Hispanic Catholics and Protestants should engage in more ecumenical sharing, collaboration and witness, Jesuit Father Thomas P. Rausch told a national gathering of Catholic ecumenical leaders May 9.

Father Rausch, a theology professor at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, spoke at a luncheon of the National Association of Diocesan Ecumenical Directors, held in conjunction with the National Workshop on Christian Unity May 8-11 in San Jose.

Over the past 40 years "the ecumenical climate has changed forever" in the U.S. Catholic Church's relations with most Orthodox and Protestant churches, Father Rausch said.

But among Hispanic Catholics and Hispanic Protestants, he said, "in spite of some recent initiatives, the old hostilities are still strong.... This is particularly regrettable, given the rapid growth of the Hispanic community in the U.S. and the high level of Hispanics who continue to practice their Christian faith."

"The religious vitality of the Hispanic community in the United States, both Catholic and Protestant, holds considerable promise for the renewal of American Christianity," he said. "But without individuals on both sides taking steps towards bringing the two communities into conversation and ultimately communion, it will be difficult to overcome" the interfaith tensions, hostility and ecumenical inertia currently found there.

One of his key suggestions was that Hispanic Catholic and Protestant leaders get to know one another and find occasions to collaborate and appear together in public, setting an example for their people.

He said a recent three-year study of Hispanic churches in American life found that 93 percent of Latinos identify themselves as Christian and slightly more than 70 percent say they are Catholic. Of the other 23 percent that are Christian, 88 percent are evangelicals or born-again Pentecostals or charismatics.

He acknowledged that one of the obstacles to greater Catholic-Protestant ecumenism among Hispanics is that evangelical and Pentecostal churches tend to be not very ecumenically minded.

Another problem is that in the United States, as throughout Latin America, the growth of evangelical and Pentecostal churches "takes place largely at the expense of Catholic congregations; Catholics accuse them of proselytizing or 'sheep stealing,'" he said.

"Catholics who have become Pentecostals speak of the lively, affective Pentecostal worship services in contrast to the more formal rituals of Catholicism, of an emphasis on healing and lay ministry and the ability of Pentecostals to help them change the disordered aspect of their lives without being judgmental," he said.

Even if those individuals experience transformed lives, however, "these changes of ecclesial allegiance introduce painful divisions into Hispanic families," he said. He said those divisions can give rise to "tensions and bitterness" at key family events such as weddings and funerals.

While acknowledging the tensions, Father Rausch commented, "The simple truth is that ecumenism has not been a priority for Hispanics, either in the United States or in Latin America."

He said, however, that Hispanic Catholics and evangelicals/Pentecostals "share a number of values and concerns" that could give rise to ecumenical collaboration.

They "share a similar religious worldview" that is short on formal doctrine but strong on symbolism, personal experience of God, orientation toward the transcendent, "an implicit belief in miracles" and an emphasis on healing, he said.

He said they also "have much more in common politically than is generally recognized" and "share enough to work together on educational, social and political issues --- among them prayer in schools, school vouchers, charitable choice initiatives and teaching both creation and evolution."

Noting the growing number of unchurched Hispanics, he suggested developing Catholic evangelization programs geared to the strengths of Hispanic popular religiosity, such as inviting unchurched Hispanics to the Christmas "posada" or other celebrations or having house blessings to which non-practicing neighbors are invited.

The church should also provide the media resources needed by the Hispanic community, he said, noting that the Los Angeles archdiocesan Spanish-language newspaper, Vida Nueva, has an estimated readership of 240,000.

On bridging the Catholic-Protestant divide in the Hispanic community, he said religious leaders of the two groups are rarely seen praying, talking or working together, and the leaders must set an example for their people.

"Ecumenism begins with friendship," so leaders must meet and overcome the divisions and pain that separate them, he said. They should also take a lead in joint witness on issues of shared concern, he said.

He cited a number of examples of ecumenical bridge-building in the Hispanic academic community and urged efforts to build on those. "Formal theological education and training is one of the most pressing needs of the Hispanic community," he said.

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---CNS