Roman Catholic Commission on Unity) in view of the upcoming 500th anniversary of the Refor- mation in 2017.
• Strengthening church-to-church meetings to know each other in relation to relevant documents on both sides, such as “Evangelii Gaudium” (Te Joy of the Gospel, 2013) by Pope Francis.
• An ecumenical celebration of the Feast of Pentecost at the (Roman Catholic) Parish of St. Francis of Assisi.
• Sharing catechetical materials for first communion.
• Joint celebration of a first com- munion service in Pamplona Alta on Dec. 7, 2014.
• Helping to educate and mobilize local people to take preventive action against tuberculosis at the Manuel Barreto Health Center.
• Participation in the urban for- estry (tree planting) program led by the Metropolitan Municipality of Lima.
How has the global Lutheran- Roman Catholic dialogue affected your local initiatives? Te main impact for us is a new
approach in breaking down barriers and prejudices that may block our fellowship. We can envision living a grassroots ecumenism. Te “Joint Declaration” has served our two churches and communities, and we are disseminating it even outside Pamplona Alta. It provides a secure platform for us to work [for] the unity of the church universal. Te document “From Conflict
to Communion” was received with great joy here, as it expressed a wish to see our churches in a new relationship through dialogue rather than the imposition of unilateral triumphalism. Tis can serve to provide a common witness of faith and strengthen democratic dialogue spaces in the deeply fragmented social situation in Peru.
As we approach the 2017 Reformation anniversary, what can other churches learn from your ecumenical journey? We see opportunities to celebrate,
not only in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Jan. 18-25) … but also in the period until Pentecost. It helps us to reflect seriously on
Jesus’ prayer “that all may be one” and to discern together how far we have taken this prayer seriously in our communities. Preparing for 2017 opens up
opportunities for collaborative pro- cesses to strengthen more authentic and joint processes of dialogue and peace building in society.
Roman Catholic priest Marco Agüero Vidal (left) and Lutheran pastor Pedro Bullón greet worshipers after a joint first communion service in Pamplona Alta, Lima, Peru, last December.
March 2015 33
SEAN HAWKEY/LUTHERAN WORLD FEDERATION
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