We offer practical, uplifting resources to help people of all faiths apply positive spiritual principles to. Beginning with John XXIII and continuing through the papacy of John Paul II and our current pope, the movement to come together in full Christian unity has been underway. Unity is a global, inclusive, spiritual community. Historical breaks and schisms have left us fractured, with the Eastern Orthodox churches no longer in full unity with Roman Catholicism. The Catholic Church is united under the leadership of the Bishop of Rome, the Pope. John’s gospel reminds us, “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.” (John 17:22-23) Unity is essential for the followers of Jesus. To this ordinary teaching the faithful "are to adhere to it with religious assent" which, though distinct from the assent of faith, is nonetheless an extension of it. (CCC 892) Christian Unity When the Church through its supreme Magisterium proposes a doctrine "for belief as being divinely revealed," and as the teaching of Christ, the definitions "must be adhered to with the obedience of faith." This infallibility extends as far as the deposit of divine Revelation itself. (CCC 891)ĭivine assistance is also given to the successors of the apostles, teaching in communion with the successor of Peter, and, in a particular way, to the bishop of Rome, pastor of the whole Church, when, without arriving at an infallible definition and without pronouncing in a "definitive manner," they propose in the exercise of the ordinary Magisterium a teaching that leads to better understanding of Revelation in matters of faith and morals. The Roman Pontiff, head of the college of bishops, enjoys this infallibility in virtue of his office, when, as supreme pastor and teacher of all the faithful – who confirms his brethren in the faith – he proclaims by a definitive act a doctrine pertaining to faith or morals…The infallibility promised to the Church is also present in the body of bishops when, together with Peter's successor, they exercise the supreme Magisterium," above all in an Ecumenical Council. The permanence of the office of the Pope is essential to the everlasting nature of the church. When Peter is given the “keys to the kingdom,” Christ is establishing the divine office of leadership over the church. In the Acts of the Apostles, we come to know Peter is the head of the early church. The unity candle symbolizes two lives now joined together in marriage and can be. In the latter instance, without the action of the head, the bishops are not able to act as a College: this is clear from the concept of "College." This hierarchical communion of all the bishops with the Supreme Pontiff is certainly firmly established in Tradition. Many couples like the simple ritual of lighting a unity candle, a practice that is not part of the Rite of Marriage in the Catholic Church and is, in fact, prohibited in many parishes (see Together for Life, p. It is clear throughout that it is a question of the bishops acting in conjunction with their head, never of the bishops acting independently of the Pope. We believe that the Pope is the successor of Peter, and his bishops are successors of the Twelve Apostles. The Pope, as Bishop of Rome, is the chief pastor and shepherd of the whole Church. The final material was sent to member churches and Roman Catholic dioceses, and they were invited to translate the text and contextualize it for their own use.As Vicar of Jesus Christ, the Pope governs the Catholic Church as its supreme head. The WCC accompanied the entire production process of the text. What ultimately unites people is their common beliefs or convictions, and their common desires and affections. Then an international group organized through the World Council of Churches (WCC) and The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity edited this text, which was jointly published by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and WCC, through their Commission on Faith and Order. The condition or state of oneness, especially among persons. In preparation for the WPCU, ecumenical partners in a particular region were asked to prepare a basic text on a biblical theme. By annually observing the WPCU, Christians move toward the fulfillment of Jesus' prayer at the Last Supper "that they all may be one." (cf. True Notion of Unity.The Catholic conception of the mark of unity, which must characterize the one Church founded by Christ, is far more exacting. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity has a history of over 100 years, in which Christians around the world have taken part in an octave of prayer for visible Christian unity.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |