Catholicism and Ecumenism

Twenty-First Century Fulfilment?

As Christians, living in and for the world God creates and redeems, we are not simply concerned with the life and unity of the Church as an institution, nor the unity required for it to be of service to the world. The unity we seek is the life and heart of God the Holy Trinity himself, which the Church exemplifies in his work of creation and redemption, reconciling all things to himself in Christ. In the past, human and ecclesiastical diversity had been understood more as something to be overcome, rather than a central component - and even possibly an engine - of unity. Nowadays, church leaders in almost all traditions see this diversity as not only essential to the life and experience of the Body of Christ as it discovers its underlying unity. It is also something in the nature of humanity and creation, which the Church's communio can embrace, sanctify and endow with renewed vitality. In the face of modern society's pluralism and diversity, ecumenical experts and Church leaders are faced with many of the questions that surrounded the movements of previous ages: whether the churches should accept their separation as different cultural or national expressions; whether it is enough to share similar thoughts, belief and intentions in proclaiming the Gospel and serving the world; whether separately organised denominations can claim to be one, as long as their structures are incompatible and their sacraments signify divergent beliefs and loyalties; whether jurisdiction and authority need to be of one accord in all the churches to effect unity; and whether it is possible to be one with other Christians and yet have very different views, traditions and expressions of faith.

The ecumenical movement, in so far as it has consistently returned to Catholic doctrinal and spiritual principles to move forward, points to the inescapable conclusion that all these questions are resolved in the unique gift of the Catholic Church, its communio.

This page will soon be updated to give a fuller account of the Catholic ecumenical movement in the late twentieth century and to the present day.

Those who, in the past in this country, have been part of the quest for authentic Catholic unity – Roman Catholics, Anglicans and others – may have emphasised their different loyalties and perspectives at various stages. But throughout, they have all pointed to the inevitability of unity in the Catholic faith, as it proceeds and develops, in communion with the successor of St Peter, as the authentic future for proclaiming the Gospel of Christ, for building a just and peaceful society, and for overcoming the sin and suffering which our separations have left us with. Within this, the Catholic League, from its Anglican roots to its modern ecumenical character, has had a proud history. The League's founders were involved in the promoting the Church Unity Octave, and popularising it among Anglicans. The League's founders were closely involved with those who made connections with the Abbé Fernand Portal and Cardinal Mercier for the Malines Conversations. The League's members invited the Abbé Paul Couturier to England in the 1930s to promote his vision of spiritual ecumenism and then pioneered the celebration of his renewed Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The League's members actively commended the great renewal of the Catholic Church in the Second Vatican Council as a gift to the whole Church and worked hard to extend its influence in England both in the Church of England and, with Roman Catholic friends, as a template for the ecumenical journey the Catholic community, as part of the entire 'Pilgrim Church', sees it is now making.

When Archbishop Michael Ramsey, following his predecessor Dr Geoffrey Fisher, visited Pope Paul at the Vatican, Catholic League members, and their counterparts in other ecumenical associations, hoped that the promise of Unity could be realised in a few years. Archbishop Ramsey had appointed the great scholar of St Francis, the Bishop of Ripon, Dr John Moorman, as the Anglican Church's representative at Vatican II. Momentous changes in Roman Catholicism seemed to call forth momentous responses from other Christian traditions. For the first time, the Roman Catholics recognised the Church of England as a beloved sister, the Pope gave the Archbishop his Episcopal Ring as an earnest of future communio and, within a short time after the conclusion of the Council, they both established the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission, acknowledging (as had the 17th century dialogue between Bishop Andrewes and Cardinal Bellarmine) that with so much in common, the work should concentrate not on the controversy of the past but in resolving differences for the sake of teaching the Gospel of Christ in the world of today with one accord. Its painstaking work is still in progress, as is that of a number of dialogues and conversations among many other Christian groups and traditions.

In 2001 the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission on Unity and Mission was set up co-ordinate regular meetings and collaboration between Anglican and Roman Catholic bishops on practical programmes for addressing the needs of the world and proclaiming the saving and reconciling work of the One God in its midst. It also serves as a means to bring in the insight and participation of Christians in other traditions as well. Both in ARCIC and IARCCUM can be recognised the mutual reliance of all Christians upon each other in the face of an increasingly secular world. There can also be discerned how much more can be achieved in the life of faith and in the Church's mission of service to the world, when Peter is called upon to 'strengthen his brothers'. Communio with and through his successor ensures this can grow.

In 2003, Cardinal Walter Kasper, prefect of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury, together with the Revd Elizabeth Welch, a past Moderator of the United Reformed Church, shared a platform at St Alban's Abbey, close to the site of Britain's first martyrdom when the Church was undivided. They spoke of their vision of unity for the next generation. All called for the recovery of the original guiding vision of spiritual ecumenism. While honestly facing the serious obstacles to unity that still exist between the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion and the Churches of the Reformation, Cardinal Kasper encouraged the irreversible journey to unity with these words, 'We are closer now than at any time since the sixteenth century.'

Pope Benedict XVI in 2005 has reaffirmed the call to Christian Unity enacted by Benedict XV at the height of the earlier Great War, mindful of how necessary it is on the path to the unity, peace, reconciliation and sanctification of all humanity. He continues the great work of Pope John Paul II before him, who lamented how the Catholic Church breathes on only one lung without the other Christians in full communion. Although he said this of the Eastern Churches, it holds true of all the Christian communions and traditions. Pope John Paul was even prepared to relinquish historic claims to jurisdiction over other Christians, in the interest of seeking above all communion with them, and humbly asked them to tell him how he could exercise the office of successor of St Peter to serve, assist and strengthen them. For, of all the gifts that faith, tradition, culture and spirituality bring that one group of followers of Jesus Christ can bring to each other, the greatest is the gift of communion.

Thus in his first address on becoming Pope, Benedict XVI said this: ‘in full awareness and at the beginning of his ministry in the Church of Rome that Peter bathed with his blood, the current Successor assumes as his primary commitment that of working tirelessly towards the reconstitution of the full and visible unity of all Christ's followers. This is his ambition, this is his compelling duty.’