Methodist-Roman Catholic International Commission meeting in Korea

The 2024 plenary meeting of the twelfth phase of the Methodist-Catholic dialogue commission, MERCIC (Methodist‒Roman Catholic International Commission), took place from 22 to 27 September at Kwanglim Seminar House, in Pocheon, near Seoul, Korea. The Commission is comprised of sixteen members, eight appointed by the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity and eight by the World Methodist Council. Thirteen members were present in Korea.

The Commission dedicated the majority of its discussions to continuing reflection on the theme of mission and unity. Over the next year, working groups of the Commission will draft chapters on the common faith of Methodists and Catholics, growth in mutual recognition, the diversity of experiences of communion, and proposals for greater communion between Catholics and Methodists.

The Commission also worked on the revision of its 2010 publication, Together to Holiness, a synthesis of the Commission’s work till then, in order to include material from the three MERCIC reports published in the intervening period. It is hoped to publish the revised document in 2025 as a contribution to the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council.

A communiqué was published at the end of the meeting. The Commission’s next plenary meeting will take place in San Salvador, El Salvador, from 19 to 25 October 2025.

Methodist Members

Rev. Prof. Edgardo A. Colón–Emeric (Co-Chair), USA
Rev. Matthew A. Laferty (Co-Secretary), Methodist Ecumenical Office, Rome
Dr. Jung Choi, Korea/USA
Rev. Prof. Blanches de Paula, Brazil
Prof. Geordan Hammond, United Kingdom
Rev. Prof. Glen O’Brien, Australia
Rev. Dr. Hermen Shastri, Malaysia
Prof. Lilian Cheelo Siwila, Zambia/South Africa

Catholic Members

Bishop Shane Mackinlay (Co-Chair), Australia
Rev. Martin Browne OSB (Co-Secretary), Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, Rome
Prof. Catherine E. Clifford, Canada
Rev. Prof. Gerard Kelly, Australia
Sr. Prof. MarySylvia Nwachukwu DDL, Nigeria
Rev. Prof. Daniel Franklin Pilario CM, Philippines
Rev. Prof. Jorge Scampini OP, Argentina
Dr. Clare Watkins, United Kingdom