Methodists, Catholics complete talks on church and church structures

Published: 2005-05-02

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Catholic and United Methodist scholars, meeting in Washington April 29-May 1, called for greater sharing and collaboration between their churches as they concluded a dialogue on the church and church structures. Their findings will be published in a joint study titled "Through Divine Love: The Church in Each Place and All Places." The 20,000-word document was expected to be made public before the end of May. It explores similarities and differences in the structural ways Catholics and Methodists express and strengthen their communion with one another and with God. Various levels of conferences express the connectedness of Methodists, said the Methodist co-chairman, recently retired Bishop Walter Klaiber of Frankfurt, Germany, in an interview with Catholic News Service April 29. He said the conferences -- at the local, regional and general levels -- are not just a way of organizing and governing the church, but an expression of being together in the church of Jesus Christ. Having a German bishop as co-chairman of the dialogue is indicative of the structure of the United Methodist Church, which has 50 episcopal areas in the United States and 18 abroad. The dialogue sponsor on the Catholic side is the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

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