Catholic Perspectives on Faith, Mission and Unity at the Faith and Order Conference in Wadi El Natrun

The Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order, held in Wadi El Natrun (Egypt) from 24 to 28 October 2025, gathered Christian leaders and theologians from around the world to reflect together on the question “Where now for visible unity?” Catholic delegates contributed actively to the Conference’s outcomes through their participation in workshops, panels, and thematic discussions. Particularly noteworthy were presentations offered by Catholic speakers during the plenaries addressing the key themes of Faith, Mission, and Unity.

In the Plenary on Faith, Cardinal Kurt Koch, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, delivered an address entitled “The Triune God and the Identity of the Church.”  He explored how the doctrine of the Triune God shapes the Church’s identity, tracing the way in which the Nicene Creed’s confession of Christ’s consubstantiality with the Father transformed the concept of God from abstract unity into relational communion. Drawing on this Trinitarian vision, Cardinal Koch presented the Church as an icon of the Trinity — unity in diversity — and warned against both uniformity and relativistic pluralism as inadequate models for Christian unity.

During the Plenary discussion on Mission, Rev. Prof. Bryan Lobo, S.J., from the Pontifical Gregorian University, reflected on the Church’s missionary vocation in today’s diverse and religiously plural contexts, particularly in Asia. Speaking from his Indian background, he called for new forms of bridge-building and mutual trust among different religious traditions. Mission, he affirmed, is not only proclamation but also accompaniment, dialogue, and attentive listening, urging Christians to engage cultures and religions with humility and confidence in the Spirit.

In the Plenary on Unity, Sr. Prof. Susan K. Wood, SCL, from the University of Toronto, Canada, addressed the theme “Unity — Living and Visible?”  She reflected on how Christian unity must be more than a concept, becoming instead a lived reality embodied in the life and witness of the Church. Emphasizing baptismal communion as the foundation of visible unity, she highlighted that true ecumenism requires openness, welcoming the other in a spirit of mutual recognition and hospitality in Christ.

Together, these voices demonstrated how shared reflection on faith, mission, and unity continues to deepen the common understanding of the Church as communion, rooted in the life of the Triune God.