Last year was the 25th anniversary of Ut Unum Sint in which Pope John Paul II confirmed that the Church's commitment to ecumenism is . Baptism is evidently only the point of departure and the basis (cf. [23] Cf. 4 Irenaeus of Lyons, Adversus Haereses III, 24, 1 (Sources chrtiennes, n. 211, Paris, 1974, 472). But we rejoice to see that our separated brethren look to Christ as the source and center of Church unity. To make easier the ecumenical dialogue in spite of these differences, we wish to set down some considerations which can, and indeed should, serve as a basis and encouragement for such dialogue. 2 ff.). However, "very weighty differences" exist, "not only of a historical, sociological, psychological and cultural character, but especially in the interpretation of revealed truth" (Unitatis Redintegratio, n. 19). When such actions are undertaken prudently and patiently by the Catholic faithful, with the attentive guidance of their bishops, they promote justice and truth, concord and collaboration, as well as the spirit of brotherly love and unity. Leo XIII and Benedict XV paved the way for ecumenical openness. In addition, the way is prepared for cooperation between them in the duties for the common good of humanity which are demanded by every Christian conscience; and, wherever this is allowed, there is prayer in common. Nor should we forget that anything wrought by the grace of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of our separated brethren can be a help to our own edification. The restoration of unity among all Christians is one of the principal concerns of the Second Vatican Council. W. Becker, in: LThK, Vat. In recent times more than ever before, He has been rousing divided Christians to remorse over their divisions and to a longing for unity. Council clearly makes ecumenism binding as the work of the Spirit. Such prayers in common are certainly an effective means of obtaining the grace of unity, and they are a true expression of the ties which still bind Catholics to their separated brethren. 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. Christ summons the Church to continual reformation as she sojourns here on earth. Taken from: L'Osservatore Romano Weekly Edition in English 1 December 2004, page 8. 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. 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. 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. In these days when cooperation in social matters is so widespread, all men without exception are called to work together, with much greater reason all those who believe in God, but most of all, all Christians in that they bear the name of Christ. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue: Unitatis Redintegratio, Nostra Aetate by at the best online prices at eBay! It is because of this that the Council rests all its hope on the prayer of Christ for the Church, on our Father's love for us, and on the power of the Holy Spirit. The differences that exist in varying degrees between them and the Catholic Church - whether in doctrine and sometimes in discipline, or concerning the structure of the Church - do indeed create many obstacles, sometimes serious ones, to full ecclesiastical communion. 20. 20 21-23. For God is always wonderful in His works and worthy of all praise. D.H. Lawrence, Every moment is precious, even the ones behind me that I often reflect upon with a reserved smile. Unitatis Redintegratio, n. 17).20 It therefore declared that "this entire heritage of spirituality and liturgy, of discipline and theology, in the various traditions, belongs to the full catholic and apostolic character of the Church" (Unitatis Redintegratio, n. 17).21. Their longing for union with Christ inspires them to seek an ever closer unity, and also to bear witness to their faith among the peoples of the earth. The title of the document is taken from the opening words of the Latin text. Unitatis Redintegratio, n. 4). Church renewal has therefore notable ecumenical importance. The eschatological and pneumatological dynamic needed conceptual elucidation. 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. 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". Even before the Second Vatican Council, the Pontiffs had encouraged prayers for unity in addition to the "Week of Prayer for Christian Unity". This is the sacred mystery of the unity of the Church, in Christ and through Christ, the Holy Spirit energizing its various functions. Il Concilio Vaticano II. According to the Bishop and Martyr, Irenaeus of Lyons, it is God's Spirit who keeps young and fresh the apostolic patrimony that was bequeathed to us once and for all.4. This self-critical and penitential vision is the basis of the progress of the ecumenical movement (cf. For although the Catholic Church has been endowed with all divinely revealed truth and with all means of grace, yet its members fail to live by them with all the fervor that they should, so that the radiance of the Church's image is less clear in the eyes of our separated brethren and of the world at large, and the growth of God's kingdom is delayed. They must take full account of all these factors and, where this is done, it will greatly contribute to the dialogue that is looked for. 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. Similarly it must not be forgotten that from the beginning the Churches of the East have had a treasury from which the Western Church has drawn extensively - in liturgical practice, spiritual tradition, and law. This goal has been defined theologically by the Council as unity-communio. In an Instruction of 1950, he expressly supported the ecumenical movement, emphasizing that it originated in the action of the Holy Spirit, and went on to publish a series of innovative Encyclicals. ; Ut Unum Sint, nn. [22] Cf. 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. S. AUGUSTINUS, In Ps. Cattolici e ortodossi in dialogo, Rome, 2004. 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. [2] Before offering Himself up as a spotless victim upon the altar, Christ prayed to His Father for all who believe in Him: that they all may be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us, so that the world may believe that thou has sent me. Sacrosanctum Concilium, n. 47; Lumen Gentium, nn. The brethren divided from us also use many liturgical actions of the Christian religion. Enjoy reading and share 5 famous quotes about Unitatis Redintegratio with everyone. These various divisions differ greatly from one another not only by reason of their origin, place and time, but especially in the nature and seriousness of questions bearing on faith and the structure of the Church. With the Toronto Declaration (1950) it also entered into the language of the World Council of Churches. Traduzioni in contesto per "cammino verso il tuo cuore" in italiano-inglese da Reverso Context: E infrango ogni voto sul mio cammino verso il tuo cuore Decree on Ecumenism ( Unitatis Redintegratio) made a careful distinction between spiritual ecumenism, mainly prayer and the practice of virtue, and practical ecumenism, which actively fosters Christian reunion. Understood in this way, "subsistit in" assumes the essential requirement of the "est". Summary Intro Division within the Christian community "openly contradicts the will of Christ, scandalizes the world, and damages the holy cause of preaching the Gospel to every creature." ( UR, 1) As such, moving towards unity comes from God and is a great good. This people of God, though still in its members liable to sin, is ever growing in Christ during its pilgrimage on earth, and is guided by God's gentle wisdom, according to His hidden designs, until it shall happily arrive at the fullness of eternal glory in the heavenly Jerusalem. Transferring this concept of unity to the ecumenical problem, the ecumenical unity to which we are aspiring means something more than a network of confessional Churches which, by entering into the communion of the Eucharist and of the pulpit, mutually recognize one another. 4, 7, 12, 49; Apostolicam Actuositatem, n. 3; Ad Gentes nn. From the outset, East and West accepted the same Gospel in different ways and developed their liturgy, spirituality, theology and canon law along different lines. According to the Council, these divergences partly concern the doctrines of Jesus Christ and of redemption, and especially Sacred Scripture in its relationship with the Church, the authentic Magisterium, the Church and her ministries, the role of Mary in the work of the salvation (cf. Together with the mission, ecumenism is the way of the Church through the 21st century and the third millennium. 2 Cf. All wish for unity and long for the one visible Church of God. Whatever is truly Christian is never contrary to what genuinely belongs to the faith; indeed, it can always bring a deeper realization of the mystery of Christ and the Church. 32, Enarr. This shows itself in their private prayer, their meditation on the Bible, in their Christian family life, and in the worship of a community gathered together to praise God. 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. 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. If this cause is wholeheartedly promoted, the Council hopes that the barrier dividing the Eastern Church and Western Church will be removed, and that at last there may be but the one dwelling, firmly established on Christ Jesus, the cornerstone, who will make both one.[38]. Declaration of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Mysterium Ecclesiae (1973), n. 1; also the Declaration Dominus Iesus (2000), n. 17. Moreover, some and even very many of the significant elements and endowments which together go to build up and give life to the Church itself, can exist outside the visible boundaries of the Catholic Church: the written word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, and visible elements too. Today, what point have we reached regarding ecumenism? [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. But the problems we encounter must not let us forget the rich fruit that it has yielded. 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. In such cases, these various theological expressions are to be considered often as mutually complementary rather than conflicting. 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. Free shipping for many products! Unitatis Redintegratio affirms that it is in the Eucharist where "the unity of the Church is both signified and brought about" (Unitatis Redintegratio, n. 2). Dogmatic laxism leads to the refusal to recognize the essence of the Church's eschatological dimension. [6] For all you who have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ for you are all one in Christ Jesus. VI (1439), Definitio Laetentur caeli: Mansi 31, 1026 E. [27] Cf. Unitatis Redintegratio, n. 4), and marked a decisive turning point with the creation of the "World Council of Churches" in 1948. In particular, Johann Adam Mhler and John Henry Newman should be cited as precursors and pioneers. Moreover, their form of worship sometimes displays notable features of the liturgy which they shared with us of old. 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 Many also are the saints whose praise they sing, among them the Fathers of the universal Church. n. 16) further underlined this distinction at the level of concepts, provoking harsh criticism on the part of Protestant Christians. 25 Cf. Unitatis Redintegratio, nn. For almost everyone regards the body in which he has heard the Gospel as his Church and indeed, God's Church. East and West: two forms of the same ecumenical movement. So we can't pray with non-Catholics in this active sense . F ORTY years ago, when the Council opened its sessions, the majority of the Fathers favoured a sound Catholic ecumenism, designed as a generous and charitable invitation addressed to Christians separated from Rome to come back to the fold, to reintegrate Catholic unity.. An echo of this zeal can be found at number 2 of the conciliar Decree Unitatis redintegratio: For men who believe in Christ and have been truly baptized are in communion with the Catholic Church even though this communion is imperfect. This concern itself reveals already to some extent the bond of brotherhood between all Christians and it helps toward that full and perfect unity which God in His kindness wills. But the problems we encounter must not let us forget the rich fruit that it has yielded Churches. For ecumenical openness the Council as unity-communio ), Definitio Laetentur caeli: Mansi,! Behind me that I often reflect upon with a reserved smile are to be considered often as mutually rather. Mansi 31, 1026 E. 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