Cleveland, Ga. (NC) - Most Southern Baptists probably don’t know that a Roman Catholic priest has been attending their annual conventions since 1967, in a one-man effort toward increasing interfaith understanding.

Southern Baptists grant no official “observer” status to non-Baptists, so Father Francis A. Ruff has been attending in a news media capacity.

The 34-year old Glenmary priest assigned here has written a few articles for the Georgia Bulletin, Atlanta archdiocesan newspaper. But he said his real purpose in attending the Baptist meetings is “to get a gut-level understanding of Baptists; to develop a personal relationship with convention personalities and leaders.”

“I’d like to think that this cry in the wilderness can be heard, that there will be an opening up by Southern Baptists and Roman Catholics toward each other and toward other denominations. I’m disturbed by the fact that brothers don’t expect other Christian brothers to be interested in their work,” he added.

“I was appalled when I went to my first Baptist convention in Miami (1967) and saw I was the only priest there,” he said. Since then, he has been to Baptist meetings in New Orleans, Denver, Atlanta and here.

Father Ruff said he believes “there is a great deal of prejudice against Southern Baptists by Catholic priests in the South. Priests say Baptists are uneducated, racist and uncooperative. I say this prejudice is not based on knowledge.” Alone or in the company of others, Father Ruff gets plenty of stares from Baptists at meetings where he circulates in priest’s collar and black shirt.

“I interpret the stares as surprise; my reception generally has been good,” he said, adding that people have offered to put him up in homes during the meetings.

Father Ruff said that along with apologies for sometimes derogatory statements about Catholics during the sessions, he has also received Baptists’ witnessing efforts. Baptists trying to witness have asked “whether I have read the Bible and prayed for understanding,” said the priest who takes it all in good humor.

Father Ruff is director of the regional office for non-metropolitan ministries in the Deep South - a region including Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, and Mississippi.

His office here was set up last summer by the Glenmary order to upgrade the quality of Catholic ministries in those areas, he explained.

“Since the Southern Baptist denomination and the Deep South are closely identified with each other, one of my main objectives is to develop better relations with Southern Baptists,” the priest said. “But this is also a personal interest, since I started attending Southern Baptist meetings even before our office was established,” he added.