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We are writing this Press Release to help clarify the reception of Fiducia supplicans, while recommending at the same time a full and calm reading of the Declaration so as to better understand its meaning and purpose.

1. Doctrine 

The understandable statements of some Episcopal Conferences regarding the document Fiducia supplicans have the value of highlighting the need for a more extended period of pastoral reflection. What is expressed by these Episcopal Conferences cannot be interpreted as doctrinal opposition, because the document is clear and definitive about marriage and sexuality. There are several indisputable phrases in the Declaration that leave this in no doubt:

“This Declaration remains firm on the traditional doctrine of the Church about marriage, not allowing any type of liturgical rite or blessing similar to a liturgical rite that can create confusion». One acts in these situations of couples in irregular situations “without officially validating their status or changing in any way the Church’s perennial teaching on marriage” (Presentation).

“Therefore, rites and prayers that could create confusion between what constitutes marriage – which is the “exclusive, stable, and indissoluble union between a man and a woman, naturally open to the generation of children” – and what contradicts it are inadmissible. This conviction is grounded in the perennial Catholic doctrine of marriage; it is only in this context that sexual relations find their natural, proper, and fully human meaning. The Church’s doctrine on this point remains firm” (4).

“Such is also the meaning of the Responsum of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which states that the Church does not have the power to impart blessings on unions of persons of the same sex” (5).

“For this reason, since the Church has always considered only those sexual relations that are lived out within marriage to be morally licit, the Church does not have the power to confer its liturgical blessing when that would somehow offer a form of moral legitimacy to a union that presumes to be a marriage or to an extra-marital sexual practice” (11).

Evidently, there is no room to distance ourselves doctrinally from this Declaration or to consider it heretical, contrary to the Tradition of the Church or blasphemous.

2. Practical reception 

Some Bishops, however, express themselves in particular regarding a practical aspect: the possible blessings of couples in irregular situations. The Declaration contains a proposal for short and simple pastoral blessings (neither liturgical nor ritualised) of couples in irregular situations (but not of their unions), underlining that these are blessings without a liturgical format which neither approve nor justify the situation in which these people find themselves.

Documents of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith such as Fiducia supplicans, in their practical aspects, may require more or less time for their application depending on local contexts and the discernment of each diocesan Bishop with his Diocese. In some places no difficulties arise for their immediate application, while in others it will be necessary not to introduce them, while taking the time necessary for reading and interpretation.

Some Bishops, for example, have established that each priest must carry out the work of discernment and that he may, however, perform these blessings only in private. None of this is problematic if it is expressed with due respect for a text signed and approved by the Supreme Pontiff himself, while attempting in some way to accommodate the reflection contained in it.

Each local Bishop, by virtue of his own ministry, always has the power of discernment in loco, that is, in that concrete place that he knows better than others precisely because it is his own flock. Prudence and attention to the ecclesial context and to the local culture could allow for different methods of application, but not a total or definitive denial of this path that is proposed to priests.

3. The delicate situation of some countries 

The cases of some Episcopal Conferences must be understood in their contexts. In several countries there are strong cultural and even legal issues that require time and pastoral strategies that go beyond the short term.

If there are laws that condemn the mere act of declaring oneself as a homosexual with prison and in some cases with torture and even death, it goes without saying that a blessing would be imprudent. It is clear that the Bishops do not wish to expose homosexual persons to violence. It remains vital that these Episcopal Conferences do not support a doctrine different from that of the Declaration signed by the Pope, given that it is perennial doctrine, but rather that they recommend the need for study and discernment so as to act with pastoral prudence in such a context.

In truth, there are not a few countries that, to varying degrees, condemn, prohibit and criminalize homosexuality. In these cases, apart from the question of blessings, there exists a great and wide-ranging pastoral responsibility that includes training, the defense of human dignity, the teaching of the Social Doctrine of the Church and various strategies that do not admit of a rushed response.

4. The real novelty of the document 

The real novelty of this Declaration, the one that requires a generous effort of reception and from which no one should declare themselves excluded, is not the possibility of blessing couples in irregular situations. It is the invitation to distinguish between two different forms of blessings: “liturgical or ritualized” and “spontaneous or pastoral”. The Presentation clearly explains that “the value of this document […] is that it offers a specific and innovative contribution to the pastoral meaning of blessings, permitting a broadening and enrichment of the classical understanding of blessings, which is closely linked to a liturgical perspective”. This “theological reflection, based on the pastoral vision of Pope Francis, implies a real development from what has been said about blessings in the Magisterium and the official texts of the Church”.

In the background is found the positive evaluation of “popular pastoral care” which appears in many of the Holy Father’s texts. In this context, the Holy Father invites us to value the simple faith of the People of God who, even in the midst of their sins, emerge from their everyday lives and open their hearts to ask for God’s help.

For this reason, rather than the blessing of couples in irregular unions, the text of the Dicastery has adopted the other profile of a “Declaration”, which is much more than a responsum or a letter. The central theme, which invites us especially to a deeper pastoral practice which enriches our pastoral praxis, is to have a broader understanding of blessings and of the proposal that these pastoral blessings, which do not require the same conditions as blessings in a liturgical or ritual context, flourish. Consequently, leaving polemics aside, the text requires an effort to reflect serenely, with the heart of shepherds, free from all ideology.

Although some Bishops consider it prudent not to impart these blessings for the moment, we all need to grow equally in the conviction that: non-ritualized blessings are not a consecration of the person nor of the couple who receives them, they are not a justification of all their actions, and they are not an endorsement of the life that they lead. When the Pope asked us to grow in a broader understanding of pastoral blessings, he proposed that we think of a way of blessing that does not require the placing of so many conditions to carry out this simple gesture of pastoral closeness, which is a means of promoting openness to God in the midst of the most diverse circumstances.

5. How do these “pastoral blessings” present themselves in concrete terms? 

To be clearly distinguished from liturgical or ritualized blessings, “pastoral blessings” must above all be very short (see n. 38). These are blessings lasting a few seconds, without an approved ritual and without a book of blessings. If two people approach together to seek the blessing, one simply asks the Lord for peace, health and other good things for these two people who request it. At the same time, one asks that they may live the Gospel of Christ in full fidelity and so that the Holy Spirit can free these two people from everything that does not correspond to his divine will and from everything that requires purification.

This non-ritualized form of blessing, with the simplicity and brevity of its form, does not intend to justify anything that is not morally acceptable. Obviously it is not a marriage, but equally it is not an “approval” or ratification of anything either. It is solely the response of a pastor towards two persons who ask for God’s help. Therefore, in this case, the pastor does not impose conditions and does not enquire about the intimate lives of these people.

Since some have raised the question of what these blessings might look like, let us look at a concrete example: let us imagine that among a large number making a pilgrimage a couple of divorced people, now in a new union, say to the priest: “Please give us a blessing, we cannot find work, he is very ill, we do not have a home and life is becoming very difficult: may God help us!”.

In this case, the priest can recite a simple prayer like this: “Lord, look at these children of yours, grant them health, work, peace and mutual help. Free them from everything that contradicts your Gospel and allow them to live according to your will. Amen“. Then it concludes with the sign of the cross on each of the two persons. 

We are talking about something that lasts about 10 or 15 seconds. Does it make sense to deny these kinds of blessings to these two people who ask for them? Is it not more appropriate to support their faith, whether it be small or great, to assist them in their weaknesses with a divine blessing, and to channel that openness to transcendence which could lead them to be more faithful to the Gospel?

In order to avoid any doubt, the Declaration adds that, when the blessing is requested by a couple in an irregular situation, «even though it is expressed outside the rites prescribed by the liturgical books, this blessing should never be imparted in concurrence with the ceremonies of a civil union, and not even in connection with them. Nor can it be performed with any clothing, gestures, or words that are proper to a wedding. The same applies when the blessing is requested by a same-sex couple» (n. 39). It remains clear, therefore, that the blessing must not take place in a prominent place within a sacred building, or in front of an altar, as this also would create confusion.

For this reason, every Bishop in his Diocese is authorized by the Declaration Fiducia supplicans to make this type of simple blessing available, bearing in mind the need for prudence and care, but in no way is he authorized to propose or make blessings available that may resemble a liturgical rite.

6. Catechesis 

In some places, perhaps, some catechesis will be necessary that can help everyone to understand that these types of blessings are not an endorsement of the life led by those who request them. Even less are they an absolution, as these gestures are far from being a sacrament or a rite. They are simple expressions of pastoral closeness that do not impose the same requirements as a sacrament or a formal rite. We will all have to become accustomed to accepting the fact that, if a priest gives this type of simple blessings, he is not a heretic, he is not ratifying anything nor is he denying Catholic doctrine.

We can help God’s People to discover that these kinds of blessings are just simple pastoral channels that help people give expression to their faith, even if they are great sinners. For this reason, in giving a blessing to two people who come together to ask for it spontaneously, we are not consecrating them nor are we congratulating them nor indeed are we approving that type of union. In reality the same happens when individuals are blessed, as the individual who asks for a blessing – not absolution could be a great sinner, but this does not mean we deny him this paternal gesture in the midst of his struggle to survive.

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If this is clarified as a result of good catechesis, we can free ourselves from the fear that these blessings of ours may express something inadequate. We can be freer and perhaps closer and more fruitful ministers, with a ministry that is full of gestures of fatherhood and hospitality, without fear of being misunderstood.

We ask the newly-born Lord to shower a generous and gracious blessing upon everyone so that we can live a holy and happy 2024.

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Fiducia Supplicans

On the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings

Presentation

This Declaration considers several questions that have come to this Dicastery in recent years. In preparing the document, the Dicastery, as is its practice, consulted experts, undertook a careful drafting process, and discussed the text in the Congress of the Doctrinal Section of the Dicastery. During that time, the document was discussed with the Holy Father. Finally, the text of the Declaration was submitted to the Holy Father for his review, and he approved it with his signature.

While the subject matter of this document was being studied, the Holy Father’s response to the Dubia of some Cardinals was made known. That response provided important clarifications for this reflection and represents a decisive element for the work of the Dicastery. Since “the Roman Curia is primarily an instrument at the service of the successor of Peter” (Ap. Const. Praedicate Evangelium, II, 1), our work must foster, along with an understanding of the Church’s perennial doctrine, the reception of the Holy Father’s teaching.

As with the Holy Father’s above-mentioned response to the Dubia of two Cardinals, this Declaration remains firm on the traditional doctrine of the Church about marriage, not allowing any type of liturgical rite or blessing similar to a liturgical rite that can create confusion. The value of this document, however, is that it offers a specific and innovative contribution to the pastoral meaning of blessings, permitting a broadening and enrichment of the classical understanding of blessings, which is closely linked to a liturgical perspective. Such theological reflection, based on the pastoral vision of Pope Francis, implies a real development from what has been said about blessings in the Magisterium and the official texts of the Church. This explains why this text has taken on the typology of a “Declaration.”

It is precisely in this context that one can understand the possibility of blessing couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples without officially validating their status or changing in any way the Church’s perennial teaching on marriage.

This Declaration is also intended as a tribute to the faithful People of God, who worship the Lord with so many gestures of deep trust in his mercy and who, with this confidence, constantly come to seek a blessing from Mother Church.

Víctor Manuel Card. FERNÁNDEZ

Prefect

Introduction

1. The supplicating trust of the faithful People of God receives the gift of blessing that flows from the Heart of Christ through his Church. Pope Francis offers this timely reminder: “The great blessing of God is Jesus Christ. He is the great gift of God, his own Son. He is a blessing for all humanity, a blessing that has saved us all. He is the Eternal Word, with whom the Father blessed us ‘while we were still sinners’ (Romans 5:8), as St. Paul says. He is the Word made flesh, offered for us on the cross.”^[1]
2. Encouraged by such a great and consoling truth, this Dicastery has considered several questions of both a formal and an informal nature about the possibility of blessing same-sex couples and—in light of Pope Francis’ fatherly and pastoral approach—of offering new clarifications on the Responsum ad dubium^[2]that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith published on February 22, 2021.
3. The above-mentioned Responsum elicited numerous and varied reactions: some welcomed the clarity of the document and its consistency with the Church’s perennial teaching; others did not share the negative response it gave to the question or did not consider the formulation of its answer and the reasons provided in the attached Explanatory Noteto be sufficiently clear. To meet the latter reaction with fraternal charity, it seems opportune to take up the theme again and offer a vision that draws together the doctrinal aspects with the pastoral ones in a coherent manner because “all religious teaching ultimately has to be reflected in the teacher’s way of life, which awakens the assent of the heart by its nearness, love, and witness.”^[3]
4. The Blessing in the Sacrament of Marriage
5. Pope Francis’ recent responseto the second of the five questions posed by two Cardinals^[4]offers an opportunity to explore this issue further, especially in its pastoral implications. It is a matter of avoiding that “something that is not marriage is being recognized as marriage.”^[5] Therefore, rites and prayers that could create confusion between what constitutes marriage—which is the “exclusive, stable, and indissoluble union between a man and a woman, naturally open to the generation of children”^[6]—and what contradicts it are inadmissible. This conviction is grounded in the perennial Catholic doctrine of marriage; it is only in this context that sexual relations find their natural, proper, and fully human meaning. The Church’s doctrine on this point remains firm.
6. This is also the understanding of marriage that is offered by the Gospel. For this reason, when it comes to blessings, the Church has the right and the duty to avoid any rite that might contradict this conviction or lead to confusion. Such is also the meaning of the Responsum of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which states that the Church does not have the power to impart blessings on unions of persons of the same sex.
7. It should be emphasized that in the Rite of the Sacrament of Marriage, this concerns not just any blessing but a gesture reserved to the ordained minister. In this case, the blessing given by the ordained minister is tied directly to the specific union of a man and a woman, who establish an exclusive and indissoluble covenant by their consent. This fact allows us to highlight the risk of confusing a blessing given to any other union with the Rite that is proper to the Sacrament of Marriage.
8. The Meaning of the Various Blessings
9. The Holy Father’s above-mentioned response invites us to broaden and enrich the meaning of blessings.
10. Blessings are among the most widespread and evolving sacramentals. Indeed, they lead us to grasp God’s presence in all the events of life and remind us that, even in the use of created things, human beings are invited to seek God, to love him, and to serve him faithfully.^[7]For this reason, blessings have as their recipients: people; objects of worship and devotion; sacred images; places of life, of work, and suffering; the fruits of the earth and human toil; and all created realities that refer back to the Creator, praising and blessing him by their beauty.

The Liturgical Meaning of the Rite” of ’Blessing

9. From a strictly liturgical point of view, a blessing requires that what is blessed be conformed to God’s will, as expressed in the teachings of the Church.
10. Indeed, blessings are celebrated by virtue of faith and are ordered to the praise of God and the spiritual benefit of his people. As the Book of Blessings explains, “so that this intent might become more apparent, by an ancient tradition, the formulas of blessing are primarily aimed at giving glory to God for his gifts, asking for his favors, and restraining the power of evil in the world.”^[8]Therefore, those who invoke God’s blessing through the Church are invited to “strengthen their dispositions through faith, for which all things are possible” and to trust in “the love that urges the observance of God’s commandments.”^[9]This is why, while “there is always and everywhere an opportunity to praise God through Christ, in the Holy Spirit,” there is also a care to do so with “things, places, or circumstances that do not contradict the law or the spirit of the Gospel.”^[10] This is a liturgical understanding of blessings insofar as they are rites officially proposed by the Church.
11. Basing itself on these considerations, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s Explanatory Note to its 2021 Responsum recalls that when a blessing is invoked on certain human relationships by a special liturgical rite, it is necessary that what is blessed corresponds with God’s designs written in creation and fully revealed by Christ the Lord. For this reason, since the Church has always considered only those sexual relations that are lived out within marriage to be morally licit, the Church does not have the power to confer its liturgical blessing when that would somehow offer a form of moral legitimacy to a union that presumes to be a marriage or to an extra-marital sexual practice. The Holy Father reiterated the substance of this Declaration in his Answers to the Dubia oftwo Cardinals.
12. 12. One must also avoid the risk of reducing the meaning of blessings to this point of view alone, for it would lead us to expect the same moral conditions for a simple blessing that are called for in the reception of the sacraments. Such a risk requires that we broaden this perspective further. Indeed, there is the danger that a pastoral gesture that is so beloved and widespread will be subjected to too many moral prerequisites, which, under the claim of control, could overshadow the unconditional power of God’s love that forms the basis for the gesture of blessing.
13. Precisely in this regard, Pope Francis urged us not to “lose pastoral charity, which should permeate all our decisions and attitudes” and to avoid being “judges who only deny, reject, and exclude.”^[11]Let us then respond to the Holy Father’s proposal by developing a broader understanding of blessings.

Blessings in Sacred Scripture

14. To reflect on blessings by gathering different points of view, we first need to be enlightened by the voice of Scripture.
15. “May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace” (Numbers 6:24-26). This “priestly blessing” we find in the Old Testament, specifically in the Book of Numbers, has a “descending” character since it represents the invocation of a blessing that descends from God upon man: it is one of the oldest texts of divine blessing. Then, there is a second type of blessing we find in the biblical pages: that which “ascends” from earth to heaven, toward God. Blessing in this sense amounts to praising, celebrating, and thanking God for his mercy and his faithfulness, for the wonders he has created, and for all that has come about by his will: “Bless the Lord, my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!” (Psalm 103:1).
16. To God who blesses, we also respond by blessing. Melchizedek, King of Salem, blesses Abram (cf. Gen. 14:19); Rebekah is blessed by family members just before she becomes the bride of Isaac (cf. Gen. 24:60), who, in turn, blesses his son, Jacob (cf. Genesis 27:27). Jacob blesses Pharaoh (cf. Genesis 47:10), his own grandsons, Ephraim and Manasseh (cf. Genesis 48:20), and his twelve sons (cf. Genesis 49:28). Moses and Aaron bless the community (cf. Exodus 39:43; Leviticus 9:22). The heads of households bless their children at weddings, before embarking on a journey, and in the imminence of death. These blessings, accordingly, appear to be a superabundant and unconditional gift.
17. The blessing found in the New Testament retains essentially the same meaning it had in the Old Testament. We find the divine gift that “descends,” the human thanksgiving that “ascends,” and the blessing imparted by man that “extends” toward others. Zechariah, having regained the use of speech, blesses the Lord for his wondrous works (cf. Luke 1:64). Simeon, while holding the new-born Jesus in his arms, blesses God for granting him the grace to contemplate the saving Messiah, and then blesses the child’s parents, Mary and Joseph (cf. Luke 2:34). Jesus blesses the Father in the famous hymn of praise and exultation he addressed to him: “I praise you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth” (Matthew 11:25).
18. In continuity with the Old Testament, in Jesus as well the blessing is not only ascending, referring to the Father, but is also descending, being poured out on others as a gesture of grace, protection, and goodness. Jesus himself implemented and promoted this practice. For example, he blessed children: “And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands upon them” (Mark 10:16). And Jesus’ earthly journey will end precisely with a final blessing reserved for the Eleven, shortly before he ascends to the Father: “And lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven” (Luke 24:50-51). The last image of Jesus on earth is that of his hands being raised in the act of blessing.
19. In his mystery of love, through Christ, God communicates to his Church the power to bless. Granted by God to human beings and bestowed by them on their neighbours, the blessing is transformed into inclusion, solidarity, and peace-making. It is a positive message of comfort, care, and encouragement. The blessing expresses God’s merciful embrace and the Church’s motherhood, which invites the faithful to have the same feelings as God toward their brothers and sisters.

A Theological-Pastoral Understanding of Blessings

20. One who asks for a blessing show himself to be in need of God’s saving presence in his life and one who asks for a blessing from the Church recognizes the latter as a sacrament of the salvation that God offers. To seek a blessing in the Church is to acknowledge that the life of the Church springs from the womb of God’s mercy and helps us to move forward, to live better, and to respond to the Lord’s will.
21. In order to help us understand the value of a more pastoral approach to blessings, Pope Francis urges us to contemplate, with an attitude of faith and fatherly mercy, the fact that “when one asks for a blessing, one is expressing a petition for God’s assistance, a plea to live better, and confidence in a Father who can help us live better.”^[12]This request should, in every way, be valued, accompanied, and received with gratitude. People who come spontaneously to ask for a blessing show by this request their sincere openness to transcendence, the confidence of their hearts that they do not trust in their own strength alone, their need for God, and their desire to break out of the narrow confines of this world, enclosed in its limitations.
22. As St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus teaches us, this confidence “is the sole path that leads us to the Love that grants everything. With confidence, the wellspring of grace overflows into our lives […]. It is most fitting, then, that we should place heartfelt trust not in ourselves but in the infinite mercy of a God who loves us unconditionally […]. The sin of the world is great but not infinite, whereas the merciful love of the Redeemer is indeed infinite.”^[13]
23. When considered outside of a liturgical framework, these expressions of faith are found in a realm of greater spontaneity and freedom. Nevertheless, “the optional nature of pious exercises should in no way be taken to imply an under-estimation or even disrespect for such practices. The way forward in this area requires a correct and wise appreciation of the many riches of popular piety, [and] of the potentiality of these same riches.”^[14]In this way, blessings become a pastoral resource to be valued rather than a risk or a problem.
24. From the point of view of pastoral care, blessings should be evaluated as acts of devotion that “are external to the celebration of the Holy Eucharist and of the other sacraments.” Indeed, the “language, rhythm, course, and theological emphasis” of popular piety differ “from those of the corresponding liturgical action.” For this reason, “pious practices must conserve their proper style, simplicity, and language, [and] attempts to impose forms of ‘liturgical celebration’ on them are always to be avoided.”^[15]
25. The Church, moreover, must shy away from resting its pastoral praxis on the fixed nature of certain doctrinal or disciplinary schemes, especially when they lead to “a narcissistic and authoritarian elitism, whereby instead of evangelizing, one analyzes and classifies others, and instead of opening the door to grace, one exhausts his or her energies in inspecting and verifying.”^[16]Thus, when people ask for a blessing, an exhaustive moral analysis should not be placed as a precondition for conferring it. For, those seeking a blessing should not be required to have prior moral perfection.
26. In this perspective, the Holy Father’s Answers aid in expanding the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s 2021 pronouncement from a pastoral point of view. For, the Answers invite discernment concerning the possibility of “forms of blessing, requested by one or more persons, that do not convey an erroneous conception of marriage”^[17]and, in situations that are morally unacceptable from an objective point of view, account for the fact that “pastoral charity requires us not to treat simply as ‘sinners’ those whose guilt or responsibility may be attenuated by various factors affecting subjective imputability.”^[18]
27. In the catechesis cited at the beginning of this Declaration, Pope Francis proposed a description of this kind of blessing that is offered to all without requiring anything. It is worth reading these words with an open heart, for they help us grasp the pastoral meaning of blessings offered without preconditions: “It is God who blesses. In the first pages of the Bible, there is a continual repetition of blessings. God blesses, but humans also give blessings, and soon it turns out that the blessing possesses a special power, which accompanies those who receive it throughout their lives, and disposes man’s heart to be changed by God. ^[…] So we are more important to God than all the sins we can commit because he is father, he is mother, he is pure love, he has blessed us forever. And he will never stop blessing us. It is a powerful experience to read these biblical texts of blessing in a prison or in a rehabilitation group. To make those people feel that they are still blessed, notwithstanding their serious mistakes, that their heavenly Father continues to will their good and to hope that they will ultimately open themselves to the good. Even if their closest relatives have abandoned them, because they now judge them to be irredeemable, God always sees them as his children.”^[19]
28. There are several occasions when people spontaneously ask for a blessing, whether on pilgrimages, at shrines, or even on the street when they meet a priest. By way of example, we can refer to theBook of Blessings, which provides several rites for blessing people, including the elderly, the sick, participants in a catechetical or prayer meeting, pilgrims, those embarking on a journey, volunteer groups and associations, and more. Such blessings are meant for everyone; no one is to be excluded from them. In the introduction to the Order for the Blessing of Elderly People, forexample, it is stated that the purpose of this blessing is “so that the elderly themselves may receive from their brethren a testimony of respect and gratitude, while together with them, we give thanks to the Lord for the favors they received from him and for the good they did with his help.”^[20] In this case, the subject of the blessing is the elderly person, for whom and with whom thanks is being given to God for the good he has done and for the benefits received. No one can be prevented from this act of giving thanks, and each person—even if he or she lives in situations that are not ordered to the Creator’s plan—possesses positive elements for which we can praise the Lord.
29. From the perspective of the ascending dimension, when one becomes aware of the Lord’s gifts and his unconditional love, even in sinful situations—particularly when a prayer finds a hearing—the believer’s heart lifts its praise to God and blesses him. No one is precluded from this type of blessing. Everyone, individually or together with others, can lift their praise and gratitude to God.
30. The popular understanding of blessings, however, also values the importance of descending blessings. While “it is not appropriate for a Diocese, a Bishops’ Conference, or any other ecclesial structure to constantly and officially establish procedures or rituals for all kinds of matters,”^[21]pastoral prudence and wisdom—avoiding all serious forms of scandal and confusion among the faithful—may suggest that the ordained minister join in the prayer of those persons who, although in a union that cannot be compared in any way to a marriage, desire to entrust themselves to the Lord and his mercy, to invoke his help, and to be guided to a greater understanding of his plan of love and of truth.

III. Blessings of Couples in Irregular Situations and of Couples of the Same Sex

31. Within the horizon outlined here appears the possibility of blessings for couples in irregular situations and for couples of the same sex, the form of which should not be fixed ritually by ecclesial authorities to avoid producing confusion with the blessing proper to the Sacrament of Marriage. In such cases, a blessing may be imparted that not only has an ascending value but also involves the invocation of a blessing that descends from God upon those who—recognizing themselves to be destitute and in need of his help—do not claim a legitimation of their own status, but who beg that all that is true, good, and humanly valid in their lives and their relationships be enriched, healed, and elevated by the presence of the Holy Spirit. These forms of blessing express a supplication that God may grant those aids that come from the impulses of his Spirit—what classical theology calls “actual grace”—so that human relationships may mature and grow in fidelity to the Gospel, that they may be freed from their imperfections and frailties, and that they may express themselves in the ever-increasing dimension of the divine love.
32. Indeed, the grace of God works in the lives of those who do not claim to be righteous but who acknowledge themselves humbly as sinners, like everyone else. This grace can orient everything according to the mysterious and unpredictable designs of God. Therefore, with its untiring wisdom and motherly care, the Church welcomes all who approach God with humble hearts, accompanying them with those spiritual aids that enable everyone to understand and realize God’s will fully in their existence.^[22]
33. This is a blessing that, although not included in any liturgical rite,^[23]unites intercessory prayer with the invocation of God’s help by those who humbly turn to him. God never turns away anyone who approaches him! Ultimately, a blessing offers people a means to increase their trust in God. The request for a blessing, thus, expresses and nurtures openness to the transcendence, mercy, and closeness to God in a thousand concrete circumstances of life, which is no small thing in the world in which we live. It is a seed of the Holy Spirit that must be nurtured, not hindered.
34. The Church’s liturgy itself invites us to adopt this trusting attitude, even in the midst of our sins, lack of merits, weaknesses, and confusions, as witnessed by this beautiful Collect from the Roman Missal: “Almighty ever-living God, who in the abundance of your kindness surpass the merits and the desires of those who entreat you, pour out your mercy upon us to pardon what conscience dreads and to give what prayer does not dare to ask” (Collect for the Twenty-Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time). How often, through a pastor’s simple blessing, which does not claim to sanction or legitimize anything, can people experience the nearness of the Father, beyond all “merits” and “desires”?
35. Therefore, the pastoral sensibility of ordained ministers should also be formed to perform blessings spontaneously that are not found in the Book of Blessings.
36. In this sense, it is essential to grasp the Holy Father’s concern that these non-ritualized blessings never cease being simple gestures that provide an effective means of increasing trust in God on the part of the people who ask for them, careful that they should not become a liturgical or semi-liturgical act, similar to a sacrament. Indeed, such a ritualization would constitute a serious impoverishment because it would subject a gesture of great value in popular piety to excessive control, depriving ministers of freedom and spontaneity in their pastoral accompaniment of people’s lives.
37. In this regard, there come to mind the following words of the Holy Father, already quoted in part: “Decisions that may be part of pastoral prudence in certain circumstances should not necessarily become a norm. That is to say, it is not appropriate for a Diocese, a Bishops’ Conference, or any other ecclesial structure to constantly and officially establish procedures or rituals for all kinds of matters […]. Canon Law should not and cannot cover everything, nor should the Episcopal Conferences claim to do so with their various documents and protocols, since the life of the Church flows through many channels besides the normative ones.”^[24]Thus Pope Francis recalled that “what is part of a practical discernment in particular circumstances cannot be elevated to the level of a rule” because this “would lead to an intolerable casuistry.”^[25]
38. For this reason, one should neither provide for nor promote a ritual for the blessings of couples in an irregular situation. At the same time, one should not prevent or prohibit the Church’s closeness to people in every situation in which they might seek God’s help through a simple blessing. In a brief prayer preceding this spontaneous blessing, the ordained minister could ask that the individuals have peace, health, a spirit of patience, dialogue, and mutual assistance—but also God’s light and strength to be able to fulfill his will completely.
39. In any case, precisely to avoid any form of confusion or scandal, when the prayer of blessing is requested by a couple in an irregular situation, even though it is expressed outside the rites prescribed by the liturgical books, this blessing should never be imparted in concurrence with the ceremonies of a civil union, and not even in connection with them. Nor can it be performed with any clothing, gestures, or words that are proper to a wedding. The same applies when the blessing is requested by a same-sex couple.
40. Such a blessing may instead find its place in other contexts, such as a visit to a shrine, a meeting with a priest, a prayer recited in a group, or during a pilgrimage. Indeed, through these blessings that are given not through the ritual forms proper to the liturgy but as an expression of the Church’s maternal heart—similar to those that emanate from the core of popular piety—there is no intention to legitimize anything, but rather to open one’s life to God, to ask for his help to live better, and also to invoke the Holy Spirit so that the values of the Gospel may be lived with greater faithfulness.
41. What has been said in this Declaration regarding the blessings of same-sex couples is sufficient to guide the prudent and fatherly discernment of ordained ministers in this regard. Thus, beyond the guidance provided above, no further responses should be expected about possible ways to regulate details or practicalities regarding blessings of this type.^[26]
42. The Church is the Sacrament of God’s Infinite Love
43. The Church continues to lift up those prayers and supplications that Christ himself—with loud cries and tears—offered in his earthly life (cf. Heb. 5:7), and which enjoy a special efficacy for this reason. In this way, “not only by charity, example, and works of penance, but also by prayer does the ecclesial community exercise a true maternal function in bringing souls to Christ.”^[27]
44. The Church is thus the sacrament of God’s infinite love. Therefore, even when a person’s relationship with God is clouded by sin, he can always ask for a blessing, stretching out his hand to God, as Peter did in the storm when he cried out to Jesus, “Lord, save me!” (Mt. 14:30). Indeed, desiring and receiving a blessing can be the possible good in some situations. Pope Francis reminds us that “a small step, in the midst of great human limitations, can be more pleasing to God than a life which appears outwardly in order but moves through the day without confronting great difficulties.”^[28]In this way, “what shines forth is the beauty of the saving love of God made manifest in Jesus Christ, who died and rose from the dead.”^[29]
45. Any blessing will be an opportunity for a renewed proclamation of the kerygma, an invitation to draw ever closer to the love of Christ. As Pope Benedict XVI taught, “Like Mary, the Church is the mediator of God’s blessing for the world: she receives it in receiving Jesus and she transmits it in bearing Jesus. He is the mercy and the peace that the world, of itself, cannot give, and which it needs always, at least as much as bread.”^[30]
46. Taking the above points into account and following the authoritative teaching of Pope Francis, this Dicastery finally wishes to recall that “the root of Christian meekness” is “the ability to feel blessed and the ability to bless […]. This world needs blessings, and we can give blessings and receive blessings. The Father loves us, and the only thing that remains for us is the joy of blessing him, and the joy of thanking him, and of learning from him ^[…] to bless.”^[31]In this way, every brother and every sister will be able to feel that, in the Church, they are always pilgrims, always beggars, always loved, and, despite everything, always blessed.

Víctor Manuel Card. FERNÁNDEZ

Prefect

Mons. Armando MATTEO

Secretary for the Doctrinal Section

Ex Audientia Die December18, 2023

Francis

Notes:

_____________

^[1] Francis, Catechesis on Prayer: The Blessing December 2, 2020).

^[2] Cf. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, «Responsum» ad «dubium» de benedictione unionem personarum eiusdem sexus et Nota esplicativa (March 15, 2021): AAS 113 (2021), 431-434.

^[3] Francis, Ap. Exhort. Evangelii Gaudium (November 24, 2013), no. 42: AAS 105 (2013), 1037-1038.

^[4] Cf. Francis, Answers to the Dubia proposed by two Cardinals (July 11, 2023).

^[5] Ibid., ad dubium 2, c.

^[6] Ibid., ad dubium 2, a.

^[7] Cfr. Rituale Romanum ex decreto Sacrosancti Oecumenici Concilii Vaticani II instauratum auctoritate Ioannis Pauli PP. II promulgatum, De Benedictionibus, Praenotanda, Editio typica, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Città del Vaticano 2013, no. 12.

^[8] Ibid., no. 11: “Quo autem clarius hoc pateat, antiqua ex traditione, formulae benedictionum eo spectant ut imprimis Deum pro eius donis glorificent eiusque impetrent beneficia atque maligni potestatem in mundo compescant.”

^[9] Ibid., no. 15: “Quare illi qui benedictionem Dei per Ecclesiam expostulant, dispositiones suas ea fide confirment, cui omnia sunt possibilia; spe innitantur, quae non confundit; caritate praesertim vivificentur, quae mandata Dei servanda urget.”

^[10] Ibid., no. 13: “Semper ergo et ubique occasio praebetur Deum per Christum in Spiritu Sancto laudandi, invocandi eique gratias reddendi, dummodo agatur de rebus, locis, vel adiunctis quae normae vel spiritui Evangelii non contradicant.”

^[11] Francis, Answers to the Dubia proposed by two Cardinals, ad dubium 2, d.

^[12] Ibid., ad dubium 2, e.

^[13] Francis, Ap. Exhort. C’est la Confiance (October 15, 2023), nos. 2, 20, 29.

^[14] Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy. Principles and Guidelines (April 9, 2002), no. 12.

^[15] Ibid., no. 13.

^[16] Francis, Exhort. Ap. Evangelii Gaudium (November 24, 2013), no. 94: AAS 105 (2013), 1060.

^[17] Francis, Answers to the Dubia proposed by two Cardinals, ad dubium 2, e.

^[18] Ibid., ad dubium 2, f.

^[19] Francis, Catechesis on Prayer: The Blessing (December 2, 2020).

^[20] De Benedictionibus, no. 258: “Haec benedictio ad hoc tendit ut ipsi senes a fratribus testimonium accipiant reverentiae grataeque mentis, dum simul cum ipsis Domino gratias reddimus pro beneficiis ab eo acceptis et pro bonis operibus eo adiuvante peractis.”

^[21] Francis, Answers to the Dubia proposed by two Cardinals, ad dubium 2, g.

^[22] Cf. Francis, Post-Synodal Ap. Exhort. Amoris Laetitia (March 19, 2016), no. 250: AAS 108 (2016), 412-413.

^[23] Cf. Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy (9 April 2002), no. 13: “The objective difference between pious exercises and devotional practices should always be clear in expressions of worship. […] Acts of devotion and piety are external to the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, and of the other sacraments.”

^[24] Francis, Answers to the Dubia proposed by two Cardinals, ad dubium 2, g.

^[25] Francis, Post-Synodal Ap. Exhort. Amoris Laetitia (March 19, 2016), no. 304: AAS 108 (2016), 436.

^[26] Cf. ibid.

^[27] Officium Divinum ex decreto Sacrosancti Oecumenici Concilii Vaticani II instauratum auctoritate Pauli PP. VI promulgatum, Liturgia Horarum iuxta Ritum Romanum, Institutio Generalis de Liturgia Horarum, Editio typica altera, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Città del Vaticano 1985, no. 17: “Itaque non tantum caritate, exemplo et paenitentiae operibus, sed etiam oratione ecclesialis communitas verum erga animas ad Christum adducendas maternum munus exercet.”

^[28] Francis, Ap. Exhort. Evangelii Gaudium (November 24, 2013), no. 44: AAS 105 (2013), 1038-1039.

^[29] Ibid., no. 36: AAS 105 (2013), 1035.

^[30] Benedict XVI, Homily on the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. 45^th World Day of Peace, Vatican Basilica (January 1,2012): Insegnamenti VIII, 1 (2012), 3.

^[31] Francis, Catechesis on Prayer: The Blessing (December 2, 2020), L’Osservatore Romano, December 2, 2020, p. 8.

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Membership in Freemasonry is very significant in the Philippines, not only among those formally registered in Masonic Lodges, but more generally among a great number of sympathisers and associates who are personally convinced that there is no opposition between membership in the Catholic Church and membership in Masonic Lodges.

To address this question appropriately, it was decided to involve the Philippine Episcopal Conference itself, notifying it that it would be necessary to initiate a coordinated strategy among the different Bishops, which included two approaches.

a)On the doctrinal plane, it is important to recall that active membership in Freemasonry by a faithful is prohibited due to the irreconcilability between Catholic Doctrine and Freemasonry (cf. 1983 Declaration of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and the same Guidelines published by th Episcopal Conference in 2003). Hence those that formally and consciously affiliate themselves to Freemason Lodges and embrace Masonic principles fall under the dispositions oof the Declaration mentioned earlier. These measures apply also to priests registered in Freemasonry.

b) On the pastoral plane, the Dicastery proposes to the Philippine Bishops to carry out a popular catechesis in all the parishes, on the reason for the irreconcilability of the Catholic Faith and Freemasonry.

Finally, the Philippine Bishops are invited to consider if they should pronounce themselves publicly on the matter.

Sheet of Audience with the Holy Father (November 13, 2023)

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After studying the matter, the Dicastery responded as follows:

Answers of the Dicastery to H.E. Monsignor Negri

 The following answers repropose, in essence, the fundamental contents of what has already been affirmed by the Dicastery in the past in regard to this matter (1).

1.Can a transexual be baptized?

A transexual — who in addition has undergone hormonal treatment and sex realignment surgery — can receive Baptism, under the same conditions as other faithful, if there are not situations in which the risk exists of generating public scandal or disorientation among the faithful. In the case of children or adolescents with transexual problems, if they are well prepared and willing, they can receive Baptism.

At the same time, the following must be taken into account, especially when there are doubts about a person’s objective moral situation or subjective dispositions to grace. In the case of Baptism, the Church teaches that when the Sacrament is received with the repentance of grave sins, the individual does not receive sanctifying grace but does receive the sacramental character.

The Catechism states: “This configuration with Christ and with the Church, made by the Spirit, is indelible; it remains for ever in a Christian as positive disposition to grace, as promise and guarantee of divine protection, and as vocation to divine worship and to the service of the Church” (2). Saint Thomas Aquinas taught, in fact, that when the impediment to grace disappears, in one who has received Baptism without the due dispositions, the character itself “is an immediate cause that disposes to receive the grace” (3). Saint Augustine of Hippo recalled this situation saying that, even if a man falls into sin, Christ does not destroy the character received  by him in Baptism and seeks (quaerit) the sinner, in whom is imprinted this character that identifies him as His property (4).

Thus is understood why Pope Francis wished to underscore that Baptism “is the door that enables Christ the Lord to install Himself in our person and submerge us in His Mystery” (5). This implies concretely  that “not even the doors of the Sacraments must be closed for any motive. This is especially true when it is about that Sacrament that is “the door,” Baptism […] the Church is not a customs house; it is the Paternal House where there is place for every person with their own laborious life” (6). Hence, even when doubts exist about a person’s objective moral situation or their subjective dispositions to grace, one must never forget this aspect of fidelity of God’s unconditional love, able to generate even with the sinner an irrevocable alliance, always open as well to an unforeseeable development.

This is true even when the resolution to amend does not appear in a fully manifest way in the penitent, because often the foreseeable new fall “does not undermine the authenticity of the intention” (7). In any case, the Church must always call to live fully all the implications of the Baptism received, which must always be understood and displayed within the itinerary of Christian initiation.

2. Can a transexual be a godfather or godmother of Baptism?

In certain conditions, an adult transexual that, moreover, has undergone hormonal treatment and a sex realignment operation can be admitted to carry out the function of godfather or godmother. However, given that this task does not constitute a right, pastoral prudence exacts that it not be permitted if the danger of scandal exists, undue legitimation or disorientation in the educational ambit of the ecclesial community.

3. Can a transexual be a witness at a wedding?

There is nothing in current universal canon law that prohibits a transexual person from being a witness at a wedding.

4. Can two homo-affective people figure as parents of a child who must be baptized and who was adopted or obtained with methods such as surrogacy?

For a child to be baptized hope must exist founded on the [fact] that it will be educated in the Catholic religion (cf.  c.868 § 1,2 or CCC; c. 681, § 1, or CCEO).

5. Can a homosexual and cohabitant person be godparent of a baptized person?

According to canons 874 § 1, 1 and 3 of the Code of Canon Law, a person can be godfather or godmother if he/she has the aptitude to be so (cf. 1) and “leads a life in accordance with the faith and the task entrusted to him/her” (3; cf. c. 685, § 2 CCEO). The case is different when the coexistence of two homosexual people consists not in simple cohabitation but in a stable and admittedly more uxorio [as man and wife] well known by the community.

In any case due pastoral prudence calls for weighing wisely each situation, to safeguard the Sacrament of Baptism and, especially, its reception, which is a precious good that must be safeguarded, given that it is necessary for salvation (8).

At the same time, the real value must be taken into account, which the ecclesial community grants to the duties of godfathers and godmothers, the role they carry out in the community and the consideration they show to the teaching of the Church.

Finally, the possibility, must also be taken into account, that another person of the family

circle acts as guarantor of the correct transmission of the Catholic faith to the person that is going to be baptized, knowing that that the person that is going to be baptized can still be assisted, during the rite, not only as godfather or godmother, but also as witness of the baptismal act.

6. Can a person that cohabits be a witness at a marriage?

There is nothing in existing universal Canon Law that prohibits a homo-affective and cohabiting person from being a witness at a marriage.

Notes:

(1)Cf. CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH, Confidential note on some canonical questions relating to transsexualism (December 21, 2018), Vatican City , Under pontifical secrecy.

(2) Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1121.

(3) SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS, I Sent IV, 4, 3, 2, 3: ‘est inmediata causa disponens ad gratiam’; IDEM, Summa Theologiae, III, q. 69 a. 9 ad 1: ‘Et sic omnes induunt Christum per configurationem characteris, non autem per conformitatem  gratiae’ (‘And in this sense all are clothed in Christ  through configuration with Him by character, no longer by grace’).

(4) Cf. Saint Augustine of Hippo, Sermo ad Caesariensis Ecclesiae Plebem, 2; PL 43, 691-692: ‘Nunc vero ipse desertor, characterem  fixit  imperatoris sui. Deus et Dominus noster Jesus Christus quaerit desertorem, delet erroris criminem, sed non exterminate suum characterem.”

(5) FRANCIS, Apostolic Exhortation  Evangelii Gaudium, on the proclamation of the Gospel in the today’s world (November 24, 2023), n. 47.

(7) JOHN PAUL II, Letter to Cardinal William W. Baum on the occasion of the course  on the Internal Forum organized by the Apostolic Penitentiary (March 22, 1996), 5: Insegnamenti XIX, 1 [1996], 589.

(8) Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1277.

Translation of the Italian original into Spanish by ZENIT’s Editorial Director and, into English, by Virginia M. Forrester

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* * *

“God created mankind in His image; in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.”
(Genesis 1:27)

September 29, 2023 | Feast of the Archangels

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The influence of gender ideology has become pervasive in contemporary society. As a result, many of the faithful and those who serve in our ministries have raised questions around the complex and sensitive topics of gender, sexual identity, and the nature of the human person. In light of recent guidance from the Church and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), and in keeping with our pastoral responsibility to instruct the faithful, we seek with this pastoral letter to provide clarity and resources with regard to the teaching of the Catholic Church concerning the nature of the human person.

Pope Francis has called gender ideology “one of the most dangerous ideological colonizations.”¹ By “ideological colonization,” Pope Francis means that there are powerful cultural influences emerging in various forms of media including publishing, social media, and other influential content, which exert tremendous influence on the culture. Gender ideology denies certain fundamental aspects of human existence, such as male-female sexual difference, the reciprocal complementarity of man and woman, and the essential unity of body and soul in the human person. Gender ideology is, in many important respects, radically opposed to a sound understanding of human nature, leading to forms of cultural influence, especially via education and legislation, that promote a notion of personal identity which is left to the choice of the individual and that deny the anthropological basis of the family as founded on the biological difference between male and female.² It is thus opposed to reason, to science, and to a Christian view of the human person.

Throughout her history, the Catholic Church has opposed notions of dualism³ that posit the body and soul as separate, non-integrated entities. The body is an integral and indispensable aspect of what it means to be a human person. The body and soul come into existence together, in an individual human being at the time of conception. From the beginning of his or her existence, the human person has a body that is sexually differentiated as male or female.⁴ “‘Being man’ or ‘being woman’ is a reality which is good and willed by God.”⁵ Consequently, one can never be said to be in the “wrong” body.⁶ “For this reason,” the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains, “man may not despise his bodily life. Rather, he is obliged to regard his body as good and to hold it in honor since God has created it and will raise it up on the last day.”⁷ Male-female sexual difference and complementarity are also essential to a Christian understanding of marital conjugal union, which is itself an image of Trinitarian communion. Eliminating this difference would diminish in man and woman part of what it means to bear God’s image and likeness. In addition, it would do away with the very basis of the family, the “first vital cell of society.”⁸ Doing so would be an offense against human dignity and a social injustice.

Many faithful Catholics demonstrate solidarity with those suffering from gender dysphoria, unjust discrimination, or other questions related to gender identity and sincerely desire to respond in love to their sisters and brothers. The Church is called to do as Jesus did, to accompany in a spirit of solidarity those marginalized and suffering while affirming the beauty and truth of God’s creation. “Truth is the light that gives meaning and value to charity…. Without truth, charity degenerates into sentimentality. Love becomes an empty shell.”⁹ Compassion that does not include both truth and charity is a misplaced compassion. Support for those experiencing gender dysphoria must be characterized by an active concern for genuine Christian charity and the truth about the human person. It is, in fact, the truth about the dignity of each person which demands that no one should suffer bullying, violence, insults, or unjust discrimination.¹⁰

To those experiencing gender dysphoria, we wish to reaffirm that God knows us, loves each of us, and desires our flourishing. Jesus reminds us, “I have come that they might have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10) Our lives, even our very identity can seem to us at times to be a mystery. They can be a source of confusion, perhaps even anguish and suffering. Know that your life is not a mystery to God, Who has counted every hair on your head (Luke12:7), Who created your innermost being, and Who knit you together in your mother’s womb (Psalm139). In taking on a bodily human nature, Jesus reveals the goodness of our created bodies and the closeness of God to each one of us. He is not far off or indifferent to our questioning, our challenges, or our sufferings. He comes to meet us in them and to reveal to us the depth of His love and mercy. The Second Vatican Council declared that “only in the mystery of the incarnate Word does the mystery of man take on light.”¹¹ This is a way of saying that, in becoming one of us, Jesus not only reveals God to us, but reveals us to us. Our identity is not something we invent or create for ourselves. Your most fundamental identity is that of a beloved child of God. Recognize that the desire to understand who you are is a desire to know yourself as created, known, and loved by God. The Church, for her part, desires to listen and to walk with you as you come to understand and accept the totality of who God made you to be.

After listening and dialogue, both the Holy See and the USCCB, as well as a number of other Catholic dioceses, have offered guidance regarding the complexities of sexual identity issues as they relate to Church teaching, Catholic healthcare, Catholic education, and the accompaniment of those suffering from gender dysphoria. Some of this guidance is referenced below. The complexities and moral implications of alterations to the human body are treated extensively in the Doctrinal Note on the Moral Limits to Technological Manipulation of the Human Body issued by the USCCB Committee on Doctrine on March 20, 2023. A link to the document is included here as a resource. The Doctrinal Note affirms the fundamental order of the human person as a unity of body and soul, including the sexual difference inscribed in the body. Great harm can be done in situations where medical procedures and treatments fail to respect the fundamental created order of the human person. We especially encourage physicians and healthcare workers, those considering medical treatments for gender dysphoria, and anyone caring for people suffering from gender dysphoria to carefully consider the information contained in the Doctrinal Note. May our Christian witness and our care for those experiencing real suffering be a sign of our discipleship as we joyfully witness to the healing power of Christ.

Given here are selected resources intended to help to deepen an understanding of the Catholic Church’s teaching on questions relating to sexual identity and gender dysphoria. To those who carry out our ministries, we invite you to familiarize yourselves with the Church’s teaching in order to accompany those we serve in love and truth. Let us continue to lovingly propose to everyone the deepest truth about the human person as revealed by Jesus Christ, that, in the words of Pope Benedict XVI, “each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed. Each of us is loved. Each of us is necessary.”¹²

Related Resources

1. Catechism of the Catholic Church (1995). Paragraphs 355-384& 2331-2336.
2. Doctrinal Noteon the Moral Limits to Technological Manipulation of the Human Body (USCCB, 2023).
3. Male and Female He Created Them: Towards a Path of Dialogue on the Question of Gender Theory in Education (Congregation for Catholic Education, 2019)
4. “Pope Francis: Gender ideology is ‘one of the most dangerous ideological colonizations’ today” (Catholic News Agency, March 11, 2023).
5. Post Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia(Pope Francis, 2016). Nos. 56, 285-286.
6. “A Catechesis on the Human Person and Gender Ideology” (Most Rev. Michael F. Burbidge, Diocese of Arlington, 2021).

End Notes

1. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253845/pope-francis-gender-ideology-is-one-of-the-most-dangerous-ideological-colonizations-today.︎
2. Congregation for Catholic Education, ‘Male and Female He Created Them’: Towards a Path of Dialogue on the Question ofGender Theory in Education, 2 (2019). ︎
3. USCCB Committee on Doctrine, Doctrinal Note on the Moral Limits to Technological Manipulation of the Human Body, 4 (March 20, 2023). ︎
4. While there are a small percentage of individuals affected by disorders of sexual development or sexual ambiguity, their biological sex may be identifiable through genetic techniques or other medical means, albeit with some difficulty. ︎
5. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 369. ︎
6. Committee on Doctrine, Doctrinal Note, ︎
7. Gaudium et Spes, 14 (1965). Quoted in Catechism of the Catholic Church, 364. ︎
8. Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 211 (2004). ︎
9. Pope Benedict XVI, Encyclical Caritas in Veritate, 3 (2009). ︎
10. Male and Female He Created Them, 16 (2019.) ︎
11. Gaudium et Spes, 22. ︎
12. ¹²Homily for the inauguration of the papacy of Benedict XVI, (April 24, 2005). ︎

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Here is the text of the Holy Father’s Message, translated from the Italian original by the Holy See.

* * *

After having reflected in past years on the verbs “to go and see” and “to listen” as conditions for good communication, with this Message for the LVII World Day of Social Communications, I would like to focus on “speaking with the heart”. It is the heart that spurred us to go, to see and to listen, and it is the heart that moves us towards an open and welcoming way of communicating. Once we have practised listening, which demands waiting and patience, as well as foregoing the assertion of our point of view in a prejudicial way, we can enter into the dynamic of dialogue and sharing, which is precisely that of communicating in a cordial way. 

After listening to the other with a pure heart, we will also be able to speak following the truth in love (cf. Ephesians 4:15). We should not be afraid of proclaiming the truth, even if it is at times uncomfortable, but of doing so without charity, without heart. Because “the Christian’s programme” — as Benedict XVI wrote — “is ‘a heart which sees.’” [1] A heart that reveals the truth of our being with its beat and that, for this reason, should be listened to. This leads those who listen to attune themselves to the same wave length, to the point of being able to hear within their heart also the heartbeat of the other. Then the miracle of encounter can take place, which makes us look at one another with compassion, welcoming our mutual frailties with respect rather than judging by hearsay and sowing discord and division.

Jesus warns us that every tree is known by its fruit (cf. Luke 6:44): “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil man out of his evil treasure produces evil; for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (v. 45). This is why, in order to communicate truth with charity, it is necessary to purify one’s heart. Only by listening and speaking with a pure heart can we see beyond appearances and overcome the vague din which, also in the field of information, does not help us discern in the complicated world in which we live. The call to speak with the heart radically challenges the times in which we are living, which are so inclined towards indifference and indignation, at times even on the basis of disinformation which falsifies and exploits the truth.

Communicating cordially

Communicating in a cordial manner means that those who read or listen to us are led to welcome our participation in the joys, fears, hopes and suffering of the women and men of our time. Those who speak in this way love the other because they care and protect their freedom without violating it. We can see this style in the mysterious wayfarer who dialogues with the disciples headed to Emmaus, after the tragedy that took place at Golgotha. The Risen Jesus speaks to them with the heart, accompanying the journey of their suffering with respect, proposing Himself and not imposing Himself, lovingly opening their minds to understand the profound meaning of what had happened. Indeed, they can joyfully exclaim that their hearts burned within them as He spoke to them on the road and explained the Scriptures to them (cf. Luke 24:32).

In a historical period marked by polarizations and contrasts — to which unfortunately not even the ecclesial community is immune — the commitment to communicating “with open heart and arms” does not pertain exclusively to those in the field of communications; it is everyone’s responsibility. We are all called to seek and to speak the truth and to do so with charity. We Christians in particular are continually urged to keep our tongue from evil (cf. Psalm 34:13), because as Scripture teaches us, with the same tongue we can bless the Lord and curse men and women who were made in the likeness of God (cf. James 3:9). No evil word should come from our mouths, but rather “only such as is good for edifying, as fits the occasion, that it may impart grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29).

Sometimes friendly conversations can open a breach even in the most hardened of hearts. We also have evidence of this in literature. I am thinking of that memorable page in Chapter XXI of The Betrothed in which Lucia speaks with the heart to the Innominato [the Unnamed] until he, disarmed and afflicted by a healthy inner crisis, gives in to the gentle strength of love. We experience this in society, where kindness is not only a question of “etiquette” but a genuine antidote to cruelty, which unfortunately can poison hearts and make relationships toxic. We need it in the field of media, so that communication does not foment acrimony that exasperates, creates rage and leads to clashes, but helps people peacefully reflect and interpret with a critical yet always respectful spirit, the reality in which they live.

Communicating heart to heart: “In order to speak well, it is enough to love well”

One of the brightest and still fascinating examples of “speaking with the heart” is offered by Saint Francis de Sales, a Doctor of the Church, whom I wrote about in the Apostolic Letter, Totum Amoris Est, 400 years after his death. In addition to this important anniversary, I would like to mention another anniversary that takes place in 2023: the centenary of his proclamation as patron of Catholic journalists by Pius XI with the Encyclical, Rerum Omnium Perturbationem. A brilliant intellectual, fruitful writer and profound theologian, Francis de Sales was Bishop of Geneva at the beginning of the XVII century during difficult years marked by heated disputes with Calvinists. 

His meek attitude, humanity and willingness to dialogue patiently with everyone, especially with those who disagreed with him, made him an extraordinary witness of God’s merciful love. One could say about him: “A pleasant voice multiplies friends, and a gracious tongue multiplies courtesies” ( Sirach 6:5). After all, one of his most famous statements, “heart speaks to heart”, inspired generations of faithful, among them Saint John Henry Newman, who chose it as his motto, Cor ad cor loquitur. One of his convictions was, “In order to speak well, it is enough to love well”. It shows that for him communication should never be reduced to something artificial, to a marketing strategy, as we might say nowadays, but is rather a reflection of the soul, the visible surface of a nucleus of love that is invisible to the eye. For Saint Francis de Sales, precisely “in the heart and through the heart, there comes about a subtle, intense and unifying process in which we come to know God”. [2] By “loving well”, Saint Francis succeeded in communicating with Martin, the deaf-mute, becoming his friend. This is why he is also known as the protector of people with impairments in communicating.

It is from this “criterion of love” that, through his writings and witness of life, the saintly Bishop of Geneva reminds us that “we are what we communicate.” This goes against the grain today, at a time when — as we experience especially on social media — communication is often exploited so that the world may see us as we would like to be and not as we are. Saint Francis de Sales disseminated many copies of his writings among the Geneva community. This “journalistic” intuition earned him a reputation that quickly went beyond the confines of his diocese and still endures to this day. His writings, Saint Paul VI observed, provide for a “highly enjoyable, instructive and moving” reading. [3] If we look today at the field of communications, are these not precisely the characteristics that an article, a report, a television or radio programme or a social media post should include? May people who work in communications feel inspired by this Saint of tenderness, seeking and telling the truth with courage and freedom and rejecting the temptation to use sensational and combative expressions.

Speaking with the heart in the synodal process

As I have emphasised, “In the Church, too, there is a great need to listen to and to hear one another. It is the most precious and life-giving gift we can offer each other.” [4] Listening without prejudice, attentively and openly, gives rise to speaking according to God’s style, nurtured by closeness, compassion and tenderness. We have a pressing need in the Church for communication that kindles hearts, that is balm on wounds and that shines light on the journey of our brothers and sisters. I dream of an ecclesial communication that knows how to let itself be guided by the Holy Spirit, gentle and at the same time, prophetic, that knows how to find new ways and means for the wonderful proclamation it is called to deliver in the third millennium. A communication which puts the relationship with God and one’s neighbour, especially the neediest, at the centre and which knows how to light the fire of faith rather than preserve the ashes of a self-referential identity. A form of communication founded on humility in listening and parrhesia in speaking, which never separates truth from charity.

Disarming souls by promoting a language of peace

“A soft tongue will break a bone”, says the Book of Proverbs (25:15). Today more than ever, speaking with the heart is essential to foster a culture of peace in places where there is war; to open paths that allow for dialogue and reconciliation in places where hatred and enmity rage. In the dramatic context of the global conflict we are experiencing, it is urgent to maintain a form of communication that is not hostile. It is necessary to overcome the tendency to “discredit and insult opponents from the outset [rather] than to open a respectful dialogue.” [5] We need communicators who are open to dialogue, engaged in promoting integral disarmament and committed to undoing the belligerent psychosis that nests in our hearts, as Saint John XXIII prophetically urged in the Encyclical Pacem In Terris: “True peace can only be built in mutual trust” (No. 113). A trust which has no need of sheltered or closed communicators but bold and creative ones who are ready to take risks to find common ground on which to meet. As was the case sixty years ago, we are now also living in a dark hour in which humanity fears an escalation of war that must be stopped as soon as possible, also at the level of communication. It is terrifying to hear how easily words calling for the destruction of people and territories are spoken. Words, unfortunately, that often turn into warlike actions of heinous violence. This is why all belligerent rhetoric must be rejected, as well as every form of propaganda that manipulates the truth, disfiguring it for ideological ends. Instead, what must be promoted is a form of communication that helps create the conditions to resolve controversies between peoples.

As Christians, we know that the destiny of peace is decided by conversion of hearts, since the virus of war comes from within the human heart. [6] From the heart come the right words to dispel the shadows of a closed and divided world and to build a civilization which is better than the one we have received. Each of us is asked to engage in this effort, but it is one that especially appeals to the sense of responsibility of those working in the field of communications so that they may carry out their profession as a mission.

May the Lord Jesus, the pure Word poured out from the heart of the Father, help us to make our communication clear, open and heartfelt.

May the Lord Jesus, the Word made flesh, help us listen to the beating of hearts, to rediscover ourselves as brothers and sisters, and to disarm the hostility that divides.

May the Lord Jesus, the Word of truth and love, help us speak the truth in charity, so that we may feel like protectors of one another.

Rome, Saint John Lateran, 24 January 2023, Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales.

 FRANCISCUS

[1] Encyclical Letter Deus Caritas Est (25 December 2005), 31.

[2] Apostolic Letter Totum Amoris Est (28 December 2022).

[3] Cf. Apostolic Epistle Sabaudiae Gemma, on the IV Centennial of the Birth of Saint Francis de Sales, Doctor of the Church (29 January 1967).

[4] Message for the LVI World Day of Social Communications (24 January 2022).

[5] Encyclical Letter Fratelli Tutti (3 October 2020), 201.

[6] Cf. Message for the 56th World Day of Peace (1 January 2023).

The post Pope Francis Explains The Art of Communicating Cordially appeared first on ZENIT - English.

(ZENIT News / Utrecht, Holland, 27.09.2022).- Given its interest, clarity and currency, we offer the analytical opinion article of the Archbishop of Utrecht, Cardinal Willem Jacobus Eijk, Primate of the Netherlands, on the “Liturgy of Blessing” for homosexual couples promoted by the Bishops of Belgium’s Flemish region.

* * *

Belgium’s Flemish Bishops surprised many inside and outside the Church with their statement, published on September 20, 2022, entitled “To Be Close Pastorally to Homosexuals: For a Welcoming Church that Excludes No One.” For Catholics that accept the Church’s teachings, this was in no way an agreeable surprise. In fact, in the mentioned statement, the Flemish Bishops offer the possibility of a blessing to same sex couples in a lasting and monogamous relationship. 

They also offer a model for the celebration of the Word and a prayer in which same sex couples can be blessed. Here is their scheme: 

-Opening Word

-Opening Prayer

-Scripture Reading

-Expression of commitment between both parties, manifesting their mutual bond before God. This can be done, for example, in the following terms: 

“God of love and fidelity, we are before You today surrounded by members of our family and friends. We thank You that we were able to meet. We want to be there for others in all circumstances of life. We express with confidence that we want to work for the happiness of the other, day after day. Let us pray: grant us the strength to remain faithful to one another and to deepen our commitment. We trust in your closeness, we want to live by your Word, and give ourselves to the good.” 

-Then the community prayer follows in which, the Flemish Bishops say, God is asked to act in the couple; it is the grace that enables them to take care of one another mutually and the community in general. There is also an example of this prayer:

“God and Father, today we surround N. and N. with our prayers. You know their heart and the path they will follow together henceforth. Make their commitment with the other to be strong and faithful. May their home be full of understanding, tolerance and care. May there be room for reconciliation and peace. Give us the strength to walk with them, together in the footprints of your Son and strengthened by the Spirit.” 

-Intercessions

-Our Father

-Final Prayer

-Blessing

It is the first time that an Episcopal Conference (or part of it) issues a statement in which the example is given of the celebration of the Word and the Prayer to bless a same sex couple. The Flemish Bishops took the notable step to allow the blessing of same sex couples based on their interpretation of certain passages of Amors Laetitia (AL), the Post-Synodal Exhortation issued by Pope Francis after the two Synods on the Family of 2014 and 2015 respectively. In it, Pope Francis affirms , among other things, “that every person, regardless of his sexual orientation, must be respected in his dignity and welcomed with respect” (AL 250). 

To distinguish, accompany and integrate continue being the principal key words of Amoris Laetitia  (Chapter 8), according to the Flemish Bishops. It goes without saying  that people with a homosexual orientation must be treated with respect and have the right to pastoral care and guidance (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 2358-2359). Understood as discernment, however, in Amoris Laetita is that people in an irregular relationship be led to understand the truth about their relationship (AL 300). In sum, that they be able to understand that their relationship is contrary to the order of God’s creation and, hence, is morally unacceptable. Integration means to give people in an irregular situation  — in so far as possible — a place in the life of the  Church. Needless to say, people in a sexual relationship with a person of the same sex are welcome in ecclesiastical celebrations, although they cannot go to Communion or take part actively in the celebration. 

The Flemish Bishops’ statement  on the blessing of same sex couples meets with several inherent objections:

• Blessings are sacramentals, not Sacraments. The Flemish Bishops also state explicitly that the blessing of same sex couples is not a marriage. Sacramentals, instead, are sacred signs that are like the Sacraments in a certain sense and which bear particularly spiritual fruits in the people that receive the blessings, preparing them to receive the principal effect of the Sacraments. Sacramentals also sanctify particular situations of life (cf. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Responsum of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to a doubt on the blessing of same sex unions, February 22, 2021). Sacramentals are up to a certain point analogous to the Sacraments. The prayer of declaration, in which same sex couples commit themselves to one another, shows an unmistakable analogy with the “yes” that a man and a woman say to each other during the marriage ceremony. In it, in fact, the same sex couple prays: “We want to be for one another in all the circumstances of life . . . Give us the strength to continue being faithful to one another to deepen our commitment.” We also find this analogy with the “yes” of spouses in the marriage ceremony in the community prayer: “Make their mutual commitment strong and faithful.” Hence, the fear isn’t unfounded that the transition of this blessing to marriage between people of the same sex is not a great step and will be possible in the near future.

• A blessing does not only imply a good intention on the part of one who receives it. What is blessed must also correspond to God’s order of creation. God created marriage as a total and mutual gift of the man and the woman to one another, which culminates in procreation (Gaudium et Spes, No. 48; cf. No. 50). Sexual relations between same sex persons cannot in themselves lead to procreation. Hence, they cannot be an authentic expression on the corporal plane of the total self-giving of the man and woman, which marriage is essentially. Situations that are objectively evil from the moral point of view cannot be blessed. God’s grace does not shine on the path of sin. Spiritual fruit cannot be cultivated by blessing relations that are contrary to the order of God’s creation (Ibid.). This, of course, does not hinder homosexual individuals from receiving a blessing. However, it’s not morally permissible to bless a homosexual relationship as such.

• The arguments of points 1 and 2 are mentioned in the answers given by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on February 22, 2021, to a question on the blessing of homosexual relations. But, with their statement permitting the blessing of same sex couples, the Flemish Bishops go against the mentioned statement of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The Flemish Bishops are also obliged to comply with it. 

• In the prayer of the community on the occasion of the blessing of homosexual couples, said the Flemish Bishops, the community prays “so that God’s grace will act” in the gay couple and enable them to take care of each other mutually and the community in general. However, we cannot pray for God’s grace to act in a relationship that is not in keeping to His order of creation. The Flemish Bishops do not say explicitly that relations between same sex persons are justifiable. However, even the wording of the community prayer in their liturgical model for the blessing of homosexual couples suggests that relations between same sex persons can be morally justified. In fact, at the end, it states: “Give us the strength to walk with them together in the footprints of your Son and strengthened by the Spirit.” Do same sex people in their relationship with the same sex follow Christ’s steps? And, do the Flemish Bishops believe that in their relationship same sex couples follow Christ’s steps? In the prayer of the model, the gay couple says: “We want to live by your Word.” But the Word of God contained in the Scriptures qualifies unequivocally and undeniably homosexual relations as a sin. At least, in the formulation of model prayers for the gay couple and the community, the risk is run that the average Catholic, who in general knows very little about his faith today, lets himself be led on the evil way and begins to think that lasting and monogamous sexual relations between same sex people are morally acceptable. 

• If homosexual couples with lasting and monogamous sexual relations can receive a blessing, should not the same thing be possible in the monogamous and lasting sexual relations of a man and a woman who live together without being married? To permit the blessing of homosexual couples poses the great risk of undermining blessings and the teaching of the Church on the morality of marriage and sexual ethics. 

The Flemish Bishops’ statement, in which they permit same sex couples and even offer a liturgical model for it, meets with intrinsic ethical objections, radically contradicts a recent sentence of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and poses the risk of leading Catholics to points of view on the morality of relations between same sex people that are contrary to the teaching of the Church. Hence, Catholics who accept the Doctrine of the Church, also in the matter of sexual morality, hope fervently that the Flemish Bishops may receive soon a petition from competent ecclesiastical circles to withdraw their statement and comply with it.

The author of the article is the Archbishop of Utrecht, Holland. Translation of the original by ZENIT.

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It’s not a new instruction or a directory with specific norms, but a meditation to understand the beauty of the Liturgical Celebration and its role in evangelization. And the Pontiff ends with an appeal: “Let us abandon controversy to listen together to what the Spirit says to the Church; let us preserve communion, and continue to be amazed by the beauty of the Liturgy” (65). 

Pope Francis writes, the Christian faith is either an encounter with Jesus alive or it is not. And “the Liturgy guarantees us the possibility of that encounter. We do not need a vague remembrance of the Last Supper: we need to be present in that Supper.” Recalling the importance of Vatican II’s Constitution “Sacrosanctum Concilium, which led to the rediscovery of the theological understanding of the Liturgy, the Pontiff adds: “I would like the beauty of the Christian Celebration, and its necessary consequences in the life of the Church, not to be disfigured by a superficial and reductive understanding of its value or, still worse, by its instrumentalization at the service of an ideological vision, no matter what it is” (16). 

After having warned against the “spiritual worldliness,” Gnosticism and Neo-Pelagianism that fuel it, the Holy Father explains that “to take part in the Eucharistic Sacrifice is not one of our conquests, as if we could presume to it before God and our brethren, and that “the Liturgy has nothing to do with an aesthetic moralism: it is the gift of the Lord’s Passover that, accepted with docility, makes our life new.” 

One doesn’t enter the Cenacle but by the power of attraction of one’s desire to eat the Passover with us” (20). To cure spiritual worldliness it’s necessary to rediscover  the beauty of the Liturgy; however, this rediscovery “is not the search of a ritual aestheticism, which takes pleasure only in the care of the external formality of the Rite, or is satisfied with a scrupulous observance of the rubric. Evidently, this affirmation does not approve at all the contrary attitude, which confuses simplicity with a bungling banality, the essential with an ignorant superficiality, the concretion of the ritual action with an exaggerated practical functionalism” (22).

The Pope explains that “all the aspects of the Celebration must be taken care of (the space, the time, the gestures, the words, the objects, clothing, singing, music, . . .) and all the rubrics observed: this care would be sufficient not to rob the assembly what is due to it, namely, the Paschal Mystery celebrated in the ritual form established by the Church. However, even of the quality and norm of the celebratory action were guaranteed, this would not be sufficient for our participation to be full” (23). In fact, if “astonishment is lacking for the Paschal Mystery” present “in the concretion of the sacramental signs, we could run the risk  of being truly impermeable to the ocean of grace that inundates each Celebration” (24). This astonishment, clarifies Pope Francis, has nothing to do “with the smoky expression ‘sense of the mystery’: sometimes among the alleged accusations against the Liturgical reform is also that of having eliminated it from the Celebration.” The astonishment of which the Pope speaks is not a sort of disconcert in face of an obscure reality or an enigmatic rite, but it is “on the contrary, astonishment in face of the fact that God’s salvific plan was revealed to us in Jesus’ Passover” (25).

How, then, can we recover the capacity to live the liturgical action in its fulness? In face of the disconcert of post-modernity, individualism, subjectivism and abstract spiritualism, the Pontiff invites us to return to the great Conciliar Constitutions, which cannot be separated from one another. And he writes  that “it would be banal to read the tensions, unfortunately present in regard to the Celebration, as a simple divergence among different sensibilities towards a ritual form. The problem is first of all ecclesiological” (31). In short, hidden behind the battles over the ritual are different conceptions of the Church. The Pontiff points out that that one cannot acknowledge the validity of the Council  and not accept the Liturgical Reform born of “Sacrosanctum Concilium.”

Quoting theologian Romano Guardini, very present in the Apostolic Letter, Pope Francis affirms that, without liturgical formation, “the reforms in the rite and in the text do not help much” (34). He stresses the importance of formation, in the first place, in the seminaries: “A liturgical-sapiential focus  of theological formation in the seminaries would certainly also have positive effects on pastoral action. There is no aspect of ecclesial life that does not find its culmination and its source in it. Joint pastoral ministry, organic and integrated, more than being the result of elaborated programs, is the consequence of situating the Sunday Eucharistic Celebration, foundation of communion, at the center of the life of the community. The theological understanding of the Liturgy does not allow at all to understand these words as if everything were reduced to the cultural aspect. A Celebration that does not evangelize is not authentic, as a proclamation isn’t that does not lead to the encounter with the Risen Lord in the Celebration. Hence, without the witness of charity, both are as a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.”

It is important to educated in the understanding of the symbols, which is ever more difficult for modern man, continues the Pope. One way of doing it “is, without a doubt, to take care of the art of the Celebration,” which “cannot be reduced to the mere observance of a rubric device, nor can it be thought of as imaginative creativity — at times wild — without rules.” The Rite is a norm in itself and the norm is never an end in itself, but is always at the service  of the superior reality it intends to safeguard” (48). The art of celebrating isn’t learned “because one attends a course of oratory or of techniques of persuasive communication,” rather, it requires “a diligent dedication to the Celebration, letting the Celebration itself transmit its art to us” (50). And “among the ritual gestures proper to every assembly, silence occupies a place of absolute importance,” which “moves to repentance and the desire of conversion; arouses the desire of conversion,” arouses listening to the Word and prayer, readies for Adoration of the Body and Blood of Christ” (52). 

Pope Francis then notes that the way of living the Celebration in Christian communities “is conditioned –for good or, unfortunately, also for evil–, by the way in which its Pastor presides over the assembly.” And he enumerates several “models” of inadequate presidency, although they are opposite signs: “austere rigidity or exasperated creativity; spiritualizing mysticism or practical functionalism; precipitated speed or accentuated slowness; scruffy carelessness or excessive refinement; superabundant affability or hieratic impassibility. All models that have the same root: “an exasperated personalism of celebratory style that sometimes expresses a badly dissimulated leadership mania” (54), amplified when the Celebrations are spread over the network. Whereas, to “preside over the Eucharist is to submerge oneself in the furnace of God’s love. When we are given to understand, or even intuit this reality, we certainly no longer need a directory that imposes on us an appropriate behaviour” (57). 

The Hoy Father ends the Letter appealing “to all the Bishops, priests and deacons, to formators of seminaries, to Professors in Faculties of Theology and Schools of Theology and to all professors and catechists, to help the Holy People of God to draw from what has always been the primary source of Christian spirituality,” reaffirming what was established in “Traditionis Custodes,” so that the Church elevates, in the variety of languages, a unique and identical prayer capable of expressing her unity” and this unique prayer is the Roman Rite, which arose from the Conciliar Reform and was established by the holy Pontiffs Paul Vi and John Paul II.

The translation from the original Italian to Spanish is by Father Jorge Enrique Mújica, LC, Editorial Director of ZENIT, and to English by Virginia M. Forrester

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THE BISHOP
AND CHRISTIAN UNITY:
AN ECUMENICAL VADEMECUM

Preface

The ministry entrusted to the bishop is a service of unity both within his diocese and of unity between the local church and the universal church. That ministry therefore has special significance in the search for the unity of all Christ’s followers. The bishop’s responsibility for promoting Christian unity is clearly affirmed in the Code of Canon Law of the Latin Church among the tasks of his pastoral office: “He is to act with humanity and charity toward the brothers and sisters who are not in full communion with the Catholic Church and is to foster ecumenism as it is understood by the Church” (Can 383 §3 CIC 1983). In this respect, the bishop cannot consider the promotion of the ecumenical cause as one more task in his varied ministry, one that could and should be deferred in view of other, apparently more important, priorities. The bishop’s ecumenical engagement is not an optional dimension of his ministry but a duty and obligation. This appears even more clearly in the Code of Canons of Eastern Churches, containing a special section dedicated to the ecumenical task, in which it is particularly recommended that pastors of the Church “work zealously in participating in ecumenical work” (Can 902–908 CCEO 1990). In the service of unity, the bishop’s pastoral ministry extends not just to the unity of his own church, but to the unity of all the baptized into Christ.

The present document, issued by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, The Bishop and Christian Unity. An Ecumenical Vademecum, is offered as an aid to diocesan and eparchial bishops to help them better understand and fulfil their ecumenical responsibility. The genesis of this Vademecum began with a request from a Plenary Assembly of this Pontifical Council. The text was developed by the Council’s officials in consultation with experts and with the agreement of the relevant dicasteries of the Roman Curia. We are now happy to publish it with the blessing of the Holy Father Pope Francis.

We place this work in the hands of the world’s bishops, hoping that in these pages they will find clear and helpful guidelines, enabling them to lead the local churches entrusted to their pastoral care towards that unity for which the Lord prayed and to which the Church is irrevocably called.

Kurt Cardinal Koch
President

† Brian Farrell
Titular Bishop of Abitine
Secretary

Abbreviations

CCEO Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (1990)

CIC Code of Canon Law (1983)

ED Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms of Ecumenism (1993), Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity

EG Evangelii gaudium (2013), Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis

LG Lumen gentium (1964), Dogmatic Constitution on the Church of the Second Vatican Council
PCPCU Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity
UR Unitatis redintegratio (1964), Decree on Ecumenism of the Second Vatican Council

UUS Ut unum sint (1995), Encyclical letter of Saint John Paul II on the ecumenical commitment

Introduction

1. The search for unity as intrinsic to the nature of the Church

Our Lord’s prayer for the unity of his disciples “that they may all be one” is tied to the mission that he gives to them, “so that the world may believe” (Jn 17:21). The Second Vatican Council stressed that division among Christian communities “openly contradicts the will of Christ, scandalizes the world, and damages the holy cause of preaching the Gospel to every creature” (Unitatis redintegratio [UR] §1). Insofar as Christians fail to be the visible sign of this unity they fail in their missionary duty to be the instrument bringing all people into the saving unity which is the communion of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In this we understand why the work of unity is fundamental to our identity as Church, and why Saint John Paul II could write in his milestone encyclical Ut unum sint, “the quest for Christian unity is not a matter of choice or expediency, but a duty which springs from the very nature of the Christian community” (Ut unum sint [UUS] §49, see also §3).

2. A real, though incomplete, communion

The Second Vatican Council’s Decree on Ecumenism, Unitatis redintegratio, recognised that those who believe in Christ and are baptised with water in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, are truly our brothers and sisters in Christ (see UR §3). Through baptism they “are incorporated into Christ” (UR §3), that is “truly incorporated into the crucified and glorified Christ, and reborn to a sharing of the divine life” (UR §22). Moreover, the Council recognised that the communities to which these brothers and sisters belong are endowed with many essential elements Christ wills for his Church, are used by the Spirit as “means of salvation,” and have a real, though incomplete, communion with the Catholic Church (see UR §3). The Decree began the work of specifying those areas of our ecclesial lives in which this communion resides, and where and why the extent of ecclesial communion varies from one Christian community to another. Lastly, in recognising the positive value of other Christian communities, Unitatis redintegratio also acknowledged that because of the wound of Christian division “the Church herself finds it more difficult to express in actual life her full catholicity in all her bearings” (UR §4).

3. Christian unity as the concern of the whole Church

“Concern for restoring unity,” wrote the fathers of the Second Vatican Council, “pertains to the whole Church, faithful and clergy alike. It extends to everyone according to the ability of each, whether it be exercised in daily living or in theological and historical studies” (UR §5). The insistence of the Council that the ecumenical endeavour demands the engagement of all the faithful, and not only of theologians and church leaders meeting in international dialogues, has been repeatedly emphasised in subsequent Church documents. Saint John Paul II in Ut unum sint wrote that the commitment to ecumenism, “far from being the responsibility of the Apostolic See alone, is also the duty of individual local and particular Churches” (§31). The real, though incomplete, communion that already exists between Catholics and other baptised Christians can and must be deepened at a number of levels simultaneously. Pope Francis has captured this in the phrase, “walking together, praying together and working together”. By sharing our Christian lives with other Christians, by praying with and for them, and by giving common witness to our Christian faith through action, we grow into the unity which is the Lord’s desire for his Church.

4. The bishop as the “visible principle” of unity

As a shepherd of the flock the bishop has the distinct responsibility of gathering all into unity. He is “the visible principle and foundation of unity” in his particular church (Lumen gentium [LG] §23). The service of unity is not just one of the tasks of the bishop’s ministry; it is fundamental to it. The bishop “should sense the urgency of promoting ecumenism” (Apostolorum Successores §18). Rooted in his personal prayer, concern for unity must inform every part of his ministry: in his teaching of the faith, in his sacramental ministry, and through the decisions of his pastoral care, he is called to build and strengthen that unity for which Jesus prayed at the Last Supper (cf. Jn 17). A further dimension of his ministry of unity became evident with the Catholic Church’s embrace of the ecumenical movement. As a consequence, the bishop’s concern for the unity of the Church extends to “those who are not yet of the one flock” (LG §27) but are our spiritual brothers and sisters in the Spirit through the real though imperfect bonds of communion that connect all the baptised.

The episcopal ministry of unity is deeply related to synodality. According to Pope Francis, “a careful examination of how, in the Church’s life, the principle of synodality and the service of the one who presides are articulated, will make a significant contribution to the progress of relations between our Churches”.^[1] The bishops who compose one college together with the Pope exercise their pastoral and ecumenical ministry in a synodal manner together with the entire People of God. As Pope Francis has taught, “The commitment to build a synodal Church — a mission to which we are all called, each with the role entrusted him by the Lord — has significant ecumenical implications”,^[2] because both synodality and ecumenism are processes of walking together.

5. The Vademecum as a guide to the bishop in his task of discernment

The ecumenical task will always be influenced by the wide variety of contexts in which bishops live and work: in some regions Catholics will be in the majority; in others, in a minority to another or other Christian communities; and in others Christianity itself will be a minority. Pastoral challenges, too, are extremely diverse. It is always for the diocesan/ eparchial bishop to make an appraisal of the challenges and opportunities of his context, and to discern how to apply the Catholic principles of ecumenism in his own diocese/ eparchy.^[3] The Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms of Ecumenism (1993, henceforth Ecumenical Directory [ED]) is the most important reference for the bishop in his task of discernment. This Vademecum is offered to the bishop as an encouragement and a guide in fulfilling his ecumenical responsibilities.

PART 1

The promotion of ecumenism within the Catholic Church

6. The search for unity is first of all a challenge to Catholics

Unitatis redintegratio teaches that the “primary duty” of Catholics “is to make a careful and honest appraisal of whatever needs to be done or renewed in the Catholic household itself” (§4). For this reason, rather than begin with our relations with other Christians, it is necessary for Catholics, in the words of the decree, first “to examine their own faithfulness to Christ’s will for the Church and accordingly to undertake with vigour the task of renewal and reform” (§4). This inner renewal disposes and orders the Church towards dialogue and engagement with other Christians. It is an endeavour which concerns both ecclesial structures (Section A) and the ecumenical formation of the whole People of God (Section B).

A. Ecumenical structures at the local and regional level

7. The bishop as a man of dialogue promoting ecumenical engagement

Christus Dominus §13 describes the bishop as a man of dialogue, seeking out those of goodwill in a common pursuit of truth through a conversation marked by clarity and humility, and in a context of charity and friendship. The Code of Canon Law (CIC) Canon 383 §3 refers to the same idea, describing the ecumenical responsibilities of the bishop as “to act with humanity and charity toward the brothers and sisters who are not in full communion with the Catholic Church” and “to foster ecumenism as it is understood by the Church.” The ecumenical task of the bishop therefore is to promote both the “Dialogue of Love” and the “Dialogue of Truth”.

8. The bishop’s responsibility to guide and direct ecumenical initiatives

Alongside the bishop’s personal disposition to dialogue is his role of leadership and governance. Unitatis redintegratio envisages the People of God engaged in a variety of ecumenical activities but always under “the attentive guidance of their bishops” (§4). Canon 755, situated in the part of the Code dedicated to the teaching function of the Church, stipulates that it is “for the entire college of bishops and the Apostolic See to foster and direct among Catholics the ecumenical movement” (CIC 755 §1). Moreover, it is the responsibility of bishops, both individually and in episcopal conferences or synods, to establish “practical norms according to the various needs and opportunities of the circumstances” while being “attentive to the prescripts issued by the supreme authority of the Church” (CIC 755 §2 and CCEO 904, see also Apostolorum Successores §18). In establishing norms bishops, acting either singularly or in conference, can ensure that confusion and misunderstandings do not arise and that scandal is not given to the faithful.

The Code of Canons of Eastern Churches (CCEO), which dedicates an entire Title to ecumenism (XVIII), underlines the “special duty” of the Eastern Catholic Churches in fostering unity among all the Eastern and Oriental Churches and highlights the role of the eparchial bishops in this endeavour. Unity can be furthered “through prayers, by example of life, by the religious fidelity to the ancient traditions of the Eastern Churches, by mutual and better knowledge of each other, and by collaboration and fraternal respect in practice and spirit” (Canon 903).

9. The appointment of ecumenical officers

The Ecumenical Directory §41 recommends that the bishop appoint a diocesan officer for ecumenism who is to be a close collaborator with, and counsellor to, the bishop in ecumenical matters. It also proposes that he establish a diocesan commission for ecumenism to assist him in implementing the ecumenical teaching of the Church as set out in its documents and in the directives of the episcopal conference or synod (§§42-45). The ecumenical officer and members of the ecumenical commission can be important points of contact with other Christian communities and may represent the bishop in ecumenical meetings. In order to ensure that Catholic parishes are also fully engaged ecumenically in their locality, many bishops have found it helpful to encourage the appointment of parish ecumenical officers as envisaged in the Ecumenical Directory (§§45 & 67).

10. The Ecumenical Commission of Episcopal Conferences and Synods of Eastern Catholic Churches

Where the episcopal conference or synod is sufficiently large the Ecumenical Directory recommends that a commission of bishops should be formed with responsibility for ecumenism (§§46-47). These bishops should be assisted by a team of expert consultants and, if possible, a permanent secretariat. One of the principal tasks of the commission is to translate the ecumenical documents of the Church into concrete action appropriate to the local context. When the conference is too small for an episcopal commission at least one bishop should be made responsible for ecumenical activity (ED §46) and may be assisted by suitable advisors.

The commission should support and advise individual bishops as well as the various offices of the conference in fulfilling their ecumenical responsibilities. The Ecumenical Directory envisages the commission engaging with existing ecumenical institutions at the national or territorial level. Where it is judged to be appropriate the commission should establish dialogues and consultations with other Christian communities. Members of the commission should represent the Catholic community or nominate a suitable alternative when invited to attend an important event in the life of another Christian community. Reciprocally they should also ensure an appropriate level of representation of ecumenical guests or delegates at important moments in the life of the Catholic Church. Apostolorum Successores §170 suggests observers from other Christian communities should be invited to diocesan synods, after consultation with the leaders of these communities.

The visit ad limina apostolorum provides an opportunity for bishops to share their own ecumenical experiences and concerns with the Pope, the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and other curial offices. It is also an occasion in which bishops can seek information or advice from the Pontifical Council.

B. The ecumenical dimension of formation

11. A people disposed to dialogue and engagement

Through formation the bishop can ensure that the people of his diocese are properly disposed for engagement with other Christians. Unitatis redintegratio §11 counsels that those engaging in ecumenical dialogue should approach their task with “love of the truth, with charity, and with humility”. These three fundamental dispositions provide a helpful guide for ecumenical formation of the whole People of God.

Firstly, ecumenism is not premised on compromise as if unity should be achieved at the expense of truth. On the contrary, the search for unity leads us into a fuller appreciation of God’s revealed truth. The bedrock of ecumenical formation, therefore, is that “the Catholic faith must be explained more profoundly and precisely, in such a way and in such terms as our separated brethren can also really understand” (UR §11). These explanations must convey an understanding “that in Catholic doctrine there exists a ‘hierarchy’ of truths, since they vary in their relation to the fundamental Christian faith” (UR §11). Though all revealed truths are believed with the same divine faith, their significance depends on their relation to the saving mysteries of the Trinity and salvation in Christ, the source of all Christian doctrines. By weighing truths rather than simply enumerating them, Catholics gain a more accurate understanding of the unity that exists among Christians.

Secondly, the virtue of charity demands that Catholics avoid polemical presentations of Christian history and theology and, in particular, that they avoid misrepresenting the positions of other Christians (see UR §4 & §10). Rather, formators informed by an attitude of charity will always seek to emphasise the Christian faith that we share with others and to present the theological differences that divide us with balance and accuracy. In this way the work of formation helps to remove obstacles to dialogue (see UR §11).

The Second Vatican Council insisted that “there can be no ecumenism worthy of the name without a change of heart” (UR §7). An appropriately humble attitude enables Catholics to appreciate “what God is bringing about in the members of other Churches and Ecclesial Communities” (UUS §48), which in turn opens the way for us to learn and receive gifts from these brothers and sisters. Humility is again necessary when, through encounter with other Christians, truth comes to light “which might require a review of assertions and attitudes” (UUS §36).

I) The formation of laity, seminarians and clergy

12. A summary guide to the Ecumenical Directory on formation

The ecumenical dimension should be present in all aspects and disciplines of Christian formation. The Ecumenical Directory first of all offers guidelines for the ecumenical formation of all the faithful (§§58–69). It envisages this formation taking place through Bible study, the preached Word, catechesis, liturgy and spiritual life, and in a variety of contexts, such as the family, parish, school and lay associations. Next the document offers guidance for the formation of those engaged in pastoral work, both ordained (§§70–82) and lay (§§83–86). It proposes both that all courses be taught with an ecumenical dimension and sensitivity, and that a specific course in ecumenism be a required part of the first cycle of theological studies (§79). The ecumenical dimension of seminary formation is particularly highlighted and it is recommended that all seminarians should be given ecumenical experience (§§70–82). The document also considers the continuing ecumenical formation of priests, deacons, religious and lay people (§91).

In 1997, the Pontifical Council issued guidelines entitled The Ecumenical Dimension in the Formation of Those Engaged in Pastoral Ministry. Its two parts deal respectively with the need to give an ecumenical dimension to each area of theological formation, and with the necessary elements for a specific course on the study of ecumenism.

II) The use of media and diocesan websites

13. An ecumenical approach in using the media

A lack of communication with each other over the centuries has deepened the differences among Christian communities. Efforts to foster and strengthen communication can play a key role in drawing divided Christians closer together. Those who represent the Church in social communications should be imbued with the ecumenical dispositions emphasised above. The Catholic presence through the media should demonstrate that Catholics esteem their Christian brothers and sisters and are a people open to listening and learning from them.

14. Some recommendations for diocesan websites

Increasingly the internet is the medium through which the face of the Church is perceived by the world. It is a place where both the Catholic faithful and others will find the local Church represented and from where they will judge its priorities and concerns. Attention should be given to this new dimension of ecclesial life. The Church’s concern for Christian unity in obedience to Christ, and our love and esteem for other Christian communities, should be immediately evident from the diocesan website. Those who administer diocesan websites must be aware of the responsibility that they have in Christian formation. The diocesan ecumenical officer and the ecumenical commission should be easily found and contacted through the website. The website can very profitably provide links to the webpage of the Ecumenical Commission of the Episcopal Conference or Synod, to the website of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and also to the local and national ecumenical councils.

The ecumenical page of a diocesan website is an excellent place to publicise events and news. However, permission should always be sought before using photographs of ecumenical partners as in some cases publicity can cause difficulties for them.

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PART 2

The Catholic Church in its relations with other Christians

15. The many ways to engage ecumenically with other Christians

The ecumenical movement is one and indivisible and should always be thought of as a whole. Nonetheless it takes various forms according to the various dimensions of ecclesial life. Spiritual ecumenism promotes prayer, conversion and holiness for the sake of Christian unity. The Dialogue of Love deals with encounter at the level of everyday contacts and co-operation, nurturing and deepening the relationship we already share through baptism. The Dialogue of Truth concerns the vital doctrinal aspect of healing division among Christians. The Dialogue of Life includes the opportunities for encounter and collaboration with other Christians in pastoral care, in mission to the world and through culture. These forms of ecumenism are here distinguished for clarity of explanation, but it should always be borne in mind that they are interconnected and mutually enriching aspects of the same reality. Much ecumenical activity will engage a number of these dimensions simultaneously. For the purposes of this document distinctions are made in order to help the bishop in his discernment.^[4]

A. Spiritual ecumenism

16. Prayer, conversion and holiness

Spiritual ecumenism is described in Unitatis redintegratio §8 as “the soul of the whole ecumenical movement”. At each Eucharist Catholics ask the Lord to grant the Church “unity and peace” (Roman Rite, before the sign of peace) or pray for “the stability of the holy churches of God, and for the unity of all” (Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom, Litany of peace).

Spiritual ecumenism consists not only of praying for Christian unity but also of a “change of heart and holiness of life” (UR §8). Indeed, “All the faithful should remember that the more effort they make to live holier lives according to the Gospel, the better will they further Christian unity and put it into practice” (UR §7). Spiritual ecumenism requires conversion and reform. As Pope Benedict XVI said: “Concrete gestures that enter hearts and stir consciences are essential, inspiring in everyone that inner conversion that is the prerequisite for all ecumenical progress.”^[5] Similarly, in his handbook of spiritual ecumenism Cardinal Walter Kasper wrote, “Only in the context of conversion and renewal can the wounded bonds of communion be healed”.^[6]

17. Praying with other Christians

Because we share a real communion as brothers and sisters in Christ, Catholics not only can, but indeed must, seek out opportunities to pray with other Christians. Certain forms of prayer are particularly appropriate in the search for Christian unity. Just as at the conclusion of the rite of Baptism we recognise the dignity we have all gained in being made children of the one Father and so pray the Lord’s prayer, it is equally appropriate to pray this same prayer with other Christians with whom we share baptism.

Similarly, the ancient Christian practice of praying the psalms and scriptural canticles together (the Prayer of the Church) is a tradition that continues to be common throughout many Christian communities and therefore lends itself to be prayed ecumenically (see ED §§117–119).^[7]

In promoting joint prayer Catholics should be sensitive to the fact that some Christian communities do not practise joint prayer with other Christians, as was once the case for the Catholic Church.

18. Prayer for unity: the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

The Second Vatican Council taught that “human powers and capacities cannot achieve … the reconciling of all Christians in the unity of the one and only Church of Christ” (UR §24). In praying for unity we acknowledge that unity is a gift of the Holy Spirit and not something we can achieve through our own efforts. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is celebrated every year from 18–25 January, or around the feast of Pentecost in some parts of the world. Each year materials are prepared by an ecumenical group of Christians in a particular region, centred on a scriptural text and providing a theme, a joint worship service and brief scriptural reflections for each day of the week. The bishop can very effectively advance the cause of Christian unity by participating in an ecumenical prayer service to mark the week with other Christian leaders, and by encouraging parishes and groups to work with other Christian communities present in the area to jointly organize special prayer events during this week.

19. Prayer for one another and for the needs of the world

An important aspect of spiritual ecumenism is simply to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ, and in particular those who are our neighbours. Even if there are difficulties in local ecumenical relations, or if our openness to others is not reciprocated, we can continue to pray for the blessing of these Christians. Such prayer can become a regular part of our own personal prayer and of the intercessions in our liturgies.

Ut unum sint teaches that “There is no important or significant event which does not benefit from Christians coming together and praying” (§25). Christians from different traditions will share a concern for the local community in which they live and the particular challenges that it faces. Christians can demonstrate their care by marking together significant events or anniversaries in the life of the community, and by praying together for its particular needs. Global realities such as warfare, poverty, the plight of migrants, injustice and the persecution of Christians and other religious groups also demand the attention of Christians who can join together in prayer for peace and for the most vulnerable.

20. The Sacred Scriptures

Unitatis redintegratio describes the scriptures as “an instrument of the highest value in the mighty hand of God for the attainment of … unity” (§21). The Ecumenical Directory urges that everything possible should be done to encourage Christians to read the scriptures together. In so doing, the document continues, the bond of unity between Christians is reinforced, they are opened to the unifying action of God, and their common witness to the Word of God is strengthened (see §183). With all Christians, Catholics share the Sacred Scriptures and with many they also share a common Sunday lectionary. This shared biblical heritage presents opportunities to come together for scripturally-based prayer and discussion, for lectio divina, for joint publications and translations,^[8] and even for ecumenical pilgrimages to the holy sites of the Bible. The ministry of preaching can be a particularly powerful means of demonstrating that, as Christians, we are nourished from the common source of the Holy Scriptures. Where appropriate, Catholic and other Christian ministers may be invited to share the ministry of preaching in each other’s non-Eucharistic services (ED §135, see also 118–119).

21. Liturgical feasts and seasons

Similarly, we share with most other traditions at least the principal elements of the liturgical calendar: Christmas, Easter and Pentecost. With many we will also share the liturgical seasons of Advent and Lent. In various parts of the world our shared calendar allows Christians to prepare together for the celebration of the main Christian feasts. In some dioceses the Catholic bishop joins with other Christian leaders to issue joint statements on these important celebrations.

22. Saints and martyrs

“Perhaps the most convincing form of ecumenism,” wrote Saint John Paul II in Tertio millennio adveniente, “is the ecumenism of the saints and of the martyrs.” He goes on, “The communio sanctorum speaks louder than the things which divide us” (§37). Our churches are already united by the communion that the saints and martyrs share. A common devotion to a particular saint, shrine or image can be the focus of an ecumenical pilgrimage, procession or celebration. Catholics generally, and Catholic bishops in particular, can strengthen the bonds of unity with other Christians by encouraging devotions which are already held in common.

In certain parts of the world Christians suffer persecution. Pope Francis has often spoken of the “ecumenism of blood”.^[9]Those who persecute Christians often recognise better than Christians do themselves the unity that exists among them. In honouring Christians from other traditions who have suffered martyrdom Catholics recognise the riches that Christ has bestowed on them and to which they bear powerful witness (see UR §4). Furthermore, although our own communion with the communities to which these martyrs belong remains imperfect, “this communion is already perfect in what we consider the highest point of the life of grace, martyria unto death, the truest communion possible with Christ” (UUS §84, see also §§12, 47, 48, and 79).

23. The contribution of consecrated life to Christian unity

Consecrated life, which is rooted in the common tradition of the undivided Church, undoubtedly has a particular vocation in promoting unity. Established monastic and religious communities as well as new communities and ecclesial movements can be privileged places of ecumenical hospitality, of prayer for unity and for the “exchange of gifts” among Christians. Some recently founded communities have the promotion of Christian unity as their particular charism, and some of these include members from different Christian traditions. In his Apostolic Exhortation Vita consecrata, Saint John Paul II wrote, “There is an urgent need for consecrated persons to give more space in their lives to ecumenical prayer and genuine evangelical witness.” Indeed, he continued, “no Institute of Consecrated Life should feel itself dispensed from working for this cause” (§§100–101).

24. The healing of memories

The expression the “healing of memories” has its roots in the Second Vatican Council. On the penultimate day of the Council (7 December 1965) a joint statement of Saint Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras “removed from the memory” of the Church the excommunications issued in 1054. Ten years later, Saint Paul VI first used the expression the “healing of memories”. As Saint John Paul II wrote, “The Council thus ended with a solemn act which was at once a healing of historical memories, a mutual forgiveness, and a firm commitment to strive for communion” (UUS §52). In the same encyclical Saint John Paul II stressed the need to overcome “certain refusals to forgive”, “an unevangelical insistence on condemning the ‘other side’ ” and “a disdain born of an unhealthy presumption” (§15). Because Christian communities have grown apart from one another, often harbouring resentments, attitudes such as these have, in some instances, become ingrained. The memory of many Christian communities remains wounded by a history of religious and national conflict. However, when communities on opposing sides of historical divisions are able to come together in a common rereading of history, a reconciliation of memories is made possible.

The commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017 was also an example of the healing of memories. In the report From Conflict to Communion, Catholics and Lutherans asked themselves how they could hand on their traditions “in such a way that they do not dig new trenches between Christians of different confessions” (§12).^[10] They found it was possible to adopt a new approach to their history: “What happened in the past cannot be changed, but what is remembered of the past and how it is remem-bered can, with the passage of time, indeed change. Remembrance makes the past present. While the past itself is unalterable, the presence of the past in the present is alterable” (§16).

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B. The Dialogue of Love

25. The baptismal basis of the Dialogue of Love

All ecumenism is baptismal ecumenism. While Catholics might recognise all as brothers and sisters by virtue of our common Creator, they recognise a much more profound relationship with baptised Christians from other Christian communities who are their brothers and sisters in Christ, following the usage of the New Testament and the Fathers of the Church. Therefore the Dialogue of Love (or the Dialogue of Charity) attends not simply to human fraternity, but rather to those bonds of communion forged in baptism.

26. A culture of encounter in ecumenical bodies and events

Catholics should not wait for other Christians to approach them, but rather should always be prepared to take the first step towards others (see UR §4). This “culture of encounter” is a prerequisite for any true ecumenism. Therefore it is important that Catholics participate, as far as possible, in ecumenical bodies at the local, diocesan and national level. Bodies, such as Councils of Churches and Christian Councils, build mutual understanding and co-operation (see ED §§166–171). Catholics have a particular duty to participate in the ecumenical movement when they are in the majority (see ED §32). The Dialogue of Love is built up through the accumulation of simple initiatives which strengthen the bonds of communion: the exchange of messages or delegations on special occasions; reciprocal visits, meetings between local pastoral ministers; and twinnings or covenants between communities or institutions (dioceses, parishes, seminaries, schools, and choirs). Thus, by word and gesture we show our love not only for our brothers and sisters in Christ but also for the Christian communities to which they belong, because we “joyfully acknowledge and esteem the truly Christian endowments” which we find there (UR §4).

It is the experience of many bishops that in the Dialogue of Love ecumenism becomes much more than a duty of their ministry and is discovered to be a source of enrichment and a fount of joy through which they experience “how very good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity” (Ps 133:1).

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C. The Dialogue of Truth

27. Dialogue as an exchange of gifts

In Ut unum sint, Saint John Paul II wrote that dialogue “has become an outright necessity, one of the Church’s priorities” (UUS §31). Through ecumenical dialogue each participant “gains a truer knowledge and more just appreciation” of its dialogue partner (UR §4). Saint John Paul II wrote that “Dialogue is not simply an exchange of ideas. In some way it is always an ‘exchange of gifts’ ” (UUS §28). In this exchange “Each individual part contributes through its special gifts to the good of the other parts and of the whole Church” (LG §13). Pope Francis has called for an active attentiveness to gifts in the other or potential areas of learning from the other which address our own ecclesial needs. “If we really believe in the abundantly free working of the Holy Spirit, we can learn so much from one another! It is not just about being better informed about others, but rather about reaping what the Spirit has sown in them, which is also meant to be a gift for us” (EG §246).

28. A dialogue that leads us into all truth

The Dialogue of Truth is the theological dialogue which aims at the restoration of unity of faith. In Ut unum sint Saint John Paul II asked, “Who could consider legitimate a reconciliation brought about at the expense of the truth?” (§18). Rather, he insisted, full communion would come about “through the acceptance of the whole truth into which the Holy Spirit guides Christ’s disciples” (UUS §36). This is the same conviction expressed in the 2014 Jerusalem Common Declaration of Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew when they write, “We affirm once again that the theological dialogue does not seek a theological lowest common denominator on which to reach a compromise, but is rather about deepening one’s grasp of the whole truth that Christ has given to his Church, a truth that we never cease to understand better as we follow the Holy Spirit’s promptings.”

29. Theological dialogue at the international, national and diocesan level

In the years following the Second Vatican Council the Catholic Church has engaged in many bilateral international theological dialogues with Christian world communions. The task of these dialogue commissions has been to address the theological disagreements which have historically caused division, but doing so in a manner which lays aside the polemical language and prejudices of the past, and that takes as the point of departure the common tradition.^[11] These dialogues have produced documents which have sought to map out the extent to which the dialogue partners hold the same faith. They have addressed differences and sought to expand what the dialogue partners hold in common, and have identified the areas where further work is needed. The results of the dialogue provide the framework for discerning what we can and cannot appropriately do together on the basis of shared faith.

No less important is the work of the many national dialogue commissions operating under the authority of episcopal conferences. The national commissions are often themselves in dialogue with the international commissions, suggesting new areas for fruitful exploration and also receiving and commenting upon the documents of the international commissions.

The Dialogue of Truth conducted at the national and diocesan levels can have a particular importance with respect to the meaning and valid celebration of baptism. Local Church authorities have been able to formulate common statements expressing the mutual recognition of baptism (see ED §94). Other ecumenical working groups and initiatives also make a valuable contribution to the Dialogue of Truth.^[12]

30. The challenge of reception

Reception is the process by which the Church discerns and appropriates that which it recognises as authentic Christian teaching. From the first preached word, down through the long history of Ecumenical Councils and Church teaching, the Christian community has exercised this discernment. Reception takes on a new significance in the ecumenical era. While bilateral and multilateral dialogues have over the years produced many agreed statements and declarations, these texts have not always entered into the life of Christian communities. The Joint Working Group between the World Council of Churches and the Catholic Church in its document on reception described ecumenical reception as “the evangelical attitude necessary to allow [the results of dialogue] to be adopted in one’s own ecclesial tradition”.^[13] Saint John Paul II wrote that in order to receive the bilateral agreements “a serious examination needs to be made, which, by different ways and means and at various levels of responsibility, must involve the whole People of God” (UUS §80). This process of reception should involve the whole Church in the exercise of the sensus fidei: lay faithful, theologians, and pastors. Theological faculties and local ecumenical commissions play an important role in this regard. The Church’s teaching authority ultimately has the responsibility to express a judgment (see UUS §81).Bishops, therefore, are encouraged to read and evaluate particularly those ecumenical documents that are most relevant to their own contexts. Many contain suggestions which can be implemented at the local level.

While the texts produced by ecumenical dialogues do not constitute official teaching documents of the churches involved, their reception into the life of Christian communities helps all to reach a deeper understanding and appreciation of the mysteries of faith.

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D. The Dialogue of Life

31. The truths expressed jointly in theological dialogue seek concrete expression through joint action in pastoral care, in service to the world and through culture. The Ecumenical Directory states that the contribution Christians can make in these areas of human life “will be more effective when they make it together, and when they are seen to be united in making it”. “Hence,” the Directory continues, “they will want to do everything together that is allowed by faith” (§162). These words echo an important ecumenical principle, known as the Lund principle, first formulated by the World Council of Churches, that Christians should “act together in all matters except those in which deep differences of conviction compel them to act separately” (Third World Conference of the Faith and Order Commission in 1952). By working together Catholics begin to live deeply and faithfully the communion that they already share with other Christians.

In this undertaking Catholics are encouraged to have both patience and perseverance, twin virtues of ecumenism, in equal measure: proceeding “gradually and with care, not glossing over difficulties” (ED §23), under the guidance of their bishops; yet showing genuine commitment in this quest, motivated by the urgent need for reconciliation and by Christ’s own desire for the unity of his disciples (see EG §246, UUS §48).

I) Pastoral ecumenism

32. Shared pastoral challenges as opportunities for ecumenism

Very often Christian communities in a given locality face the same pastoral and missionary challenges. If there is not already a genuine desire for unity among Christians such challenges can exacerbate tensions and even promote a spirit of competition among communities. However, when approached with a properly ecumenical spirit these very challenges become opportunities for Christian unity in pastoral care, called here “pastoral ecumenism”. It is one of the fields which most effectively contributes to fostering Christian unity in the life of the faithful.

33. Shared ministry and sharing resources

In very many parts of the world, and in very many ways, Christian ministers from different traditions work together in providing pastoral care in hospitals, prisons, the armed forces, universities and in other chaplaincies. In many of these situations chapels or other spaces are shared to provide ministry to the faithful of different Christian communities (see ED §204).

Where the diocesan bishop discerns that it will not cause scandal or confusion to the faithful, he may offer other Christian communities the use of a church. Particular discernment is required in the case of the diocesan cathedral. The Ecumenical Directory (§137) envisages such situations in which a Catholic diocese comes to the aid of another community which is without its own place of worship or liturgical objects to worthily celebrate its ceremonies. Likewise, in many contexts Catholic communities are the recipients of similar hospitality from other Christian communities. Such sharing of resources can build trust and deepen mutual understanding between Christians.

34. Mission and catechesis

Jesus prayed “that they may all be one … so that the world may believe” (Jn 17:21), and from its origins the ecumenical movement has always had the Church’s mission to evangelise at its core. Division among Christians impedes evangelization and undermines the credibility of the Gospel message (see UR §1, Evangelii nuntiandi §77 and UUS §§98–99). The Ecumenical Directory stresses the need to ensure that the “human, cultural and political factors” involved in the original divisions between Christians not be transplanted to new missionary territories and calls for Christian missionaries from different traditions to work “with mutual respect and love” (§207).

The Apostolic Exhortation Catechesi tradendae (1979) notes that in some situations bishops may consider it “opportune or even necessary” to collaborate with other Christians in the field of catechesis (§33, cited in ED §188 and in the Directory for Catechism §346). The document goes on to describe the parameters of such collaboration. The Catechism of the Catholic Church has proved to be a useful tool for co-operation with other Christians in the field of catechesis.

35. Interchurch marriages

The diocesan bishop is called upon to authorise interchurch marriages and sometimes to dispense from the Catholic rite for the wedding ceremony. Interchurch marriages should not be regarded as problems for they are often a privileged place where the unity of Christians is built (see Familiaris Consortio §78, and Apostolorum Successores §207). However, pastors cannot be indifferent to the pain of Christian division which is experienced in the context of these families, perhaps more sharply than in any other context. The pastoral care of interchurch families, from the initial preparation of the couple for marriage to pastoral accompaniment as the couple have children and the children themselves prepare for sacraments, should be a concern at both the diocesan and regional level (see ED §§143–160). A special effort should be made to engage these families in the ecumenical activities of parish and diocese. Mutual meetings of Christian pastors, aimed at supporting and upholding these marriages, can be an excellent ground for ecumenical collaboration (see ED §147). Recent migratory movements have accentuated this ecclesial reality. From one region to another there is a great variety of practice regarding interchurch marriages, the baptism of children born of such marriages, and their spiritual formation.^[14] Local agreements on these pressing pastoral concerns are therefore to be encouraged.

36. Sharing in Sacramental Life (Communicatio in sacris)

As we have already seen, because we share a real communion with other Christians through our common baptism, prayer with these brothers and sisters in Christ is both possible and necessary to lead us into the unity that the Lord desires for his Church. However, the question of administering and receiving sacraments, and especially the Eucharist, in each other’s liturgical celebrations remains an area of significant tension in our ecumenical relations. In treating the subject of “Sharing Sacramental Life with Christians of Other Churches and Ecclesial Communities” (ED §§129–132), the Ecumenical Directory draws on two basic principles articulated in Unitatis redintegratio §8 which exist in a certain tension and which must always be held together. The first principle is that the celebration of sacraments in a community bears “witness to the unity of the Church” and the second principle is that a sacrament is a “sharing of the means of grace” (UR §8). In view of the first principle the Directory states that “Eucharistic communion is inseparably linked to full ecclesial communion and its visible expression” (ED §129) and therefore, in general, participation in the sacraments of the Eucharist, reconciliation and anointing is limited to those in full communion. However, applying the second principle, the Directory goes on to state that “by way of exception, and under certain conditions, access to these sacraments may be permitted, or even commended, for Christians of other Churches and ecclesial Communities” (ED §129). In this sense the Directory expands on the second principle by stating that the Eucharist is spiritual food for the baptised that enables them to overcome sin and to grow towards the fullness of life in Christ. Communicatio in sacris is therefore permitted for the care of souls within certain circumstances, and when this is the case it is to be recognised as both desirable and commendable.

Weighing the claims of these two principles calls for the exercise of discernment by the diocesan bishop, always bearing in mind that the possibility of communicatio in sacris differs with respect to the Churches and Communities involved. The Code of Canon Law describes the situations in which Catholics can receive sacraments from other Christian ministers (see CIC 844 §2 and CCEO 671 §2). The canon states that either in danger of death, or if the diocesan bishop judges there to be a “grave necessity,” Catholic ministers can administer sacraments to other Christians “who seek such on their own accord, provided that they manifest Catholic faith in respect to these sacraments and are properly disposed” (CIC 844 §4, see also CCEO 671 §3).

It is important to stress that the bishop’s judgement about what constitutes a “grave necessity” and when exceptional sacramental sharing is appropriate is always a pastoral discernment, that is, it concerns the care and the salvation of souls. Sacraments may never be shared out of mere politeness. Prudence must be exercised to avoid causing confusion or giving scandal to the faithful. Nevertheless, Saint John Paul II’s words should also be borne in mind when he wrote, “It is a source of joy to note that Catholic ministers are able, in certain particular cases, to administer the Sacraments of Eucharist, Penance and Anointing of the Sick to Christians who are not in full communion with the Catholic Church” (UUS §46).^[15]

37. Changing ecclesial affiliation as an ecumenical challenge and opportunity

Changing of ecclesial affiliation is of its nature distinct from ecumenical activity (UR §4). Nevertheless, the ecumenical documents acknowledge those situations in which Christians move from one Christian community to another. Certain pastoral provisions, such as those formulated by the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus, respond to this reality. Local communities should welcome with joy those who wish to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church, though as the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults states, “any appearance of triumphalism should be carefully avoided” (§389).^[16] Always maintaining a profound respect for the conscience of the individuals concerned, those who make known their intention to leave the Catholic Church should be made aware of the consequences of their decision. Motivated by the desire to maintain strong relations with ecumenical partners, in some circumstances it is possible to agree a “Code of Conduct” with another Christian community,^[17] especially when addressing the challenging issues raised when clergy change affiliation.^[18]

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II) Practical ecumenism

38. Co-operation in service to the world

The Second Vatican Council called on all Christians, united in their common efforts and bearing witness to a common hope, to set “in clearer relief the features of Christ the Servant” (UR §12). It noted that in many countries this co-operation was already taking place in defence of human dignity and to relieve the afflictions of famine, natural disasters, illiteracy, poverty, housing shortage, and the unequal distribution of wealth. Today we might add to this list: co-ordinated Christian action to care for displaced and migrant peoples; the fight against modern day slavery and human trafficking; peace-building; advocacy for religious freedom; the fight against discrimination; defence of the sanctity of life and care for creation. Christians co-operating in this way is what is intended by “practical ecumenism”. Increasingly, and as new needs arise, Christian communities are pooling their resources and co-ordinating their efforts to respond in the most effective way possible to those in need. Saint John Paul II called Christians to “every possible form of practical co-operation at all levels” and described this kind of working together as “a true school of ecumenism, a dynamic road to unity” (UUS §40). The experience of bishops in many parts of the world is that co-operation between Christian communities in service of the poor is a driving force in promoting the desire for Christian unity.

39. Joint service as witness

Through such ecumenical co-operation Christians “bear witness to our common hope” (UR §12). As disciples of Christ, schooled by the Scriptures and Christian tradition, we are compelled to act to uphold the dignity of the human person and the sacredness of creation, in the sure hope that God is bringing the whole of creation into the fullness of his Kingdom. By working together in both social action and cultural projects such as those suggested in §41 Christians promote an integral Christian vision of the dignity of the person. Our common service manifests before the world, therefore, our shared faith, and our witness is more powerful for being united.

40. Interreligious dialogue

Increasingly, at both the national and local levels, Christians are finding the need to engage more closely with other religious traditions. Recent trends of migration have brought peoples of different cultures and religions into what were previously predominantly Christian communities. Often the expertise at the disposal of an individual Christian community may be limited. Joint Christian co-operation in interreligious dialogue is therefore often beneficial, and indeed the Ecumenical Directory states that it “can deepen the level of communion among [Christians] themselves” (§210). The Directory particularly highlights the importance of Christians working together to combat “anti-Semitism, religious fanaticism and sectarianism”. Lastly, it is important not to lose sight of the essential difference between dialogue with different religious traditions which aims at establishing good relations and co-operation, and dialogue with other Christian communities which aims at restoring the unity Christ willed for his Church and is properly called ecumenical.

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III) Cultural ecumenism

41. Cultural factors have played a significant role in the estrangement of Christian communities. Very often theological disagreements stemmed from difficulties of mutual understanding arising from cultural differences. Once communities have separated and live in isolation from one another, cultural differences tend to widen and reinforce theological disagreements. More positively, Christianity has also contributed enormously to the development and enrichment of specific cultures around the world.

“Cultural ecumenism” includes all efforts to better understand the culture of other Christians and in so doing to realise that beyond cultural difference, to varying degrees, we share the same faith expressed in different ways. An important aspect of cultural ecumenism is the promotion of common cultural projects which are able to bring different communities together and to inculturate the gospel again in our own age.

The Ecumenical Directory (§§211–218) encourages joint projects of an academic, scientific or artistic nature, and provides criteria for the discernment of these projects (§212). The experience of many Catholic dioceses shows that ecumenical concerts, festivals of sacred art, exhibitions, and symposia, are important moments of rapprochement between Christians. Culture, in a broad sense, presents itself as a privileged place for the “exchange of gifts”.

Conclusion

42. The long history of Christian divisions and the complex nature of the theological and cultural factors that divide Christian communities are a great challenge to all those involved in the ecumenical endeavour. And indeed the obstacles to unity are beyond human strength; they cannot be overcome by our efforts alone. But the death and resurrection of Christ is God’s decisive victory over sin and division, just as it is His victory over injustice and every form of evil. For this reason Christians cannot despair in the face of Christian division, just as they cannot despair in the face of injustice or warfare. Christ has already defeated these evils.

The task of the Church is always to receive the grace of the victory of Christ. The practical recommendation and initiatives suggested in this Vademecum are ways in which the Church and, in particular, the bishop can strive to actualise Christ’s victory over Christian division. Opening to God’s grace renews the Church, and as Unitatis redintegratio taught, this renewal is always the first and indispensable step towards unity. An openness to God’s grace demands an openness to our Christian brothers and sisters, and, as Pope Francis has written, a willingness to receive “what the Spirit has sown in them, which is also meant to be a gift for us” (EG §246). The two parts of this Vademecum have sought to address these two dimensions of ecumenism: the renewal of the Church in its own life and structures; and engagement with other Christian communities in spiritual ecumenism, and the dialogues of Love, Truth, and Life.

Father Paul Couturier (1881–1953), a Catholic pioneer in the ecumenical movement and particularly of spiritual ecumenism, called upon the grace of Christ’s victory over division in his prayer for unity which continues to inspire Christians of many different traditions. With his prayer we conclude this Vademecum:

Lord Jesus, on the night before you died for us,

you prayed that all your disciples may be perfectly one,

as you are in your Father and your Father is in you.

Make us painfully aware of our lack of faith in not being united.

Give us the faithfulness to acknowledge,

and the courage to reject, our hidden indifference,
distrust and even enmity towards one another.

Grant that we all may meet one another in you,

so that from our souls and our lips there may ever arise

your prayer for the unity of Christians

as you will it and by the means that you desire.

In you, who are perfect Love,

grant us to find the way that leads to unity,

in obedience to your love and your truth.

Amen.

The Holy Father Pope Francis has given his approval for the publication of this document.

From the Vatican, 5 June 2020

Kurt Cardinal Koch
President

† Brian Farrell
Titular Bishop of Abitine
Secretary

***

Catholic Documents on Ecumenism

Second Vatican Council Unitatis redintegratio (1964), Decree on Ecumenism.

Saint John Paul II Ut unum sint (1995), Encyclical on Commitment to Ecumenism.

Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and United Bible Societies, Guidelines for Interconfessional Cooperation in Translating the Bible (1987).

Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms on Ecumenism (1993).

Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, The Ecumenical Dimension in the Formation of those Engaged in Pastoral Work (1997).

For these documents and for further documentation, information and resources see the website of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (www.christianunity.va).

***

Appendix

The international dialogue partners of the Catholic Church

Bilateral dialogue

The work of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity is both to foster ever-closer relations with our brothers and sisters in Christ (the Dialogue of Love) and to strive to overcome the doctrinal divisions which prevent us from being able to share full, visible communion (the Dialogue of Truth). It conducts bilateral dialogues or conversations with the following Christian communities.^[19]

Orthodox Churches of the Byzantine Tradition

Churches of the Byzantine tradition are united by the recognition of the seven ecumenical councils of the first millennium and the same spiritual and canonical tradition inherited from Byzantium. These Churches, which form the Orthodox Church as a whole, are organized according to the principle of autocephaly, each with its own primate and the Ecumenical Patriarch having, among them, the primacy of honour. The unanimously recognised autocephalous Churches are: the Patriarchates of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, Moscow, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Georgia, and the Autocephalous Churches of Cyprus, Greece, Poland, Albania, and the Czech Lands and Slovakia. Some of the patriarchates also include so-called “autonomous” churches within them. In 2019 the Ecumenical Patriarch granted a tomos of autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. This Church is still in the process of being recognised by other Churches. The International Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church as a whole, founded in 1979, has adopted six texts. The first three documents concerned the sacramental structure of the Church (Munich, 1982; Bari, 1987; and Valamo, 1988) and the fourth addressed the question of uniatism (Balamand, 1993). After a period of crisis, a new phase of dialogue began in 2006 focussing on the relationship between primacy and synodality and to date has adopted two documents (Ravenna 2007, and Chieti 2016).

Oriental Orthodox Churches

The Oriental Orthodox Churches, also known as “non-Chalcedonian” because they do not recognize the fourth Ecumenical Council, are distinguished between three main traditions: Coptic, Syriac and Armenian. An international joint commission was established in 2003 bringing together all the seven Churches that recognise the first three ecumenical councils: the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Syrian Orthodox Church, the Armenian Apostolic Church (Catholicosate of Etchmiadzin and Catholicosate of Cilicia), the Malankar Orthodox-Syrian Church, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church. A first phase of the dialogue culminated in 2009 with a document on the nature and mission of the Church. A new phase resulted in the adoption in 2015 of a document on the exercise of communion in the life of the early Church. The current dialogue is about the sacraments.

Parallel to this commission there is also a special dialogue with the Malankara Churches of South India. In 1989 and 1990, two parallel bilateral dialogues were established respectively with the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church and with the Malankara (Jacobite) Syrian Orthodox Church, and these were maintained despite the foundation of the commission mentioned above. These dialogues focus on three main themes: Church history, common witness and ecclesiology.

Assyrian Church of the East

The dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East has produced many fruitful results. As a result of a first phase of dialogue on Christological issues Pope John Paul II and Patriarch Mar Dinkha IV signed a Joint Christological Declaration in 1994, which opened new horizons for both theological dialogue and pastoral collaboration. Subsequently, the Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East planned two further phases of work: one on sacramental theology and the other on the constitution of the Church. The second phase of dialogue concluded with a wide consensus on sacramental issues allowing the publication by the PCPCU of the “Guidelines for Admission to the Eucharist between the Chaldean Church and the Assyrian Church of the East”, and an agreement on the final document entitled Common Statement on Sacramental Life, adopted in 2017. The third phase of the dialogue on the nature and constitution of the Church started in 2018.

Old Catholic Church of the Union of Utrecht

The Union of Utrecht comprises six national churches that belong to the International Old Catholic Bishops’ Conference. Listed in the order of entry into the Union (1889 onwards) they are the Old Catholic Churches in the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Poland. The International Roman Catholic–Old Catholic Dialogue Commission was established in 2004. Its recent publication The Church and Ecclesial Communion incorporates the two reports of 2009 and 2016. It concludes that the shared understanding of the Church as a multilayered communion of local churches may open up common vistas and enable a common vision of the primacy of the Bishop of Rome within a universal synodal perspective.

Anglican Communion

The Anglican Communion has 39 Provinces and more than 85 million members. Although others claim the name Anglican, the communion is defined as being those dioceses whose bishop is in communion with the ancient See of Canterbury. Ecumenical dialogue between the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church began after the historic meeting between Saint Paul VI and Archbishop Michael Ramsey in 1966. The first Anglican–Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC I) met between 1970 and 1981. It produced a high level of agreement on the topics of Eucharist and Ministry. ARCIC II took up the work of its predecessor on authority in an important document entitled The Gift of Authority (1999). It also produced agreed statements on salvation, Mary, ecclesiology, ethics and grace. Most recently ARCIC III has published an agreed statement on ecclesiology entitled Walking Together on the Way. The International Anglican–Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission (IARCCUM) is a commission of paired Anglican and Catholic bishops who seek to further the reception of ARCIC’s documents and to give greater witness to our common faith in service of those in need.

Lutheran World Federation (LWF)

The Lutheran World Federation is a global communion of 148 Lutheran churches which live in pulpit and altar fellowship. LWF member churches can be found in 99 countries and together they have over 75.5 million members. The LWF was founded in 1947 in Lund. The Lutheran–Catholic Commission on Unity began its work in 1967. The dialogue between Catholics and Lutherans has continued uninterrupted since then. In the five phases of the dialogue, the Commission has published study documents on the gospel and the Church, ministry, Eucharist, justification and the apostolicity of the Church. Its current working theme is Baptism and growth in communion. An important historical milestone in Lutheran–Catholic relations was achieved by The Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (1999). The theology of justification was the central theological dispute between Martin Luther and the church authorities which led to the Reformation. The Joint Declaration proposes 44 common affirmations relating to the doctrine of justification. On the basis of the high degree of consensus reached it was agreed that the condemnations in Lutheran Confessions and in the Council of Trent no longer apply. The document From Conflict to Communion (2013) marked the Lutheran–Catholic Common Commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017.

World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC)

The World Communion of Reformed Churches and its member churches trace their roots to the 16th century Reformation led by John Calvin, John Knox, and Ulrich Zwingli, and to the earlier reforming movements of Jan Hus and Peter Valdes. WCRC member churches are Congregational, Presbyterian, Reformed, United/Uniting and Waldensian. In 2010, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) and the Reformed Ecumenical Council (REC) united to create the World Communion of Reformed Churches. The Reformed–Roman Catholic Commission officially began its work in Rome in 1970. A total of four phases of dialogue have been held by the Commission producing the following four dialogue reports: The Presence of Christ in Church and World (1970–1977); Towards a Common Understanding of the Church (1984–1990); The Church as Community of Common Witness to the Kingdom of God (1998–2005); and Justification and Sacramentality: The Christian Community as an Agent for Justice (2011–2015).

World Methodist Council (WMC)

The World Methodist Council is an association of 80 churches from across the world. Most of these have their roots in the teaching of the 18th century Anglican preacher, John Wesley. Methodists have a long history of ecumenical covenants and so in many countries such as Canada, Australia and India, Methodists have become part of United or Uniting Churches. The Methodist–Roman Catholic International Commission began work in 1967. The Commission produces reports every five years to coincide with the meetings of the World Methodist Council. These reports have focussed on topics such as: the Holy Spirit, the Church, the sacraments, the apostolic tradition, revelation and faith, teaching authority in the Church, and holiness. The 2017–2021 phase of dialogue focusses on the theme of the Church as a reconciled and reconciling community.

Mennonite World Conference (MWC)

The Mennonite World Conference represents the majority of the global family of Christian churches that have their origins in the 16th century Radical Reformation in Europe, and particularly in the Anabaptist movement. MWC membership includes 107 Mennonite and Brethren in Christ national churches from 58 countries, with around 1.5 million baptized believers. International conversations between the Roman Catholic Church and the MWC started in 1998 and produced one dialogue report, Called Together to Be Peacemakers (1998–2003).

More recently (2012–2017) the PCPCU has participated in a tripartite dialogue called the International Trilateral Dialogue Commission with the MWC and the LWF which finalised a report in 2017 entitled “Baptism and Incorporation into the Body of Christ, the Church”.

Baptist World Alliance (BWA)

The Alliance is a worldwide fellowship of Baptist believers formed in London in 1905. Currently there are about 240 member churches totalling approximately 46 million members. The Baptist movement began in 17th century England as a separatist movement breaking from the Puritans and advocating the radical separation of church and state. Early leaders of the movement (John Smyth and Thomas Helwys) became convinced that infant baptism was contrary to Scripture. Along with the Mennonites (Anabaptists), who influenced Baptist theology in Holland and beyond, Baptists do not practise infant baptism but advocate what they term “believers’ baptism”. The Baptist–Roman Catholic international conversations began in 1984. Two phases of international dialogues have produced two reports: Summons to Witness to Christ in Today’s World (1984–1988) and The Word of God in the Life of the Church (2006–2010). Currently, a third phase of dialogue is reflecting on the theme of common Christian witness in the contemporary world.

Disciples of Christ

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) was born in the early 19th century in the USA, out of a search for both catholicity and unity. Christian unity is foremost in the Disciples’ doctrine of the church and in their witness to the kingdom of God. They refer to themselves as a “Protestant Eucharistic community” and frequently repeat that “our reconciling journey begins, and ends, at the [Eucharistic] Table”. The dialogue with the Catholic Church started in 1977 and has published four documents: Apostolicity and Catholicity (1982); The Church as Communion in Christ (1992); Handing on the Faith (2002); and The Presence of Christ in the Church with particular reference to the Eucharist (2009).

Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements

The Los Angeles Azusa Street Revival Movement in 1906 is usually considered as the beginning of the Pentecostal Movement. Classical Pentecostalism has its origins in this Revival that soon formed into denominations in the protestant sense and have since become international networks such as the Assemblies of God, Four Square Gospel, and the Church of God. The Denominational Pentecostals which sprang from revivals in the 1950s within different Christian traditions while remaining within these confessional boundaries are normally called Charismatics (the Catholic Charismatic Renewal born in 1968 is part of this movement while remaining an ecclesial movement within the Catholic Church). Lastly Non-Denominational Pentecostals or New Charismatic Churches appeared in late 1980s and 1990s. At present Pentecostals and Charismatics are estimated to number about 500 million globally. The Pentecostal–Catholic dialogue began in 1972 and has produced six reports the most recent of which, Do Not Quench the Spirit, addresses charisms in the life and mission of the Church.

A series of preliminary conversations between a group of leaders of the New Charismatic Churches (NCC) and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity took place in the Vatican (2008–12). At the end of this preliminary phase, it was agreed to have a round of conversations to explore their identity and self-understanding (2014–18). A document entitled “The Characteristics of the New Charismatic Churches” resulted from the NCC’s reflections on these conversations. It is not an ecumenical document, but represents the NCC’s attempt to describe themselves in a dialogical context and is intended to help and encourage relations between Catholics and New-Charismatic leaders around the world.

World Evangelical Alliance (WEA)

Evangelicals are one of the first ecumenical movements in modern church history. Originally, the Evangelical Alliance, founded in 1846 in London, brought together Christians of Lutheran, Reformed, and Anabaptist traditions. In the founding of the Evangelical Alliance (now World Evangelical Alliance), a personal relationship to Christ was considered the fundamental uniting value, that is the sense of conversion (repentance) and spiritual rebirth (born-again Christians). Even though the Evangelicals agree on the four so-called exclusive articles of the Reformation (“solas”), at present issues around mission and evangelism are the core concern for Evangelicals, who belong to very many different ecclesial traditions from Anglicanism to Pentecostalism. The World Evangelical Alliance, an association of National Evangelical Alliances with a visible infrastructure, and the Lausanne Movement, which for the most part is an association of individual Evangelicals, represent the concerns of Evangelicalism today. Three rounds of international consultations have been undertaken between representatives of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the WEA and have produced three reports: Evangelicals and Catholics on Mission (ERCDOM, 1976–1984); Church, Evangelisation and the Bonds of Koinonia (1997–2002); ‘Scripture and Tradition’ and ‘The Church in Salvation’ – Catholics and Evangelicals Explore Challenges and Opportunities (2009–2016).

Salvation Army

The Salvation Army has its roots in mid-19th century England, as a mission movement for the poor and marginalized. The founder, William Booth, was a Methodist minister. The Salvation Army operates in 124 countries. Its membership includes more than 17,000 active and more than 8,700 retired officers, over 1 million soldiers, around 100,000 other employees and more than 4.5 million volunteers. Salvationists can be classified as Evangelical Christians who do not practise any sacraments. A series of informal ecumenical conversations between Salvationists and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity began in 2007 in Middlesex, United Kingdom. There were a total of five meetings ending in 2012. A summary of the international dialogue was published by the Salvation Army in 2014 under the title Conversations with the Catholic Church.

Multilateral dialogues

Through the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity the Catholic Church also engages in multilateral dialogues.

World Council of Churches (WCC)

Founded in 1948, the World Council of Churches is “a fellowship of churches which confess the Lord Jesus Christ as God and Saviour according to the scriptures, and therefore seek to fulfil together their common calling to the glory of the one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit” (The Basis adopted by the Third Assembly in New Delhi in 1961). The WCC is today the broadest and most inclusive organized expression of the ecumenical movement. It brings together 350 member churches including Orthodox, Lutherans, Reformed, Anglicans, Methodists, Baptists as well as Evangelicals, Pentecostals and United and Independent churches. All together they represent over 500 million Christians from all continents and more than 110 countries.

Although the Catholic Church is not a member of the WCC, there has been growing collaboration on issues of common concern since the Second Vatican Council. The most important collaboration for the pursuit of the goal of full visible unity is undertaken through the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPCU). This includes the Joint Working Group (established in 1965), collaboration in the field of ecumenical formation and education, and the common preparation of the material for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Catholic experts are also members of various commissions of the WCC such as the Commission on World Mission and Evangelism, the Commission on Ecumenical Education and Formation, as well as various ad hoc working groups related to specific projects. Particularly important for resolving doctrinal, moral and structural divergences among the Churches is the Commission on Faith and Order, 10% of whose membership is Catholic. Since its establishment in 1948, the Commission has undertaken many studies on important ecumenical topics including Holy Scripture and Tradition, apostolic faith, anthropology, hermeneutics, reconciliation, violence and peace, preservation of creation, and visible unity. In 1982 it published Baptism, Eucharist, Ministry (BEM, also known as The Lima Statement), the first multilateral convergence statement on the issues at the heart of the ecumenical debate. The official Catholic response (1987) expressed the conviction that the study of ecclesiology should take a central place in ecumenical dialogue in order to resolve remaining issues. In 2013, the Commission published a second convergence statement The Church: Towards a Common Vision (TCTCV). A result of three decades of intense theological dialogue involving hundreds of theologians and church leaders, TCTCV demonstrates “how far Christian communities have come in their common understanding of the church, showing the progress that has been made and indicating work that still needs to be done” (Introduction). The official Catholic response (2019) makes it clear that without pretending to having achieved full agreement, TCTCVshows growing consensus on controversial issues regarding the Church’s nature, mission and unity.

Global Christian Forum (GCF)

The Global Christian Forum is a recent ecumenical initiative that emerged at the end of the last century within the context of the WCC. It intends to create an open space – a forum – where representatives of the so-called “historic churches” (Catholic, Orthodox and post-Reformation Protestant churches) and those identified as “recent churches” (Pentecostal, Evangelical and Independent) could join together on an equal basis to foster mutual respect, to share faith stories, and to address together common challenges. The aim of the GCF is to gather around one table representatives of almost all Christian traditions, including African Instituted Churches, mega churches, migrant churches, and new ecumenical movements and communities. Represented in the GCF are many Christian world communions and world Christian organisations, including the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, the Pentecostal World Fellowship, the World Evangelical Alliance and the World Council of Churches. Without formal membership, the GCF provides space for networking and for church leaders to explore issues of common interest in the fast changing context of global Christianity today.

Community of Protestant Churches in Europe (CPCE)

The Community of Protestant Churches in Europe (CPCE) is a fellowship of over 90 Protestant churches which have signed the Leuenberg Agreement. Its aim is to implement church fellowship through common witness and service. Membership consists of most of the Lutheran and Reformed churches in Europe, the United churches originating from mergers of those churches, the Waldensian Church, and the European Methodist churches. Some European churches have remained outside the fellowship, such as the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and the Church of Sweden. In a worship service in Basel on 16 September 2018, the CPCE and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity committed to begin an official dialogue on the theme of church and church communion.

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^[1]. Address marking the 50th anniversary of the Institution of the Synod of Bishops, 17 October 2015, citing the Address to the Delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, 27 June 2015.

^[2]. Ibid.

^[3]. It should be understood that all references to dioceses, diocesan bishops and diocesan structures apply equally to eparchies, their bishops and structures.

^[4]. For example, because this Vademecum takes the perspective of the bishop, communicatio in sacris is here understood as a pastoral concern rather than an aspect of spiritual ecumenism.

^[5]. First Message of Pope Benedict XVI at the end of the Eucharistic Concelebration with members of the College of Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel, 20 April 2005.

^[6]. Kasper, Walter, A Handbook of Spiritual Ecumenism (New York: New City Press, 2007) §6.

^[7]. See also O Lord, Open Our Lips, 2014 document of the French Anglican-Roman Catholic Joint Committee.

^[8]. See Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and United Bible Societies, Guidelines for Interconfessional Cooperation in Translating the Bible (revised edition 1987).

^[9]. For example see the address of Pope Francis in the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, 25 May 2014.

^[10]. Lutheran–Roman Catholic Commission on Unity, From Conflict to Communion (Leipzig: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt; Paderborn: Bonifatius, 2013).

^[11]. Details of these theological dialogues can be found in the appendix to this document.

^[12]. E.g. The Groupe des Dombes, the Ökumenischer Arbeitskreis evangelischer und katholischer Theologen, the theological conversations with Oriental Orthodox Churches initiated by the Pro Oriente Foundation, the Malines Conversations, Catholics and Evangelicals Together, and the St Irenaeus Joint Orthodox–Catholic Working Group.

^[13]. Ninth Report of the Joint Working Group between the Roman Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches (2007-2012), Appendix A “Reception: A Key to Ecumenical Progress” §15.

^[14]. The bishop should take account of CIC 1125 or CCEO 814 §1.

^[15]. Pastoral agreements have been reached with some Oriental Orthodox Churches for reciprocal admission of the faithful to the Eucharist in case of necessity (in 1984 with the Syrian Orthodox Church, and in 2001 between the Chaldean Church and the Assyrian Church of the East). Many episcopal conferences, synods, eparchies and dioceses have published directives or documents on this matter.

^[16]. Editio typica, Appendix 3b.

^[17]. The French Joint Committee for Catholic-Orthodox Theological Dialogue made such a proposal in its 2003 declaration Éléments pour une éthique du dialogue catholique-orthodoxe.

^[18]. As an example, the Anglican-Roman Catholic Bishops’ Dialogue of Canada was able to agree a statement, “Pastoral Guidelines for Churches in the case of clergy moving from one communion to the other” (1991).

^[19]. Before entering into ecumenical relations locally and nationally it is helpful first of all to establish that a particular Christian community is in a full communion relationship with one of the worldwide communions listed in this appendix. There are, for example, non-canonical Orthodox Churches, Anglican provinces or dioceses which are not in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury, and many Baptist communities are not members of the Baptist World Alliance. Furthermore, there are also communities that do not have a representative global structure. Discernment is required when entering into ecumenical relations with such groups. It may be helpful to seek advice from the ecumenical commission of the bishops’ conference or synod, or from the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

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Pope Francis expressed this to Europe in a letter sent regarding the continent to Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, on the 40th anniversary of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community (COMECE), the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the European Union, and the 50th anniversary of the presence of the Holy See as Permanent Observer at the Council of Europe.

In the text signed in the Vatican,  on Oct. 22, 2020,  the Memorial of Saint John Paul II, and published today, Oct. 27, by the Holy See Press Office in various languages, the Holy Father expresses his series of ‘dreams for the European continent.”

“May our beloved Europe,” Pope Francis prayed, “continue to enjoy the protection of her holy patrons: Saint Benedict, Saints Cyril and Methodius, Saint Bridget, Saint Catherine and Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), men and women who for love of the Lord tirelessly served the poor and worked for the human, social and cultural development of all the peoples of the continent.”

The Holy Father concluded, saying he commends himself to Cardinal Parolin’s prayers and to the prayers of those whom he will encounter in the course of his travels. “To all of them,” Francis said, “I ask you to bring my Blessing.”

Below is the Vatican-provided text:

***

LETTER OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS
ON EUROPE

The following is the letter addressed by the Holy Father to His Eminence the Secretary of State on the 40th anniversary of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community (COMECE), the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the European Union, and the 50th anniversary of the presence of the Holy See as Permanent Observer at the Council of Europe.

To coincide with these anniversaries, a visit by Cardinal Parolin to Brussels was planned for the days 28 to 30 October, but has been cancelled due to the worsening of the health emergency. It is expected that the meetings with the authorities of the European Union and the members of COMECE can be held by video connection.

To my Venerable Brother
Cardinal Pietro Parolin
Secretary of State

This year the Holy See and the Church in Europe celebrate several significant anniversaries.  Fifty years ago, cooperation between the Holy See and the European institutions that arose in the period following the Second World War took concrete form by the establishment of diplomatic relations between the then European Community and by the Holy See’s presence as an Observer at the Council of Europe. In 1980, the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Communities (COMECE) was founded, composed of delegates from the Bishops’ Conferences of all the member states of the European Union, for the sake of promoting “closer cooperation between those episcopates with regard to pastoral questions related to the development of the areas of competence and activities of the Union”.[1] This year also marked the seventieth anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, an event of capital importance that inspired the gradual process of the continent’s integration, making it possible to overcome the animosity resulting from the two world wars.

In the light of these events, you are planning in the near future to make significant visits to the authorities of the European Union, the Plenary Assembly of COMECE and the authorities of the Council of Europe. In this regard, I consider it important to share with you some reflections on the future of this continent so dear to me, not only because of my family’s origins but also because of the central role that it has had, and, I believe, must continue to have, albeit with different accents, in the history of humanity.

That role is all the more pertinent in the context of the pandemic we are now experiencing. The European project arose from a determination to end past divisions. It was born of the realization that unity and cooperation make for strength, that “unity is greater than conflict”[2] and that solidarity can be “a way of making history in a life setting where conflicts, tensions and oppositions can achieve a diversified and life-giving unity”.[3] In our own days, which “show signs of a certain regression”,[4] a growing tendency for all to go their own separate ways, the pandemic has emerged as a kind of a watershed, forcing us to take a stand. We can either continue to pursue the path we have taken in the past decade, yielding to the temptation to autonomy and thus to ever greater misunderstanding, disagreement and conflict, or we can rediscover the path of fraternity that inspired and guided the founders of modern Europe, beginning precisely with Robert Schuman.

As the experience of Europe in recent months has shown, the pandemic has made this increasingly evident. On the one hand, we have witnessed the temptation to go it alone, seeking unilateral solutions to a problem that transcends state borders. Yet thanks to the great spirit of mediation that distinguishes the European institutions, we have also seen a determination to set out on the path of fraternity, which is also the path of solidarity, unleashing creativity and new initiatives.

The steps taken thus far need, however, to be consolidated, lest centrifugal forces regain their strength. Today, the words of Saint John Paul II in the European Act of Santiago de Compostela remain as timely as ever: Europe, “find yourself, be yourself”.[5] An age of rapid change can bring with it a loss of identity, especially when there is a lack of shared values on which to base society.

To Europe, then, I would like to say: you, who for centuries have been a seedbed of high ideals and now seem to be losing your élan, do not be content to regard your past as an album of memories. In time, even the most beautiful memories fade and are gradually forgotten. Sooner or later, we realize that we ourselves have changed; we find ourselves weary and listless in the present and possessed of little hope as we look to the future. Without ideals, we find ourselves weak and divided, more prone to complain and to be attracted by those who make complaint and division a style of personal, social and political life.

Europe, find yourself! Rediscover your most deeply-rooted ideals. Be yourself! Do not be afraid of your millenary history, which is a window open to the future more than the past. Do not be afraid of that thirst of yours for truth, which, from the days of ancient Greece, has spread throughout the world and brought to light the deepest questions of every human being. Do not be afraid of the thirst for justice that developed from Roman law and in time became respect for all human beings and their rights. Do not be afraid of your thirst for eternity, enriched by the encounter with the Judeo-Christian tradition reflected in your patrimony of faith, art and culture.

Today, as many in Europe look to its future with uncertainty, others look to Europe with hope, convinced that it still has something to offer to the world and to humanity. The same conviction inspired Robert Schuman, who realized that “the contribution which an organized and living Europe can bring to civilization is indispensable to the maintenance of peaceful relations”.[6] It is a conviction that we ourselves can share, setting out from shared values and rooted in the history and culture of this land.

What kind of Europe do we envision for the future? What is to be its distinctive contribution? In today’s world, it is not about recovering political hegemony or geographical centrality, or about developing innovative solutions to economic and social problems. The uniqueness of Europe rests above all on its conception of the human being and of reality, on its capacity for initiative and on its spirit of practical solidarity.

I dream, then, of a Europe that is a friend to each and all. A land respectful of everyone’s dignity, in which each person is appreciated for his or her intrinsic worth and not viewed purely from an economic standpoint or as a mere consumer. A land that protects life at every stage, from the time it arises unseen in the womb until its natural end, since no human being is the master of life, either his or her own life or the lives of others. A land that promotes work as a privileged means of personal growth and the pursuit of the common good, creating employment opportunities particularly for the young. Being a friend to others entails providing for their education and cultural development. It entails protecting the weakest and most vulnerable, especially the elderly, the sick in need of costly care, and those with disabilities. Being a friend to others entails defending their rights, but also reminding them of their duties. It means acknowledging that everyone is called to offer his or her own contribution to society, for none of us is a world apart, and we cannot demand respect for ourselves without showing respect for others. We cannot receive unless we are also willing to give.

I dream of a Europe that is a family and a community. A place respectful of the distinctiveness of each individual and every people, ever mindful that they are bound together by shared responsibilities. Being a family entails living in unity, treasuring differences, beginning with the fundamental difference between man and woman. In this sense, Europe is a genuine family of peoples, all different yet linked by a common history and destiny. The experience of recent years and that of the pandemic in particular have shown that no one is completely self-sufficient, and that a certain individualistic understanding of life and society leads only to discouragement and isolation. Every man and woman aspires to be part of a community, that is, of a greater reality that transcends and gives meaning to his or her individuality. A divided Europe, made up of insular and independent realities, will soon prove incapable of facing the challenges of the future. On the other hand, a Europe that is a united and fraternal community will be able to value diversity and acknowledge the part that each has to play in confronting the problems that lie ahead, beginning with the pandemic and including the ecological challenge of preserving our natural resources and the quality of the environment in which we live. We are faced with the choice between a model of life that discards people and things, and an inclusive model that values creation and creatures.

I dream of a Europe that is inclusive and generous. A welcoming and hospitable place in which charity, the highest Christian virtue, overcomes every form of indifference and selfishness. Solidarity, as an essential element of every authentic community, demands that we care for one another. To be sure, we are speaking of an “intelligent solidarity” that does more than merely attend to basic needs as they emerge.

Solidarity entails guiding those most vulnerable towards personal and social growth, enabling them one day to help others in turn. Like any good physician, who not only administers medication, but also accompanies the patient to complete recovery.

Solidarity involves being a neighbour to others. In the case of Europe, this means becoming especially ready and willing, through international cooperation, to offer generous assistance to other continents. I think particularly of Africa, where there is a need to resolve ongoing conflicts and to pursue a sustainable human development.

Solidarity is also nurtured by generosity and gives rise to gratitude, which leads us to regard others with love. When we forget to be thankful for the benefits we have received, we tend increasingly to close in upon ourselves and to live in fear of everything around us and different from us.

We can see this in the many fears felt in our contemporary societies, among which I would mention uneasiness and concern about migrants. Only a Europe that is a supportive community can meet the present challenge in a productive way, since piecemeal solutions have proved to be inadequate. It is clear that a proper acceptance of migrants must not only assist those newly arrived, who are often fleeing conflict, hunger or natural disasters, but must also work for their integration, enabling them “to learn, respect and assimilate the culture and traditions of the nations that welcome them”.[7]

I dream of a Europe marked by a healthy secularism, where God and Caesar remain distinct but not opposed. A land open to transcendence, where believers are free to profess their faith in public and to put forward their own point of view in society. The era of confessional conflicts is over, but so too – let us hope – is the age of a certain laicism closed to others and especially to God[8], for it is evident that a culture or political system that lacks openness to transcendence proves insufficiently respectful of the human person.

Christians today have a great responsibility: they are called to serve as a leaven in reviving Europe’s conscience and help to generate processes capable of awakening new energies in society.[9] I urge them, therefore, to contribute with commitment, courage and determination to every sector in which they live and work.

Your Eminence,

These few words arise from my pastoral concern and my certainty that Europe still has much to offer to the world. My words are meant solely to be a personal contribution to the growing call for reflection on the continent’s future. I would be grateful if you could share these thoughts in the conversations you are to hold in coming days with the European authorities and with the members of COMECE, whom I ask to cooperate in a spirit of fraternal communion with all the Bishops of the continent gathered in the Council of the Bishops’ Conferences of Europe (CCEE). I ask you to bring my personal greeting and a sign of my closeness to each of them and to the peoples they represent. Your meetings will certainly be a fitting occasion for consolidating relations between the Holy See and the European Union and the Council of Europe, and to confirm the Church in her evangelizing mission and her service to the common good.

May our beloved Europe continue to enjoy the protection of her holy patrons: Saint Benedict, Saints Cyril and Methodius, Saint Bridget, Saint Catherine and Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), men and women who for love of the Lord tirelessly served the poor and worked for the human, social and cultural development of all the peoples of the continent.

I commend myself to your prayers and to the prayers of those whom you will encounter in the course of your travels. To all of them I ask you to bring my Blessing.

From the Vatican, 22 October 2020, Memorial of Saint John Paul II

Franciscus

[1] COMECE Statutes, Art. 1.

[2] Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (24 November 2013), 228.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Encyclical Letter Fratelli Tutti (3 October 2020), 11.

[5] 9 November 1982, 4.

[6] Schuman Declaration, Paris, 9 May 1950.

[7] Address to Participants in the Conference “(Re)thinking Europe” (28 October 2017).

[8] Cf. interview for the Belgian Catholic Weekly “Tertio” (7 December 2016).

[9] Address to Participants in the Conference “(Re)thinking Europe”, op. cit.

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