CNS Photo: Pope Francis meets with Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria, Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church, during a private audience in the pontiff’s library at the Vatican May 10, 2013 By Sebastian Gomes Last week I was at a parish in Vancouver giving a talk on Pope John XXIII in preparation for his canonization ...read more

Pope Benedict XVI gave the following homily at an ecumenical prayer service in Erfurt, Germany during his last papal visit to that country in 2011. Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through them” (Jn 17:20). According ...read more

By Rev. Dr. Karen Hamilton The theme of the 10th Assembly of the World Council of Churches was, “God of Life, Lead us to Justice and Peace”. This 10th Assembly, held in Busan, Korea, was remarkable in any number of ways – great guest speakers from the Jewish and Evangelical traditions, great participation by Orthodox ...read more

Earlier today, Pope Francis met with Fraternal Delegates (members of other Christian denominations and non-Christian religions) who attended the Inauguration Mass of his Petrine Ministry on Tuesday. ...read more

Do we really care about Christian unity? That was the challenging question posed by of one of my colleagues this morning, as he perceived a lack of interest in ecumenical issues in the Catholic community. His observation prompted a few questions of my own. Why might some Catholics feel that ecumenism isn’t a priority? And, ...read more

This post was submitted by Rev. Dr. Karen Hamilton, General Secretary of the Canadian Council of Churches.  A question that I often ask preachers and pastors is whether anyone in their congregations ever complains if the worship service goes longer than an hour and a half. At least, I ask Roman Catholic and Protestant preachers ...read more

“A zealous pastor, a humble religious, a faithful churchman, and an admirable human person” are just some of the words by which my fellow Basilian and biographer of our order, Fr. P. Wallace Platt, has described George Bernard Cardinal Flahiff. George Flahiff, born on 26 October 1905 in Paris, Ontario, was Superior General of the Basilian Fathers from ...read more

Tonight on Perspectives: A major new international interreligious dialogue initiative is inaugurated in Vienna, Austria with the Holy See playing an vital role as “Founding Observer”; A high ranking Vatican official expects little change in church-state relations with the new Chinese government; and we take a look at Catholic-Orthodox dialogue fifty years after Vatican II. ...read more

It’s easy to take ecumenism for granted in Canada, even during this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Of course, the full expression of visible unity has not been achieved, and won’t likely occur within our lifetime. But we have grown so accustomed to respectful relations and cooperative efforts on social issues that our prayers ...read more

Benedict XVI celebrated Vespers on January 25 to mark both the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul and the end of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The liturgy, which was attended by representatives of various Christian denominations, took place at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls. The video of his homily is ...read more