CV NEWS FEED // Catholic and Protestant leaders recently gathered in New York City for the Napa Institute’s first Ecumenical Forum, an event focused on finding common ground amid growing cultural and religious challenges.
According to a March 18 Napa Institute press release, founder Tim Busch and his wife, Steph, welcomed 15 Catholic and Protestant leaders into their home March 12 for an evening of discussion, collaboration, and prayer.
Busch noted that both Catholic and Protestant leaders facilitated discussions throughout the event.
“No doubt, our religious traditions are divided on many key issues,” Busch said in the release. “But in our time together, we started from a place of common ground. We share a commitment to the Apostle’s Creed and the Nicene Creed, which celebrates its 1,700th anniversary this year.”
Barry and Linda Rowan, supporters of the Napa Institute, co-hosted the event. Attendees included representatives from Christianity Today, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, and other Protestant organizations, along with Catholic leaders such as Father Ambrose Criste, O.Praem. Bishop Steven Lopes of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter — who oversees the Anglicans in communion with the Catholic Church — was also present, helping bridge the two traditions.
Busch also emphasized the shared recognition of increasing “cultural hostility” toward core Christian values.
“We all believe in the sanctity and right understanding of marriage,” Busch said. “We are all committed to defending the unborn and vulnerable mothers. And we know that religious liberty is a fundamental right that must be protected in modern society.”
The group established a steering committee to plan future ecumenical forums and explore ways to take concrete action together. They also discussed the possibility of including a select number of Protestant leaders at the Napa Institute’s summer conference.
As the gathering concluded, attendees agreed on the need for ongoing collaboration.
“We agreed that spiritual warfare is real and worsening — and that the path forward depends on prayer and our shared faith in Jesus Christ,” Busch said. “As we fix our eyes on Jesus, he will show us our common ground for the benefit of the common good.”
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