Ut Unum Sint and Catholic Involvement in Ecumenism

Ecumenical Review, The, April, 2000 by William Henn

   Intolerant polemics and controversies have made incompatible assertions out
   of what was really the result of two different ways of looking at the same
   reality. Nowadays we need to find the formula which, by capturing the
   reality in its entirety, will enable us to move beyond partial readings and
   eliminate false interpretations (para. 38).

Other important affirmations which qualify this insistence on unity in the whole truth include the fact that the truth should never be imposed on anyone (para. 3), that there is a "hierarchy of truths" (para. 39, citing Unitatis Redintegratio, para. 11) and that, as Pope John XXIII noted, "the deposit of the faith" may be distinguished from "the formulation in which it is expressed" (para. 81). Finally, in a paragraph devoted precisely to the demanding nature of unity in faith, John Paul points out that ecumenical dialogues have already uncovered "a certain fundamental doctrinal unity" which makes one hopeful about future progress:

   From this basic but partial unity it is now necessary to advance towards
   the visible unity which is required and sufficient and which is manifested
   in a real and concrete way, so that the churches may truly become a sign of
   that full communion in the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church which
   will be expressed in the common celebration of the eucharist. The journey
   towards the necessary and sufficient visible unity, in the communion of the
   one church willed by Christ, continues to require patient and courageous
   efforts. In this process, one must not impose any burden beyond that which
   is strictly necessary (cf. Acts 15:28) (para. 78).

The suggestion that it could be possible to "demand too much" as the basis for unity is quite tantalizing. How is one to discern what is "required and sufficient"? The paragraphs devoted to the reception of the results of dialogue (paras 80-81) suggest that this will entail a process involving the whole people of God, with distinctive contributions by theologians and by the ordained ministers who exercise the church's teaching authority. In the end, dialogue is seen as a process of humble search for the truth, open to appreciating the doctrines and formulations presented by one's partners and to scrutinizing critically one's own doctrinal formulations (para. 36).

   Precisely because the search for full unity requires believers to question
   one another in relation to their faith in the one Lord, prayer is the
   source of enlightenment concerning the truth which has to be accepted in
   its entirety (para. 70).

Chapter III: The ministry of the bishop of Rome

The (Latin) title of chapter III takes the form of a question: How great is the path which lies before us? We have already discussed to some degree two of the principal themes of this chapter: ecumenical dialogue and its reception, and the need to reform after the example of the saints and martyrs of our various communities. Here I will concentrate on the third: the proposal that a unique "petrine" ministry in service to universal communion is part of Christ's will for the church.