A Universal Ministry of Unity: Prospects and Problems in Roman Catholic-Orthodox Dialogue

Abstract

This study commences with the invitation made by Pope John Paul II for Churches and theologians to engage with him in a patient and fraternal dialogue on the ministry of unity which he exercises within the new situation in which the Church lives. In particular the study considers the prospects and problems for the reception of a universal ministry of unity in the Roman Catholic-Orthodox theological dialogue. The study contends that uncovering the prospects and problems for the reception of a universal ministry of unity is essentially a hermeneutical task. The study develops a hermeneutical framework through which to evaluate the prospects and problems for reception. The framework developed for the study both extends and offers a critique of the framework proposed by the Faith and Order Commission (Faith and Order paper 182) for reception of statements from ecumenical dialogues, by adding elements which are suited to the Roman Catholic-Orthodox dialogue. Elements are added to the Faith and Order framework from the work of Ormond Rush and another element contributed by the author of the resent study. The concept ‘universal ministry of unity’ is regarded as a symbol or text whose meaning is not yet fully disclosed to either dialogue partner. This text or symbol carries with it meanings from the context in which it emerged and has been interpreted through the lens of the worlds of meaning separately inhabited by Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches and now together through the dialogues.