The Methodist - Catholic Dialogue team met 13-14 March 2023 at St Paul's Methodist Church, Orakei parish for the first time since the Covid lockdown.

We spent time relating how our churches had coped with the lockdown experience. One discussion centred on the push for synodality within the Catholic Church, an initiative promoted by Pope Francis to set up processes for consulting the church, lay and ordained, across the Catholic world.

We also shared our memories and impressions of the Bicentennial Methodist Conference held in Kerikeri attended by all but one of the Methodists and Catholics gathered.

After a discussion about the general situation for ecumenism at present, we considered the recently published report from the Methodist - Catholic International Commission: God in Christ Reconciling. More study will be undertaken in future meetings; however, we did note that the report ends with a suggested liturgy for use at a joint Methodist/Catholic service. We agreed to seek to arrange such a service in Auckland at a date adjacent to All Saints Day in November this year. Details will be circulated when the time and location have been confirmed.

We agreed that ecumenism has slipped down the agenda of most churches, but we wish to state clearly that the blessings of ecumenism are only really experienced by those who are willing to engage in it and we encourage all Methodists and Catholics to "come on in - the water's fine".