Associate Professor Glen O’Brien appointed to the Methodist-Roman Catholic International Commission

Associate Professor Glen O’Brien, Research Coordinator at Eva Burrows College, has been appointed to the Methodist-Roman Catholic International Commission (MERCIC). The Commission commences its five-year round of dialogue in Rome from 2-8 Oct around the provisional theme, ‘That the World May Believe: Models of Unity in Belief and Mission.’

Associate Professor O’Brien is is one of only eight people drawn from World Methodist Council member churches to serve on the Commission alongside eight Catholic members.

The commission hopes to examine the inter-related themes of mission and unity in faith. As Church fulfils the Lord’s commission to take the good news of the Gospel “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1: 8) it moves into new contexts and cultures and encounters new questions. As demonstrated by the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) and the Council of Nicea, whose 1700th anniversary will be marked in 2025, synodal processes are therefore necessary in order for the church to come to a common mind in responding to these questions.

Official communiques can be found below:

Statement from the Methodist Ecumenical Office, Rome

Statement from the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, Vatican City State

The University congratulates Associate Professor O’Brien on his appointment.