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The first divisions occurred in the East, when the dogmatic formulae of the Councils of Ephesus and Chalcedon were challenged, and later when ecclesiastical communion between the Eastern Patriarchates and the Roman See was dissolved. This close identification of the Church of Jesus Christ with the Catholic Church is present, for example, in the Encyclicals Mystici Corporis (1943) and Humani Generis (1950).8, However, Mystici Corporis also recognizes that there are persons who, while they may not be baptized, belong to the Catholic Church because they so desire (cf. Thus they promote the right ordering of Christian life and, indeed, pave the way to a full vision of Christian truth. Unitatis Redintegratio is Vatican II's Decree on Ecumenism. It is in the particular Churches and formed out of them that the one and unique Catholic Church exists, and conversely, it is in the one Church and formed out of her that the particular Churches exist (cf. On 21 November 1964, the Second Vatican Council solemnly promulgated the Decree on Ecumenism, Unitatis Redintegratio. It is significant that the term "dialogue" is repeated like a refrain at the end of the various parts of this section of the Decree (cf. 13. D.H. Lawrence, Every moment is precious, even the ones behind me that I often reflect upon with a reserved smile. And We, by the apostolic authority given Us by Christ and in union with the Fathers, approve, decree and establish them in the Holy Spirit and command that they be promulgated for the glory of God. The Council moreover professes its awareness that human powers and capacities cannot achieve this holy objective - the reconciling of all Christians in the unity of the one and only Church of Christ. LUGDUNENSE II (1274), Professio fidei Michaelis Palaeologi: Mansi 24, 71 E; CONC. The Church is always in need of this, in so far as she is an institution of men here on earth. FLORENTINUM, Sess. FLORENTINUM, Sess. The above words of Pope John Paul II, together with the opening words of the Vatican II Decree on Ecumenism, Unitatis Redintegratio - "The restoration of unity among all Christians is one of the principal concerns of the Second Vatican Council" - make clear beyond all doubt the Catholic Church's commitment to ecumenism, to the quest for . For it is from renewal of the inner life of our minds,[28] from self-denial and an unstinted love that desires of unity take their rise and develop in a mature way. It is neither an addition nor some sort of appendix, but an integral, organic part of the life and pastoral activity of the Church (cf. The Council did not, of course, reduce the differences to mere political and cultural factors. What has just been said means that every particular Church which celebrates the Eucharist is a Church in the full sense of the word, but not the whole of the Church (cf. In formulating her identity, the Catholic Church establishes a dialogical relationship with these Churches and Ecclesial Communities. [20] But in subsequent centuries much more serious dissensions made their appearance and quite large communities came to be separated from full communion with the Catholic Church - for which, often enough, men of both sides were to blame. The eschaton does not in fact refer to a future reality that is located outside history. In this way too the outlook of our separated brethren will be better understood, and our own belief more aptly explained. 20. This change of heart and holiness of life, along with public and private prayer for the unity of Christians, should be regarded as the soul of the whole ecumenical movement, and merits the name, spiritual ecumenism., It is a recognized custom for Catholics to have frequent recourse to that prayer for the unity of the Church which the Saviour Himself on the eve of His death so fervently appealed to His Father: That they may all be one. Lumen Gentium, n. 14; Unitatis Redintegratio, nn. For the Church must bear in her own body the humility and dying of Jesus,[25] against the day when Christ will present her to Himself in all her glory without spot or wrinkle.[26]. The Weekly Edition in English is published for the US by: The Cathedral Foundation L'Osservatore Romano English Edition 320 Cathedral St. Baltimore, MD 21201 Subscriptions: (410) 547-5315 Fax: (410) 332-1069 lormail@catholicreview.org, EWTN | 5817 Old Leeds Rd. Pius XII went a step further. 3, 27-28 gr.). 22 Cf. It is the urgent wish of this Holy Council that the measures undertaken by the sons of the Catholic Church should develop in conjunction with those of our separated brethren so that no obstacle be put in the ways of divine Providence and no preconceived judgments impair the future inspirations of the Holy Spirit. Nothing is so foreign to the spirit of ecumenism as a false irenicism, in which the purity of Catholic doctrine suffers loss and its genuine and certain meaning is clouded. We are also linked to the Communities born of the Reformation by many important elements of the true Church, including above all the proclamation of the Word of God and Baptism. After being lifted up on the cross and glorified, the Lord Jesus poured forth His Spirit as He had promised, and through the Spirit He has called and gathered together the people of the New Covenant, who are the Church, into a unity of faith, hope and charity, as the Apostle teaches us: There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one Baptism. "Where'd you go on us? VI (1439), Definitio Laetentur caeli: Mansi 31 1026 E. Copyright 2018-2022, Vatican City State, Catholic Committee for Cultural Collaboration, Collaboration for the diffusion of the Bible, Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms on Ecumenism, The Ecumenical Dimension in the Formation of those Engaged in Pastoral Work, The Bishop and Christian Unity: An Ecumenical Vademecum, Suggestions for the organization of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews (CRRJ), ILC (International Catholic-Jewish Liaison Committee), Dialogue between Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews and the Great Rabbinate of Israel. The restoration of unity among all Christians is one of the principal concerns of the Second Vatican Council" (n. 1). The Church herself is an eschatological phenomenon; unity, her essential feature, is therefore not a distant, future goal but is precisely an eschatological goal; the Church is already "Una Sancta Ecclesia" (Unitatis Redintegratio, n. 4; Ut Unum Sint, nn. FLORENTINUM, Sess. [35] Hence, through the celebration of the Holy Eucharist in each of these churches, the Church of God is built up and grows in stature[36] and through concelebration, their communion with one another is made manifest. Lumen Gentium, n. 4; Unitatis Redintegratio, n. 2). UNITATIS REDINTEGRATIO INTRODUCTION. Whenever the Sacrament of Baptism is duly administered as Our Lord instituted it, and is received with the right dispositions, a person is truly incorporated into the crucified and glorified Christ, and reborn to a sharing of the divine life, as the Apostle says: You were buried together with Him in Baptism, and in Him also rose again - through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.[40]. Ut Unum Sint, n. 95). CONC. 7. Christ the Lord founded one Church and one Church only. [3] In His Church He instituted the wonderful sacrament of the Eucharist by which the unity of His Church is both signified and made a reality. Witness to the unity of the Church very generally forbids common worship to Christians, but the grace to be had from it sometimes commends this practice. It has already declared its teaching on the Church, and now, moved by a desire for the restoration of unity among all the followers of Christ, it wishes to set before all Catholics the ways and means by which they too can respond to this grace and to this divine call. Because of the existing differences, the Council urged the faithful to abstain from any frivolous or rash zeal. Unitatis Redintegratio, nn. All the faithful should remember that the more effort they make to live holier lives according to the Gospel, the better will they further Christian unity and put it into practice. The very rich liturgical and spiritual heritage of the Eastern Churches should be known, venerated, preserved and cherished by all. The true Church cannot defect The "Fundamental Truths" myth Church in the Modern World: Gaudium et Spes Ratzinger: A "revision of Pius IX's Syllabus" The point: man has changed But let all, according to the gifts they have received enjoy a proper freedom, in their various forms of spiritual life and discipline, in their different liturgical rites, and even in their theological elaborations of revealed truth. We must consequently ask ourselves: what are the Catholic principles of ecumenism as they have been formulated in the Decree Unitatis Redintegratio? The Council was able to adopt the ecumenical movement because it saw the Church in movement, that is, as the People of God pressing forward (cf. All Catholics must therefore aim at Christian perfection[24] and, each according to his station, play his part that the Church may daily be more purified and renewed. 12, 83). We now turn our attention to the two chief types of division as they affect the seamless robe of Christ. [2] Cf. Therefore some worship in common (communicatio in sacris), given suitable circumstances and the approval of Church authority, is not only possible but to be encouraged. 22. But we rejoice to see that our separated brethren look to Christ as the source and center of Church unity. Similarly, the Council commends to the shepherds and faithful of the Catholic Church to develop closer relations with those who are no longer living in the East but are far from home, so that friendly collaboration with them may increase, in the spirit of love, to the exclusion of all feeling of rivalry or strife. 2, 2S; CONC. 2, Paderborn, 1986, 95-135. It was desired to give its proper due to the fact that outside the Catholic Church there are not only individual Christians but also "elements of Church",10 and even Churches and Ecclesial Communities which, while not in full communion, belong rightfully to the one Church and are a means of salvation for their members (cf. Lumen Gentium, n. 8). Where the authentic theological traditions of the Eastern Church are concerned, we must recognize the admirable way in which they have their roots in Holy Scripture, and how they are nurtured and given expression in the life of the liturgy. [10] Among their number He selected Peter, and after his confession of faith determined that on him He would build His Church. In the ultimate analysis, ecumenism is an adventure of the Spirit. Originally, communio and communio sanctorum did not designate the communities of Christians, but their participation (participatio) in the goods of salvation, in the sancta, that is, in the sacramenta. [38] Cf. The daily Christian life of these brethren is nourished by their faith in Christ and strengthened by the grace of Baptism and by hearing the word of God. The perfect observance of this traditional principle not always indeed carried out in practice, is one of the essential prerequisites for any restoration of unity. Already in various spheres of the Church's life, this renewal is taking place. Every renewal of the Church[27] is essentially grounded in an increase of fidelity to her own calling. With Jesus Christ and with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, it has definitively entered history and is present in the Church. 24. Today, what point have we reached regarding ecumenism? [23] Cf. The ecumenical movement and the goal it has set, the full unity of disciples of Christ, remains within the furrows marked by Tradition. The goal of full unity [can] be reached only through the action of the Spirit of God and the conversion of all to the one Head of the Church, Jesus Christ. In this eschatological and spiritual perspective, the goal of ecumenism cannot be conceived of as a mere return of the others to the heart of the Catholic Church. 17 John Paul II, Encyclical Slavorum Apostoli (1985), n. 27. And hope does not disappoint, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.[42]. 24 M. Luther, De captivitate Babylonica ecclesiae praeludium (1520): WA 560 ff. The Council candidly acknowledges that there are obstacles to full communion with the Catholic Church, caused by differences in doctrine, discipline, and ecclesiology. Mhler and J.H. It's a model prison. n. 16) further underlined this distinction at the level of concepts, provoking harsh criticism on the part of Protestant Christians. The Present and Future Situation of the Ecumenical Movement, in: Information Service n. 109, 2002/I-II, 11-20. I seldom look back, only forward in anticipation of the next greater now. The goal of this chapter is to capture some of these highlights and trace the post-conciliar legacy of Unitatis Redintegratio ( UR ), pointing to areas in which its teaching has been fruitfully received as well as calling attention to aspects of the document that still await full reception as we approach the five-hundredth anniversary of the Even in the beginnings of this one and only Church of God there arose certain rifts,[19] which the Apostle strongly condemned. ), and in particular the "Common Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification" (1999). This happens thanks to the concept of "communio". It's necessary. The eschatological and pneumatological dynamic needed conceptual elucidation. Unitatis Redintegratio, nn. Unitatis Redintegratio, nn. 23. Lumen Gentium, n. 13; Unitatis Redintegratio, nn. All of these, which come from Christ and lead back to Christ, belong by right to the one Church of Christ. . Above all, prayer is the heart of the ecumenical movement (cf. Paus Gregorius XVI, Summo Iugiter Studio (#5), 27 Mei 1832: "Di samping itu terdapat akta-akta yang khidmat [solemnes actus] milik Gereja di mana dogma yang sama telah diserukan.Maka di dalam dekret tentang iman yang diterbitkan oleh Inosensius III dengan sinode Lateran IV, hal-hal berikut tertulis: 'Sesungguhnya, hanya terdapat satu Gereja universal dari para umat beriman, di luar mana . Yet worship in common (communicatio in sacris) is not to be considered as a means to be used indiscriminately for the restoration of Christian unity. VATICANUM 1, Sess. Our thoughts turn first to those Christians who make open confession of Jesus Christ as God and Lord and as the sole Mediator between God and men, to the glory of the one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 11, 26; Presbyterorum Ordinis, n. 5; Ad Gentes, n. 39). The term ecumenical movement indicates the initiatives and activities planned and undertaken, according to the various needs of the Church and as opportunities offer, to promote Christian unity. Unitatis Redintegratio, n. 4), and marked a decisive turning point with the creation of the "World Council of Churches" in 1948. The Decree on Ecumenism shows us the way in the 21st century. As the Decree on Ecumenism clearly recognizes, it is a matter of a complex and differentiated phenomenon, as much historical as it is doctrinal. The Guiding Concept of Catholic Ecumenical Theology. Hence a matter of primary concern and care among the Easterns, in their local churches, has been, and still is, to preserve the family ties of common faith and charity which ought to exist between sister Churches. Baptism therefore establishes a sacramental bond of unity which links all who have been reborn by it. 4, 16 ff.). orientalium ecclesiarum unitatis redintegratio christus May 12th, 2020 - orientalium ecclesiarum unitatis redintegratio christus dominus optatam totius perfectae caritatis gravissimum educationis nostra aetate dei verbum herders theologischer kommentar zum zweiten vatikanischen konzil by peter hnermann editor bernd jochen hilberath editor Thus if, in various times and circumstances, there have been deficiencies in moral conduct or in church discipline, or even in the way that church teaching has been formulated - to be carefully distinguished from the deposit of faith itself - these can and should be set right at the opportune moment. 11-14). 20 ff. 8. Yet they have retained a particularly close affinity with the Catholic Church as a result of the long centuries in which all Christendom lived together in ecclesiastical communion. Consequently, the problem of the salvation of non-Catholics is no longer resolved at the individual level, based on the subjective wishes of an individual as intimated in Mystici Corporis, but at an institutional level and in an objective ecclesiological way. Commitment to ecumenism responds to the prayer of the Lord Jesus that "they may all be one" (Jn 17:21). Moreover, in ecumenical dialogue, Catholic theologians standing fast by the teaching of the Church and investigating the divine mysteries with the separated brethren must proceed with love for the truth, with charity, and with humility. [15] Cf. The Church is wherever the Eucharist is celebrated. At these meetings, which are organized in a religious spirit, each explains the teaching of his Communion in greater depth and brings out clearly its distinctive features. What was its effect? The attainment of union is the concern of the whole Church, faithful and shepherds alike. [31] So we humbly beg pardon of God and of our separated brethren, just as we forgive them that trespass against us. But their primary duty is to make a careful and honest appraisal of whatever needs to be done or renewed in the Catholic household itself, in order that its life may bear witness more clearly and faithfully to the teachings and institutions which have come to it from Christ through the Apostles. 6 Overview in Synopsis historica, edited by G. Alberigo-F. Magistretti, Bologna, 1975, 38; 439 ff. 15. However, since these Churches and ecclesial Communities, on account of their different origins, and different teachings in matters of doctrine on the spiritual life, vary considerably not only with us, but also among themselves, the task of describing them at all adequately is extremely difficult; and we have no intention of making such an attempt here. It serves to prepare the new historical features of the Church, not a new Church but a Church that is spiritually renewed and enriched. Consequently, "subsistit in" is erroneously interpreted when it is made the basis of pluralism or ecclesiological relativism, asserting that the one and only Church of Christ subsists in numerous Churches and that the Catholic Church is merely one Church alongside others. 1 ff., 9, et al.). Ecumenism, quo vadis? 20 21-23. This cooperation, which has already begun in many countries, should be developed more and more, particularly in regions where a social and technical evolution is taking place be it in a just evaluation of the dignity of the human person, the establishment of the blessings of peace, the application of Gospel principles to social life, the advancement of the arts and sciences in a truly Christian spirit, or also in the use of various remedies to relieve the afflictions of our times such as famine and natural disasters, illiteracy and poverty, housing shortage and the unequal distribution of wealth. Spiritual ecumenism means interior conversion, spiritual renewal, the personal sanctification of life, charity, self-denial, humility, patience, but also renewal and reform of the Church. The national and international dialogues that have been initiated since the Council have confirmed this profound communion of faith in the sacraments and in episcopal structure. For this reason the Holy Council urges all, but especially those who intend to devote themselves to the restoration of full communion hoped for between the Churches of the East and the Catholic Church, to give due consideration to this special feature of the origin and growth of the Eastern Churches, and to the character of the relations which obtained between them and the Roman See before separation. It is thus, under the action of the Holy Spirit, that Christ wills His people to increase, and He perfects His people's fellowship in unity: in their confessing the one faith, celebrating divine worship in common, and keeping the fraternal harmony of the family of God.
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