It was a "true miracle," he said, that so many non-Catholic Christian churches had asked their members to pray for the Council, in contrast to the atmosphere that prevailed at the time of the First Vatican Council. "
Prof. Oscar Cullmann, from the Universities of Basel and Paris, who was a guest of the Secretariat for Christian Unity, gave an extensive press conference at the end of the first six weeks of the first session, to explain his reactions and the from other guests and observers. He said that they had received all the conciliar texts, could attend all the General Congregations, make their opinions known in special weekly meetings of the Secretariat, and that they had personal contact with the Council Fathers, the periti, and other relevant personalities of Rome. The activities of the Secretariat for Christian Unity, he said, "reveal to us daily to what extent its existence serves to bring us closer."
Prof. Cullmann pointed out that wrong conclusions were being drawn from the presence of observers and delegates at the Council. He received letters from both Catholics and Protestants, who seemed to think that the purpose of the Council was to bring about union between Catholics and other Christian Churches. That, however, was not the immediate purpose of the Council, he said, and he feared that many people would be disappointed when, after the Council ended, they found that their churches were still different.
Among the ecumenical achievements of the Council, Prof. Cullmann mentioned in the first place the existence of the Secretariat for Christian Unity: “If it continues to maintain full respect for the other churches, and working with the“ sincere ecumenical spirit ”that now characterizes their actions and attitudes, their existence can be rightly considered as extremely important for the future of ecumenism ”. Another achievement was the presence of observers and guests in the council hall. “Every morning I am more in awe of the way we are really part of the Council,” he said.
In preparation for the General Congregations, the observers studied the diagrams that had been distributed to them. “We write them down, we compare them with the Bible, and we check them against the writings of the Church Fathers and the decisions of previous Councils.
Our reactions to the schemes that we have been taught so far have obviously been very varied: some we like, others we don't; some really excite us, others we find disappointing ”.
Prof. Cullmann pointed out that any future Vatican Council II historian would refer to the "ecumenical importance" of the cafeteria installed for all members of the Council. “It not only refreshes us, but it also allows us to meet with bishops from around the world in a way that would otherwise be impossible ... And if the dialogue continues on both sides in the spirit that has animated us up to now, it will be in itself an element of unity capable of showing itself even more fruitful ”.
The experiment worked so well during the first session that it continued throughout the Council. When Pope Paul, at the beginning of the second session, received the observers and guests in audience, Card. Bea was able to announce that their number had increased from forty-nine to sixty-six, and that the number of churches and communities they represented had grown from seventeen to twenty-two.
Dr. Kristen Skydsgaard, observer-delegate of the Lutheran World Federation, addressed the Pope in French on behalf of all the observers and guests present, and expressed his "deep gratitude for renewing the invitation to this second session of the Council." They were all reassured to know that Pope Paul did not share the childishly optimistic or superficial ecumenism based on the idea "that the visible unity of Christians can be achieved quickly." He hoped that the light emanating from a practical and historical theology, "that is, a theology nourished by the Bible and by the teaching of the Fathers, would shine more and more in the work of this Council."I also speak of a new ecumenical spirit that was manifesting itself at the Council.
"We meet together at the beginning of a path whose end only God knows." (Now we know, the protest of the church) In response, Pope Paul spoke of "our desire to receive you not only on the threshold of our home, but in the depths of our hearts." After thanking the observers and guests who accepted the invitation to attend the second session, he asked them to be sure of “our respect, our esteem, our desire to have with you, in Our Lord, the best possible relationships.
Our attitude does not hide any pitfalls, nor does it pretend to minimize the difficulties that stand in the way of a complete final understanding. We fear neither the delicate nature of the discussion nor the pain of waiting ” . As for the history of the separation, he preferred to focus his attention “not on what was, but on what should be. We are heading towards a new being that is being born, towards a dream to be realized ”.
The following day, October 18, Card. Bea hosted a reception for observers and guests. Addressing them in French, I invite them to be critical, reminding them of Pope Paul's words to the Roman Curia just a few weeks earlier: “We must welcome criticism with humility, thoughtfulness, and even gratitude.
Rome does not need to defend itself by turning a deaf ear to the suggestions of honest voices, especially if the voices are from friends and brothers ”. Card. Bea assured the observers and guests that their positive reviews, suggestions and wishes would be greatly appreciated.
Archpriest Vitali Borovoy, observer-delegate of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Georgian Orthodox Church (Caucasus), replied in Russian on behalf of the observers and guests gathered there. “The whole history of Christianity in our age”, he said, “is the history of the action of the Holy Spirit in us and in our churches, calling us to unity and helping us to understand the necessity and urgency of this task (...) . We are always ready to help our fellow Catholics in anything that can contribute to harmony and unity among all Christians, so that, with a single language and a single heart, together we glorify the Holy Spirit ”.
Six weeks later, he had an opportunity to show how willing he was to contribute to "harmony and unity" when he was notified by telephone from Moscow to leave Rome immediately in protest of a special religious service announced by the Vatican in honor of Saint Jehoshaphat. This Catholic saint, martyred in 1623 in Vitebsk (Poland, now Russia), was considered by the Russian Orthodox Church responsible for the martyrdom of the Orthodox saints, and Archpriest Borovoy was ordered to lead a religious service in Geneva in honor of these while the religious service in Rome was taking place. Archbishop Borovoy explained, however, that the order placed him in a dilemma, given that on the same Monday, November 25, Card. Spellman was to preside over a Requiem service in the Basilica of St. John Lateran for the recently assassinated President John E Kennedy. His departure to Geneva before then would not only worsen ecumenical relations rather than improve them, but it could also be expected that the press would interpret his departure as an excuse not to participate in the Requiem service. His ecclesiastical leaders in Moscow then withdrew the order.
The leader of the Anglican delegation, Bishop John Moorman of Ripon, Great Britain, had the deference to share with me his personal views on primacy and collegiality. For 400 years, he said, the Anglican Church had lived separate from the Roman See, "and during that time the claims of the Pope had increased, especially with the decree of infallibility of 1870."However, if unity among Christians was to be realized one day, "there will be a central head of the Church, and that head will undoubtedly be the Bishop of Rome." He believed that the entire Anglican communion “would prepare to accept the fact of the papacy, even if they found great difficulties in recognizing the bases on which the primacy rests”, since historically and exegetically “the words of Our Lord to Saint Peter have been taken too far ”. The Catholic Church would be greatly strengthened "if the principle of the collegiality of bishops were accepted, and some method were established by which representative bishops of the entire world could form a permanent council with the Pope." That, he said, "would improve the current system of a primarily Italian Curia."
The observers and guests were particularly interested in the outline on ecumenism, the study of which had begun at the LXIX General Congregation on November 18. It only consisted of three chapters, and was presented to the assembly by Archbishop Joseph Martin, of Rouen (France), a member of the Secretariat for Christian Unity of Card. Bea. I explain that the outline was intended to be a pastoral document to instruct Catholics and help them understand the meaning and purpose of the ecumenical movement and its providential role in the Church. Spanish Cardinal Arriba y Castro said that promoting dialogue, as was the intention of the scheme, could be dangerous “for the faith of our Catholics, especially those of inferior status, who are often not prepared to respond to the arguments presented by experts. of the various sects or confessions ”.
There was innumerable evidence, he said, that Protestant proselytism was on the rise. Therefore, he asked the Council Fathers "to include in the scheme a petition addressed to the separated brothers to refrain from any proselytizing among Catholics, so that the faith of our people is not obscured by confusion."
Card. Bea admitted in the conciliar hall that indifferentism and doubts of faith could occur if ecumenical questions were dealt with by those whose good faith was not balanced by knowledge and prudence. The remedy was not to avoid all ecumenical efforts, he said, but rather to carry them out under the direction of the appropriate bishop. "It is our intention to publish an ecumenical directory," he explained, "but the norms and principles promulgated by the Holy See will have to be adapted to local circumstances by the bishops themselves." Card. Bea recalled that the Instruction promulgated by the Holy Office in 1949 required that those who engaged in dialogue be well versed in theology and follow the norms dictated by the Church.
Archbishop Heenan said that the hierarchy of England and Wales was ready "to do anything but deny the faith" in order to obtain Christian unity: "We wish for deeper and more frequent dialogues with all Christian denominations."
Auxiliary Bishop Stephen Leven, of San Antonio (Texas), told the assembly on November 26: "It is becoming more evident every day that we need dialogue, not only with Protestants, but also among us bishops." Some Council Fathers, he said, "preach and rebuke us as if we were against Peter and his successors, or as if we wanted to uproot the faith of our flock and promote indifferentism." Those bishops “prefer to censor non-Catholics, whom they may never have seen, rather than instruct the children of their parishes. Otherwise, why are they so afraid that the effects of ecumenism will not be good? Why are his faithful not better educated? Why don't they visit people in their homes? Why is there not an active and industrious catechism school in your parishes?
Bishop Leven concluded in a most solemn tone: “I beg you, venerable Council Fathers, to put an end to the scandal of mutual recrimination. Let us proceed in an orderly manner to the examination and study of this providential movement called ecumenism, so that with patience and humility we can achieve that unity for which Christ Our Lord prayed at the Last Supper ”.
No voting took place during the eleven days of discussion of the scheme on ecumenism. But with the numerous interventions carried out as a basis, the Secretariat for Christian Unity prepared a review; the revised text would be presented to the Council at its third session.
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