08 july 2013 ecumenism

YEAR OF FAITHPOPE BENEDICT XV1 IN HIS APOSTOLIC LETTER

“PORTA FIDEI” THE YEAR OF FAITH – OCT 11, 2012 TO NOV 24, 2013

A RENEWED CONVERSION TO THE LORD JESUS AND

THE REDISCOVERY OF FAITH

WHAT THE CATHOLICS SHOULD KNOW -1

APOSTLES CREEDMARIOLOGY 1 & 2SACRAMENTSWORKS OF MERCYTHE BEATITUDESMISSION, PRECEPTS OF THE CHURCH & MARKS OF THE CHURCH

WHAT THE CATHOLICS SHOULD KNOW-2

SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE –JESUS CHRISTECUMENISMTEN COMMANDMENTSGIFTS AND FRUITS OF THE HOLY SPIRITTHEOLOGICAL AND CARDINAL VIRTUESTHE EUCHARIST

JESUS CHRIST, THE LORD

WITH MANY EYES AND FACES

*

HE DIED ON THE CROSS

TO REDEEM MANKIND FROM SIN

KNOWLEDGE OF ECUMENISMOUTLINE

DEFINITIONOBJECTIVES

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCHDEVELOPMENT OF THE CHURCH

VATICAN IIORTHODOX CHURCHANGLICAN CHURCH

PROTESTANTSPRAYER FOR UNITY

ECUMENISM“ THE MOVEMENT OF CHRISTIANS AND THEIR

CHURCHES TOWARD THE UNITY WILLED BY CHRIST”

( Catholic Word Book, Knights of Columbus)

VATICAN II CALLED THE MOVEMENT:

“ THOSE ACTIVITIES AND ENTERPRISES WHICH, ACCORDING TO VARIOUS NEEDS OF THE CHURCH AND OPPORTUNE OCCASIONS, ARE STARTED AND ORGANIZED FOR THE FOSTERING OF UNITY AMONG CHRISTIANS” (Decree on Ecumenism, No. 4)

PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR THE PROMOTION OF CHRISTIAN UNITY

ECUMENICAL INITIATIVES AIMED AT:

“RESTORATION OF UNITY AMONG ALL CHRISTIANS”

ALL OF THE BAPTIZED WILL REAFFIRM THEIR FAITH IN CHRIST

COMMUNICATE EXPERIENCES OF FAITH AND CHARITY TO THEIR BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF OTHER RELIGIONS

THE LORD’S PRAYER

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC AND APOSTOLIC CHURCH, FOUNDED BY CHRIST HIMSELF

ECUMENISM TAKES AS STARTING POINT THAT CHRIST FOUNDED JUST ONE CHURCH –THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

STUDY & DIALOGUE WITH OTHER CHRISTIAN CHURCHES THE ORTHODOX AND THE PROTESTANTS, TO BE REUNITED WITH ONE CHURCH

PURSUIT OF UNITY HAS BEEN SINCE THE BEGINNING EVEN BEFORE VATICAN II THE PRINCIPAL OF THE CHURCH

THE VATICAN – THE HOLY SEE

VATICAN II ON ECUMENISM RENEWAL FROM WITHIN AS A “GENTLE INVITATION

TO SEEK AND FIND THAT UNITY FOR WHICH JESUS CHRIST PRAYED FOR THOSE SEPARATED FROM THE HOLY SEE”

AGREEMENTS ON BAPTISM,MINISTRY AND EUCHARIST ACHIEVED WITH ANGLICANS

RECONCILIATION WITH THE ORTHODOX CHURCHES REALIZABLE - DIFFERENCES ARE NOT GREAT

“CHRISTIANS MAYBE ENCOURAGED TO SHARE IN SPIRITUAL ACTIVITIES AND RESOURCES AND HERITAGE COMMON IN A MANNER AND TO A DEGREE APPROPRIATE IN THEIR PRESENT DIVIDED STATE”

THE 1983 CANON LAW ALLOWS THE SHARING IN THE SACRAMENTS WITH OTHER SYSTEMS OF BELIEF

RELATIONS WITH ORTHODOX CHURCHESTHE CATHOLIC CHURCH RECOGNIZES ALL OF THE

ECUMENICAL OR GENERAL COUNCILS FROM NICAEA I (325 AD) TO VATICAN II(1962 -1965)

THE ORTHODOX ACCEPTS ONLY THE FIRST SEVEN ( NICENE CREED COMPLETED ON THE 7TH )

DIFFERENCES ARE ON TERMINOLOGY NOT ON SUBSTANCE

BOTH RECOGNIZES THE LEGITIMACY AND RIGHTNESS OF EXPRESSIONS OF FAITH AND RESPECTS PREFERENCE OF LITURGICAL LIFE AND PIETY

RECONCILIATION WITH THE ORTHODOX CHURCHES APPEAR TO BE OF GREATER POSSIBILITY.

KING CONSTANTINE AND THE NICENE CREED PAINTING

ICON DEPICTING THE EMPEROR CONSTANTINE (CENTRE) AND THE BISHOPS OF THE FIRST COUNCIL OF NICAEA (325) HOLDING THE NICENO–CONSTANTINOPOLITAN CREED OF 381.

REGIONAL DISTRIBUTION

Division between the Eastern and Western Churches in in EuropeAtlas of the Historical Geography of the Holy Land

DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHURCH

RELATIONS WITH THE ANGLICAN CHURCHES

HOSTILITIES E BY THE ROYAL SUPREMACY OF KING HENRY VIII- (

C EMANCIPATION RELIEVED TENSIONS DURING THE ELIZABETHAN ERA

POPE LEOXIII DECLARED THE ANGLICAN ORDERS ON APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION AS NULL AND VOID. REAFFIRMED BY CARDINAL RATZINGER, IN 1998 ASSERTING THE INFALLIBLE TEACHING OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.

TTEMPTS AT DIALOGUE BEGAN IN 1915 UNTIL IT COLLAPSE IN 1925. BOTH CHURCHES CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR UNITY

AFTER VATICAN II ARE ENCOURAGING. ANGLICAN BISHOP LED A DELEGATION AS OBSERVERS IN VATICAN II AND ARCHBISHOP OFFICILLY VISIT POPE PAUL VI

IN OCT 2009 POPE BENEDICT XVI INTENDED TO CREATE A STRUCTURE FOR ANGLICANS ENTERING INTO FULL COMMUNION WITH THE HOLY SEE.

PROTESTANTS USING MARTIN LUTHER’S BIBLE

Martin Luther/s 1534 Bible

RELATIONS WITH PROTESTANTSTHE DIALOGUE WITH LUTHERIAN CHURCHES RESULTED TO

THE “JOINT DECLARATION ON THE DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION” IN 1999

THE WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES PUBLISHED THE DOCUMENTS ON BAPTISM , EUCHARIST AND MINISTRY IN 1082

THE AIM OF THE DOCUMENTS WAS TO SEEK COMMON GROUNDBETWEEN VARIOUS TRADITIONSCONCERNING BAPTISM, EUCHARIST AND HOLY ORDERS

CHURCHES WERE INVITED TO ANALYZE THE ECUMENICAL IMPLICATIONS FOR CHURCHES AT A FUTURE WORLD CONFERENCEON FAITH AND ORDER

THUS THINGS LOOK OPTIMISTIC OF UNITY.

PRAYER FOR UNITYROMAN CATHOLIC PERSPECTIVE ON ECUMENISM ARE DEPICTED IN

“UNITATIS REDEINTEGRATIO(}UR) AND INPOPE JOHN PAUL II ENCYCLICAL “UT UNNUM SINT’(UUS), VIZ:

“--- THERE CAN BE NO ECUMENISM WORTHY OF THE NAME WITHOUT THE CHANGE OF HEART”

• “--- PRAY TO THE HOLY SPIRIT FOR GRACE TO BE GENUINELY SELF-DENYING, HUMBLE , GENTLE IN THE SERVICE OF OTHERS, AND TO HAVE AN ATTITUDE OF BROTHERLY GENEROSITY TOWARDS THEM”

IN AN ECUMENICAL DIALOGUE, THEOLOGIANS “MUST PROCEED WITH LOVE FOR THE TRUTH, WITH CHARITY , AND WITH HUMILITY”

WHEN THE OBSTACLES HAVE BEEN OVERCOME, ALL CHRISTIANS WILL AT LAST, IN COMMON CELEBRATION OF THE EUCHARIST, BE GATHERED IN

ONE AND ONLY CHURCH IN UNITY WITH CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH.

U N I T Y

CAN BE ACHIEVED THROUGH THE EMPHASIS OF COMMON BELIEFS VIZ:

JESUS CHRISTHOLY TRINITYRESURRECTIONCHRISTIAN LOVE