Bogota, Colombia – After the March 13 election of Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio as Pope Francis, Mennonite World Conference issued a letter of congratulations and also sent two of its leaders to March 19 and 20 inaugural services in Rome.

In a March 14 letter to the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity (PCPCU), César García, MWC General Secretary, wrote: “Without a doubt the ministry of Francis as the first Latin American – and the first Jesuit – Pope will bring new impetus to our relationships.”

García expressed his belief that the history of MWC dialogues with the Catholic Church “will create important spaces for our churches under the pontificate of Pope Francis.” García referred to the 1998-2003 Mennonite-Catholic dialogue that led to the joint report “Called to Be Peacemakers.” He also referred to the more recent trilateral dialogue on baptism – involving Catholics, Mennonites and Lutherans – begun in December 2012.

“Please be assured of our love and prayers for your church in these days of momentous transition,” wrote García. He added, “Sharing in the same Latin American background, I was especially touched by Francis’ attitude when he bowed to the crowd after asking prayer from the many people that had come to receive him….his attitude of humility has been a special blessing for me as a Latin American.”

Attending the inaugural services in Rome, at the invitation of the PCPCU, were Rainer Burkart of Germany and Henk Stenvers of the Netherlands. Burkhart is a member of the MWC Faith and Life Commission and Stenvers of the Deacons Commission. They had an opportunity to meet representatives of other Christian World Communions and also greet the Pope personally.

“Pope Francis seems to be a very friendly and humble person,” they wrote. “It was our impression that he will take steps to let the papal office appear in a different way.” They noted several important “small signs.” For example, “the chair of the Pope during the audience [with ecumenical guests] was not standing on a podium but at the same level with everybody else. The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, representing the Eastern Orthodox world was given the exact same kind of chair as that of the Pope.”

In an interview in a Dutch newspaper on March 20, Stenvers stressed the importance of the inauguration for the ecumenical movement. At the same time, he noted that many world political leaders and royalty also attended and he stressed the importance of the separation of church and state in the Anabaptist tradition.

MWC release