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‘There’s a spirit of generosity here’

CHARLOTTE — Two longtime friends and spiritual leaders of their local faith communities sat down Oct. 15 at Union Presbyterian Seminary to address their viewpoints on the Reformation.

The Protestant-Catholic dialogue took place at the invitation of Union Presbyterian Seminary’s Dean Richard Boyce, who invited his friend, Benedictine Abbot Placid Solari of Belmont Abbey, to visit the seminary for a special discussion to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.

“I do want to give a personal thanks to my brother in Christ, Placid, for being with us today. We have traveled some long miles together as pastors, as disciples, and even in some of the politics of small town life in Belmont,” Boyce said at the beginning of the dialogue, which was open to the public.

Boyce, a former mayor of Belmont, worked with the abbot on local issues during his tenure. He has known him for decades, as Abbot Placid’s uncle in Richmond, Va., was Boyce’s tennis coach years ago.

The two have had many philosophical and faith-based discussions over the course of their friendship, especially during Boyce’s retreats at the monastery. A Protestant, Boyce shared his admiration for the Benedictine monks and his fondness for praying with them in the abbey basilica and attending Mass with them despite his inability to receive the Eucharist.

“I celebrate this friendship we have and the conversation that we have that has been ongoing,” Boyce said.

During the discussion Oct. 15, Abbot Placid and Boyce took turns answering three basic questions: How has the Reformation blessed the worldwide Church? How has the Reformation harmed the worldwide Church? Where in the Church is further reformation needed?

In his response to the first question, Boyce explained that he was going to “place this blessing under the banner of freedom. I believe that there was a granting of freedom with regard to the interpretation of Scripture.”

He believes the Reformation allowed the Scriptures to be placed in the average person’s hands.

“That runs deep in my experience as a reformed Christian… That study, meditation, sort of ‘chewing’ of Scriptures has been a gift to me that I attribute at least in some way to the Reformation. ‘Sola Scriptura,’ to get back to the reading of Scriptures on a regular basis.

“I am not in any way claiming that the Church at that time was not deeply rooted and grounded in Scripture. But at least in terms of the average church person’s ability to read and interpret the Scriptures for him or herself, I think that is possibly a gift of the Reformation to the wider Church.”

Abbot Placid said the first question was “obviously an interesting question for a Catholic to consider.”

In several ways the Reformation could be seen as a blessing to the Church, he said, including setting into motion a necessary reform of the Church and its life; refocusing attention on Jesus Christ and faith in Him; and restoring the divinely inspired Word of God, the Bible, to the preeminent place it enjoyed in first centuries of the Church’s life.

“While, as you might expect, I would hold that the reform effort exceeded reform and actually established new institutions, I believe the fundamental intention was to effect a much-needed reform of the Church. The need for such a reform had become increasingly dire in the century preceding the Reformation, but the Church and its leaders had proved unable and unwilling to undertake the work necessary,” Abbot Placid said.

Boyce was moved after Abbot Placid’s remarks, noting, “There’s a generosity of spirit here.”

Both men also shared their concerns over how the Reformation has harmed the Church, particularly the toll it has taken on Christian unity.

“The legitimate desire for reform of the Western Church in the 16th century has lamentably resulted in even deeper divisions of faith and church life between the churches of the Reformation and both the Roman Catholic Church and the churches of the Orthodox Communion,” Abbot Placid said. “The movement of the Reformation itself has splintered into a variety of often mutually exclusive faith communities. This has created a scandal.”

Boyce agreed. “We divide, and we re-divide and we re-divide. I don’t think that’s a small scandal in the Church of Jesus Christ. It’s a fundamental obstacle to our witness to the Gospel and to the world.”

The friends also lamented the division that exists between churches regarding the Eucharist.

“We did not compare notes at all before this,” Boyce said. “I think you see why I value and trust Abbot Placid as a brother in Christ. He has inspired and challenged me in profound ways during our shared journey in Belmont. Our comments and our hearts seem to be at work in very similar ways on these topics.”

He admitted that during Mass, when he cannot receive Holy Communion, he feels the separation. “That is a painful wound to me personally… that I cannot share in the communion feast with a fellow disciple… But it’s a wound to the (whole) Church worldwide.”

Abbot Placid shared that the inability for Boyce to share in the Eucharist at Mass with the monks was also painful for them. “But since the Catholic tradition in the unity in the Eucharist in both form and ecclesia to the Church, to receive the Eucharist in the Catholic Church is saying, ‘I wish to be in full communionwith Francis our pope.’ Out of respect of conscience for those who do not, we are not able to share that communion.”

Where is further reform needed?

Abbot Placid had three suggestions: there needs to be a restoration to full unity in Christian faith and sacraments; the Church needs to avoid the temptation to judge the Gospel by the culture; and the most important, ongoing reformation is that which takes place in the lives of the baptized, as they seek to conform their lives more closely to God’s will.

Restoration of full unity to the one Church of Jesus Christ will be an act of God’s love and mercy, he added, not the result of programs or actions on anyone’s part.

“Nevertheless, the most important reformation and renewal is that which is continually needed in our lives. For the Church is ultimately the body of Christ, the union of the members with the head. It is a living organism, not an institutional structure. The more we are open to the grace of God, the more we will be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ,” he said.

For his part, Boyce said, “I’m just not convinced that the issues that once divided us are issues that still divide us. I think we need to keep reforming the Church, both Protestant and Catholic, in order to make our community more visible in the world.”

— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter