300th BIRTHDAY: Becoming fully Christian

Last Sunday, some Methodists in Rome heard a homily on the occasion of the 300th birthday of John Wesley, the founder of their denomination. That's not unusual, but the homilist was: Cardinal Walter Kasper, who directs the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. He was present at the invitation of the members of Ponte Sant'Angelo Methodist Church, just across the Tiber River from the Vatican (see article on page 7).

Such ecumenical gestures show the warmth that exists among many Christians as they struggle toward the unity Jesus envisioned for them. The invitation and its acceptance do not mean that all is well, of course. In his homily, Cardinal Kasper noted that Catholics and Wesley exchanged bitter accusations; and while relations are improving, the Rev. Pieter Bouman, pastor of the church where the cardinal spoke, could still refer to Pope John Paul II as "the biggest obstacle" to unity. His "conception of Petrine ministry is not helpful," said the minister. "He's good at gestures, but gestures need to be translated and get more structure."

Cardinal Kasper told the congregation that "we have come to recognize each other as brothers and sisters in Christ," and he lauded Wesley's zeal, which led him to assert that "there was no such thing as being a half-Christian."

Being fully Christian can mean not only that an individual follows his or her faith completely but also that all Christians are one, a goal Jesus set for us and one that we are moving toward haltingly for sure, but inexorably.

(6/26/03) [[In-content Ad]]