Review article
The Church - the Promoter of the Culture of Dialogue and Communion
Ivan Šarčević
; Franciscan Faculty of Theology, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Abstract
Under the theme framework "Relevance of the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes" (1965), the article first briefly points to the important inspiring moments of this constitution with regard to the opening of the Church to the world and the change of the pre-Council paradigm of defense and condemnation by the paradigm of encounter and dialogue with the world. It then moves to focus on the importance of novelty of anthropology, methodology and language of the pastoral constitution as very inspiring moments for present pastoral action.
Dialogue and communion are discussed in separate units. Within the dialogue there is a link set between the settings of pastoral constitution and our time with respect to the internal Church dialogue, the dialogue in which the constitution calls theologians, and the dialogue with atheists and opponents (enemies) of the faithful and the Church.
Regarding the communion the emphasis is placed on the importance of ecclesiastical settings of this constitution and the understanding of the Church as “the People of God” (ethnic, vulgar, sub-cultural or Biblical?) which is actually communion-ecclesiology of the Council, especially the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium. The pastoral constitution insists that the Church is “a servant” of man and the world, the yeast of the new communion between people and God and the people themselves. This communion, the same as dialogue, is achieved in concentric circles, from the closest to the opponents/enemies. It is not achieved in the ghettoized isolated church (or spiritual) communities, nor in the Church as some kind of parallel society or contra-society, but in the midst of the world, like Jesus and his disciples, among the people in the heart of the world, and not in a worldly, but in an evangelical way.
Keywords
Council; Gaudium et Spes; communion-ecclesiology; pastoral; dialogue; communion; the Church as “the People of God”; the Church as “a servant” of man and the world
Hrčak ID:
99552
URI
Publication date:
5.4.2013.
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