Disciples of Christ Name Catholic Priest to Governing Board

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) made ecumenical history at its General Assembly this week by electing a Roman Catholic priest as a voting member of its governing board.

Elected was Msgr. Philip Morris of Our Lady of Sorrows Church in South Orange, N.J., a priest who had participated in theological dialogues between Disciples and Catholics for 15 years. The 1.1-million-member denomination is believed to be the first U.S. church body to take such a step.

The General Assembly, which ended deliberations Wednesday, passed a number of resolutions reflecting its liberal-to-moderate position in the Protestant spectrum.

After heated debate, delegates affirmed the church’s stance supporting abortion rights, which says the law should not “abridge a woman’s right and responsibility to make one of the most important decisions of her life--whether or not to have a child.”

Delegates turned down a resolution that called on all Disciples to work within national, state and local laws. Many delegates felt like Walter Colvin of Orange, Calif., who asked where civil rights activist Rosa Parks would have been if her church had told her, “We appreciate what you’re doing, but you’ll have to make your statement from the back of the bus because that’s the law in our area.” (Parks effectively began the Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott.)

Another resolution declared that AIDS is not a punishment from God, and Christians should extend love and compassion to its victims.

Delegates also called on the President and Congress to adopt laws requiring a two-week waiting period for the purchase of all pistols.