A tale of how Mormon leaders came to a papal prayer service in NYC
-
- August
- 7
On April 18, 2008, I attended Pope Benedict XVI’s prayer service in New York City with more than 250 Christian leaders from just about every Christian tradition around.
I didn’t know, and I don’t remember reading anywhere, that two leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were there. In the second row.
There is a extremely interesting tale of the “behind the scenes” decision-making process that led to the seating of two Mormon leaders in the summer edition of Ecumenical Trends, published by the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement in Garrison. It was written by Father James Massa, head of ecumenical and interreligious affairs for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Here’s the thing: Mormons consider themselves to be Christians. But the Catholic Church—and most mainstream Christian denominations—disagree.
For one thing, Mormons do not accept the Trinity. They believe the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to be three Gods who are “one in purpose,” but NOT one God in three persons.
So when the LDS church asked to be included in a papal event, the question facing Massa was: Which one?
Should he include them in the prayer service for Christians or a second meeting with representatives of non-Christian religions?
What a religious quandary!
Massa writes that the LDS leadership has been much more visible in recent years, working with other faiths on social and cultural issues. And Catholics and Mormons have a lot in common when it comes to issues of public morality, he notes.
The Bishops Conference asked the Vatican for advice, but was told that they were in a “better position than the Holy See to make the decision,” Massa writes.
He also writes:
*****
One member of my staff wisely counseled that I speak with the offices of key Orthodox and Evangelical leaders who might register the most discomfort knowing that they would be participating in the April 18 prayer service with Mormons. Such are the ironies of today’s ecumenical engagements: Officers for Catholic Bishops calling Orthodox hierarchs and Evangelical megapastors to make sure they have no strong objections to Mormons being invited to a prayer service with the Pope! The answer came back: “Yes, they can come. But don’t make them too prominent!”
*****
And so two members of the Quorum of the Twelve—the second-highest leadership body in the LDS church—were invited to the ecumenical prayer service for Christians.
Elder Quentin L. Cook and Elder M. Russell Ballard sat in the second row at St. Joseph’s Church.
Massa concludes his engaging piece (Ecumenical Trends is not on-line, so you can’t read it) with this:
*****
Heaven may yet hold surprises even greater than was evident back in April 2008, when the Bishop of Rome called an assembly of Christians to prayer with the words: “Grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all”; and two Mormon elders, representing the first world religion to have arisen since Islam, responded: “And also with you.”
This entry was posted
on Friday, August 7th, 2009 at 10:35 am by Gary Stern.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Category: April 18 2008, Are Mormons Christians?, Christians, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ecumenical Trends, Elder M. Russell Ballard, Elder Quentin L. Cook, Father James Massa, Franciscan Friars of the Atonement, Godhead, New York City, Pope Benedict XVI, Quorum of the Twelve, St. Joseph's Church, Trinity, U.S. Catholic Bishops Conference, ecumenical prayer service
Print
| 
Email
The world of religion, we don't have to tell you, is vast. The purpose of this blog is for Stern to note, flag and comment on some of the more interesting religious developments on the scene – weighty and quirky, somber and laughable, far away and just down the road. He won't interpret Scripture, take sides in conflicts or judge anyone. But he will take advantage of the journalist's license to observe.
Hi Gary,
I hope you’re enjoying your vacation. It looks like a very tough time to be at the JN offices.
I thought you might enjoy this snippet from Catholic News Service’s coverage of the Pope’s ecumenical prayer service…
Ecumenical meeting marks first time Mormons join in papal gathering
By Beth Griffin
Catholic News Service
NEW YORK (CNS)—For the first time, representatives of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints participated in a papal prayer service—and it all started over coffee.
In an interview with Catholic News Service and other reporters before the start of the ecumenical prayer service at St. Joseph’s Church in New York April 18, Father James Massa, executive director of the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat of Ecumenical and Interrreligious Affairs, said that during a coffee break at a recent meeting a representative of the Latter-day Saints asked him if there was any possibility of their participation in the papal visit.
“My reaction was, ‘Why not?’ We have shared values and there is a possibility of collaboration on a number of social issues while respecting our theological differences,” he said.
Father Massa said, “We’re not making any theological statements today,” adding, “This is a very big statement they (the Latter-day Saints) are making.”
He said the Latter-day Saints are “a bit bruised” by reaction to the presidential campaign of Republican Mitt Romney, a Mormon. National polls found that many Americans were uncomfortable with the idea of a Mormon president.
Representing the Latter-day Saints at the April 18 meeting in New York were two members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Elders M. Russell Ballard and Quentin L. Cook.
i need a prayer service