those were the words Bishop Robert Hardwick of the Anglican Diocese of Qu’Appelle used to describe the relationship between 10 bishops representing Anglican, Lutheran, Ukrainian and Roman Catholic dioceses in Saskatchewan.

The close relationships built between the bishops resulted in the April 2, 2020 signing of the LAURC Covenant, a document outlining how churches can and should work together. The covenant contains suggestions about creating partnerships in the spheres of prayer, study, action, social life and ecumenical leadership.

A new covenant among the leaders of the Lutheran, Anglican, Ukrainian and Roman Catholic churches in the province was announced April 2, 2020 by the bishops of Saskatchewan.

“It is our hope that the signing and release of this covenant will be a source of encouragement at this difficult moment in time, and a life-giving enrichment of our churches moving forward,” states a message from the bishops to their churches about the new covenant.

Because of COVID-19 restrictions,  “The LAURC Covenant” (LAURC = Lutheran, Anglican, Ukrainian, Roman Catholic) was not signed in a face-to-face meeting, but was finalized in an electronic meeting.