Another Look: the Catholic Ecumenical Directory
Thomas Ryan, CSP
Anniversaries provide us with an occasion to look back in gratitude for the richness lived and to rededicate ourselves to carrying forward the vision that inspired us at the outset. Fifteen years ago, on March 23, 2008, the Catholic Church’s Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms on Ecumenism (ED) was authorized by Pope John Paul II for use throughout the Church.
One of the most striking features of the Directory is that it left no stone unturned in drawing our attention to the ecumenical dimension of everything we do in the life of the Church. It remains noteworthy today for its impressive integration of theology with pastoral application. No other ecclesial community has produced anything like it.
The Directory begins by establishing the doctrinal basis and principles for the Catholic Church’s commitment to and involvement in the ecumenical movement. At the heart of it is an ecclesiology of communion or koinonia which characterized the teachings of Vatican II and to which recent teaching of the magisterium has given great importance: the Church is a Communion of communions.
Awareness of the real yet imperfect communion existing between the Catholic Church and other churches and ecclesial communities is essential for understanding the nature of the undertaking. It is not motivated by the logic of “If…then”, as in, “If we agree, then we shall be one in Christ.”
Rather, ecumenism, like the gospel, is rooted in a logic of “Because…therefore,” as in, “Because we are one in Christ, therefore we are called and empowered to seek common mind in those areas where we have disagreed.”
The Directory presents four basic points with respect to the application of this principle. The first is that the Church of Christ subsists in the Catholic Church governed by the successor of Peter and by the bishops in union with him.
The second principle is that the communion of Christians has never been destroyed despite the divisions that have intervened because of “human folly and sinfulness.” In fact, “Other Churches and ecclesial Communities, though not in full communion with the Catholic Church, retain in reality a certain communion with it” (ED 18).
Third, this communion is differentiated. A general affirmation is made of all churches that the Spirit of Christ has used them “as the means of salvation” for their members. The Catholic Church recognized that “some, even very many, of the most significant elements and endowments which go together to build up and give life to the church itself can exist outside the visible boundaries of the Catholic Church” (ED18). However, the churches and ecclesial communities have retained these elements and endowments in varying degrees, and so their degree of communion with the Catholic Church is not the same in every case but differentiated.
Fourth, no Christian should be satisfied with these partial forms of communion. They do not respond to the will of Christ, and weaken his church in the exercise of its mission.
In Chapter II of the Directory, the rubber hits the road as it indicates ways that Catholic organizations across the board—from diocesan ecumenical commissions to religious orders to organizations of Catholic faithful--should be actively engaged in promoting Christian unity.
In short, the Directory wants to involve in the ecumenical task persons and structures at all levels of the church’s life—those engaged in work for spiritual renewal (retreat centers); those involved in action for peace and social justice; those working for economic aid and development.
Chapter III deals with ecumenical formation and deals with all the components of the church: the faithful in general, those directly engaged in pastoral work, Catholic universities and faculty.
Chapter IV deals with spiritual ecumenism and encourages Christians to share spiritual activities and resources through prayer in common, participation in liturgical worship to the extent permitted, and common use of places of worship and all necessary objects for worship. The sharing of churches and church buildings—including in certain circumstances, common ownership—is strong recommended, which also speaks of cooperation at the spiritual level in Catholic schools, hospitals, and homes for the aged.
Chapter V encourages ecumenical cooperation, dialogue, and common witness. It examines the possibility of cooperation in social and cultural life, of the common study of social and ethical questions, of collaboration in the stewardship of creation, the medical field and the means of mass communication.
The document’s underlying conviction is that everybody has a contribution to make, and its corresponding question is: What’s yours?
In revisiting this valuable resource 15 years later, it is hard to escape the conclusion that its contents are too little known and its potential is largely untapped. But isn’t that the grace of anniversaries? We drink again from the pools of our original inspiration.
Thomas Ryan, CSP, directs the Paulist North American Office for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations in Washington, D.C.
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