3) "For it is only through Christ's Catholic Church, which is "the all-embracing means of salvation," that they can benefit fully from the means of salvation. Pope John Paul II also emphasized this connection in his Encyclical on missions, Redemptoris Missio (1990, nn. Extraordinary Synod of Bishops of 1985 (II C 1). However, many Christian communions present themselves to men as the true inheritors of Jesus Christ; all indeed profess to be followers of the Lord but differ in mind and go their different ways, as if Christ Himself were divided. Lumen Gentium, n. 14; Unitatis Redintegratio, nn. The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity addressed this theme in detail at its Plenary Assembly in 2001. 11, 29: PL 36, 299. 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. 34 ff., 83 ff.). 14. 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. I seldom look back, only forward in anticipation of the next greater now. A love and reverence of Sacred Scripture which might be described as devotion, leads our brethren to a constant meditative study of the sacred text. In the great upheaval which began in the West toward the end of the Middle Ages, and in later times too, Churches and ecclesial Communities came to be separated from the Apostolic See of Rome. All Rights Reserved. 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. Therefore, the contribution of Unitatis Redintegratio to the solution of the ecumenical problem is not "the ecclesiology of the elements" but the distinction between full communion and partial communion (cf. It subsequently states with regard to the Orthodox Churches: "Through the celebration of the Eucharist of the Lord in each of these Churches, the Church of God is built up and grows in stature, and through concelebration, their communion with one another is made manifest" (Unitatis Redintegratio, n. 15). The words of St. John hold good about sins against unity: If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. From such dialogue will emerge still more clearly what the situation of the Catholic Church really is. n. 16) further underlined this distinction at the level of concepts, provoking harsh criticism on the part of Protestant Christians. Copyright 2023 Famous Quotes & Sayings. Thus the way will be opened by which through fraternal rivalry all will be stirred to a deeper understanding and a clearer presentation of the unfathomable riches of Christ.[34]. 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. Unitatis Redintegratio, nn. 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. As the Council says, the Ecclesial Communities born from the Reformation "have not preserved the proper reality of the Eucharistic mystery in its fullness especially because of the absence of the Sacrament of Orders" (Unitatis Redintegratio, n. 22). 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. The Catholic principles of ecumenism spelled out by the Council and later by Pope John Paul II are clearly and unequivocally opposed to irenicism and relativism, which tend to trivialize everything (cf. But there is no opposition between the two, since both proceed from the marvelous ways of God. 26, 28). What was its effect? The very rich liturgical and spiritual heritage of the Eastern Churches should be known, venerated, preserved and cherished by all. Ecumenical Quotes. but we can pray with non-Catholics in the sense of praying "in their presence.". This Sacred Council is gratified to note that the participation by the Catholic faithful in ecumenical work is growing daily. Lumen Gentium, nn. IV (1870), Constitutio Pastor Aeternus: Collac 7, 482 a. Christ the Lord founded one Church and one Church only. This self-critical and penitential vision is the basis of the progress of the ecumenical movement (cf. Profundizando en cuestiones planteadas desde la encclica Ut unun sint, el decreto Unitatis Redintegratio, el Directorio para aplicacin de normas de ecumenismo y el Vademcum ecumnico "los obispos y la #unidaddeloscristianos " But the Lord of Ages wisely and patiently follows out the plan of grace on our behalf, sinners that we are. For the Spirit of Christ has not refrained from using them as means of salvation which derive their efficacy from the very fullness of grace and truth entrusted to the Church. Unitatis Redintegratio, n. 23). The Council integrated the ecumenical movement into this eschatological dynamic. Ut Unum Sint, n. 14), which includes unity in the faith, in the sacraments and in the ecclesiastical ministry (cf. It was for this reason that Pope Pius XII in 1949 had condemned an exclusive interpretation of the axiom "Extra ecclesiam nulla salus".9. Presbyterorum ordinis) Volume 5 (Gaudium et spes) Rediscovering Vatican II. 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. 'Subsistit in' expresses a historically concrete ecclesiology. 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. Nor must we undervalue the fact that it was the ecumenical councils held in the East that defined the basic dogmas of the Christian faith, on the Trinity, on the Word of God Who took flesh of the Virgin Mary. This concern extends to everyone, according to his talent, whether it be exercised in his daily Christian life or in his theological and historical research. 4, 9; Col. 1, 18-20; Jn. With Jesus Christ and with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, it has definitively entered history and is present in the Church. FLORENTINUM, Sess. Unitatis Redintegratio, nn. On 21 November 1964, the Second Vatican Council solemnly promulgated the Decree on Ecumenism, Unitatis Redintegratio. The Declaration Dominus Iesus (cf. the Apostolic Letter of Pope John Paul II, Reconciliatio et Paenitentia (1984), n. 16, and Ut Unum Sint, n. 34. Baptism, therefore, envisages a complete profession of faith, complete incorporation in the system of salvation such as Christ willed it to be, and finally complete ingrafting in eucharistic communion. The ecumenical movement is striving to overcome these obstacles. But the Council warns against polemics. CONC. Thus they promote the right ordering of Christian life and, indeed, pave the way to a full vision of Christian truth. 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. [17] Cf. 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. 2 ff.). 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. 11; 14; Unitatis Redintegratio, n. 22). Joseph Ratzinger given by Dr. Schler in his book Benedict XVI and the Church's View of Itself," showed how the young theologian in the 1960's thought entirely along the lines of golden coins in or out of the heap. Ut Unum Sint, n. 88). Lumen Gentium, n. 15; Unitatis Redintegratio, n. 4; Ut Unum Sint, nn. But we rejoice to see that our separated brethren look to Christ as the source and center of Church unity. The Biblical and liturgical movements, the preaching of the word of God and catechetics, the apostolate of the laity, new forms of religious life and the spirituality of married life, and the Church's social teaching and activity - all these should be considered as pledges and signs of the future progress of ecumenism. 3 J. Forty years are a measure of biblical time. East and West: two forms of the same ecumenical movement. 3, 7, 11, 23, 26). Author: Phil Crosby. They derive their strength too from the living tradition of the apostles and from the works of the Fathers and spiritual writers of the Eastern Churches. The notion of "subsistit in" means, according to the intention of the Theological Commission of the Council, that Christ's Church has its "concrete place" in the Catholic Church; Christ's Church is encountered in the Catholic Church, and it is there that she is to be concretely found.11 It is not a question of a purely platonic body or of a merely future reality; it exists concretely in history and is concretely found in the Catholic Church .12. 1 ff., 9, et al.). 7 reviews Get A Copy Amazon Stores Published (first published June 1st 2014) More Details. We believe that Our Lord entrusted all the blessings of the New Covenant to the apostolic college alone, of which Peter is the head, in order to establish the one Body of Christ on earth to which all should be fully incorporated who belong in any way to the people of God. The Holy Spirit, as the "soul" of the Church (cf. 36 and 50). At the same time, the Catholic faith must be explained more profoundly and precisely, in such a way and in such terms as our separated brethren can also really understand. VATICANUM 1, Sess. [31] So we humbly beg pardon of God and of our separated brethren, just as we forgive them that trespass against us. LATERANSE V, Sess. 22 Cf. A SINGLE LETTER TO BE CHANGED. In this liturgical worship, the Christians of the East pay high tribute, in beautiful hymns of praise, to Mary ever Virgin, whom the ecumenical Council of Ephesus solemnly proclaimed to be the holy Mother of God, so that Christ might be acknowledged as being truly Son of God and Son of Man, according to the Scriptures. Already from the earliest times the Eastern Churches followed their own forms of ecclesiastical law and custom, which were sanctioned by the approval of the Fathers of the Church, of synods, and even of ecumenical councils. 19Ibid., 386-392 (n. 176). In the ultimate analysis, ecumenism is an adventure of the Spirit. This happens thanks to the concept of "communio". The Church, then, is God's only flock; it is like a standard lifted high for the nations to see it:[16] for it serves all mankind through the Gospel of peace[17] as it makes its pilgrim way in hope toward the goal of the fatherland above.[18]. 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 I also try to never make it personal. Catholics, who already have a proper grounding, need to acquire a more adequate understanding of the respective doctrines of our separated brethren, their history, their spiritual and liturgical life, their religious psychology and general background. [ 31] So we humbly beg pardon of God and of our separated brethren, just as we forgive them that trespass against us. Since there is only one Christ and only one Eucharist, each Church which celebrates the Eucharist is in a relationship of communion with all the other Churches. The Decree on Ecumenism did not appear out of thin air. Unitatis Redintegratio, n. 4; Ut Unum Sint, n. 14). 16. 23. Among them, too, is a strong sense of justice and a true charity toward their neighbor. It was passed by a vote of 2,137 to 11 of the bishops assembled at the Council, and was promulgated by Pope Paul VI on 21 November 1964. Their faith in Christ bears fruit in praise and thanksgiving for the blessings received from the hands of God. The Guiding Concept of Catholic Ecumenical Theology. It was passed by a vote of 2,137 to 11 of the bishopsassembled at the Council, and was promulgated by Pope Paul VIon 21 November 1964. [38] Cf. Spiritus Sanctus, qui credentes inhabitat totamque replet atque regit Ecclesiam, miram illam communionem fidelium efficit et tam intime omnes in Christo coniungit, ut Ecclesiae unitatis sit Principium. 21 This idea is also found in the Decree Orientalium Ecclesiarum, n. 1, and in the Apostolic Letter Orientale Lumen (1995), n. 1. | Irondale, AL 35210 |. The eschatological and pneumatological dynamic needed conceptual elucidation. Mhler and J.H. Communionis Notio, n. 9). Baptism is evidently only the point of departure and the basis (cf. Nevertheless, our separated brethren, whether considered as individuals or as Communities and Churches, are not blessed with that unity which Jesus Christ wished to bestow on all those who through Him were born again into one body, and with Him quickened to newness of life - that unity which the Holy Scriptures and the ancient Tradition of the Church proclaim. Lumen Gentium, nn. II, vol. 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