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Thomashof, Germany
Third round of Mennonite-Catholic international dialogue


The third meeting of the Mennonite-Roman Catholic international dialogue took place at the Thomashof Tagungsstatte, a Mennonite conference centre near Karlsruhe, Germany, November 24-30, 2000. Eight Mennonites, from six countries and four continents, and seven Roman Catholics participated in these sessions.

Co-sponsored by the Mennonite World Conference and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Vatican City, the dialogue began in 1998. It will run for five annual sessions, after which it will issue a report.

The general purpose of the dialogue is to promote better understanding of the positions about Christian faith held by both groups, and to contribute to overcoming prejudices that have existed between Mennonites and Roman Catholics since the 16th century. It is hoped that out of this experience will come a healing of memories and relationships.

This year’s session focused on two themes: “What is a peace church?” and “The impact of the Constantinian shift on the church”.

The interest in the question of peace arose because Mennonites are identified as one of the Historic Peace Churches, and because Roman Catholics have addressed the issue of peace more intentionally in recent times, resulting in a series of statements being issued by the Vatican.

Papers on the peace issue were presented by two Mennonites, Andrea Lange, a pastor in Germany, and Mario Higueros, a church leader in Guatemala, and by Drew Christiansen, a Jesuit scholar from the US. In a common concluding statement the Roman Catholic and Mennonite participants agreed that “the church is called to live as an efficacious sign and an instrument of peace overcoming every form of enmity and to reconcile all peoples in the peace of Christ.”

On the second theme of this year’s dialogue, Alan Kreider, a Mennonite representative from Elkhart, Ind., addressed the topic, “Conversion and Christendom: an Anabaptist Perspective”; Peter Nissen, a Roman Catholic scholar from the Netherlands, spoke on “The Impact of the Constantinian Shift on the Church”.

In commenting on the significance of this mutual study process, Helmut Harder of Winnipeg said, “The discussion increased our appreciation for the historical positions of each of our two church bodies, and together we expressed regret for the church’s use of force in evangelization and for its persecuting of religious minorities.”

Mennonite participants in the Mennonite-Catholic Dialogue at Thomashof, Germany, were: Helmut Harder, Winnipeg, co-chairperson; Larry Miller, Strasbourg, France, co-secretary; Neal Blough, Paris, France; Mario Higueros, Guatemala City, Guatemala; Alan Kreider, Elkhart; Andrea Lange, Bolanden-Weierhof, Germany; Howard J. Loewen, Fresno, Calif.; and Nzash U. Lumeya, Kinshasa, Congo and Fresno.

The fourth annual session of the dialogue is scheduled for November 2001.

 – Larry Kehler, for Mennonite World Conference

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Last modified June 4, 2001.

© 2001 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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