From 17 to 20 November 2023, members of The Salvation Army and the Catholic Church met at Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican in Rome to hold the next meeting in the second round of Informal Conversations.
The specific theme for this year’s gathering was ‘Missional discipleship: Hope in a Change of Epoch’, with presentations of a theological paper on ‘Encounter with the Living Christ and the hope that is within us’ and a more practical paper on ‘How do we ensure that our works are expressions of hope and vehicles for encounter with the Risen Christ?’.
The 12 delegates also joined a World Day of the Poor Mass in St Peter’s Basilica, presided over by Pope Francis, with an evening visit to the Basilica of St Paul Outside-the-Walls for a guided tour and Vespers.
The essence of being a Christian
Co-Chair of the Informal Conversations group and Secretary for International Ecumenical Relations, Commissioner Jane Paone, said: ‘The discussions we had were extremely insightful and provided an opportunity to learn from one another. Throughout the conversations, there was an awareness of how Christians were being called to live boldly, reflecting the hope that is within them, despite the many changes around the world. In the sharing, delegates were stimulated to reflect on their own attitudes as missional disciples.’
‘We think we are agents of hope when it is the people receiving who become givers of hope to us,’ Commissioner Paone continued. ‘The essence of being a Christian is not about ideas, but about an encounter with a person. One of the biggest challenges we have is how to transmit our faith today.’
A changing epoch
There was an awareness of the need to include young people and be there to listen to honest questions in a changing epoch.
The Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, Bishop Brian Farrell, challenged the group to ‘think about more, not just us, not just our friendship and work…but to realise that we are sent here, representing our traditions...to make an effort to make sure we pour this grace into the life of our communities’.
As the Informal Conversations meeting concluded, the group reflected on the discussions, and all delegates agreed that they had experienced receptive ecumenism, meaning that they had learnt from one another’s traditions, gifts and strengths.
The next Informal Conversations meeting will be held in Sunbury Court between 22 and 25 November 2024, with the theme: ‘Shared Missional Vision in a Changed Epoch: Re-imagining the Communication of the Gospel.’