c. 2004 Religion News Service

WASHINGTON _ The nation’s Roman Catholic bishops on Wednesday (Nov. 17) gave their blessing to a new broad-based effort to bring Catholics, evangelical and mainline Protestants, and Orthodox Christians around a common table for the first time.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops voted 151-73 in a meeting here to become full partners in Christian Churches Together in the USA, a fledgling ecumenical effort that began three years ago to allow most branches of American Christianity to speak with a common voice.

Organizers hope to have the new group off the ground by next spring once member churches from each of five “families” _ Catholic, evangelical/Pentecostal, historic (mainline) Protestant, black and Hispanic, and Orthodox _ sign on.

Bishop Stephen Blaire of Stockton, Calif., chairman of the bishops’ ecumenical committee, tried to address the concern of some bishops that the new group might overtake the bishops’ public voice.

“It’s not to create another kind of National Council of Churches, it’s not to create some kind of megabody or megachurch,” Blaire said.

“It’s a forum for participation so we can pray together, grow in our understanding together and witness together our faith in whatever way is possible in our society.”

The Catholic endorsement of the new organization is significant because the bishops have never before linked arms with Protestants in any organized way. Each side has viewed the other with deep suspicion, fueled by theological and political differences.

The fact that one-third of the bishops voted against the new group shows that some of that reluctance remains. Some bishops voiced concern that Catholics would be overruled by more liberal Protestant churches, or that the new body might overstep its mandate and try to speak for the Catholic Church.

Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Chicago said the goal of Christian Churches Together should be “full communion” between churches, and questioned whether the effort was attempting to blur church distinctions and identity in the name of unity.

“Christ (prayed) that `they may all be one,’ and I understand that to be one Catholic Church, not a bunch of Christians who accept different denominational labels,” Paprocki said in an interview.

Blaire tried to assure the bishops that the group intends to move slowly, and major decisions must be reached by consensus with the approval of all five “families.” Because Catholics are the country’s largest single denomination, they will be able to appoint more representatives than any other church.

Organizers, including Blaire, have tried to downplay expectations and fears that the new group would become too structured, too liberal or too active.

“Our voice will always be respected; no one can ever speak for us,” Blaire said. “Unless we concur in agreement, it will not be done.”

Other bishops, such as Cardinal William Keeler of Baltimore, the bishops’ most vocal supporter of ecumenism, said the new group will allow the bishops to deepen alliances with conservatives and evangelicals on issues like abortion and school vouchers.

The bishops will be asked to allocate initial funding of at least $12,000 per year for Christian Churches Together, and official members will be appointed by the bishops’ incoming president, Bishop William Skylstad of Spokane, Wash. The bishops’ conference will decide who will _ or won’t _ be included in the Catholic “family.”

While Christian Churches Together has received warmer-than-expected reception from evangelical churches, not all have joined. Southern Baptists, who make up the country’s largest Protestant body, have expressed only limited interest, and some historically black churches have also expressed some hesitation.

Another fast-growing group, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons), is ineligible to join because it does not accept the doctrine of the Trinity, which serves as a theological common denominator for membership.

The Rev. Bob Edgar, general secretary of the National Council of Churches, who sparked discussions about “expanding the ecumenical table” in 2001, said he was “delighted” that Catholics would now be involved. But he cautioned against high expectations for the group’s common action.

“The first agenda is to simply be together in a place where we can dispel myths and respect one another as opposed to thinking of each other in categories,” Edgar said.

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In other business, the bishops voted to begin a multiyear “pastoral initiative” on marriage. The process would culminate in a pastoral letter on marriage in 2007 that will likely reaffirm the bishops’ opposition to gay marriage.

“As leaders of the Catholic Church in the United States, we can help to create a positive climate that places healthy marriages at the heart of strong families, a strong nation, and a strong and holy church,” said Bishop J. Kevin Boland of Savannah, Ga. “This is a pastoral moment we should seize upon.”

The bishops also approved three new Spanish-language rites for Hispanic Catholics. The bishops unanimously endorsed a rite of blessing for 15-year-old girls known as “quinceaneras,” which is somewhat similar to a bat mitzvah for Jewish teenage girls. The bishops also approved uniform Spanish-language liturgies for weddings and baptisms.

MO/PH END ECKSTROM