Churches Together in England (CTE) have welcomed what has been called the country’s first “official” dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Pentecostal movement.
The dialogue formally got underway in March at the offices of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales in Eccleston Square, London.
Beginning with tea, conversation and prayer, the tone of the day was one of sharing, fellowship and discussion.
Representatives of both traditions shared their experiences and theological insights, while avoiding confrontation or debate.
Conversations were reportedly “honest and reflective” and examined areas of agreement and potential avenues of collaboration, while also noting potentially sensitive areas.
Participants also spent time engaging with the scriptures and examining how the interdenominational conversation could be carried forward, looking at the development of Pentecostal/Anglican relations as an example.
CTE said the meeting represented “an important step for ecumenical bilateral dialogues in England”, adding that it offered “a quieter but powerful witness that unity is possible and that when we take the time to listen well to one another, something deeper begins to grow”.
One of those present at the meeting was Dr John Stayne, a representative of the Catholic Church.
Dr Stayne, reflecting on the day’s events, said that he hoped the relationships built during the day could be deepened and pave the way to future collaboration.
“Being filled with the Holy Spirit, as William J Seymour once noted, ‘brings us all into one common family’. And as Pope Leo XIV recently commented, it is the Holy Spirit ‘who inspires us and impels us towards full unity and the common witness to the Gospel’. It was the Spirit poured out on Pentecost who allowed the division of Babel to be overcome, making the apostles be understood in many different tongues," said Dr Stayne.
“As we walk together into the future, my prayer, then, is that the Spirit will continue to be poured out, allowing the divisions within Christianity to be further overcome.”
