Evangelical-Roman Catholic dialogue / Le dialogue entre les Catholiques et les églises Évangéliques

Ecumenical dialogues

Dialogues œcuméniques

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Documents œcuméniques

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Documents additionnelles

Evangelical-Roman Catholic Dialogue in Saskatoon

Called to Common Witness (2015)
Since 2011, Evangelicals and Catholics in Saskatoon have been engaged in a theological dialogue. This builds on strong relationships built through the past decades by committed pastors, priests, and lay people who believe passionately that our communities can work more closely together and resolve many of the long-held suspicions of the other. After two years of regular discussions, the dialogue members decided that it would be useful to sketch out some of the areas where Catholics and Evangelicals already agree about the Christian faith. While not glossing over the considerable degree of difference that continues to exist between us, the dilaogue members contend that our common faith in Jesus Christ calls us to further dialogue, to common worship and service, and to common witness. The joint statement, entitled Called to Common Witness, is the work of the local dialogue between the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon and the Saskatoon Evangelical Ministers' Fellowship. It is a study document produced by participants in the dialogue and is here released so that it may be widely discussed. It is not an authoritative declaration of either the Catholic Church or of the Saskatoon Evangelical Ministers' Fellowship, who have each commended the document for study and reflection in local churches.

See the Evangelical-Roman Catholic Dialogue in Saskatoon page and news feed

Evangelicals and Catholics Together (ECT)

Evangelicals and Catholics Together: The Christian Mission in the Third Millenium (1994)
This is the first agreed statement by a group of Evangelical and Catholic theologians in the U.S. and Canada. This statement covers the broad prospects for cooperation in civil life in the U.S. Catholic participants would be described as conservative. Many of the Evangelical participants faced public criticism due to this statement.
- Why I Decided To Become A Signatory on the Document (December 1994)
- Statement By Protestant Signers To ECT (January 1995)
- Letter from Dr. Bill Bright announcing that key protestant leaders have met and reconciled (February 1995)
- NEWS: Evangelicals Clarify Accord with Catholics (March 1995)
- Catholic-Evangelical signers address areas of controversy (March 1995)
The Gift of Salvation (1997)
The ECT text on justification by faith alone. Resulting from a meeting in the fall of 1996, it was determined that further progress depended upon firm agreement on the meaning of salvation, and especially the doctrine of justification. After much discussion, study, and prayer over the course of a year, a statement was agreed to at a meeting in New York City, October 6-7, 1997. In future conversations they intend to address the outstanding questions noted at the end of this statement.
Your Word is Truth (2002)
"The next question taken up by ECT participants was the relationship between Scripture and tradition. The following statement, 'Your Word Is Truth,' is the product of intense and extended deliberation and was first published this summer [2002] by Eerdmans in a book by the same title. The participants express the hope that those responding with critical evaluations of the statement will consult the scholarly papers prepared for their deliberation and to be found in the book. The ECT project continues and is currently studying Roman Catholic and evangelical Protestant understandings of 'the communion of saints' (communio sanctorum)."
- Book Review by Stanley J. Grenz in Christian Century, October 23, 2002.
The Communion of Saints (2003)
"In the present statement, we examine more closely the nature of our life together. Our life together is communion in the communio of the life of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit."
The Call to Holiness (2005)
Our earlier statements "called our attention to the holiness that is proper to God alone but in which human beings are called to participate. Such participation means nothing less than to be drawn into the very life and love of God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Holiness is also participation in the life of the Church, which is the holy people called into being by God's saving work in Christ. Following up on this theme, we wish now to consider the ways in which our communities and their individual members can and must foster and embody holiness."
That They May Have Life (2006)
"In the present statement we intend, however briefly and inadequately, to make the case for what is commonly called "a culture of life" - and to do so in a way that invites public deliberation and engages questions of public policy. Our primary purpose, however, is to explain to our communities why we believe that support for a culture of life is an integral part of Christian faith and therefore a morally unavoidable imperative of Christian discipleship."
Do Whatever He Tells You: The Blessed Virgin Mary in Christian Faith and Life (2009)
"In the present statement we turn our attention to the Virgin Mary as an example of God's saving grace, the divinely chosen mother of our Lord and a model of discipleship."
In Defense of Religious Freedom (2012)
"The God who gave us life gave us liberty. The God who has called us to faith asks that we defend the possibility that others may make similarly free acts of faith. By reaffirming the fundamental character of religious freedom, we contribute to the defense of freedom and to human flourishing, in our countries and throughout the world."
The Two Shall Become One Flesh: Reclaiming Marriage (2015)
"For centuries, Christians have proclaimed these words at weddings, for they express the gift of marriage long recognized by all humanity and acknowledged by men and women of faith: Marriage is the union of a man and a woman. This truth is being obscured, even denied, today. Because of that, the institution of marriage, which is essential to the well-being of society, is being undermined."
The Christian Way (2017)
"Christians freely obey Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God. “Come,” he beckons, “follow me.” Being a Christian requires more than intellectual or moral agreement with Christian teachings. Christ asks for our love and loyalty. Following him requires conversion, which leads to membership in the Church, the Body of Christ. To be a Christian means being a citizen of a city that has a rich inheritance and glorious future. As the Psalmist says, “Walk about Zion, go round about her, number her towers, consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels; that you may tell the next generation that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will be our guide for ever” (Ps. 48:12–14). Christianity is a community of faith shaped by the Holy Spirit, by worship and proclamation, by prayer and spiritual discipline, by ancient rites and teachings that are received from those who have gone before. Within this community of faith, we come to know and enjoy the presence of God."
Statement on the New York State Abortion Law of 2019 (2019)
"There has been a dramatic expansion of the abortion regime in New York State. A law passed by the state legislature, the so-called Reproductive Health Act, allows for late-term abortions, even up to the moment of a child’s birth, limited only by vaguely-defined conditions. The bill allows nurses, midwives, and physician assistants to provide abortions, thereby making the tragic procedure much easier to obtain. This appalling law is expected to expand the number of abortions that take place in New York State. Governor Andrew Cuomo, a baptized Catholic, not only endorsed this bill, he celebrated its passage, directing One World Trade Center in downtown Manhattan to be lit in pink the day the bill passed."
The Gift of Children (2019)
"Children are gifts. In them, we respond to Moses’s urgent imperative: Choose life! (Deut. 30:19) Men and women have always brought children into the world. To be a parent is the most natural of things. It is fundamental to what it means to be human. Yet the birth of a child is also an extraordinary moment for parents, charged with transcendent meaning. In our children, we venture something beyond our control. Even for those who do not believe in God, having a child is an act of faith. As we welcome a child into the world, we project something of ourselves into an unknown future. Even in dire times—war, disease, famine—new life manifests hope."

Evangelical-Roman Catholic Dialogue on Mission, 1977-1984 (ERCDOM)

Evangelical-Roman Catholic Dialogue on Mission (ERCDOM) Final Report
"The Evangelical-Roman Catholic Dialogue on Mission was a series of three meetings which took place over a period of seven years. The first was held at Venice in 1977, the second at Cambridge in 1982 and the third at Landévennec in France in 1984. ... This Report is in no sense an "agreed statement" but rather a faithful record of the ideas shared. It is not exhaustive, for more questions were touched on than could be described in this brief compass. Yet enough has been included to give a substantial idea of how the dialogue developed and to communicate something of it without creating misunderstandings or false expectations." [from the introduction]
- available in Information Service 60 (1986/I-II), pp. 71-102
- as well as from Paternoster Press, Exeter, England and William B. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, USA

World Evangelical Alliance-Roman Catholic Consultations

Note: In 2000, the former World Evangelical Fellowship changed its name to the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA). The WEA office responsible for the consultation is the Theological Commission. A new phase of the consultation began in 2011. A report is expected in 2016.

World Evangelical Fellowship-Vatican Communiqué (October 19, 1997).
A report of the dialogue meeting held at Tantur Ecumenical Center, Jerusalem from October 12-19, 1997
World Evangelical Fellowship-Vatican Communiqué (November 13, 1999).
A report of the dialogue meeting held in Williams Bay, Wisconsin (USA) from November 7-13, 1999
Church, Evangelization, and the Bonds of Koinonia (2002, published 2004)
"The present consultations represent an important development in our relationship. For the first time these meetings were sponsored by international bodies on both sides: the World Evangelical Alliance and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. This initiative eventually resulted in formal consultations beginning in Venice in 1993, and continuing at Tantur, Jerusalem in 1997, Williams Bay, Wisconsin in 1999, Mundelein, Illinois in 2001, and Swanwick, England in 2002. Initial meetings led us eventually to focus on two general areas: the church and her mission. As the discussion continued, it became clear that a common reflection on the biblical notion of koinonia would help us to clarify some convergences and differences between us on the church (Part I). The focus on mission evolved into reflection on evangelization and the related issues of religious freedom, proselytism and common witness in light of koinonia (Part II)." [from the preamble]

Southern Baptist-Roman Catholic Conversation