Conclusion
117 Both
Methodists and Catholics trust the unfailing presence and grace
of the Holy Spirit to preserve them in faithfulness and to protect
the truth of the Gospel they preach and teach. The Catholic Church
recognizes this presence of the Spirit especially in the charism
of unfailing truth and faith which is given to bishops in the Church.
The exercise of the ministry of teaching by bishops takes many forms
and includes the special ministry of the Bishop of Rome in proclaiming
the faith of all the bishops and of the whole Church. Methodists
recognize the guidance of the Holy Spirit in Methodist Conferences
though they do not ascribe to them a guaranteed freedom from error.
At the same time, they accept their teaching as authoritative when
it is clearly shown to be in agreement with the Scriptures. Conference
is the final authority for the interpretation of doctrine.
118 Both
Catholics and Methodists recognize that it is the whole Church which
abides in the truth because of the presence of the Holy Spirit in
the community of believers. Both recognize that all believers have
a gift for recognizing, discerning and responding to the truth of
the Gospel, and so play a part in the formulation and interpretation
of the Church's faith. Most fundamentally, both Methodists and Catholics
believe that it is the Spirit who preserves within the Church the
truth of the Gospel proclaimed by Christ and the apostles, though
there is not complete agreement on what constitute the essential
components of that Gospel.
119 The
corporate belief of Christ's faithful must be taken into consideration
by those who teach authoritatively within the Church. Their ministry
can never be exercised in isolation from the faith of the whole
Church. Methodists and Catholics, however, differ in the ways in
which this collaboration occurs. Both recognize the role of the
laity in the development of the faith through living it, preaching
and teaching it, and meditating upon it. In Methodism lay people
participate as members of Conference in the authoritative determination
of the precise content of the Church's faith. The Catholic Church,
on the other hand, maintains that the authoritative determination
of the precise content of the Church's faith is properly the ministry
of bishops. The reasons why Methodists and Catholics interpret differently
the roles of the laity and of ordained ministers, particularly in
regard to authoritative teaching, is a matter warranting further
exploration.102
120 One
reason for this variation in practice is a different interpretation
of the effect of the rite of ordination, which is linked to the
Catholic understanding of the sacramentality of that rite. Moreover,
there is a further fundamental difference in the understanding of
the degree to which one can attribute a guaranteed reliability to
any human instrumentality exercising a ministry of teaching within
the Church, even given the continuing presence of the Holy Spirit.
The relationship between ordination, authoritative teaching and
the sure guidance of the Holy Spirit remains a topic for further
discussion between Methodists and Catholics.103
121 At
the same time, while this report acknowledges obvious differences
in ministerial structure for authoritative teaching and in theological
interpretation of the reliability of these ministerial structures,
there remains a common fundamental belief in the presence of the
Holy Spirit and the use by the Holy Spirit of recognized bodies
for teaching authoritatively to ensure the truth of the Gospel which
is believed by both Methodists and Catholics. Moreover, the differing
language used to describe the experience of authoritative teaching
does not negate the fact that both, in practice, depend upon the
sure guidance of the Holy Spirit for this ministry of authoritative
teaching. The experience of ordinary Methodists and Catholics and
their confidence in their respective understandings of the apostolic
faith indicate that these perspectives may be much closer than the
differing language might sometimes indicate.
122 As
Methodists and Catholics seek to move together towards full unity
in love and in truth, they are committed here and now to "speak
the truth in love" to each other and to all the people of the
world.
Participants
in the Dialogue
Catholics
Right Reverend
Michael Putney, Bishop
of Townsville, Australia
(Co-Chairman)
Reverend Monsignor Timothy Galligan, Vatican CityCity
(Co-Secretary)
Most
Reverend Alexander Brunett, Archbishop of Seattle, WA, USA
Sister Mary Charles-Murray, Oxford, England
Reverend Canon Michael Evans, Tunbridge Wells, England
Reverend Professor Francis Frost, Ars, France
Reverend Professor George Tavard, Boston, MA, USA
Most Reverend Peter Turkson, Archbishop of Cape Coast,
Ghana
Methodists
Reverend Professor Geoffrey Wainwright,
Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
(Co-Chairman)
Reverend Dr Joe Hale, World Methodist Council, Lake Junaluska,
NC, USA
(Co-Secretary)
Bishop Daniel
C. Arichea Jr., Baguio City, Philippines
Bishop Mvume Dandala, Braamfontein, South Africa
Dr Scott J. Jones, Southern Methodist University, Dallas,
TX, USA
Mrs Gillian Kingston, Dublin, Ireland
Bishop Richard C. Looney, Macon, GA, USA
Reverend Dr John Newton, Bristol, England
[Information
Service 107 (2001/II/III) 94-117]
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