A delegation from the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) will use its visit to the Vatican on Friday, 10 June 2016, to deepen its relationship with the Roman Catholic Church. The delegation, led by President Jerry Pillay and General Secretary Chris Ferguson, will have an audience with Pope Francis and hold meetings with two pontifical councils.
The WCRC has had a longstanding formal dialogue conducted through the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity (PCPCU), the fourth phase of which has just concluded. Its theme was “Justification and Sacramentality: The Christian Community as an Agent for Justice” and a report under the same title will soon be complete. Discussions with members of the PCPCU will include next steps in the dialogue process.
The WCRC delegation will also meet with the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace to discuss common areas for cooperation. The WCRC has been a leader in social justice theology, advocacy and action, most notably adopting the Accra Confession in 2004. The prophetic confession states that matters of economic and ecological justice are not only social, political and moral issues, they are integral to faith in Jesus Christ and affect the integrity of the church.
In his address to Pope Francis, Ferguson will note both the “joy and the urgency” in this meeting. “Our joy comes from knowing that through repentance and dialogue we are growing closer to that unity that is Christ’s gift to the church, so that all may believe,” he will say. The urgency comes from the need to “move decisively forward together in the face of the perils and suffering confronting this world and all her people,” with commonalities cited between the Accra Confession and Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home.
A press conference will be held at Vatican Radio (Sala Marconi) at 1:15 p.m., following the audience with Pope Francis.
The full WCRC delegation includes: Rev. Dr. Jerry Pillay, WCRC president; Rev. Chris Ferguson, WCRC general secretary; Rev. Dora Arce Valentin, WCRC executive secretary for justice; Dr. Aruna Gnanadason, WCRC consultant for theology; Elder Gabriela Mulder, president of AIPRAL (Alianza de Iglesias Presbiterianas y Reformadas de América Latina y el Caribe); Rev. Eugenio Bernardini, moderator of the Tavola Valdese; and Deacon Phil Tanis, WCRC executive secretary for communications.