The Spanish Evangelical Alliance has issued a statement on the participation of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) Secretary General, Thomas Schirrmacher, in an ecumenical prayer vigil convened by the Vatican on 30 September.

The prayers of the leaders of 20 Christian confessions in a nearly three-hour-long public ecumenical gathering in St Peter’s Square included participations of the Anglican Communion, the Lutheran World Federation, the Orthodox Churches, the World Methodist Council, and the World Evangelical Alliance.

In response to the event, the Spanish Evangelical Alliance (AEE) published on Monday 9 October a statement (read in English). “In the membership of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) there is unanimity about the opportunity to seek ways of practical collaboration and co-belligerence with the Catholic Church on issues such as the defence of freedom of conscience or persecuted believers, but there is no unanimity regarding participation in events such as this”, the body of evangelicals in the South European country says.

In the past, “Mr. Schirrmacher, Secretary General of the WEA, has been repeatedly informed that his participation in this type of act violates the position and sensitivity of many evangelicals who are part of the WEA”, says the AEE, adding that “the International Council, the governing body of our organization, is equally aware of the tensions that this participation generates”.

A controversy that started in Italy

The reaction of the AEE comes days after the sharp criticism expressed by the Italian Evangelical Alliance (AEI), which last week lamented that the WEA leadership had “crossed a line” in attending an event clearly focused on “unity” and ecumenism, focused as well on praying for the Roman Catholic bishops synod beginning on 4 October.

So far, the WEA’s leadership has not directly responded to the questions raised by the Evangelical Alliances in Italy and Spain, but an editorial on 9 October signed by Thomas Schirrmacher stated that his participation in the Vatican event was justified, adding that WEA should not “give the impression that we are not part of world Christianity by distancing ourselves from other churches”. See more below.

Spanish Alliance: “Evangelicals do not bow our heads before the pope”

For the Spanish Evangelical Alliance, the ecumenical prayer gathering in Rome was “deliberately capitalized in its content and image by the Catholic Church”, since “representatives of different confessions systematically appeared behind or around the pope, who ostensibly presided over the entire event”.

The gathering was called “Together” and had been planned over 6 months in advance by the movement Taizé and the Roman Catholic Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, among others.

The Spanish Evangelical Alliance says that the image of being united around Pope Francis was most visible at the end of event, when “all the representatives paraded in procession before the Pope (…) Most of them showed a clear attitude of recognition of [the pope’s] authority; thus some kissed his hand and others, like our secretary general, ostensibly bowed their heads in a profound genuflection that never occurs between equals”, the AEE writes.

This is why the Spanish Evangelical Alliance considers it “necessary that we publicly express our resounding rejection” of the WEA Secretary General’s participation in the Together 2023 event. “In this case, he definitely does not represent us”.

A protocol for ecumenism

The AEE concludes by saying that the WEA leader’s decision to join the event in the Vatican represents “an unnecessary weakening of the WEA as seen from inside and from outside”.

The Spanish national member organisation of the WEA asks the global evangelical body to “responsibly evaluate the consequences of these decisions and sit down again to dialogue with the national and regional Evangelical Alliances”.

The aim, they add, should be to establish “a balanced and stable protocol that ensures that the position and sensitivity of WEA’s members is not violated with public demonstrations or presence at events such as the one indicated”. “For this, we offer our best disposition”, they say.

Schirrmacher: “Unity does not shy away from controversy”

Thomas Schirrmacher addressed his participation in the ecumenical prayer vigil in an editorial article published by the World Evangelical Alliance on its website on 9 October with the title: “Unity does not shy away from controversy”. In it, he does not mention the statement of the Italian Evangelical Alliance or other critical voices.

“Often, when I attend events like these, controversy arises”, writes the WEA’s Secretary General and CEO. “As a worldwide network of Evangelicals, our purpose is to represent our global community, to give voice to the Evangelicals we represent. This is true regardless of who offers the invitation”.

“Evangelicals are seen as part of the global Christian community in the eyes of the wider world. This includes Muslim or secular states and organizations, which know all of us simply as ‘Christians’. To give any of them the impression that we are not part of world Christianity by distancing ourselves from other churches, and by refusing even personal friendship with their leaders, as some sects and cults do, might have devastating effects on our work for Christians suffering discrimination and persecution”, Schirrmacher writes.

For the CEO of the WEA, participation in such ecumenical meetings does not leave out the reality that there might be “theological divergences between those attending”, since “we don’t treat this grouping of Christian communities as synonymous with what we understand as the true body of believers. We continue to have a distinct understanding of the gospel”.

Schirrmacher says he is in line with the path being explored by some charismatic unity-seeking movements, which “transcend all denominational and confessional borders” and “engage with non-Protestant churches”.

“As we try to understand the ways of God and the movements of the Spirit, we would be wise to avoid trying to decide who is “us” and who is “them’”, he adds.

Referring to the Together 2023 event in Rome, Schirrmacher notes that praying “does not mean that I necessarily agree on any of their particular views or positions”. But he also underlines that, from his perspective, “the results of these two [Roman Catholic] synods (2023 and 2024) could have a great influence on Christians all over the world. That in itself is a good reason to pray”. The WEA has “a vital interest in changes the bishops will discuss, and we should pray that the deliberations will help to bring the Catholic Church more in line with the Scriptures”.

“Before participating in the September 30 ecumenical prayer vigil, as we always do on such occasions, we checked the liturgy for joint public prayer to ensure that it was in line with our core beliefs and did not contain any specific confessional elements that we would find objectionable. We have not papered over our differences with the Catholic Church. On the contrary, we have described them openly and in great detail”, Schirrmacher says.