Bogoslovska smotra, Vol. 87 No. 3, 2017.
Preliminary communication
The Dialogical Directedness of the Church in Teachings and Activities of the Post‑conciliar Popes
Edvard Punda
orcid.org/0000-0003-1492-0660
; Catholic Faculty of Theology, University of Split, Split, Hrvatska
Abstract
The article deals with the dialogical directedness of the Church that has been especially set at the Second Vatican Council. Within the wide spectrum of living and promoting dialogue in the Church after the Second Vatican Council, a special place belongs to the popes. From Paul VI to John Paul II, they have, each in his own way, led the Church in its openness towards all people. For Paul VI dialogue is one of the important factors of renewal of the Church, set at the Second Vatican Council. This makes dialogue a reality that concerns the very nature of the Church. John Paul II continues and, with his personality, deepens the dialogical turn set by the Council. He did this through various pastoral initiatives, many concrete gestures, through documents and messages. For him dialogue and faith are mutually directed to each other. The issue of dialogue concerns the very structure of the human being: the response to the Revelation is not given only through the relation to God, but also through the relation to other people. For Pope Benedict dialogue is also a reality that is immanent to Christian faith. His understanding of dialogue needs to be investigated starting from the concept of the person, which is different than the concept of the individual, and which always implies the relation, dialogue. The ability of Christian faith to communicate itself to others is manifested through dialogue. Pope Benedict´s special contribution consists in the fact that he situated the issue of dialogue within the issue of discovery of Christian identity and the principle of truth as a presupposition of dialogue. Since he was convinced of the »religious dimension of culture«, dialogue between cultures was an important theme for him. The short pontificate of Pope Francis has showed until now liveliness of thoughts and gestures. Christianity is joy and joy is always »renewed and shared with others«, as the title of Evangelii gaudium suggests. Francis is looking for dialogue as a revelation of mercy and as a way of serving the world.
Keywords
dialogue; the Second Vatican Council; Paul VI; John Paul II; Benedict XVI; Francis
Hrčak ID:
190464
URI
Publication date:
12.12.2017.
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