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...continued
John Paul II writes: "Her mission does not restrict freedom but rather promotes it. The Church proposes; she imposes nothing. She respects individuals and cultures, and she honors the sanctuary of conscience. To those who for various reasons oppose missionary activity, the Church repeats: Open the doors to Christ!" 9
The doctrinal foundation of the missionary drive of the Roman Catholic Church includes a belief in the Uniqueness of Jesus Christ as Son of God and Redeemer in human history, the Primacy of Peter, Apostolic Succession and the conviction that the Church of Christ subsists in the Roman Catholic Church.
The Catholic Church's whole identity depends on the conviction that she possesses the ministry and authority of Jesus Christ. Her bishops have received their authorization in a lineal sequence from the apostles and, behind them from Christ. As the successors of the apostles, they validly exercise the functions of the apostles: teaching Jesus Christ's message, governing the faithful according to the pattern He instituted, and sanctifying them with His divine life, especially through the sacraments.10
An ecumenical spirit and a commitment to interreligious dialogue is a logical extension of her missionary spirit. Jesus Christ prayed that all his followers might be one. John Paul II writes: "It is not a question of altering the deposit of faith, changing the meaning of dogmas, eliminating essential words from them, accommodating truth to the preferences of a particular age, or suppressing certain articles of the Creed under the false pretext that they are no longer understood today. The unity willed by God can be attained only by the adherence of all to the content of the revealed faith in its entirety. In matters of faith, compromise is in contradiction with God who is Truth. In the Body of Christ, 'the way, the truth, and the life' (Jn 14:6), who could consider legitimate a reconciliation brought about at the expense of the truth?"11
Ecumenical progress requires a commitment to penance and prayer. Ecumenical prayer is the soul of ecumenism. Deep conversion of hearts removes the blindness that hampers true unity. Just as there is progress in dialogue and "doctrinal rapprochement"12 such as the Lutheran Catholic accords of 1999, so too have the churches been able to work together in many practical areas.
Avery Dulles characterizes the ecumenical vision of John Paul II in this way: "By showing that the quest for unity is grounded in the unalterable will of Christ for his Church, the present pope makes it clear that ecumenism does not depend on prospects of visible success, but that it is to be pursued in all times and places, even in the face of indifference and hostility...He makes it clear that Christian unity, if it ever comes about, cannot be a human achievement but only a gift of God. For this reason he keeps the primary emphasis on spiritual ecumenism and prayer. The most effective ecumenism is that which cultivates patience, humility, and fervent trust in the Holy Spirit, who enables us to hope against hope and to leave the future in the hands of God, the sole master of our destinies."13
So we see that Dominus Iesu, in the words of the Our Holy Father is an expression of his "ecumenical passion."
Roman Catholics are called to embrace the virtue of humility and be committed to ongoing conversion as the best and most practical investment in Church reform and ecumenical progress.
Sometimes humility means apologizing for the mistakes of the past as the Holy Father did so eloquently this past year. Sometimes humility means a willingness to be a sign of contradiction by witnessing to the truths of Jesus Christ and His Church without compromise, without a spirit of human respect.
Catholics must have a thirst to know the truth and a thirst to live it through a missionary spirit, an ecumenical spirit and a respect for the beautiful harmony that exists between faith and reason.
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1
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Pope John Paul II's October 1, 2000 Angelus in St. Peter's Square.
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2
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Cardinal Keeler's "Clarifying the recent salvation document," Time to Time with Cardinal Keeler, The Catholic Review, September 21, 2000, 5.
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3
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Fides et Ratio 5.
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4
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Francis Cardinal George's "Unity: in Society and in the Lord," in the cardinal's column, The Catholic New World, September 17-23, 2000, 3.
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5
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SCDF's 1992 document Communionis Notio, 4
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6
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Redemptoris Missio 1.
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7
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RM 2.
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8
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RM 1-2.
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9
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RM 39.
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10
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Cf. Thomas M. Kocik's Apostolic Succession in an Ecumenical Context, New York: Alba House, xx-xxi.
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11
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Ut Unum Sint 18.
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12
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Avery Dulles' The Splendor of Faith. The Theological Vision of Pope John Paul II, New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1999, 157.
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13
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Dulles, 166.
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