Pope Francis and deepening Catholic ecumenical commitment

“Pope Francis and Deepening Catholic Ecumenical Commitment: Learning from Recognizing Other Christian Churches” is the focus for this year’s Hanley Memorial Lecture Series, March 23-24.

To honour the memory of Fr. John C. Hanley, SJ, friends and colleagues from St. Paul’s College and the Department of Religion at the University of Manitoba established the Hanley Memorial Lecture Series. Each year, this series brings to Winnipeg a prominent theologian, scripture scholar or speaker on current religious issues. Free admission and open to the public. This event has become one of the most prestigious lecture series of its kind in Canada.

Professor Catherine E. Clifford from Saint Paul University (Ottawa) discusses the following topics during this three-part lecture series presented by St. Paul’s College, University of Manitoba:

LECTURE 1: Journeying Together: Ecumenism in the 21st Century
Sunday, March 23 | 7 p.m., Alumnae Hall, St. Mary’s Academy, 550 Wellington Crescent

• Pope Francis notes that “unity comes about in journeying.” The Second Vatican Council marked a conversion from an ecclesiology of return to an ecclesiology of recognition, and provided an orientation for Catholic ecumenical engagement. How far have we come along the path to reconciliation? What turns in the road have we encountered? What lies ahead and how does the council’s teaching continue to serve as “a sure compass from which to take our bearings” today?

LECTURE 2: Where is the Church of Christ? Vatican II’s Recognition of Other Christian Communities
Monday, March 24 | 1:30 p.m., Christ the King Chapel, St. Paul’s College, University of Manitoba, 70 Dysart Road

• An exploration of the ecclesiological foundations of the Second Vatican Council’s recognition that the Church of Christ is present and operative in other Christian churches and communities, its significance for ecumenical relations, and its reception and interpretation in the last half century of Catholic teaching.

LECTURE 3: Ecclesial Recognition Today
Monday, March 24 | 7 p.m., Fr. Vince Jensen Theatre (Room 100), St. Paul’s College

• In the fifty years since Vatican II, official ecumenical dialogues have been paving the way for the churches to move towards greater unity. What new theological bases have they uncovered that may serve as a basis for a more generous recognition of the ecclesial life and practice of other Christians? Where is the Catholic Church being called to conversion today?