Churches Together
in Britain and Ireland
Churches' Commission on Mission
Agreement between the Anglican, the Lutheran and Roman Catholic
Churches in Papua New Guinea
Contents
A report from Bishop Peter Fox:
Anglican-Roman Catholic Covenant In Papua New Guinea.
Press Release on: A Covenant Beween The
Anglican Church Of PNG And The Roman Catholic Church In PNG
We confess together that in the sacrament of baptism the Holy Spirit truly incorporates us into Christ and into his Church, justifies and truly renews us, hence we are reborn to a sharing of divine life.
We confess together that baptism is the effective sign of our participation in the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord whereby the baptised receives adoption by the Father and becomes a child of God, receives the gift of the Holy Spirit, obtains the forgiveness of sins, share’s in Christ’s eternal priesthood, participates in his messianic mission in the world, and becomes an inheritor of God’s Kingdom.
Therefore together we recognise the necessity of baptism and affirming our common doctrine and practice in respect to this sacrament, do declare;
1. That we mutually recognise and respect each other’s rite of baptism as contained in the Book of Common Prayer, the Lutheran Book of Worship and the Roman Catholic rite of Baptism;
2. That the rite of baptism performed by our churches is valid and therefore not to be repeated even conditionally;
3. That although our churches have always recognised the sacrament of baptism administered according to the New Testament, this present declaration constitutes an act whereby our churches mutually give guarantee of the validity of the baptism administered by their respective ministers;
4. That our churches accept the baptism of infants where the faith of the parents and of the eccesial community supplies for the child’s inability to profess a personal faith and represents a commitment to raise the child in the Christian faith;
5. That baptism administered by our respective ministers are to be duly recorded in the proper registry books, and certificates of baptism delivered to all who are baptised. The presentation of the said certificate of baptism shall be deemed sufficient evidence of the fact and validity of baptism. We agree, in cases of real doubt to consult each other in these matters;
6. That we commit ourselves to earnest continual prayer, consultation and working together so that we may come to the fullness of our unity in Christ of which baptism is the foundation, the impetus and the pledge.
In testimony thereof, we affix our signatures this 19th day of July in the year of our Lord 2003 at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Port Moresby.
For the Anglican Church in PNG
Archbishop James Ayong
For the Evangelical Lutheran Church of PNG
Assistant Bishop Kiage
Motoro
For the Roman Catholic Church in PNG
Bishop John Ribat
In
the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Believing in the will of God that all Christians are called to be one
so that the world will believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, recognizing our common
baptism in the name of the Holy Trinity, encouraged by many years of dialogue,
co-operation and friendship between our communities, wishing to respond to the
pastoral needs of our people and be an effective evangelistic witness to the
nation, we the bishops of the Anglican
Church of PNG and the Catholic Bishops Conference, in the name of our clergy
and people, enter into this covenant.
We
affirm:
1.
that the source of true ecclesial unity in Christ is the unity of the
Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit;
2.
that Jesus Christ, the living centre of our faith, is the Saviour and Lord
of the world;
3.
that the desire of Christ is that the Church be one people brought
together from all races, languages and cultures;
4.
that the life of grace is nourished by the Word of God we receive through
the Scripture, Sacraments and the action of the Holy Spirit within the Church;
5.
that the Holy Spirit, having revealed a rich diversity of gifts in the
Anglican and Roman Catholic communions while never ceasing to draw these
communions into the fullness of ecclesial unity in Christ, and having enabled
us internationally through ARCIC to achieve substantial agreement on the
Eucharist, Ministry and Authority, now prompts us to overcome the separation
which exists in doctrine and ecclesial life, in order to achieve that full
visible unity which Christ wills for his Church.
We
resolve:
1.
to strengthen our unity in Christ and maintain our commitment to
eventual full communion by:
·
pursuing theological dialogue on matters that still separate us: for
example, authority and freedom, unity and pluriformity, setting limits and
respecting differences, inter-communion and the validity of Anglican Orders,
married priests and women’s ordinations;
·
having standing invitations for the attendance of one episcopal
representative of the sister-Church at the yearly meeting of the Catholic
Bishops’ Conference and the Anglican
Bishops’ Meeting;
·
holding an annual ARC-PNG meeting of the Ecumenical Commission of the
two Churches; and
·
making an act of re-dedication to the goal of unity each Pentecost.
2.
to do together whatever does not have to be done separately:
·
working together on matters of social concern and undertaking joint
programmes to strengthen family life and other Christian relationships; and
·
giving mutual support in educational ministries in seminaries such as
through an exchange of staff and students in specific areas of study, mutual
visits, encouragement of research papers relating to Anglican/Roman Catholic
issues and occasional shared prayer.
3.
to give witness to our growing unity by:
·
responding to the appropriate openings of closer relationships which
emerge naturally between religious orders of the two Churches, such as
participation in workshops together (Xavier Institute, the National Formators
Workshop), sharing in common outreach
programmes (Aitape), cooperation in various ministries (Family Life, Word
Publishing, the Melanesian Institute) and an exchange of retreat and workshop
directors;
·
working together to strengthen wider ecumenical activity, particularly
through the PNG Council of Churches;
·
encouraging prayer for a wider unity, especially through the Week of
Prayer for Christian Unity from Ascension to Pentecost; and
·
making joint witness to the claims of Christ to the lapsed and to those
in particular spiritual need.
20th July 2003. St. Martin’s Church.
East Boroko. Port Moresby
For the Anglican Church: Archbishop James Ayong For the Roman Catholic Church: Bishop John
Ribat
In Papua New
Guinea, Anglicans and Roman Catholics are remarkably close to one another in
our style, our theology and especially in our prayers. On the 20th. July, 2003, the
growing friendship between us was celebrated in the signing of a Covenant
between the Anglican and the Roman Catholic Churches of Papua New Guinea. It was a joyful occasion, the public
recognition of something that has long been a reality, our firm intention to
work together more completely, to pray for each other more, to work at the
things that still divide us and not to give up on the endeavour until the day
we achieve full communion.
Archbishop James
Ayong, the Anglican Primate, and Bishop John Ribat, representing the Roman
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Papua New Guinea, were the signatories to the
Covenant document, but the whole congregation joined in an Act of Penitence
over past wrongs, the Profession of Faith using the Apostles’ Creed familiar to
both communions, and an Act of Commitment,
“To
live, work and pray as one body in Christ;
to
do apart nothing which we can do together
and
to do together what we cannot do apart”.
The document
itself goes much further than a mere statement of good intentions. Certainly, it
sets forward the vision, but it also lists some of the practical ways in which
our two communions will foster the relationship. We promise each other more
effective co-operation on matters of social concern, education and family counselling. Our bishops promise to
make attendance at each others’ conferences a priority and to really listen to
each other. The document contains the
resolution that we will speak out with one voice at times of crisis in the life
of the nation. It is a Covenant about practising unity not just talking
about it.
Archbishop John
Bathersby of Brisbane, whose work for the Vatican on ecumenical matters is
well-known, was present at the
Signing. He said that this was the
first such event for the Catholic Church. Of course there had been covenants in
other times and places at local level, but they had rarely included the Roman
Catholics and had never, to the best of his knowledge, involved a whole
province of the Church. He said that because this was such an unusual event the
Vatican was watching developments in Papua New Guinea with great interest. In a
very real way the young Church of Papua New Guinea (Anglican and Roman
Catholic) was leading the way and by God’s grace others would follow.
God grant it be
so.
How has such a close
friendship between Anglicans and Roman Catholics come about in Papua New
Guinea? Are there lessons here for other Churches and Communions seeking
greater unity in Christ? I believe the
answer must be “Yes.”
1.
Respect
for one another’s traditions,
so evident in Papua New Guinea, is the context which made this remarkable
public statement possible. Because we respect each other, we need not fear to
discuss with freedom the things that still divide us.
The Covenants states this very clearly:
“Pursuing theological dialogue on matters that still
separate us: for example, authority and freedom, unity and pluriformity, setting
limits and respecting differences, inter-communion and the validity of
Anglican Orders, married priests and women’s ordinations.”
2.
Shared
history binds us instead of dividing us. The often
shameful history of persecution between our churches in Europe is not part of
the Papua New Guinean experience. On the other hand, both churches have their
martyrs, most of whom died during the Japanese occupation in World War II. We know each other’s stories. Here we have
shared persecution rather than inflicted it upon each other.
3.
We have a
very similar understanding of the Sacraments, Priesthood and Episcopacy.
It is often said that the largely Anglo-Catholic emphasis of the
Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea is bound to ease our dialogue with
Rome. However Roman Catholics are no
more impressed by the externals of faith than we are. It is not our similar outward
expression of worship that draws us closer but the emphasis on the sacramental
life that is common to our Anglican heritage. That emphasis is especially
obvious in the Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea. It makes it easier for us
to understand each other.
4.
We share
the same priorities in Mission. We deal, on a daily basis with situations of poverty and violence,
and our resources, both financial and human are very limited. It makes all of
us very conscious of the desperate need for close co-operation in practical
pastoral care. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the areas of Education and
Health. The free sharing of resources
by the churches is essential if the quality of care is to be maintained.
5.
Squabbling
over detail is a luxury our people cannot afford. There needs to be a clear and undivided teaching of
the Gospel the Catholic Church (Anglican and Roman Catholics included)
proclaims. Small fundamentalist sects are entering Papua New Guinea and
becoming established at an alarming rate. Often they care little about the
traditional culture of the people and are insensitive to the churches already
at work in an area they enter. They teach a very different kind of gospel and
people are confused. This widespread
“sheep-stealing” makes it all the more vital for the historic churches to
support one another, speaking the Truth we share quietly and clearly. The
details we can sort out later. We have sheep to look after!
The ARCIC
process begun in 1966 helped us embark on a long journey of faith, towards true
unity and a restored Communion. The
signing of the Covenant on Sunday, the 20th. July, 2003, at St.
Martin’s Anglican Church, Boroko, Port Moresby, marked an important milestone
along the way.
All of us who
were present on that day felt the pain of our divisions, but we also shared the
joy of a growing friendship. There is a long journey still in front of us, but
see how far we have already come. The road will be long and fraught with
problems, but we are resolved to continue our journey together. We will
continue our dialogue with trust and respect for each other. We will not give
up the quest until we can kneel side by side and receive the Sacrament of Holy
Communion as the One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church which our Creed
affirms and for which our Lord prayed.
On Saturday 19 July the Anglican Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Catholic Church in PNG signed an historic Agreed Statement on Baptism at St. Mary’s Catholic Cathedral in Port Moresby during an ecumenical payer service beginning at 3 PM.
In this document the three Churches confess together their common teaching that “in the sacrament of baptism the Holy Spirit truly incorporates us into Christ and into his Church” so that we are “reborn to a sharing of divine life.” Through baptism, a person “becomes a child of God” and “becomes an inheritor of God’s Kingdom.”
The agreed statement
declares that the three Churches recognise the validity of the baptism
administered by each of the other Churches.
This not only means that the rite of baptism should not be
repeated. It means that these three
Churches recognise the apostolic roots of their common Christian faith.
The agreed statement does
not mean or imply any kind of merger.
The three Churches, though recognising the validity of baptism
administered by each one, still remain three.
They continue to celebrate their own rite of baptism as found in the
Anglican Book of Common Prayer, the Lutheran Book of Worship and the Catholic
Rite of Baptism. The agreement on
baptism does not mean that members of the three Churches can now share in a
common Eucharist.
The agreed statement will be signed by Archbishop James Ayong for the Anglican Church, Bishop Kiage Motoro for the Lutheran Evangelical Church and Bishop John Ribat for the Catholic Church.
On Sunday 20 July at St. Martin’s Anglican Church in Boroko, the Anglican Church and the Catholic Church in PNG officially signed a special Covenant during an ecumenical prayer service starting at 4 PM.
In 1988 the bishops of the
Anglican and Catholic Churches in PNG formed an Anglican/Roman Catholic
Commission which has been meeting regularly to strengthen a growing respect for
one another, to discuss their differences and to share their common faith in
Christ. In 1995 this commission began
to write a covenant expressing their desire to continue to work toward full
visible unity.
While both the Anglican and
Catholic Churches work closely with other Christian Churches in PNG, there has
been a long tradition of a special relation between Anglicans and Catholics in
PNG which is expressed and strengthened by the Covenant.
The Covenant begins:
“believing in the will of God that all Christians are called to be one…
encouraged by many years of dialogue…and wishing to respond to the pastoral
needs of our people… we the bishops of the Anglican Church of PNG and the
Catholic Bishops Conference, in the name or our clergy and people, enter into
this covenant.” They go on to affirm
that “the Holy Spirit, having revealed a rich diversity of gifts in the Anglican
and Roman Catholic communions while never ceasing to draw these communions into
the fullness of ecclesial unity in Christ...now prompts us to overcome the
separation which exists in doctrine and ecclesial life in order to achieve that
full visible unity which Christ wills for his Church.”
While this Covenant does not
mean that the two Churches have become one or that intercommunion is permitted
between these Churches, it does represent an important step toward a fullness
of unity.
The Covenant was signed by Archbishop
James Ayong, the Primate of the Anglican Church in PNG and Bishop John Ribat,
the Catholic Bishop delegate for ecumenical affairs.
Archbishop John Bathersby of Brisbane is the Catholic co-chairman of
the newly formed International Anglican/Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and
Mission (IARCCUM) which is to promote a broader “reception” of existing agreed
statements. He came to PNG 19-20 July
after attending an IARCCUM meeting in Belfast on 11-14 June. He met with our local PNG Anglican/Roman
Catholic Commission on Saturday morning 19
July and then was with us for these special ecumenical services.