Author:
Ren Fangyuan, Post Doctor, Department of History, East China Normal University.
Liu Yi, Professor, College of Liberal Arts, Shanghai University.
Abstract:
The Second Vatican Council paved the way for modern Catholic Ecumenism, as the Church grasped the opportunity to establish new offices to deal with ecumenical affairs within and without the wider Christian family. This article describes the official dialogue organizations of Roman Catholicism since Vatican II, including the Secretariat for the Promoting of Christian Unity, the Commission for Religious Relations with Jews, and the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, and examines the development of bilateral dialogue with the Orthodox and Lutheran Churches and the Anglican Communion. The mechanisms of dialogue within the Roman Catholic Church show characteristics not found in other religious groups. Despite the many limitations in religious dialogue and the ecumenical initiatives of the Roman Catholic Church, these mechanisms reflect the Catholic Church's efforts to rebuild historical relationships with other religious groups, to promote the ecumenical movement, and to realize its transformation into a modern church.
Keywords:
Second Vatican Council, Ecumenical Movement, Religious Dialogue, Dialogue Commission
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