When contemplating the concept of ecumenism in our modern day, it may seem like an impossible reach to imagine a unified Christian Church. With scores of Christian denominations spread out across most countries in the world, ecumenism can appear futile. Yet the Second Vatican Council rose up to the challenge, producing key documents to address the Church’s ecumenical and role as a unifier of disparate denominations and their practices.
This short paper will discuss why and how the Vatican II Council and subsequent efforts made ecumenism a high priority, the ways in which the Catholic Church has bridged its theology and ecclesiology with other Christian denominations, and why the “fullness of truth” must always include a strong communion of believers guided specifically by the Holy Spirit.
Prior to Vatican II, and particularly from the Council of Trent onward, the Catholic Church had solidified itself as “the one, true Church of Christ, outside of which there is no salvation” (McBrien 8). While an entirely separate paper could be dedicated to the Church’s reasoning behind such a bold claim, the bottom line is that, by the time Vatican II had begun, the Church was viewed as a kind of marching orders, institutional authority (Tkacik 7). Thus, Vatican II set out to reassess the Church’s role in the world, while also explaining why its claim of containing the “fullness of truth” is necessary to Christian belief and the world at large.
Pope John XIII, who called for the Second Vatican Council in 1962, had spent some of his pre-pontificate years studying Eastern Christian Rites and also Islam. Pope John was apparently so positively affected by these experiences, that he committed himself to ecumenism. As such, and Tkacik mentions, at least a quarter of Vatican II involved addressing ecumenism (Module 8 Slide 6).
With the focus on ecumenism and interfaith initiatives well in order, the Vatican II Council produced the following documents:
*Unitatis Redintegratio (Decree of Ecumenism): Explains the relationship between the Body of Christ and the Catholic Church, that sanctification and degrees of truth exist outside the Church, and that all Christian ecclesial communities are united through the sacrament of baptism (McBrien 234, 235).
*Nostra Aetate (Declaration on The Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions) – Pioneered by Karl Rahner, this document declares that God is at the root of all belief systems; and although the other belief systems may contain smaller degrees of spiritual truths, they all ultimately lead to salvation through Jesus Christ (Tkacik Module 8 Slide 9).
*Orientalium Ecclesiarum – Defines the relationship between the Catholic Church and Eastern Christian Rites (Tkacik Module 8 Slide 6).
All of the above documents, together, revealed a Church that was more than ready to extend an olive branch to the rest of the world. The Vatican II Council made its desire clear to mend broken relationships with other Christian denominations and show a deeper appreciation for how other belief systems convey spiritual truths. As it relates to other Christian denominations, the Church acknowledged that all denominations, and certainly including the Catholic Church, have severely fractured the means to be unified in Christian belief, fellowship, and ecclesial matters (McBrien 175).
Owning up to the Church’s own shortcomings in dealing with other denominations and belief systems, Vatican II still had to establish the Church’s position in relation to Protestant denominations and non-Christian religions. First, the Church recognized that other Christian denominations, albeit separated from the Catholic Church, still have a theological tie that binds all Christian believers: the sacrament of baptism. Therefore, Christians outside of the Church are able to receive and live by God’s grace, as well as have liturgical traditions or worship formats that resemble the Catholic liturgy (McBrien 175, 176).
Still, Vatican II maintains the Church’s role as having the “fullness of truth.” This does not mean that other denominations do not contain spiritual truths; rather, Vatican II describes other denominations as having degrees of communion with the Church. The following are a few key decrees from Unitatis Redintegratio:
“The disunity among Christians is not something we should simply learn to live with.” Namely, it “openly contradicts the will of Christ…” (#1; McBrien 235).
“The differences that separate Catholics from other denominations are not always differences in kind, but more like differences in degree” (#3, McBrien 235).
“While preserving unity in essentials,” we must “preserve a proper freedom in the various forms of spiritual life and discipline, in the variety of liturgical rites, and even in the theological elaborations of revealed truth (#4; McBrien 237).
The above, and other related decrees in Unitatis Redintegratio, set the stage for the Church to begin, and continue, dialogues with other denominations, including the Lutheran World Federation, the Baptist World Alliance, the Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Anglican Communion, and other groups as well. McBrien explains that Unitatis Redintegratio considers these dialogues as a “primary duty of the Catholic Church. Much of the dialogue has included joint theological study, common prayer, and recognizing the value of ordain ministries among separated Churches” (McBrien 176).
Although it could be said that the Catholic Church’s claim to the “fullness of truth” elitist or exclusivist, the Church, mostly because of Vatican II, has strived to build bridges with fellow Christians. And because the Church see itself as not only as a Body of Christ, but also as visible sign of God’s grace, fully animated by the power of the Holy Spirit. As the triune God has been the all-encompassing force behind salvation history, God’s revelation has continually been powered by the Holy Spirit’s guidance. As Tkacik puts, “the Holy Spirit acts in history to enable God’s revelation to be.” (Module 8 Slide 8).
As such, and as Yves Congar emphasized that the God’s revelation, and salvation through Jesus Christ, is for all, we as Christians must remember that we can all learn something from each other. Better stated, “Ecumenical Theology is to be a theology of fellowship in which all parties seek to discover that which is held in common in order to create new possibilities of openness and mutual understanding’ (Tkacik Module 8 Slide” And under the Holy Spirit’s tutelage, and as Congar well concluded, the Church can be see as one long epiclesis (Tkacik Module 8).
Works Cited
McBrien, Richard P. The Church. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2008.
Tkacik, Michael J., and Thomas M. McGonigle, O.P. Pneumatic Correctives: What is the Spirit Saying to the Church of the 21st Century? Lanham: University Press of America, 2007.
Tkacik, Michael J. Module 8 Slides. THY-565. Saint Leo University, 2023.
Unitatis Redintegratio. https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19641121_unitatis-redintegratio_en.html