Principles and Guidelines of the ecumenical activity of the Church.

 

38. Principles and Guidelines of the ecumenical activity of the Church.

Introduction:“Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.”Ecumenism is that initiative to fulfil the earnest prayer of Jesus to His Father so that all who believe in Christ may be one body of Christ. It is thus promotingworldwide Christianunityamongdifferent churches and religionsthroughgreatercooperationandimprovedunderstanding. The search for Christian Unity was one of the principal concerns of the Second Vatican Council. The Ecumenical Directory, called for during the Council and published in two parts, one in 1967 and the other in 1970. It has outlined some principles and guidelines that give us an insight to strengthen fraternal relations with Churches and ecclesial communities as future shepherd. The following description will help us to understand how these principles and guidelines, outlined in “The Ecumenical Directory” would help us in our future ministry.

Principles and guidelines, outlined in “The Ecumenical Directory”: The principles and guidelines, outlined in “The Ecumenical Directory are as follows:

I. The Search for Christian Unity:The ecumenical commitment of the Catholic Church based on the doctrinal principles of the Second Vatican Council.

II. Organization in the Catholic Church at the Service of Christian Unity:Persons and structures involved in promoting ecumenism at all levels, and the norms that direct their activity.

III. Ecumenical Formation in the Catholic Church:Categories of people to be formed, those responsible for formation; the aim and methods of formation; its doctrinal and practical aspects.

IV. Communion in Life and Spiritual Activity among the Baptized: The communion that exists with other Christians on the basis of the sacramental bond of Baptism, and the norms for sharing in prayer and other spiritual activities, including in particular cases sacramental sharing.

V. Ecumenical Cooperation, Dialogue and Common Witness:Principles, different forms and norms for cooperation between Christians with a view to dialogue and common witness in the world.

The ways it can help me as a future shepherd for strengthening fraternal relations with Churches and ecclesial communities: Here is a description which can help as future shepherd to strengthen fraternal relations with Churches and ecclesial communities:

1) The Search for Christian Unity: The ecumenical movement seeks to be a response to the gift of God's grace which calls all Christians to faith in the mystery of the Church according to the design of God who wishes to bring humanity to salvation and unity in Christ through the Holy Spirit. This movement calls them to the hope that the prayer of Jesus "that they all may be one" will be fully realized.

The Church and its Unity in the Plan of God: God sent into the world His only Son, who was raised up on the cross, entered into glory and poured out the Holy Spirit through whom he calls and draws into unity of faith, hope and charity the people of the New Covenant which is the Church. In order to establish this holy Church in every place until the end of the ages, Christ entrusted to the college of the Twelve to which he chose Peter as head, the office of teaching, ruling and sanctifying. It is the will of Jesus Christ, that through the faithful preaching of the Gospel, the administration of the sacraments, and through government in love exercised by the apostles and their successors under the action of the Holy Spirit, this people should grow and its communion be made ever more perfect.It is the Holy Spirit, dwelling in those who believe and pervading and ruling over the entire Church, who brings about that wonderful communion of the faithful and joins them together so intimately in Christ that he is the principle of the Church's unity.

Divisions among Christians and the Re-establishing of Unity: Human folly and human sinfulness however have at times opposed the unifying purpose of the Holy Spirit and weakened that power of love which overcomes the inherent tensions in ecclesial life.

In order to re-establishing communion, bishop has particular role to play. Communion between the Churches is maintained and manifested in a special way in the communion between their Bishops. Together they form a college which succeeds the apostolic college.Communion within the particular Churches and between them is a gift of God. It must be received with joyful thanks and cultivated with care. It is fostered in a special way by those who are called to minister in the Church as pastors. Now the grace of God has impelled members of many Churches and ecclesial Communities, especially in the course of this present century, to strive to overcome the divisions inherited from the past and to build anew a communion of love by prayer, by repentance and by asking pardon of each other for sins of disunity past and present, by meeting in practical forms of cooperation and in theological dialogue.Catholics are invited to respond according to the directives of their pastors, in solidarity and gratitude with the efforts that are being made in many Churches and ecclesial Communities, and in the various organizations in which they cooperate, to reestablish the unity of Christians.Whatever the local situation, if they are to be able to carry out their ecumenical responsibilities, Catholics need to act together and in agreement with their Bishops. Above all they should know their own Church and be able to give an account of its teaching, its discipline and its principles of ecumenism.It requires the involvement of the People of God within the ecclesial structures and the discipline appropriate to each of these levels. In the diocese, gathered around the Bishop, in the parishes and in the various groups and communities, the unity of Christians is being constructed and shown forth day by day. What is being sought is the communion that is at the heart of the mystery of the Church, and for this reason there is a particular need for the apostolic ministry of Bishops in the area of ecumenical activity.

II. Organization in the Catholic Church at the Service of Christian Unity:Through its particular Churches, the Catholic Church is present in many localities and regions in which it lives together with other Churches and ecclesial Communities. Such regions have their distinctive spiritual, ethnic, political and cultural characteristics.

The Diocesan Ecumenical Officer:In the dioceses, the Bishop should appoint a competent person as diocesan officer for ecumenical questions. He/she will serve as the animator of the diocesan ecumenical Commission and coordinate the Commission's activities

The Diocesan Ecumenical Commission or Secretariat:In addition to the diocesan officer for ecumenical questions, the diocesan Bishop should set up a council, commission or secretariat charged with putting into practice any directives or orientations he may give and, in general, with promoting ecumenical activity in the diocese.It should also focus on the implementation of the decisions of the diocesan Bishop. The territorial ecumenical commission will offer help and encouragement by such means as workshops and seminars for the ecumenical formation of both clergy and laity, for the appropriate realization of an ecumenical dimension to all aspects of life,by promoting friendliness and charity between Catholics and other Christians with whom full ecclesial communion does not yet exist. ,

Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life: While the concern for restoring Christian unity involves the whole Church, clergy and laity alike, religious orders and congregations and societies of apostolic life. It is to foster an awareness of the ecumenical importance of their particular forms of life in as much as conversion of heart, personal holiness, public and private prayer and service to the Church.Thus they will maintain relations with monasteries or communities of common life in other Christian Communions for an exchange of spiritual and intellectual resources, and experiences in apostolic life.

Organizations of Faithful: Organizations of Catholic faithful in a particular territory or nation, as well as those of an international character having as their objectives, e.g., spiritual renewal, action for peace and social justice, education at various levels, economic aid to countries and institutions, etc.

The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity:At the level of the universal Church, the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, a department of the Roman Curia, has the competence and the task of promoting full communion among all Christians.It encourages and assists national or international groups which promote the unity of Christians and helps coordinate their work.To fulfill these functions, the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity at times issues directives and guidelines applicable to the entire Catholic Church.

III. Ecumenical Formation in the Catholic Church:Concern for restoring unity pertains to the whole Church, faithful and clergy alike. It extends to everyone, according to the potential of each, whether it be exercised in daily Christian living or in theological and historical studies.Thus the unity of all in Christ will be the result of a common growth and maturing. For God's call to interior conversion and renewal in the Church, so fundamental to the quest for unity, excludes no one.

Adaptation of Formation to the Concrete Situation of Persons:Ecumenism calls for renewal of attitudes and for flexibility of methods in the search for unity.Ecumenical formation requires a pedagogy that is adapted to the concrete situation of the life of persons and groups, and which respects the need for gradualness in an effort of continual renewal and of change in attitudes.They will be progressively formed in accordance with the following principal orientations:Knowledge of Scripture and doctrinal formation are necessary from the outset, and knowledge of the history of divisions and of efforts at reconciliation, as well as the doctrinal positions of other Churches and ecclesial Communities will make it possible to analyze problems in their socio-cultural context.

Formation of all the Faithful: It includesthe means of formation and suitable settings for formation. The means of formation are Hearing and studying the Word of God, Preaching, Catechesis and Liturgy. The suitable settings of the formation are-The family, parish, the school, and Groups, associations, ecclesial movements.

Formation of those Engaged in Pastoral Work: They are Ordained Ministers. Among the principal duties of every future ordained minister is to shape his own personality, to the extent possible, in such a way as will serve his mission of helping others to meet Christ.

IV. Communion in Life and Spiritual Activity among the Baptized:By the sacrament of baptism a person is truly incorporated into Christ and into his Church and is reborn to a sharing of the divine life. Baptism, therefore, constitutes the sacramental bond of unity existing among all who through it are reborn.

Sharing Spiritual Activities and Resources:Christians may be encouraged to share in spiritual activities and resources, i.e., to share that spiritual heritage they have in common in a manner and to a degree appropriate to their present divided state.All those who by baptism are incorporated into Christ share many elements of the Christian life. There thus exists a real, even if imperfect, communion among Christians which can be expressed in many ways, including sharing in prayer and liturgical worship.Catholic authorities and those of other Communions are to seek out the possibilities for lawful reciprocity according to the doctrine and traditions of different Communities.. Catholics ought to show a sincere respect for the liturgical and sacramental discipline of other Churches and ecclesial Communities and these in their turn are asked to show the same respect for Catholic discipline.

Prayer in Common:Prayer in common is recommended for Catholics and other Christians so that together they may put before God the needs and problems they share—e.g., peace, social concerns, mutual charity among people, the dignity of the family, the effects of poverty, hunger and violence, etc. The same may be said of occasions when, according to circumstances, a nation, region or community wishes to make a common act of thanksgiving or petition to God, as on a national holiday, at a time of public disaster or mourning, on a day set aside for remembrance of those who have died for their country, etc.

V) Ecumenical Cooperation, Dialogue and Common Witness:When Christians live and pray together, they are giving witness to the faith which they share and to their baptism, in the name of God, the Father of all, in his Son Jesus, the Redeemer of all, and in the Holy Spirit who transforms and unites all things through the power of love. Based on this communion of life and spiritual gifts, there are many other forms of ecumenical cooperation that express and promote unity and enhance the witness to the saving power of the Gospel that Christians give to the world.It is done through the cooperation in studying and propagating the Bible, in liturgical studies, in catechesis and higher education, in pastoral care, in evangelization and in their service of charity.Ecumenical collaboration can take the form of participation by different Churches and ecclesial Communities in programmed already set up by one of their number.Catholic participation in all forms of ecumenical meetings and cooperative projects should respect the norms established by the local ecclesiastical authority.Meetings of authorized representatives of Churches and ecclesial Communities that occur periodically or on special occasions can help greatly to promote ecumenical cooperation.

Ecumenical Dialogue:Dialogue is at the heart of ecumenical cooperation and accompanies all forms of it. Dialogue involves both listening and replying, seeking both to understand and to be understood. It is a readiness to put questions and to be questioned. It is to be forthcoming about oneself and trustful of what others say about themselves. The parties in dialogue must be ready to clarify their ideas further, and modify their personal views and ways of living and acting, allowing themselves to be guided in this by authentic love and truth. The Catholic Church may engage in dialogue at a diocesan level, at the level of Episcopal Conferences or Synods of Eastern Catholic Churches, and at the level of the universal Church. It may be carried on by groups of lay people, by groups of clergy, by groups of professional theologians or by various combinations of these.

Common Bible Work: The Word of God that is written in the Scriptures nourishes the life of the Church in manifold ways Veneration of the Scriptures is a fundamental bond of unity between Christians, one that holds firm even when the Churches and Communities to which they belong are not in full communion with each other. Everything that can be done to make members of the Churches and ecclesial Communities read the Word of God, and to do that together when possible (e.g., Bible Weeks), reinforces this bond of unity that already unites them, helps them to be open to the unifying action of God and strengthens the common witness to the saving Word of God which they give to the world.

Cooperation in Institutes of Higher Studies: There are many opportunities for ecumenical cooperation and common witness in the scientific study of theology and the branches of learning associated with it. Such cooperation contributes to theological research. It improves the quality of theological education by helping teachers to provide that attention to the ecumenical aspect of theological issues that is required in the Catholic Church by the conciliar decree UnitatisRedintegratio.Ecumenical cooperation in study and teaching is already desirable in programmes of the first stages of theological education, such as are given in seminaries and in first cycles of theological faculties. Theological education in seminaries and first-cycle courses is directed to giving students this basic formation.

In Theological Research and Post-Graduate Studies:A wider field of ecumenical collaboration is open to those who are engaged in theological research and teaching on a post-graduate level than is possible on the level of seminary or undergraduate (institutional) teaching. Associations or institutes may be set up for the joint study of theological and pastoral questions by ministers of different Churches and ecclesial Communities.

Cooperation in Missionary Activity:The common witness given by all forms of ecumenical cooperation is already missionary. Ecumenical cooperation shows to the world that those who believe in Christ and live by his Spirit, being thus made children of God who is Father of all, can set about overcoming human divisions, even about such sensitive matters as religious faith and practice, with courage and hope.

Ecumenical Cooperation in the Dialogue with Other Religions:There are increasing contacts in today's world between Christians and persons of other religions. These contacts differ radically from the contacts between the Churches and ecclesial Communities, which have for their object the restoration of the unity Christ willed among all his disciples and are properly called ecumenical. Through them Christians can deepen the level of communion existing among themselves, and so they are to be considered an important part of ecumenical cooperation. This is particularly true for all that is done to develop the specially privileged religious relationship that Christians have with the Jewish people.

Conclusion: Jesus’ prayer to His Father was “that they may be one.” It is our duty to implement the very prayer of Jesus on earth by being one Church.These are some principles and guidelines that can help me as a future shepherd for strengthening fraternal relations with Churches and ecclesial communities.