Title: Disciples meet with Pope John Paul II
Date: October 23, 1997
Disciples News Service
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
97b-58
INDIANAPOLIS (DNS) -- Eleven Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) members were among thousands gathered in St. Peter's Square in September for a general audience with Pope John Paul II.
The delegation represented the Disciples Ecumenical Consultative Council, which fosters the involvement of Disciples churches around the world in the ecumenical movement. The purpose of the group's visit was to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Disciples of Christ/Roman Catholic International Dialogue, said the Rev. Paul A. Crow Jr., president of the Council on Christian Unity.
The pope acknowledged the talks during public comments before the general audience saying, "I bless this dialogue." Afterward, the delegation met privately with the world Catholic leader. General Minister and President Richard L. Hamm, Crow and the Rev. Suzanne Webb, Carbondale, Ill., exchanged gifts with the pontiff.
Crow presented him a silver commemorative chalice bearing the St. Andrew's cross. On behalf of Disciples worldwide, Crow received the Codex Vaticanus, a copy of the New Testament in the original languages. Hamm and Webb were given papal medallions.
The group later engaged in official dialogue with Cardinal Edward Cassidy and Bishop Pierre Duprey, president and secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. The agenda also included a session with the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.
"We had a significant day of dialogue about the ecumenical movement," Crow said. "This is how seriously the Roman Catholic Church takes their dialogue with the Disciples."
The papal visit highlighted the first-ever "church-to-church" meeting of leaders from the two traditions. For Hamm the historic visit by Disciples leaders helps reinforce a sense of being connected with the "wider church."
As a denomination, the Disciples of Christ "only has meaning in relationship with the rest of the church," he said. And the denomination's interconnectedness with other churches is vital. "We have to be understood in relationship with the rest of the church," Hamm said.
"The original vision of early Disciples was that the unity we seek is as comprehensive as the Roman Catholic Church and as comprehensive as the Pentecostals, keeping us from being too provincial in our understanding and goals for Christian unity," Crow said.
"These days in Rome make clear that Disciples must be in some relationship with this historic, global church -- for our own identity and growth," said the Rev. A. Guy Waldrop, Lexington. He is the regional minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Kentucky.
The venture also broadened Disciples members' exposure to the Roman Catholic Church. "We tend to think of the Roman Catholic Church as monolithic and rigid," Hamm said. "There's tremendous diversity within the church. These truly are brothers and sisters in Christ. These ecumenical relationships are absolutely essential."
"The Roman Catholic Church is not a distant community," echoed Crow. "We really do belong together in some kind of relationship."
The remaining members of the Disciples delegation included: Mary Crow and Melinda (Mindy) Hamm of Indianapolis: the Rev. Roy and Nita Griggs, Tulsa, Okla., and Harold and Virginia Horn, Fullerton, Calif.
Also part of the gathering were Rozanne Robertson, Indianapolis, and the Rev. Thomas F. Best, World Council of Churches, Geneva, Switzerland. The Rev. Thomas J. Murphy, ecumenical officer, Archdiocese of Indianapolis, also journeyed with the delegation.
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