Editor's note: As the Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order, themed "Where now for visible unity?", convenes in Egypt, China Christian Daily spoke with Rev. Prof. Dr. Stephanie Dietrich from Norway, on October 25, one day after the event began. With years of experience in ecumenical theology and dialogue, Dietrich serves as Moderator of the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches (WCC), a role she has held since her election two years ago. She is also a theologian teaching in Oslo and an ordained pastor in the Church of Norway. In this interview, she reflects on the preparation and key themes of the conference, the significance of holding it in the Global South, and her personal journey in pursuing Christian unity through ecumenical theology.
China Christian Daily: Could you tell us about the Faith and Order Commission?
Stephanie Dietrich: The Faith and Order Commission is a broadly composed theological commission. We have about 60 members from different Christian traditions worldwide, including Evangelical churches, Protestant churches, the Roman Catholic Church—this is the first Commission where the Roman Catholic Church has been a full member, and different Orthodox traditions. Recently, we have included Pentecostal churches because a large part of the global Christianity in the global South is Pentecostal churches.
The Faith and Order Commission started in 1927, meeting in Lusanna, so it started even before the WCC was founded. Because after the First World War, the churches saw the need to seek unity in a world which was divided, all the war had been going on. We can't stay divided the same way we have been divided before; we have to work together on life and work in the world and our faith.
In the beginning, there might even have been an idea that the goal could be to unite the churches to be one church, somewhat like the China Christian Council you have in China. That relates to the fact that the churches have developed throughout the 2000 years of history. They are in different countries and in different contexts. The idea of creating one church is maybe not at the forefront anymore. But what we are still searching for is unity in faith and order, in witness and in service, standing together in the world as Christians and encountering all the challenges that we now see in the world.
China Christian Daily: Can you share something about your efforts or preparations for this conference behind the scenes?
Stephanie Dietrich: One of the very special aspects of preparing a World Council of Churches conference is to make sure there are different traditions, different ages, both men and women, both ordained and lay people from all regions of the world. It's important to have so many different voices when we are seeking unity. I think maybe sometimes in the past, one of the problems was that it was mainly people from the Global North speaking. But at this conference, you will see a huge broadening of the table, many more people are speaking, and many more are present.
In our preparation, we need to make sure that we can listen to the voices from the margins and have those voices present here. It has certainly been important to cooperate well with the Coptic Orthodox Church, our host. We need to be aware of all the cultural sensitivities connected to different contexts, because we are in a monastic environment. It's important that everyone here shows respect for this monastic environment.
We have certainly worked a lot on the theme and what it means, and how we can unfold it, so we can finally have a good outcome of this conference, inspiring us for the work that would come after the conference.
China Christian Daily: This is the first time the World Conference on Faith and Order is held in Egypt, in the Global South. Can you share more about that?
Stephanie Dietrich: This is the first time we are gathering in Egypt. It's also the first time the Faith and Order World Conference has taken place on the African continent. We are also marking the 1700th anniversary of the Nicaea Council.
In the beginning, when we didn't know where to hold the conference, we wondered if we could have it in Nicaea. But the Nicaea from 1700 years ago no longer exists; it's in today's Turkey, and there's just a lake there. There's no way to hold a conference in the historic Nicaea. Then the Coptic Orthodox Church said that we would like to invite you, and you can come to Egypt.
Certainly, the Desert Fathers' legacy and early Christianity were very alive here in Egypt. There are monasteries around the place where we gather, which are from the third and fourth centuries. So if we couldn't go to Nicaea, this is a very good option also to mark the historic framework for our Christian faith and to mark the 1700-year anniversary of the Nicaea Council.
In many ways, the Nicaea Council was the first faith and order world conference. The reason the Church Fathers gathered in Nicaea in 325 was to search for unity after many years of persecution and martyrdom. The Church had to find its shape and define its doctrine. Constantine, the emperor, called the church all over the world, which was then perceived as the global church, to come to Nicaea to convene and to decide on core aspects of their faith.
So somehow we are standing in the tradition of the Nicaea 325, 1700 years later. But this conference here doesn't only reflect on the historical background of Nicaea, but we try to see what it means for us today to stand in this tradition and to confess the Nicene Creed.
China Christian Daily: As the conference unfolds, what key themes or discussions do you find most significant this year?
Stephanie Dietrich: It is significant that we are having a world conference—for the first time since 1993—where the Faith and Order Commission and delegates from all over the world are working together on the question "Where now or visible unity?"
We need unity, and we need visible unity, which encompasses a more holistic understanding of what it means to stand together as Christians in the world and for the world. That also means seeking together where we may still disagree on different aspects of our faith.
Throughout the years, we have done a lot of work on issues of faith. What does it mean to believe in the Triune God and confess one faith? What is the Christian Church? How do we understand baptism, Eucharist, and ministry within our traditions, so that we can seek together and find a joint understanding?
China Christian Daily: What are your hopes for the outcomes of this conference?
Stephanie Dietrich: My primary hope now, while the conference is going on, is that people really engage with each other, listen to each other, and learn from each other. Only when we listen to each other can we understand the different aspects of our Christian faith. We need this encounter with one another.
I hope this conference will help us on the way forward towards visible unity, how visible unity envisions both aspects of faith, what we believe, and aspects of common witness and common service in our societies and in the world.
This conference is a milestone, but we also hope that it is a motivation for global Christianity to pursue the path towards visible unity.
China Christian Daily: How can younger theologians and church leaders engage more deeply with the ecumenical movement today?
Stephanie Dietrich: In this world conference, there is a huge engagement of young people. We had this global ecumenical theological institute before the conference, and there have never been so many young people applying; they really wanted to come and be a part of this teaching and conference.
We see that young people are longing for an encounter with Christians from other traditions and countries, especially young people, even though in many of our contexts, young people may not be so concerned about whether they are Roman Catholic, Lutheran, or Reformed; they just want to be Christian. It's good to have young people in the ecumenical movement. They often ask for a more holistic approach to faith and ecumenism, bringing together witness, service in the world, climate challenges, and issues of peace and justice, and showing that their faith is also relevant for addressing questions of life that affect all of us.
China Christian Daily: Could you share a personal moment or encounter in your Faith and Order journey that has deeply shaped your understanding of Christian unity?
Stephanie Dietrich: My first Faith and Order meeting was in Romania. It was 10 years ago when I became a member of the Faith and Order Commission.
We gathered at a monastery of the Romanian Orthodox Church, somewhere up in the Transylvania Mountains. It was a very different environment, with monasticism and Romanian Orthodox spirituality. On Sunday morning, we joined a worship service that lasted three or four hours. It was a small church, packed with many believers from the local community.
I was deeply touched by the spirituality of the people who were so present and engaged in the faith and in the spirituality of this church, which was very different from what I do in my Protestant tradition. But I could really sense the deep faith that was present in this environment.
What was an ecumenical surprise for me was when they started confessing the Nicene Creed. In my church, we don't use the Nicene Creed very often, usually only at Christmas and Easter. But in the Orthodox tradition, it's used every Sunday.
In the Orthodox tradition, the believers in the Romanian Orthodox Church didn't participate very actively in this service in terms of singing and reading. But when it came to the Nicene Creed, they spoke it very loudly, like it was something they needed to survive, something to really express their faith.
I will never forget this very strong confession of the Nicene faith by this congregation. It showed me how much I can learn from other traditions for my own faith and spirituality.
China Christian Daily: Do you have any words or blessings for Christians in China?
Stephanie Dietrich: I think it is wonderful to stand together with Christians in China. We know there is a huge church in China. We would love to learn more from you, especially about your ecumenical experience and your experience of being Christians in a country that has not always been very friendly towards Christians.
We are sure that Christians are a blessing for China and the Chinese people, and that the Christian churches in China can make a difference, both in the proclamation of the gospel and in living the gospel as living witnesses of Jesus Christ in your context and your societies.
