Some reflections on the Ecumenical movement : 25 years after John Paul II’s encyclical letter Ut unum sint

Abstract

The ministry of John Paul II at the see of Peter coincided with a decisive period for the reception and application of the Second Vatican Council, including the confirmation of the commitment of the Roman Catholic Church to the Ecumenical Movement. Fifteen years after the death of the Slav Pope, a prudential span of time has passed enabling us to evaluate his legacy with greater perspective and perceive the effects left on the life of the Church. In view of this, it would be necessary to review his gestures, teachings and ecumenical decisions, without neglecting other gestures, teachings and decisions that, if at first glance seem internal to the Catholic Church, have nevertheless exerted their influence in the ecumenical sphere. This is a clear sign that Churches and ecclesial communities can no longer claim to live in confessional isolation, even less if they have committed themselves to travel the joint path towards full unity. Just as the work of a pontiff can normally be evaluated, the same can be done with the Ecumenical Movement. The difference is that, being an ongoing reality, all evaluation is limited; it can pretend to be global or limited to a particular aspect or scope;

it focuses on a given moment, tests a diagnosis and, with the elements it acquires, outlines proposals for the future. And, in our case, it should not be forgotten that the Catholic Church does not exhaust the reality of the ‘only ecumenical movement,’ nor does it determine its work alone, since it forms part of a movement common to all Christians. [excerpt]