General introduction to Catholic teaching on ecumenism, along with some history and suggestion for parish ministry.

1. Joyce Donahue
Catechetical Associate
Diocese of Joliet
Religious Education Office

2. One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism
We began as one Church of
the Apostles
“Christ the Lord founded
one Church and one
Church only.” (Decree on
Ecumenism 1)
Any person baptized in the
name of the Trinity is our
fellow Christian

3. Scripture
 It is Jesus’s desire that we be
ONE. At the Last Supper,
he said:
“I pray not only for them, but also for those who will
believe in me through their word, so that they may all
be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they
also may be in us, that the world may believe that you
sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave me,
so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and
you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as
one, that the world may know that you sent me, and
that you loved them even as you loved me. (John 17:20-23)

4. Acts 2 – the original unity

5. First Division
 East-West Schism – culture clash, disagreement over
Crusades and doctrine, especially the wording of the
Creed (“filioque”) – 1054 AD

6. Second Division
 Protestant Reformation in West further split the
Roman Church – started as disagreement about
doctrine and perceived “abuses” in the Church

7. Ecumenism
 Not the same as Inter-Faith
 From the Greek word oikoumene)
meaning the whole inhabited
earth. It is used by Christians to
designate universal, or the whole
Christian community worldwide,
thus ecumenical councils.

8. Visible, but imperfect unity
 All Christians are still one worldwide “family” –
unified by baptism and belief in Christ
 We just don’t all come to the same table – it’s a bit like
a family feud, but we are still family

9. What is our goal?
 Long-term goal is full, visible unity and communion
 Short-term goal is acceptance, understanding, a
dialogue of love and truth
 We do not need to compromise on our differences, but
to understand them
 We do not need to make everyone Roman Catholic
 (Non-Catholic Christians don’t need to “convert” –
they are already Christians)

10. Why is unity important?
 Christians need to speak with one voice to the culture.
 Our evangelization would be more effective.
“The more we keep apart from each other as Christians
of different confessions, the ‘less convincing’ will the
face of a renewed humanity seem to our
contemporaries.“
(Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury,
Oct. 2012 Intervention at the Synod of Bishops, Rome)

11. Responsibility of all
"The concern for restoring
unity involves the whole
Church, faithful and clergy
alike. It extends to everyone,
according to the talent of
each...”
(Decree on Ecumenism)

12. Attitudes
What do we call “them”?
 NOT “separated brethren”
 NOT even “non-Catholics”
BUT
 “Fellow Christians” (John Paul II)
 “Christians of other Churches”

13. Pope John Paul II & Archbishop of
Canterbury sign Joint Declaration

14. Pope Benedict XVI with Patriarch
Bartholomew of Constantinople

15. Pope Francis & Patriarch
Bartholomew of Constantinople

16. Dialogues – how unity is fostered
 Respectful listening
 Exploration of points of
agreement
 Seeking to understand areas
of disagreement but not
avoiding them

17. Who are we in dialogue with?

18. Example: Lutheran

19. What we share – Real Presence

20. Joint Agreement on the Doctrine of
Justification (1999)
 All believers are justified (freed from sin and death) by
faith alone
 Good works are our necessary response to salvation
(we do not do good works to “earn” our salvation – that
is Pelagianism – a heresy that says humans save
themselves by their own efforts)
Significance: misunderstanding of this – on both sides –
was one of the key causes of the Lutheran Reformation

21. Documents to Know About
 Decree on Ecumenism – Unitatis Redintegratio
(1964)
 Directory on Ecumenism (1967, 1970)
 Directory for the Application of Principles and
Norms on Ecumenism (1993),
 Ut Unum Sint (1995) John Paul II
 The Ecumenical Dimension in the Formation of
Pastoral Workers (1998).

22. Catechism of the Catholic Church
 CCC 811-822 “The Church is One”

23. Now – the “so what”

24. Prayer, worship & hospitality
 It is always appropriate to pray
and to share Christian service
or advocacy for justice with
fellow Christians
 It is appropriate to make them
feel welcome at weddings,
funerals and other Catholic
events
 We should be sensitive about
helping them understand that
we cannot offer them reception
of the Eucharist, but that we
hope to be able to do that
someday.

25. Eucharist
 Catholics should generally not receive
communion at a non-Catholic Church
 Protestant Christians, in exceptional
circumstances, may receive if they ask
and it is discerned there is an
appropriate sense of need.
 Eastern Catholics (but not Orthodox)
may receive at Roman churches
 Orthodox may receive in cases of
need, but most of their churches do
not permit them to participate in a
Catholic Eucharist.
 Pastoral decisions for particular
occasions may trump all the rules.

26. Scripture Study
 Joint scripture study with mainline
Protestant Churches is fine, as long as
Catholic participants understand that
Catholic interpretation includes
Church teaching and how a scripture
passage is used in the Church as part
of the meaning.
 Joint scripture study with Evangelical
fundamentalist Christians is not a
good idea – because Catholic
interpretation is much different.

27. Inter-church marriages
 We need better pastoral care and understanding when
dealing with couples in inter-church marriages – from
marriage preparation through the life of the marriage
 When such a couple brings a child for Catholic
sacraments, pastoral listening, respect and welcome
are appropriate

28. RCIA –
Candidates for Full Communion
 They are already Christians – National Statutes for
RCIA specify they are NOT to be treated like the
unbaptized.
 Formation for Christians active in other Churches may
not need to take a full year – should be customized to
the individual’s prior experience.
 They should never be included in rituals meant for the
unbaptized, but should stand with the initiated
Catholics .
 The key concept is RESPECT for their baptism.

29. RCIA – Ecumenical Formation
Formation should also include ecumenical preparation
 For catecumens, this means initiating them into Catholic
ecumenical commitments.
 For candidates for full communion this means
understanding our Catholic relationship with their church
of origin.

30. Forming the parish for ecumenical
sensitivity
 Youth should be taken to visit other Christian
churches, share service projects with them, pray with
them – followed by discussion.
 Catechists and catechetical leaders should be formed
for ecumenism – to find ways to include mention of
other Christians when appropriate, and to deal
sensitively with non-Catholic parents of their students.
 Parishes should find opportunities to regularly interact
with, pray with and serve with other Christian church
neighbors.

31. Questions?