By Paula Day

Archbishop John Donoghue is no novice in ecumenical affairs. In the Charlotte, N.C., diocese he worked for greater cooperation with other Christian churches and, on a personal level, formed friendships with the spiritual leaders of several denominations.

He was the first Catholic bishop to address the annual meeting of the western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church and he played a leading role in the development of the North Carolina Lutheran-Catholic Covenant signed in 1991 by the Dioceses of Charlotte and Raleigh and the North Carolina Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

When he came to the diocese, his predecessor, Bishop Michael Begley, had been active in ecumenism and several different dialogues were already in progress. The Ecumenical Institute, a joint venture under the sponsorship of Benedictine Belmont Abbey college and Wake Forest University, worked to bring about better understanding among persons of diverse religious backgrounds.

Archbishop Donoghue became involved in meetings with the Anglicans and Lutherans. The group was called LARC, an acronym for Lutheran, Anglican and Roman Catholic. It was later expanded to LARCUM when the United Methodists joined. He and Raleigh Bishop F. Joseph Glossman met every six weeks with the Lutheran bishop and Bishop Donoghue has given presentation to United Methodists on the Catholic bishops' pastoral on war and peace.

Interviews with three leaders in the ecumenical dialogue reveal a warm human being who could strongly hold his convictions and at the same time transcend theological differences in his relationship with others.

Dr. Michael McDaniel is the retired bishop of the North Carolina Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Now a professor of theology and director of the Center for Theology at Lenoir Rhyne College in Hickory, N.C., he came to North Carolina as Lutheran bishop in 1984, the year Bishop Donoghue became chief shepherd of the Catholic diocese.

"He is a beautiful, warm and loving person," the retired Lutheran bishop said. "I am devastated at his leaving. He is a very dear friend who means a lot to me personally as well as spiritually and theologically."

When Lutherans and Catholics signed a covenant in 1991, North Carolina could boast of being only the third site in the U.S. at that time to have such an agreement. An indication of this cooperation is the Lutheran community's use of the new Catholic Conference Center of retreats and meetings.

Dr. McDaniel recalls a lively ecumenical festival at which three bishops were speakers. "There was an electric atmosphere. More than 1,400 people were there. When the key question was posed, Bishop Donoghue essentially said it was not theological but ethical issues" standing in the way of Christian unity. He cited abortion and birth control as important stumbling blocks.

"You could have heard a pin drop," Dr. McDaniel recalls. "Nobody was offended, he said it in such a winsome way with compassion and love. With aplomb and dignity he managed the audience.

"He is the sort of person who makes you examine your presuppositions and positions when he speaks," the Lutheran leader said. "You feel a sense of authority. He's not speaking out of any desire to be politically correct or popular but simply to state his heart and mind's most profound conviction.

"When I think of people anywhere in this state who have been a witness to Jesus Christ he is the first to come to mind because he's not out there to sell a program. If you enjoy him half as much as we did here in North Carolina," he concluded, "you're in for a treat."

L. Bevel Jones III is resident bishop of the Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church. He grew up in Atlanta and also came to Charlotte in 1984. He and Archbishop Donoghue have met specifically once a year, together with their Lutheran and Anglican counterparts, for a colloquium focusing on the common denominator in each man's faith and work.

"The meetings were very positive, open, honest, creative," the Methodist bishop said, meant to "disabuse one another of certain prejudices."

"No one entered into them more genuinely, more sincerely than John Donoghue. He can disagree with you without becoming disagreeable. He has strong convictions. He'll stand his ground, but he respects you as a person and he respectfully listens to what you have to say."

"Bishop Donoghue embodies the essential New Testament meaning of bishop as shepherd," commented Bishop Jones in an article written for The Charlotte Observer. "As a pastor loving and caring for his people ... he works diligently with ethnic minorities and in behalf of the poor and marginalized. In a world of alarming hostility and violence, he is an agent of reconciliation and peace."

Bishop Jones described Atlanta's new archbishop as a modest person who loves to laugh and is more interested in drawing out the other person than being the center of attention. "I'll be delighted" is his favorite response. "He's always delighted to be with you, do you a favor," commented the bishop.

A latecomer to the area's mainline Christian leadership is Anglican Bishop Robert Johnson. Bishop Donoghue was "front and center" at his consecration as bishop of western North Carolina in 1989. "He reached out the hand of fellowship," the Anglican leader recalls. "I will miss him when he goes to Atlanta."