At a time of controversy concerning Pope Benedict XVI's lifting of the excommunication of the followers of schismatic Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, 70 seminarians of three major faiths (Catholic, Protestant and Jewish) met to engage in "active listening, constructive dialogue and religious understanding."

The annual InterSem Conference, sponsored by the American Jewish Committee and supported by five local theological schools including St. John's Seminary in Camarillo, took place over a 24-hour period, Feb. 22-23 at the Steve Breuer Conference Center in Malibu. Also participating were rabbinical students from Hebrew Union College and American Jewish University as well as Protestant seminarians from Claremont School of Theology and Fuller Theological Seminary.

The goal of the InterSem Conference is to foster interfaith understanding among future religious leaders. This year, participants addressed the conference theme, "Bible: Battle Ground or Common Ground."

The lifting of the excommunication of four bishops of the Society of St. Pius X --- including Bishop Richard Williamson, who has denied that the Holocaust took place --- "came up only briefly" during the InterSem session on "Difficult and Contentious Issues," according to Randy Brown, director of Interreligious and Israel Affairs for the American Jewish Committee (AJC).

Oblate of St. Joseph Brother Gustavo Lopez, a seminarian at St. John's, said that at dinner, the Jewish rabbinical student sitting next to him said she understood that Williamson's views do not reflect Pope Benedict's, and that the bishop is not yet in full communion with the Catholic Church.

"She was very informed," Brother Lopez said. "She mentioned that Williamson had made news at her rabbinical school but that they understood all the nuances."

Indeed, the students at InterSem understood better than many Catholics and the secular media, in general, that simply lifting the bishops' excommunications did not automatically entitle them to full communion with the Catholic Church. To be welcomed back into full communion, they must, like all Catholic bishops, accept all that the Church professes, including the teachings of Vatican II and its tenets relating to the Jews.

On the conference theme itself, attendees of all three faiths discussed, in small and large group sessions, different translations of the Bible and different interpretations of its texts. Participants also experienced prayer in all three faith traditions: a Catholic Mass Sunday afternoon, a Protestant Service Sunday evening, and a Jewish service Monday morning.

Afterward, participants had the opportunity to question one another about their specific beliefs and practices.

"I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about the liturgies and traditions of my Jewish and Protestant brothers and sisters, but I also became more aware of the things that still separate us," noted Brother Lopez, recently ordained a transitional deacon preliminary to ordination to the priesthood. "It was a wonderful opportunity to build friendships with future priests, pastors and rabbis. InterSem has been a very valuable part of my formation as a priest."

Because not all the Protestants at the conference were of the same denomination, the Protestant service combined several traditions. Like the Catholic Mass, the Protestant service included a profession of faith, reciting the Apostles' Creed and a sign of peace.

But what struck Brother Lopez most about the Protestant service and Catholic Mass was that Christians could not share each others' communion. He wondered how that came across to the rabbinical students.

"Attending the two services convinced me of the reality of the division in Christianity," he said. "We cannot participate in common because of our different theological ideas about the Eucharist. We [Catholics] believe it is the true presence of Christ; they believe it is a symbol. This impacted me in such a significant way that I will now pray for Christian unity."

Brother Lopez was also struck by how much Catholics have in common with those of the Jewish faith. Their chanting in Hebrew reminded him of Gregorian Chant. "It was a joyous experience to hear their praise toward God," he said.

During the Jewish service, the rabbi processed with the sacred scrolls, not unlike that which takes place at Mass when the Scriptures are raised just before the Gospel. And the psalm the Jewish worshippers recited was the same one Catholics pray in the Liturgy of the Hours: "Open my lips, and my mouth shall proclaim your praise."

At the Mass, the Jewish rabbinical students felt comfortable praying, "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Power and Light," for they use the same prayer in their service. But, when Jesus' name was mentioned, they refrained from praying.

As the conference ended, participants had found common ground in the Bible: Catholics, Protestants and Jews realized that they all share the Old Testament (which Jews refer to as the Hebrew Bible), and all three groups use the Bible in their liturgies and prayers. But differences exist and were acknowledged: Catholics and Protestants differ in their interpretation of many Scriptures, and since the Jews do not accept the divinity of Christ, they do not agree with all Christians that the Old Testament foreshadows the New Testament.

"I think the conference was a tremendous success," Brown of AJC said. "It was the first opportunity for many of those who attended to interact with members of other faiths. Usually, this has been a one-day conference. This year we hope to start a service project so that participants can continue to communicate with each other throughout the year. Before it was only focused on dialogue; now we also hope to focus on action."