Communion ecclesiology in theological ecumenism

Abstract

A major issue over which the churches and their theologians differ concerns the nature of the Church. At present, in fact, some people speak of a crisis or what is called the "current wintry climate of ecumenism," especially in the light of the recent statement entitled Responses to Some Questions Regarding Certain Aspects of the Doctrine on the Church published by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (henceforth CDF) on June 29, 2007, the Solemnity of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. Given that this statement would appear to call into question much of the contemporary consensus regarding what the Second Vatican Council taught, these people feel disappointed, wounded and hurt by the content, tone and style of this document, similar to that of Dominus Jesus (2000). Even so, some others insist that this document intends to emphasize the continuity-in-development of the Council's doctrine with the teaching that preceded it and the historically continuous subsistence of the Church of Christ in the Catholic Church.