Evangelicals and Catholics, two of the largest religious communities in the United States, are important voices in the public square. While we acknowledge important differences between our two communions, there should be no doubt that shared familial and societal concerns, such as criminal justice reform, environmental issues, marriage, religious liberty, family and life issues, help bring us together on both the local and national levels.

Past examples of collaboration include the 1994 document “Evangelicals and Catholics Toward a Common Mission” that helped forge a new relationship and new opportunities for dialogue, and the 2013 statement “A Christian Call for Immigration Reform” signed by more than 100 leaders of both communities, as well as the gathering at the Poverty Summit at Georgetown University in 2015.

A dialogue between the USCCB and the Evangelical Community met from 2003-2008 which evolved into a yearly meeting of Catholic and Evangelical pastors and scholars. The group studies theological questions and considers how both faith communities can collaborate in ways that will enrich the world around us. In January of 2017 the dialogue published the text, Justified in Jesus Christ (University of Mary Press), which highlights convergences about theological issues related to justification. The current round is considering various topics regarding Ethics and anticipates it will conclude with the publication of a second text in the next few years. Bishop David D. Kagan of the Diocese of Bismarck, North Dakota, is the Catholic Co-Chair of this dialogue, and Fr. Walter Kedjierski staffs this dialogue on behalf of the SEIA. We are grateful for the support of the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Mn. which has agreed to underwrite the expenses for this dialogue.

Link to our collaborative partner: The National Association of Evangelicals