Pope John Paul II has unshakable confidence
that God will bring about
the perfect, visible unity of Christians.

Pope John Paul's
agenda for Christian unity

By J. Michael Miller

n In his most recent encyclical Pope John Paul II declares that "the ecumenical task is 'one of the pastoral priorities' of my Pontificate" (99). Ut Unum Sint (May 25, 1995) is the Holy Father's hymn of thanks for the steps already taken toward the reestablishment of Christian unity. But, even more, it is his magna charta of the Church's ecumenical agenda for the third millennium.

Repeatedly the Pope insists that the Church is irreversibly committed to ecumenism. It "is not just some sort of 'appendix' which is added to the Church's traditional activity. Rather, ecumenism is an organic part of her life and work, and consequently must pervade all that she is and does" (20). The quest for unity is a duty that springs from the very nature of living one's faith.

John Paul gives two reasons for renewing this commitment. First, the Church must be obedient to Christ's prayer that his disciples be united in a living communion: "that all may be one"(John 17:21). Unity is essential to their community of faith and life: "God wills the Church, because he wills unity, and . . . to believe in Christ means to desire unity" (9). All Christians, therefore, "should be inspired by and submissive to Christ's prayer for unity" (33).

Second, the effective evangelization of the world depends on the united witness of Christian believers. Charity demands that Christ's followers make every effort to overcome the stumbling block to proclaiming the Gospel caused by their lack of unity. Division among Christians gravely damages the credibility of their testimony. The Holy Father puts this question to everyone: "When non-believers meet missionaries who do not agree among themselves, even though they all appeal to Christ, will they be in a position to receive the true message?" (98).

Heritage of Vatican II

In this encyclical John Paul draws very heavily on the teaching of the Second Vatican Council. Above all, he relies on its Decree on Ecumenism, Unitatis Redintegratio, which forms the theological and structural backbone of Ut Unum Sint; 70 of the letter's 162 footnotes refer to it.

The Pope applauds the positive results of the ecumenical movement since Vatican II, describing these achievements as "truly an immense gift of God, one which deserves our gratitude" (41). He is especially thankful that "the 'universal brotherhood of Christians' has become a firm ecumenical conviction" (42). This growth in mutual esteem since the Council is shown by the shift in ecumenical vocabulary, the recognition of the oneness of Baptism, the growing convergence regarding translations of Scripture and liturgical worship, the deeper appreciation of the common witness of holiness, and practical cooperation.

In the past thirty years the terminology used by Catholics to refer to other Christians has changed. "Separated brethren," the common designation in the first stages of the ecumenical movement, has been replaced by terms such as "other Christians," "others who have received Baptism," or "Christians of other Communities." John Paul believes that this new terminology more readily evokes "the deep communion -linked to the baptismal character-which the Spirit fosters in spite of historical and canonical divisions" (42). According to the Pope, these terms better reflect the profound ties which unite believers in the Body of Christ.

The Christian brotherhood which the Holy Father praises is not "a large-hearted philanthropy or a vague family spirit." Rather, it is rooted "in recognition of the oneness of Baptism and the subsequent duty to glorify God in his work" (42). Because Baptism establishes a sacramental bond of unity among all those reborn by water and the Spirit, it is the ultimate foundation of all ecumenical endeavors.

John Paul also notes that ecumenical translations of the Bible and liturgical practices shared by Christians are signs of increasing communion. The liturgical renewal, for instance, has not been restricted to the Catholic Church. Many Churches and Ecclesial Communities in the West, taking their cue from Vatican II's reform of the liturgy, have begun to prize liturgical signs, to celebrate the Lord's Supper more frequently, and to use common cycles of liturgical readings in their worship.

More personal and frequent contact among Christians has also fostered a deeper awareness that the fruits of holiness are found among all believers. Despite the tragedy of division, many "brothers and sisters have preserved an attachment to Christ and to the Father so radical and absolute as to lead even to the shedding of blood" (83). According to the Holy Father, the martyrs, who come from all Churches and Ecclesial Communities, are "the most powerful proof that every factor of division can be transcended and overcome in the total gift of self for the sake of the Gospel" (12). They are a source of sure hope for those seeking unity; "God will do for them [Christians] what he did for their Saints" (84).

Lastly, since the Council, relations among the baptized have been increasingly marked by working together for the good of humanity. Not merely humanitarian action, such ecumenical cooperation draws its inspiration from the Gospel and takes place in political, economic, cultural, and social affairs. This practical ecumenism is especially concerned with the defense of human dignity, social justice, and peace. For the Pope, these shared practical efforts represent "a true school of ecumenism, a dynamic road to unity. Unity of action leads to unity of faith" (40). Common Christian witness in the service of the world "has the clear value of a joint witness to the name of the Lord. It is also a form of proclamation, since it reveals the face of Christ" (75).

Theological principles

Two main theological principles lie at the foundation of the Holy Father's ecumenical vision: his belief in the "oneness" of the Church, and his conviction that the Catholic Church is in communion, even if imperfectly, with other Churches and Ecclesial Communities.

1. God's Plan for Unity

God wills the unity of all humanity. The unity of Christians-barely 25% of the world's population-is a sacramental sign which manifests and helps to bring about this universal solidarity. Because of their Baptism, Christians are to give visible expression to the "fullness of reconciliation and communion" won by the Paschal Mystery (6).

During her two-thousand-year history, the Catholic Church "has been preserved in unity, with all the means with which God wishes to endow his Church" (11). John Paul recalls Vatican II's teaching on this point: "The Constitution Lumen Gentium, in a fundamental affirmation echoed by the Decree Unitatis Redintegratio, states that the one Church of Christ subsists in the Catholic Church. The Decree on Ecumenism emphasizes the presence in her of the fullness (plenitudo) of the means of salvation" (86). While severe crises have shaken the Church, some of which separated Christians from one another, her original unity established at Pentecost has never been substantially compromised.

But the existence of divisions among Christians attests that the perfect, visible unity of Christians is yet to be achieved. "Full unity will come about," the Pope states, "when all share in the fullness of the means of salvation entrusted by Christ to his Church" (86). Even now, however, the other Churches and Ecclesial Communities share in "a certain, though imperfect communion" with the Catholic Church because of "the elements of sanctification and truth" present in them (11). These positive elements, the foremost of which is Baptism, inevitably tend toward visible unity; they are "by their nature a force for the reestablishment of unity" (49).

Some critics worry lest the restoration of visible unity would stifle differences among Christians. To allay these fears, the Pope states that "the vision of full communion to be sought is that of unity in legitimate diversity" (54). Many local Churches have preserved their own way of living the faith in a fashion that has aptly inculturated the Gospel. These traditions and disciplines are not divisive, but authentically express the richness of the one Church of Christ. The Holy Father confirms Vatican II's teaching that "legitimate diversity is in no way opposed to the Church's unity, but rather enhances her splendor and contributes greatly to the fulfillment of her mission" (50).

2. From Imperfect to Perfect Communion

In Ut Unum Sint, John Paul describes the relationship of the Catholic Church to other Churches and Ecclesial Communities in terms of "communion." For him it is a cause of "deep joy" that "an imperfect but real communion is preserved and is growing at many levels of ecclesial life" (84). Unfortunately, however, all Christians are "not in full communion" (1). At present, theirs is a communion which is "real although not yet full" (45). It is still "partial" (14) and "imperfect" (84). Ecumenism's task is to make "the partial communion existing between Christians grow toward full communion in truth and charity" (14). The sign of this perfect communion will be the shared celebration of the Eucharist.

God's saving plan requires that imperfect ecclesial communion should become perfect: the visible unity of all Christians. This full communion will come about when there is "a unity constituted by the bonds of the profession of faith, the sacraments and hierarchical communion" (9). Each of these three bonds sheds light on what perfect communion among Christians will involve.

First, the unity that Christ desires for his Church "can be attained only by the adherence of all to the content of revealed faith in its entirety. In matters of faith, compromise is in contradiction with God who is Truth" (18). While the Pope accepts the legitimacy of complementary formulations of dogma, he insists that full communion requires acceptance of "the whole truth into which the Holy Spirit guides Christ's disciples" (36). Christian unity is founded on the unity of faith.

Second, communion in the sacraments is a necessary bond of unity. Through the one Baptism which they share, every Christian already belongs to Christ. But the communion signified by this sacrament is oriented to its full expression, which is manifested by Eucharistic communion. While common celebration of the Lord's Supper is not yet possible, the Holy Father remarks that "we do have a burning desire to join in celebrating the one Eucharist" (45).

Third, visible Christian unity also requires communion in ministry, both among the Bishops themselves as the heads of particular Churches, and between each of them and the Pope. John Paul affirms that the full unity of Christians obliges every Bishop to be in communion with the Successor of Peter: "All Churches are in full and visible communion, because all the Pastors are in communion with Peter and therefore united in Christ" (94).

The future agenda

As the second millennium draws to its close, the Holy Father is looking more and more to the future. Ut Unum Sint charts the course for the distance yet to be traveled "until that blessed day when full unity in faith will be attained and we can celebrate together in peace the Holy Eucharist of the Lord" (77). In order to reach this destination, the Pope urges all believers in Christ to take three decisive steps on their ecumenical journey together. First, they should renew their commitment to prayer for unity and to conversion of mind and heart. Second, they need to continue theological dialogue and find ways of "receiving" the results already achieved. Third, all Christians are called to evaluate together how the Bishop of Rome can best exercise his specific ministry of unity.

1. Prayer and Conversion

For the Pope, spiritual renewal is the key to the future ecumenical program. Interior conversion and persevering prayer are the chief instruments for fostering full unity: "The commitment to ecumenism must be based upon the conversion of hearts and upon prayer, which will also lead to the necessary purification of past memories" (2).

Above all, the common prayer of Christians is necessary, prayer specifically for unity but also for other intentions. The encyclical mentions three benefits for the ecumenical movement which flow from this prayer in common. First, it helps believers to "grow in awareness of how little divides them in comparison to what unites them" (22). Second, prayer together inspires Christians "to gain the courage to face all the painful human reality of their divisions" (22). Third, "fellowship in prayer leads people to look at the Church and Christianity in a new way" (23).

John Paul notes that common prayer suitably takes place at ecumenical gatherings and during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Commenting on his pastoral visits around the world, he says that these pilgrimages "have almost always included an ecumenical meeting and common prayer with our brothers and sisters who seek unity in Christ and in his Church" (24).

Relying on the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, the Holy Father recalls the need for both personal and communal conversion if full, visible unity is to come about. Christians must be willing to be guided by the Spirit, "to examine themselves before the Father and to ask themselves whether they have been faithful to his plan for the Church" (82). He encourages individuals and communities to examine their consciences and thereby engage in a "dialogue of conversion." This dialogue leads them to confess their sins against the unity of the Church and to accept God's will that their bonds of communion be strengthened. "Not only personal sins must be forgiven and left behind," writes the Pope, "but also social sins, which is to say the sinful 'structures' themselves which have contributed and can still contribute to division and to the reinforcing of division" (34).

On the one hand, individuals must confess their own sins against unity and ask for mercy. On the other hand, communities must repent "of certain exclusions which seriously harm fraternal charity, of certain refusals to forgive, of a certain pride, of an unevangelical insistence on condemning the 'other side,' of a disdain born of an unhealthy presumption" (15).

2. Dialogue in Truth and Charity

If prayer is the soul of the ecumenical renewal, then theological dialogue is the privileged instrument for bringing it about. In the light of "today's personalist way of thinking," dialogue is "an indispensable step along the path toward human self-realization" which involves "an exchange of gifts" between communities (28).

How is this ecumenical dialogue to be carried out? First, the participants must be convinced of "the degree of communion already present" among them (49). Furthermore, writes the Holy Father, "each side must presuppose in the other a desire for reconciliation, for unity in truth. For this to happen, any display of mutual opposition must disappear" (29). The laying to rest of former polemics requires a mutual spirit of conversion to the Gospel. Authentic dialogue must, moreover, be marked "by a common quest for truth" (33).

Inevitably, disagreements in matters of faith will emerge. When this occurs, the dialogue partners should face them "in a sincere spirit of fraternal charity, of respect for the demands of one's own conscience and of the conscience of the other part, with profound humility and love for the truth" (39).

Like John XXIII, John Paul II believes that "the distinction between the deposit of faith and the formulation in which it is expressed" is a fundamental principle of ecumenical dialogue (81). Sadly, in the past, "intolerant polemics and controversies have made incompatible assertions out of what was really the result of two different ways of looking at the same reality" (38). When Christians engage in frank dialogue, however, they "help one another to look at themselves together in the light of the Apostolic Tradition" (16). This joint scrutiny will lead them to welcome complementary formulations of dogma.

Nonetheless, this common undertaking to reexpress revealed truth is not license for "altering the deposit of faith, changing the meaning of dogmas, eliminating essential words from them, accommodating truth to the preferences of a particular age, or suppressing certain articles of the Creed" (18). Rather, complementary formulations of dogmatic truth prove that the one Gospel can truly speak to all cultures. "The element which determines communion in truth is the meaning of truth," the Holy Father writes. "The expression of truth can take different forms" (19).

Some questions between Catholics and other Christians require additional study before a consensus of faith can be reached. John Paul mentions the following five issues: the relationship between Scripture and Tradition; the Eucharist as the real presence of Christ and as a sacrificial memorial; Ordination as a sacrament, and the threefold ministry of the episcopate, presbyterate, and diaconate; the magisterium of the Pope and Bishops; and the role of Mary in salvation history (cf. 79).

With respect to the theological dialogues already concluded, the Pope indicates that "a new task lies before us: that of receiving the results already achieved" (80). Churches and Ecclesial Communities must find ways of officially expressing their agreement, when this is the case, with the consensus reached by bilateral dialogues. This must be done so that their results will not remain merely the conclusions of commissions but will become a common heritage of the Churches and Ecclesial Communities involved. Today no structures exist for such an undertaking.

Consequently, a procedure needs to be established which "analyzes the results and rigorously tests their consistency with the Tradition of faith received from the Apostles and lived out in the community of believers gathered around the Bishop, their legitimate Pastor" (80). This process should involve the whole community, and competent persons must be designated to make the results of reception known. For Catholics, "the Church's teaching authority is responsible for expressing a definitive judgment" in this regard (81).

3. The Ministry of Unity

In Ut Unum Sint, John Paul's reflection on the Petrine ministry is extraordinarily personal. He recognizes that, for Christians of other Churches and Ecclesial Communities, the papacy is an obstacle to the restoration of full communion. Its "memory is marked by certain painful recollections" (88). Insofar as the Catholic Church is responsible for this deplorable situation, the Holy Father begs forgiveness.

Fortunately, the ecumenical climate has changed in recent years. "After centuries of bitter controversies," the Pope writes, "the other Churches and Ecclesial Communities are more and more taking a fresh look at this ministry of unity" (89). Indeed, many of them now express the need for a ministry which would serve the unity of the universal Church.

For his part, John Paul agrees that his ministry should be open to dialogue, so that he can exercise it more effectively for the good of all Christians. He accepts the challenge of trying to "find a way of exercising the primacy which, while in no way renouncing what is essential to its mission, is nonetheless open to a new situation" (95). Since the Holy Father admits that he cannot carry out this reassessment alone, he asks leaders and theologians from other Churches and Ecclesial Communities to help him in this task. He hopes that together they will engage "in a patient and fraternal dialogue on this subject, a dialogue in which, leaving useless controversies behind, we could listen to one another, keeping before us only the will of Christ for his Church" (96).

John Paul, of course, reaffirms the Church's full dogmatic teaching on the papal ministry: the primacy of Peter, the principle of Petrine succession, the primacy of jurisdiction, and infallibility. Among the Apostles, Jesus entrusted Peter with a "special mission in the Church" (4). This unique office assigned to Peter "is based on the words of Christ himself, as they are recorded in the Gospel traditions" (90).

Furthermore, by God's design, the ministry of Peter "must continue in the Church" (97). God wills that there should always be a Bishop who succeeds to Peter's mission in the Church. That Successor is now the Bishop of Rome. According to the encyclical, the papal office "corresponds to the will of Christ" (95); it is an "essential good" of the Church (88).

Certainly John Paul does not suggest any change in the Church's defined teaching on the papacy-an impossibility-but he calls for rethinking the way in which it is carried out. As his own contribution to this reassessment he mentions four areas which can shed new light on the exercise of the papal ministry: the normative value of ecclesial structures as they existed in the first millennium, collegiality, and papal jurisdiction and teaching authority.

first millennium. With his eyes focused primarily on the East, the Holy Father suggests that the Church should look to the example of "the unity which, in spite of everything, was experienced in the first millennium and in a certain sense now serves as a kind of model" (55). The Catholic Church, he says, can find inspiration for the restoration of full communion in the "structures of unity which existed before the separation" between Catholics and Orthodox (56).

Ecclesial structures in both East and West evolved from the same apostolic foundation and, for a millennium, they maintained the pattern established by Christ: the Bishops were in communion with the Bishop of Rome. At the same time, as stated in Unitatis Redintegratio 14, "if disagreements in belief and discipline arose among them, the Roman See acted by common consent as moderator" (95).

The ancient structures of the first millennium are "a heritage of experience that guides our path toward the reestablishment of full communion" (56). For the Holy Father, "it is to that unity, thus structured, which we must look" (55). While not applying this model specifically to the question of the Petrine ministry, he establishes the principle for beginning such a discussion.

collegiality. Throughout the encyclical, John Paul constantly refers to himself as "the Bishop of Rome." This detail is significant because it emphasizes that the Petrine ministry is essentially an episcopal responsibility. Papal primacy is exercised by a Bishop who heads a local Church, not by a kind of chairman of the board or "super-bishop."

Moreover, the Holy Father notes the fittingness of Peter's Successor being "the Bishop of the Church which preserves the mark of the martyrdom of Peter and of Paul" (90). The Petrine office is historically and spiritually linked to the Roman See, whose unique position depends on the martyrdom there of the two great Apostles, Peter and Paul. By associating Saint Paul so intimately with the origin of the papacy, the Pope implies that, just as in its beginning, so now must the Petrine ministry be exercised in a collegial way.

In keeping with his ecclesiology of communion, John Paul describes the Pope's relationship the other Bishops in terms of "communion" rather than "collegiality." The papal ministry is to "ensure the communion of all the Churches" (95), and the Bishop of Rome fulfills his mission "within the College of all the Pastors" (94). Moreover, the Catholic Church "does not separate this office [of the Bishop of Rome] from the mission entrusted to the whole body of Bishops" (95). To make his point even more forcefully, the Holy Father affirms that the Petrine ministry must "always" be carried out "in communion" (95).

jurisdiction. While fully taking into account Catholic teaching on the papacy defined at the First Vatican Council (1870), Ut Unum Sint opens the way for examining papal jurisdiction and teaching from a fresh perspective.

As a matter of fact, the encyclical never uses the term "jurisdiction" to describe papal authority. Instead, it stresses that the Pope is the "servant of the servants of God" and his ministry is a gift of divine mercy. The purpose of his service is not that of "exercising power over people" (94), but of ensuring the communion of all the Churches.

For John Paul, "the authority proper to this ministry is completely at the service of God's merciful plan and it must always be seen in this perspective" (92). Among his duties-those which Vatican I assigned to the Pope's "full, supreme, ordinary, immediate, episcopal, and universal jurisdiction"-the Holy Father mentions "vigilance over the handing down of the Word, the celebration of the Liturgy and the Sacraments, the Church's mission, discipline and the Christian life" (94). Because of his responsibility to the common good of the universal Church, the Bishop of Rome also has the task, when necessary, of cautioning and admonishing other Bishops and the faithful to preserve unity in faith and discipline.

More to the point, John Paul describes the Pope's specific ministry as being "the first servant of unity" (94). Peter's Successor is "the visible sign and guarantor of unity" (88) within the College of Bishops, and thus for the whole Church, including the Churches and Ecclesial Communities still lacking full communion with the Roman See.

teaching authority. The Pope has the duty of "keeping watch (episkopein), like a sentinel, so that through the efforts of the Pastors, the true voice of Christ the Shepherd may be heard in all the particular Churches" (94). The encyclical also mentions that the Bishop of Rome can bear witness to truth, under the conditions laid down at Vatican I, by declaring "ex cathedra that a certain doctrine belongs to the deposit of faith" (94).

In order to explain the Pope's teaching role, John Paul invokes Peter as a model. Saint Peter is the "spokesman of the Apostolic College" (90), and "the one who speaks in the name of the apostolic group" (97). Similarly, the Successor of Peter must teach "in the name of all the Pastors in communion with him" (94). Thus Ut Unum Sint implies that in the future the Pope should normally exercise his teaching authority in such a way that he appears as the spokesman of the Episcopal College.

John Paul II's unshakable confidence that God will bring about the perfect, visible unity of Christians is evident throughout the encyclical. "There is no doubt," he writes, "that the Holy Spirit is accomplishing this endeavor and that he is leading the Church to the full realization of the Father's plan, in conformity with the will of Christ" (100). With vigor and determination the Pope has set the ecumenical agenda for the third Christian millennium as his response to Christ's prayer "ut unum sint": "that all may be one" (John 17:21). n