The JOINT WORKING GROUP MEETING of the Roman Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches will be held in Malta, at the St George Preca Centre, Archbishop’s Seminary, Rabat, between Monday 31st October and Saturday 5th November. The Diocesan Ecumenical Commission and the Hospitality Staff at the Seminary have been assisting the organizers with regard to logistical arrangements.
Although the Catholic Church is not a member of the World Council of Churches (WCC), there has been a solid partnership in the shared quest for Christian unity. For more than 40 years the Catholic Church through the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPCU) and the WCC have worked closely in fostering common prayer for unity, social action, theological reflection and joint ecumenical formation and mission. Among other channels of cooperation, their relationship is promoted through the Joint Working Group (JWG), set up in 1965 and now comprising 18 members from each parent body (PCPCU and WCC) who receive a seven-year mandate.
The JWG aims at discerning and proposing possible areas of cooperation in offering visible joint witness to the Gospel. It is currently completing its Ninth Report, which seeks to reflect on harvesting the fruits of the ecumenical movement, and to affirm the importance of spiritual ecumenism as the soul of the ecumenical commitment. Discussion has also focused on the phenomenon of migration, as well as on harnessing the gift of young people in our churches.
Several prominent church leaders from different Churches and Traditions will be participating in the event. The Joint Working Group will be calling on the President of the Republic. They will also be meeting the Maltese Episcopal Conference and the Apostolic Nuncio.