Salvation at stake”: “Mennonites and Catholics discuss sixteenth-century martyrs

A group of about 40 Mennonite and Catholic scholars gathered at St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota in July 2003 to begin a joint historical study of 16th-century martyrs, many of whom were Anabaptists condemned to death by the Inquisition. The memory of these events has been central to Mennonite self-understanding for centuries, preserved in the pages of books such as the Martyr’s Mirror, but in the Catholic community they remain largely unknown. The purpose of the conference was to deal with these historical events in a way that was satisfactory to the successors of both those who were persecuted and those responsible for these martyr deaths. Although Catholic involvement in the persecution of other Christians was condemned by Vatican II, and more recently by Pope John Paul II, this event marked the first time Catholics publicly confronted these incidents and engaged with Mennonites in historical study of the 16th century in an ecumenical setting.

Entitled “The Anabaptist Martyr in an Ecumenical Context,” the conference was an outgrowth of a more formal five-year Roman Catholic–Mennonite dialogue that officially came to an end in October 2002. Helping set the collegial spirit of the conference was a by-product of relationships developed during the formal dialogue sessions, which were jointly sponsored by the Mennonite World Conference and the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity. Although the final report, Called Together to be Peacemakers, has not yet been released (it is being translated so that all versions can be released simultaneously), the experience has improved the level of mutual respect and understanding between the two traditions, and has led to other cooperative initiatives such as Bridgefolk, an informal grassroots encounter of individuals from both traditions who periodically meet together.

The keynote address at the Anabaptist Martyr conference was given by Brad S. Gregory, a Catholic historian now at Notre Dame University, whose award-winning book Salvation at Stake (1999) represented the first extended study of Anabaptist martyrs by a Catholic scholar. Without at all minimizing the complicity of the Catholic authorities in applying lethal force to religious dissidents and the ethical implications of such actions, he offered an insightful analysis of the explanations offered by ecclesiastical and civil authorities at the time. More often than not, those who pronounced the death sentence on convicted Anabaptists were not blood-thirsty, brutal exterminators, but leaders with a dogged pastoral concern who, faced with intractable theological differences, reluctantly conceded that it was sometimes necessary to kill the body in order to save others from ideas perceived to be dangerous to the soul. Just as Catholics have generally been ignorant about the Anabaptists, so too have Mennonites neglected to consider the Catholic version of events. Other speakers included Neal Blough (Paris), Peter Nissen (Nijmegen), Helmut Harder (Winnipeg), John D. Roth (Mennonite Quarterly Review), Margaret O’Gara (Toronto), James Reimer (Waterloo), and Ivan J. Kauffman (Washington, DC).

The conference left many memorable impressions: it is clear that the winds of the Holy Spirit are blowing in places previously thought to be impenetrable by many Mennonites. Particularly poignant was an emotional and tearful apology directed towards the Mennonite participants by a Catholic layperson, and the unique story of Abbot John Klassen, whose family arrived in the United States as Catholic immigrants centuries ago and who only recently discovered that his family in Europe had at one point been Anabaptists.

The conference was a powerful testimony of how the desire to confront and repair can lead to forgiveness, understanding, respect and reconciliation. It further exemplified how aspects of other traditions can be used as sources for renewal within our own. For example, the Roman Catholic Church has affirmed the Mennonite “peace witness” as a unique gift to the larger Christian community, and a growing number of Mennonites are expressing appreciation for the positive Catholic teaching on society and political life. Finally, the conference prompted sober and timely reflection on the meanings of ecumenism and unity within the body of Christ as both denominations face an increasingly secular western culture.

—Bruce L. Guenther is assistant professor of church history at MB Biblical Seminary, Langley, B.C.