ONE

CHRISTIAN
PEOPLE

October to December 2023   –   no 20   2023/4

If the worldwide process of the Catholic Church aiming to ensure that the synodal style is recognized and practiced as “the specific modus vivendi et operandi of the Church, the People of God,” the same needs to be done in the ecumenical sphere: to ensure that sharing and cooperation cease to be sporadic and casual and become instead a fundamental dimension of being Church.

Hubertus Blaumeiser - Ecumenical synodality

EDITORIAL

Ecumenical Synodality

Hubertus Blaumeiser

CHIARA LUBICH

One Christian People

On 17 January 1998, on the eve of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Chiara Lubich gave a speech in the Palermo Cathedral entitled, ‘A Spirituality for Dialogues’. This article has two key excerpts relevant to the ongoing ecumenical journey.

POPE FRANCIS

Never alone

Excerpts from two talks given by Pope Francis in 2022 in which he underlines, in vibrant and vital terms, the urgency of the ecumenical journey, and outlines its concrete and fundamental characteristics.

CALLAN SLIPPER

How to dialogue?

here are various expressions of dialogue between the Churches: from theological dialogue to common prayer and joint commitment to the service of society. At the heart of all there cannot fail to be the dialogue of life. The author is an Anglican priest and was until 2022 nationally responsible for the ecumenical relations of the Church of England.

SANDRA FERREIRA RIBEIRO

Athenagoras I
A Christian of the past
with a soul in the present

Athenagoras I was the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from November 1948 until his death in Constantinople-Istanbul, on July 7, 1972. The relationship between Athenagoras I and Pope Paul VI signaled a turning point in the dialogue between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.

Interview with
CARDINAL KURT KOCH

Unity will not come as a
miraculous ending

The Synodal Path of the Catholic Church, in its various stages, also aimed at listening to and including representatives of the various Churches. We asked Cardinal Kurt Koch, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, to give us his interpretation of the current situation as Churches on the path towards full unity.

GIANNA SIBELLI

Igino Giordani:
‘precursor of ecumenism

A look at the contribution to ecumenism by Igino Giordani (1894-1980), Italian writer and co-founder of the Focolare Movement. The author is a contributor at the Igino Giordani Center in Rocca di Papa, Rome.

MARISA SECHI

Ecoforleaders

A project based in the Democratic Republic of Congo which aims to form young leaders to be able to change the country and renew society. 
Mgr Brendan Leahy - Synod 2023

MGR BRENDAN LEAHY

A Church bearing witness to God
through our relationships

What is the role of emotions in our life and our communication with others? To what extent does cultural and family background affect our ways of expressing ourselves

ANDREW GIMÉNEZ RECEPCIÓN

Seven stumbling blocks
on the synodal journey

Professor Andrew Recepción of the Pontifical Gregorian University, highlights seven salient points that can hinder a synodal conversion. They can serve as a kind of synodal “examination of conscience” for all faithful.

CONRAD SCIBERRAS
MSSP

A seed of hope?

The Conference of International Interconfessional Religious held the most recent of its 22 annual conferences in Nykoping (Sweden) last August 2023. Father Conrad Sciberras writes about the ecumenical spiritual experience among various charisms.

Past Issues