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Anglican, Roman Catholic, and Lutheran bishops and theologians gathered this week in Winnipeg to continue their work together. The two dialogues schedule their annual in-person meetings with one overlapping day. This year, the dialogue was held from November 3 to 7 at the St. Charles Retreat Centre in Winnipeg. The theological dialogue was established in 1971 and the bishops’ dialogue in 1975. Since the early 2000s, the Anglican full-communion partner, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, has appointed observers to both dialogues. In 2022 and 2024, the ELCIC representatives became full members of the dialogues.
The bishops’ dialogue is an opportunity for sharing pastoral and ecumenical priorities from the participating churches. This year, they discussed a proposed pastoral letter on affordable housing and homelessness, protocols for exceptional sacramental sharing, a dispersed dialogue based on the model employed by the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission, and the recent Nairobi-Cairo Proposals from the Inter-Anglican Standing Committee on Unity, Faith and Order that were presented to the Anglican Consultative Council meeting in Belfast in July.
Over the past year, the theological dialogue has been ecumenically exploring questions around the order and ministry of deacons. Members of the dialogue have spent time sharing self-descriptions and self-analysis of the opportunities and challenges they each face in the renewal of the diaconate in their contexts. Following this, they have begun to reflect together on commonalities and differences, with the hope of facilitating greater understanding and mutual learning. This is carried out in the spirit of ‘receptive ecumenism,’ not looking at our distinctives primarily as obstacles to unity or problems to be solved but honouring those diversities and treating them as gifts to be received.
Together with the bishops’ dialogue, a public panel was held on Wednesday, November 4, titled “Among You as One Who Serves: An Ecumenical Panel Conversation on the Ministry of Deacons.” The dialogues would like to thank our four panellists, Deacon Tanis Kolisnyk of the Anglican Diocese of Rupert’s Land, Deacon Michael Thibert of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Winnipeg, Deacon Michelle Collins of the Manitoba/Northwestern Ontario Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, and Deacon Ivas (John) Babick of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Winnipeg, for their insights and commitment to ecumenical engagement. The dialogue is grateful to Fr. Robert Polz and St. John XXIII Roman Catholic Parish for hosting a service of Taizé prayer, the panel discussion, and a reception following.
On Thursday, the theological dialogue joined the bishops for the discussion of their work on the diaconate, as well as sessions on the Nairobi-Cairo Proposals, the recent papal encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, and questions related to artificial intelligence. After the bishops’ departure, the theological dialogue continued its reflections on the diaconate on Friday and Saturday.
The dialogue is always framed within the context of prayer and meals together. On Friday, the theological dialogue visited Epiphany Indigenous Anglican Church for mid-day prayer and conversation with the Indigenous Ministry Developer, Rev. Vincent Solomon.
The Anglican members of the bishops’ dialogue are Rt. Rev. Bruce Myers (Québec, co-chair), Rt. Rev. Anna Greenwood-Lee (Islands and Inlets), Rt. Rev. Rachael Parker (Brandon), Rt. Rev. William Cliff (Ontario, absent). The ELCIC is represented by Bishop Jason Zinko (MNO Synod).
The Catholic members of the bishops’ dialogue are: Most Rev. Gary Gordon (Victoria, co-chair), Most Rev. Albert Legatt (Saint Boniface), Mgr. Martin Laliberté (Saint-Jean-Longueuil), and Mar Jose Kalluvelil (Syro-Malabar, absent).
The Anglican members of the theological dialogue are Rt. Rev. Bruce Myers (Québec, co-chair), Ven. Dr. Iain Luke (Ruperts’ Land), and Deacon Krista Dowdeswell (Calgary). The ELCIC is represented by Rev. Paul Sartison (MNO Synod) and Deacon Michele Barr (MNO Synod).
The Catholic members of the theological dialogue are Most Rev. Brian Dunn (Halifax-Yarmouth, co-chair), Sr. Dr. Donna Geernaert sc (Halifax), Dr. Nicholas Olkovich (Vancouver), Nicholas Jesson (Regina), and Dr. Adèle Brodeur (Montréal, absent).
Both dialogues are served by national staff persons Rev. Canon Dr. Scott Sharman (Anglican Church of Canada) and Subdeacon Dr. Brian Butcher (CCCB, Ukrainian Catholic).
