Second Vatican Council

Canon Pierre de Locht (1917-2007) occupies an important place within the history of post-war Belgian Catholic world. De Locht's commitment to a Catholic Church that he wished open and welcoming to the realities of the faithful made him into a man of dialogue and openness, a leader of progressive Christians. At the time of Humanae Vitae, de Locht, who had just published a book on the themes covered by the encyclical, found himself invested with the role of spokesperson for a laity that did not fully subscribe to the contents of Humanae Vitae. While the importance of de Locht's role is not always acknowledged in the written history of Catholicism and the Belgian Church, his importance is reflected, to this day, in the memories of the faithful in this country. In 2007, a large crowd attended his funeral, a ceremony where several political and religious figures took the floor, and many tributes were published in the press. More than ten years after his death, it is interesting to reflect on the strategies adopted by the charismatic canon to try to find ways for believers to remain within the

This introductory address sets the stage for an expert meeting on sociological research into youth religiosity, particularly during a time of rich religious significance in Rome. The session outlines the objectives of the gathering, which include critically examining the strengths and limitations of traditional and emerging methodologies—standardized surveys, focus groups, in-depth interviews, and big data tools—for studying faith, religion, and spirituality among young people. The speaker highlights how these concepts, though interrelated, are distinct and require nuanced approaches to be properly understood and measured. The program features contributions from scholars covering a spectrum of methods: Brad Vermulen on surveys, Jonathan Evans on cross-national studies with Pew Research, John Olukuru on big data analysis, and Rita Bichi on qualitative research with Italian youth. Daniel Moulin is slated to offer a philosophical reflection on the evolving object of study in religious sociology—from "religion" to "worldview." Two key conceptual reflections are emphasized: the distinction and intersection between spirituality and religion, and the challenge of defining "religion" across different faith traditions. The speaker advocates for an inclusive yet rigorous approach that considers both universal human questions and the unique theological frameworks of specific religions, especially from a Catholic perspective. This framing supports the broader aim of the "Footprints" project, which investigates youth religiosity across diverse cultural and religious contexts (done with AI help)

Resumen: Se estudia la evolución constructiva de los edificios eclesiales en México, entre las décadas de 1950 y 1960, destacando el formalismo y expresionismo de los arquitectos Enrique de la Mora y Félix Candela. Se pone de manifiesto como las estructuras planteadas por Félix Candela para la construcción de iglesias, con paraboloides hiperbólicos formando cascarones de hormigón de mínimo espesor, conocidos internacionalmente como Thin Concrete Shells, consiguen poner a México como epicentro de un estilo internacional y una modernidad de la arquitectura religiosa en base a la innovación y belleza de las estructuras.

When we talk about renewal, or defending a particular model of Church, which model are we defending? What are we trying to preserve? Moreover, we might ask: what other periods of history tried to preserve what they had? And if they had succeeded in preserving what they had at any one particular point in time, what sort of Church would we have now? What kinds of church structures would we have now? What sort of spirituality would we have now? At what point in time would you want to freeze that ecclesiastical model? When would have been the optimum moment in our Church’s history for us to have cryogenically frozen our structures, our spiritualities, our liturgies, our catechetics, our understanding of doctrine, and our moral priorities?

Życiorys Jerzego Dobromira Sztachelskiego wskazuje na to, że w Polsce Ludowej można było utrzymać się w głównym nurcie władzy przez ćwierć wieku, niezależnie od zmieniających się frakcji rządowych i wykładni obowiązującej ideologii. W latach 1945–1968 pełnił on funkcję zastępcy członka KC PPR, a następnie członka KC PZPR, miał również bogate doświadczenie rządowe, m.in. jako minister aprowizacji i handlu (1945–1947), minister zdrowia (1951–1956), minister bez teki, pełnomocnik rządu do spraw stosunków z Kościołem, dyrektor Urzędu do spraw Wyznań (1956–1961) oraz minister zdrowia i opieki społecznej (1961–1968). Prezentowany tekst analizuje szersze konteksty biografii Sztachelskiego z okresu, w którym zarządzał on UdsW. Znajdują się w nim także odniesienia do wcześniejszych i późniejszych fragmentów jego życiorysu, tłumaczące nieprzypadkowy charakter tego życiowego epizodu związanego z administracją wyznaniową.

The paper seeks to assert the necessity for training on acquiring entrepreneurial skills in Seminary formation to the Catholic Priesthood. Whereas it is not an unobserved fact that the training for the formation into the Catholic priesthood is quite demanding and signicantly expensive, especially in our present time, the everchanging world, circumscribed with its challenges, shows the honest need of pastoral entrepreneurs. These pastoral entrepreneurs are those who go where God is moving, with an additional quest to weigh both the social and spiritual return in fullling the ultimate missionary commitment of the Church. The seminary formation today is confronted with some challenges that necessitate a thoughtful outlook that conrms the need for the training of pastoral agents who are not only spiritually minded devoid of any social skills, but also pastors who are good strategic thinkers and learners, and all that entails from vision to execution. The time we are in is in dire need of Pastors, who aside the personal love for God and His people, have strong emotional intelligence, good interpersonal and team working skills, good conict resolution skills, and also a strong inuencing skills. Thus, the paper, taking a cue from Elisha, supposes a growing need to introduce entrepreneurial education in seminaries, especially in Nigeria, to enable the Church cope with present economic challenges and also produce pastors not only sound in doctrines, but also with specic knowledge, skills and expertise in other related jobs. Employing close reading, the paper is based on the fact that like Elisha, every Seminarian already has preexisting entrepreneurial ability which serve as encouraging basis for training in entrepreneurial skills in Seminary formation.

Introduzione al libro che pubblica la dissertazione dottorale "Il principio di pastoralità" nella collana "Tesi Gregoriana" delle Edizioni Studium (2025).
Evidenziato dagli studi di Christoph Theobald sul Vaticano II, il principio di pastoralità sostiene che l’evangelizzazione può avvenire solo coinvolgendo attivamente le persone destinatarie, perché il Vangelo è una realtà già operante in loro.
Tale principio, che ha avuto un rinnovato impulso nel magistero di Francesco, riconosce alla relazione pastorale la dignità di luogo teologico, con una portata più ampia rispetto alla mera applicazione o all’organizzazione.
Esercitare una pratica teologica – cioè un’interpretazione teologica della prassi comprendente la prassi stessa – supera il paradigma applicativo comunemente attribuito anche alla teologia morale. Questo approccio le consente di aggiornare il suo insegnamento nelle questioni in cui, solo fondandosi sulla Scrittura e sulla legge naturale, essa non riesce a illuminare adeguatamente le coscienze.
Dopo aver ricostruito il principio di pastoralità e la sua recezione, questo studio attua un percorso transdisciplinare per individuare metodi di riflessione adeguati, trovando particolare affinità nella postura metodologica del sociologo Pierre Bourdieu. Attraverso i suoi strumenti d’indagine, l’ascolto attivo del campo dei cristiani Lgbt+ verifica la fecondità di questo metodo, in coerenza con il principio di pastoralità. Emerge così una terza via rispetto all’approccio induttivo o deduttivo, superando l’opposizione tra teoria e prassi, e tra oggettivismo e soggettivismo.

Non è possibile rispondere all'appello dell'esortazione apostolica "Amoris laetitia" (2016) per un lavoro teologico "pastorale" se non si intende pienamente la portata di questo termine. Le ricerche più mature intorno al Vaticano II e la lettura sincronica dei suoi testi, infatti, danno al concetto di "pastoralità" un significato non solo applicativo o comunicativo. Si tratta, piuttosto, di un vero e proprio "principio" implicato nell'annuncio del Vangelo, che considera la relazione pastorale come luogo teologico.
A distanza di alcuni anni da "Amoris laetitia", emerge sempre più la necessità di strumenti intellettuali che consentano di farsi carico della relazione pastorale come ambito di verifica e aggiornamento delle norme morali.
Il contributo, dopo aver descritto il "principio di pastoralità", presenta tre nodi metodologici e suggerisce alcune vie per la sua accoglienza nella riflessione teologica.

Benedict XVI’s speech to the members of the Roman Curia in 2005 on the “hermeneutics of reform” sparked new interest in the theological interpretation of the Second Vatican Council (1962‒1965) in the Catholic Church. The main purpose of the text is to present the most significant interpretive currents of the 21st Ecumenical Council in the last twenty years, which emerge as a critical evaluation and appropriation of the call for a “hermeneutic of reform”. The article further explores the topic of the reception of the Second Vatican Council, especially concerning the generative (creative) reception of the conciliar work since the beginning of the pontificate of Pope Francis. It also aims at indicating the main lines of conciliar reception in the time of Pope Francis through the theological neologism of synodality and synodal renewal of the Catholic Church. This is reflected in recent years both in the field of theology and in the life of the entire Catholic Church, as an issue under issues of the future shape of the Catholic Church.

la ricorrenza del cinquantesimo anniversario della dichiarazione conciliare Nostra aetate costituisce un'occasione unica per riflettere sul cammino percorso, ripensare il confronto ebraico-cristiano e la propria rispettiva fede 1 , e comprendere la necessità di una missione comune dinanzi alle sfide di immensa ampiezza che ci attendono. nella prima parte del contributo si approfondiscono due eventi biblici, paradigmatici al fine di illuminare il provvidenziale e rinnovato incontro tra ebrei e cristiani. nella seconda parte ci si sofferma su alcuni pronunciamenti del magistero della chiesa che hanno proseguito il rinnovamento segnato dalla dichiarazione conciliare, per dare alla fine uno sguardo sull'orizzonte futuro.

Voici le discours du Card. Christoph Schönborn lors de la présentation de l'anthologie des écrits de Corecco intitulé Sinodalità e Comunione (Bologna 2023), qui s'est tenue à Rome à l'église S. Maria Odigitria dei Siciliani (21 octobre 2023). Je remercie tout particulièrement le Card. Schönborn pour avoir accordé la trans-

Eis um artigo de divulgação que não só notifica a identificação de um manuscrito raro mas também analisa duas perspectivas prévias à consideração do manuscrito em si mesmo: o senso histórico na cultura brasileira e alguns elementos da cultura escolar colonial. A terceira parte apresenta e analisa os aspectos físicos e diagramatórios do manuscrito, além de apresentar a organi­zação conteudística e elencar dados filológicos mínimos. Nessa apresentação, discurtiremos a seguinte hipótese: esse manuscrito pode ser considerado um Cursus Philosophicus semelhante aos cursus escritos em Coimbra ou Salamanca?

In our journey of faith, especially in the context of Christian ministry across St. Vincent and the Grenadines, we often begin with a sincere desire to offer our lives to God. We are converted not simply from sin to virtue but from a life centered on self to one centered entirely on Christ. In that shift, we recognize that, like Jesus, our life is to be lived for others. We commit to being men and women for others, eager to change the world for Christ, to make all things new in Him. Our actions become outward expressions of inward grace: catechizing the youth, comforting the sick, building up our parishes, advocating for the vulnerable, preaching the Gospel, organizing missions and retreats. Yet, somewhere along the line when our passion is deep, our vision clear, and our intentions purewe find ourselves confronted by an unexpected and painful reality: the Lord rebukes us. He tells us, in some mysterious way, that someone else has "chosen the better

Cnoty znajdują się w kryzysie, od kilkuset lat bowiem zaprzestano poważnej dyskusji o tym, jak winno wyglądać cnotliwe życie chrześcijanina, jakby zapominaj!c o całym pięknym dziedzictwie myśli filozoficznej i teologicznej związanej z kształtowaniem tych sprawności. Cieszy zatem każda próba przybliżenia i przełożenia na język współczesny cnót chrześcijańskich. W kolejnej publikacji naprzeciw temu niełatwemu zadaniu wychodzi ks. prałat dr Ryszard Kamiński, emerytowany proboszcz parafii pw. św. Stanisława BM w Mławie, który po szerokim, pastoralnym omówieniu cnót teologalnych, które zawarł w książkach: Warto wierzyć. Zbiór esejów (Płock 2023), Warto mieć nadzieję. Eseje o nadziei (Płock 2024) i Warto kochać. Eseje o miłości (Płock 2024), w niniejszej publikacji zebrał kilka kolejnych myśli na temat cnót kardynalnych: roztropności, sprawiedliwości, umiarkowania i męstwa.

This paper contains some reflections on the Christian sacrifice in the light of St Augustin and Joseph Ratzinger. It consists essentially in fulfilling the double commandment of loving God and loving one's neighbour and it is celebrated in the Sacrament of the Altar, the Holy Eucharist. It is offered to God by the "Christus Totus," that is, the by Body of Christ as a whole, which consists of Christ, the Head, and we, his members.

sionary context of the renewal of Catholic universities, this ongoing dialogue about their identity is marked by reasoned argument and by deep love of Christ and one another. This is a conversation that is a labor of love, an exercise in that charity that, together with truth, comprises the heart of the Church. This dialogue promises to contribute to a springtime for the Church in the new millennium and therefore to a genuine renewal of the world.

En 1939 fray Tomás Borgmeier fundó "Cor. Revista Eclesiástica Brasileira", que en 1941 pasó a denominarse simplemente "Revista Eclesiástica Brasileira" (=REB), con la estructura y orientación que ha mantenido hasta hoy. Desde el principio, sus lectores, que eran preferentemente eclesiásticos, se sintieron protagonistas en la empresa y se acostumbraron a colaborar activamente, remitiendo crónicas, necrológicas, artículos cortos, notas bibliográficas, informaciones diversas, etc. REB ha tenido cuatro directores: Tomás Borgmeier (1941)(1942)(1943)(1944)(1945)(1946)(1947)(1948)(1949)(1950)(1951)(1952), Boaventura Kloppenburg (1953-1971), Leonardo Boff (1972-1985) y Elói D. Piva (1986...). Con el segundo director consiguió la máxima tirada, y contribuyó decisivamente a la recepción del Vaticano 11 en Brasil. El tercero provocó importantes polémicas teológicas. El cuarto ha recuperado el clima de sosiego y diálogo-* [Ponencia leída en el V Congreso Internacional sobre los Franciscanos en el Nuevo Mundo. Siglos XIX-XX (La Rábida [España], 24-29 de abril de 1995)]. El autor agradece todas las atenciones recibidas en Petrópolis, durante su estancia para estudiar los orígenes y la trayectoria intelectual de "Revista Eclesiástica Brasileira", cordialísimamente atendido por su actual director, Frei Elói D.

In this article, we focus on global economic inequality and global justice. Drawing on Rawls’s emphasis on the basic structure (i.e., a society’s economic, political, and social institutions) and the principle of subsidiarity, we address how individual nations are implicated in a global economy that benefits those of us in the affluent global north to the detriment of people in the severely poor global south. While it has focused explicitly on issues within nation-states, magisterial teaching about subsidiarity has thus far inadequately addressed subsidiary structures between interdependent but radically unequal societies in the era of globalization. In light of this inadequacy, we speculate how Catholic Social Teaching’s principle of subsidiarity benefits from Rawls’s (and Rawlsian) explication of the basic structure, especially if the Church is to speak normatively and precisely about global economic inequality.

In the first of those chapters, Gareth Rowe and Anna Rowlands explore the development of Catholic social teaching on taxation. From the outset, the authors stress our natures as social beings. They explain how the tradition of Catholic social teaching has evolved. Some key principles that have developed in that tradition are that taxation should be moderate and fair; taxation should be related to the ability to contribute; and, in later years, an international dimension has been introduced: taxes should be levied in richer countries to assist the development of poorer countries. Later social encyclicals have built on these themes to emphasise the preferential option for the poor, inter-generational solidarity, and care for our common home. All three of these concerns might lead us to conclude that taxes on activities that cause environmental harms are justified. T he Church has made clear, Rowe and Rowlands point out, that society should be organised in such a way that all citizens have the basic goods and services for a dignified life. Where people would otherwise be without such goods and services (which include food, shelter, clothing, healthcare and education), in accordance with the preferential option for the poor and the universal destination of goods, the state should step in and ensure provision is made whilst taxing citizens in accordance with their ability to contribute. Rowe and Rowlands also explain how there is a moral dimension to taxation. Taxes should be levied in such a way that they promote the common good. This is not a purely transactional matter of taxpayers providing resources to the state so that the state can provide goods and services that we cannot obtain through other means. The whole process of taxation and the use of resources by government should be based on moral principles. T he resources of government should be used in a way that builds, rather than undermines, the common good of society as a whole.

However, humble and simple, he hardly shows his ring; enormous possibilities. A church is formed that is not a faithful copy of the European one but has . Clodovis Boff. The Historical Originality of Medellín. Koinonia plural, a colorful and festive popular religiosity, a complicated historical context and some Born rich and with the brilliance of a Manizales ancestor / And another yes, very sleepy, having only in the cross like Saint Paul his prize. situations different from those in Europe (poverty, injustice, inequality, racism, exclusion, etc.), mention Proaño, Larraín, Méndez Arceo, Samuel Ruiz, Gerardi, Romero, Helder After finishing his work with the poor, he rubs shoulders in their Barrios de Jesús their own identity: Christians, Latin Americans (white, black, indigenous, mestizo...) in appropriate to their own experience of faith. from the Javeriana University of Bogotá. He wrote "Life of His Excellency Mr. Salazar y Herrera" "Great governors of Antioquia; "Great Antioquian prelates", "The Academy of Graduate in Social Sciences from the León XIII University of Madrid and PhD in Philosophy Medicine of Medellín (Founders and presidents)" (1988) and "Doctors and Medicine of Children's Hospital of Jesus the Worker in 1949, to care for children displaced by violence, of Copacabana (1960) and the Christian Audiovisual Center in Medellín (1970).

However, humble and simple, he hardly shows his ring; enormous possibilities. A church is formed that is not a faithful copy of the European one but has . Clodovis Boff. The Historical Originality of Medellín. Koinonia plural, a colorful and festive popular religiosity, a complicated historical context and some Born rich and with the brilliance of a Manizales ancestor / And another yes, very sleepy, having only in the cross like Saint Paul his prize. situations different from those in Europe (poverty, injustice, inequality, racism, exclusion, etc.), mention Proaño, Larraín, Méndez Arceo, Samuel Ruiz, Gerardi, Romero, Helder After finishing his work with the poor, he rubs shoulders in their Barrios de Jesús their own identity: Christians, Latin Americans (white, black, indigenous, mestizo...) in appropriate to their own experience of faith. from the Javeriana University of Bogotá. He wrote "Life of His Excellency Mr. Salazar y Herrera" "Great governors of Antioquia; "Great Antioquian prelates", "The Academy of Graduate in Social Sciences from the León XIII University of Madrid and PhD in Philosophy Medicine of Medellín (Founders and presidents)" (1988) and "Doctors and Medicine of Children's Hospital of Jesus the Worker in 1949, to care for children displaced by violence, of Copacabana (1960) and the Christian Audiovisual Center in Medellín (1970).

However, humble and simple, he hardly shows his ring; enormous possibilities. A church is formed that is not a faithful copy of the European one but has . Clodovis Boff. The Historical Originality of Medellín. Koinonia plural, a colorful and festive popular religiosity, a complicated historical context and some Born rich and with the brilliance of a Manizales ancestor / And another yes, very sleepy, having only in the cross like Saint Paul his prize. situations different from those in Europe (poverty, injustice, inequality, racism, exclusion, etc.), mention Proaño, Larraín, Méndez Arceo, Samuel Ruiz, Gerardi, Romero, Helder After finishing his work with the poor, he rubs shoulders in their Barrios de Jesús their own identity: Christians, Latin Americans (white, black, indigenous, mestizo...) in appropriate to their own experience of faith. from the Javeriana University of Bogotá. He wrote "Life of His Excellency Mr. Salazar y Herrera" "Great governors of Antioquia; "Great Antioquian prelates", "The Academy of Graduate in Social Sciences from the León XIII University of Madrid and PhD in Philosophy Medicine of Medellín (Founders and presidents)" (1988) and "Doctors and Medicine of Children's Hospital of Jesus the Worker in 1949, to care for children displaced by violence, of Copacabana (1960) and the Christian Audiovisual Center in Medellín (1970).

The Social School of Zaragoza was the practical manifestation of the social concern of a group of Aragonese Catholics who sought to raise social concern among the Spaniards of their time. The school was a pioneer in the Iberian Peninsula and was concerned with spreading the social doctrine of the Church through study and the dissemination of the teachings of the Roman pontiffs. Josemaría Escrivá met some of its members when he was studying law at the University of Zaragoza. This article aims to present the theoretical foundations of the group and describe some of its initiatives as a formative context for the founder of Opus Dei.
Keywords: Social School of Zaragoza, Social Doctrine of the Church, Severino Aznar, Miguel Sancho Izquierdo, Josemaría Escrivá, 1920s

Konsili Vatikan II merupakan salah satu tonggak sejarah yang paling transformatif dalam perjalanan Gereja Katolik modern. Dengan menggemakan seruan pembaruan yang mendalam, Konsili ini menandai suatu peralihan besar dalam memahami hakikat Gereja: dari institusi yang tertutup menuju komunitas iman yang terbuka, dari benteng dogmatik menuju sakramen keselamatan yang hadir di tengah dunia. Dalam konteks refleksi tersebut, karya Tom Jacobs SJ, Gereja Menurut Konsili Vatikan II, hadir sebagai salah satu usaha akademik yang berharga dalam mengurai dan menghidupkan semangat pembaruan tersebut. Book report ini disusun sebagai bagian dari tugas mata kuliah Eklesiologi Kontekstual, dengan tujuan untuk mendalami gagasan-gagasan utama Tom Jacobs tentang identitas dan misi Gereja pasca-Konsili. Buku ini tidak hanya menawarkan sebuah kajian sistematis terhadap perubahan paradigma dalam tubuh Gereja, tetapi juga mengundang pembaca untuk merefleksikan makna Gereja sebagai misteri ilahi yang hidup di dalam sejarah manusia. Dengan pendekatan yang kaya akan analisis teologis dan kepekaan kontekstual, Jacobs mengajak umat beriman untuk melihat Gereja bukan sebagai menara kebenaran yang jauh dari dunia, melainkan sebagai komunitas yang berjalan bersama dunia dalam kasih dan harapan. Melalui laporan ini, akan disajikan ringkasan isi buku, diikuti dengan evaluasi kritis terhadap kekuatan dan keterbatasan pemikiran Jacobs. Analisis ini tidak hanya membandingkan buku tersebut dengan dokumen-dokumen resmi Gereja seperti Lumen Gentium dan Dei Verbum, tetapi juga mempertimbangkan wacana teologis kontemporer mengenai peran Gereja dalam dunia yang pluralistik dan dinamis. Dengan demikian, laporan ini diharapkan mampu menggambarkan kontribusi buku ini dalam menghidupi semangat Konsili Vatikan II, sekaligus menilai sejauh mana pemikiran Jacobs tetap setia pada tradisi iman Katolik yang otentik. Di tengah tantangan zaman modern yang penuh dengan sekularisasi, relativisme, dan fragmentasi sosial, pembaruan wajah Gereja menjadi sebuah kebutuhan mendesak. Refleksi yang mendalam terhadap karya seperti ini merupakan bagian dari usaha terus-menerus untuk memahami kembali siapa Gereja itu, kepada siapa ia diutus, dan bagaimana ia mesti hadir di tengah dunia sebagai tanda keselamatan. Oleh karena itu, book report ini bukan hanya sebuah kewajiban akademik, melainkan juga bagian dari pergulatan iman yang terus berproses dalam terang sabda dan peristiwa sejarah keselamatan. Konsili Vatikan II menjadi titik balik dalam sejarah pemahaman Gereja Katolik. Dalam dokumen Lumen Gentium, Konsili menawarkan cara pandang baru yang meninggalkan pendekatan apologetik, yuridis, dan hierarkis yang kaku. Gereja tak lagi dilihat semata sebagai menara institusional, tetapi sebagai realitas misteri ilahi yang hidup, sebagai sakramen keselamatan, sebagai persekutuan umat Allah, dan sebagai tubuh Kristus yang dinamis. Tom Jacobs SJ menyoroti bahwa paham ini tidak sekadar perubahan dalam bahasa, tetapi dalam paradigma. Perubahan ini membuka pintu dialog dengan dunia modern dan gerejagereja non-Katolik. Pemahaman ini sangat kontekstual untuk gereja-gereja Protestan, karena menekankan dimensi Kristologis, peran iman, dan kesatuan umat percaya. Ada lima poros utama pembaruan eklesiologis yang dijelaskan secara sistematis oleh Jacobs: Misteri-Sakramen, Sakramen Keselamatan, Iman dan Wahyu, Tubuh Kristus, dan Umat Allah. 1) Misteri -Sakramen Poin permulaan dari pembaruan ini adalah pemahaman Gereja sebagai misteri dan sakramen. Konsili menghindari pendekatan lama yang hanya menekankan eksklusivitas kelembagaan Gereja Katolik, dan mulai mengembangkan pendekatan yang bersumber dari Kitab Suci dan tradisi Gereja perdana. "Misteri" dalam hal ini tidak dimengerti sebagai teka-teki atau kabut ketidaktahuan, tetapi sebagai sesuatu yang hanya bisa dipahami karena telah diwahyukan oleh Allah dalam Kristus. Jacobs menyebutkan bahwa istilah mysterion (Yunani), sod (Ibrani), dan raz (Aram), seluruhnya menunjuk pada rahasia ilahi yang kini dibuka bagi manusia dalam konteks relasional, bukan hanya dalam bentuk doktrin (hlm. 4-5). Ini membuka jalan bagi pembaca Protestan untuk melihat bahwa Gereja memahami wahyu sebagai tindakan kasih yang hidup, bukan sebagai kumpulan dogma beku. Sementara itu, "sakramen" dipahami bukan sekadar sebagai simbol, tetapi sebagai tanda yang menghadirkan rahmat. Gereja disebut sebagai sakramen keselamatan Allah karena melalui dirinya, rahmat Allah dinyatakan dan dihadirkan secara historis (LG 1; hlm. 5-6). Ini adalah bentuk baru dari pendekatan sakramental: Gereja adalah tempat di mana keselamatan menjadi nyata secara konkret, bukan semata secara spiritual. Paham ini sangat sejalan dengan keyakinan bahwa Allah bekerja melalui hal-hal biasa-melalui tubuh Kristus yang tampak dalam dunia. Sakramentalitas ini bukan bentuk magisme, tetapi ekspresi kehadiran Allah dalam dunia yang nyata dan sosial. Puncak dari pembaruan konseptual ini tampak dalam pemahaman bahwa Gereja adalah "sakramen keselamatan yang universal" (LG 1). Artinya, Gereja bukanlah institusi yang menutup diri dari dunia, tetapi justru sarana yang diutus untuk membawa seluruh dunia kepada Allah. Dalam pandangan Jacobs, ini hanya bisa terjadi karena Gereja menerima Roh Kudus yang dijanjikan oleh Kristus dan dicurahkan pada hari Pentakosta (LG 59; hlm. 6).

This study examines the historical development of the New Testament pericope system in the Byzantine liturgical year, emphasizing the Apostolos and Gospel readings in the Eucharistic liturgy. While Gospel pericopes have been widely studied, this research highlights the Apostolos pericopes and their integration into the Byzantine lectionary tradition. It explores the transition from continuous-text readings to structured lectionaries,
the influence of the Jerusalem tradition, and the adaptation of the five-day pericope system. *e study also addresses the late inclusion of the Catholic Epistles and their role in pre-Lenten preparations. Through manuscript analysis, it offers insights into the codification of New Testament pericopes in Byzantine worship.

Title translation: "The Ecumenical Decade of the Churches in Solidarity with Women," Sunday Schools Magazine, vol 48, no 6, pp 23-27, June 1994.
In 1988, the World Council of Churches (WCC) inaugurated the Ecumenical Decade of the Churches in Solidarity with Women, articulating five objectives that would shape its commitments from 1988 to 1998. To fully grasp its significance, one must look back to the WCC’s inaugural assembly in 1948 and trace the gradual but determined journey of women within the institution—women who, despite systemic constraints, carved out space for participation.

Among these pioneers were Coptic women (such as Marie Bassili Assaad and Iris Elmasri) whose presence in ecumenical work remains an underexamined but vital thread. Their contributions illuminate both the promise and the precarity of navigating ecclesial structures not always disposed to recognize their witness. Echoing the women at the tomb in Mark 16:3—“Who will roll away the stone for us?”—their story evokes both lament and hope, inviting a theological reflection on barriers yet to be removed.

Today, as we reflect on the trajectory and future of Coptic women in ecumenical engagement, the question resurfaces with renewed urgency: what possibilities await when the stone is no longer a foregone obstacle, but a summons to courage? This article addresses the ecclesial conscience to confront enduring questions of representation, authority, and readiness for transformative inclusion. “Is it time yet?” emerges not as a rhetorical gesture, but as a prophetic provocation—one that invites discerning action within the Body of Christ.

The ancient African Church was laden with crises of heresies and schisms. They disorganized the peace and unity of the one perfect Church of Christ in Africa even before Augustine became bishop of Hippo. The Church in North Africa then witnessed several controversies and divisions with concomitant dialogues aimed at uniting the groups that kept excommunicating themselves. That resulted in a movement that was not ecumenical but designed to unify the Church. Both Cyprian as the bishop of Carthage and Augustine at Hippo remained firm in their understanding that the Church in her nature is called to be a visible unity of the body of Christ. This article examines some significant biblical images adopted by the African fathers especially Augustine of Hippo in resolving the ecclesial disunity in North Africa. It further recommends that Africa's contemporary ecumenists align themselves with some of the principles inherent in this work.

Lumen Gentium gives the first official teaching on the image or selfunderstanding of the Church. Even though other images are also mentioned and used variedly in the document, the Church is understood as the People of God. The divine character of the establishment called Church was further emphasised by accruing to the members the role of priests. History has shown the existence of structures, offices and hierarchies within the body called Church, oneof which is the office of priests. Lumen Gentium offers something new in this respect: it creates a platform for all the members of the Church to participate in one office, namely the office of Priesthood of Christ. Thedocument makes, however, a distinction between priesthood of all the baptized and ministerial or hierarchical priesthood. Even though Lumen Gentium has not worked out a theology of the commonpriesthood of the baptized, analysis of the concept indicates a necessity for such an enterprise. The concept has the vertical and h...

The article investigates Joseph Ratzinger’s intellectual and theological background by highlighting the philosophical and theological influences that shaped his thought. The author examines the historical and cultural context of the 20th century, characterized by profound political, social and intellectual changes, including the post-conciliar theological “renewal”. Ratzinger’s contribution is analyzed through his relationship with the New Theology movement and the Kerygmatische Theologie, by highlighting his engagement in dialogue with Modernity and his rootedness in the Scripture and the patristic tradition. It is examined the influence of theologians such as Henri de Lubac and his idea of the Church as a mystical community centered on the Eucharist. The article outlines how Ratzinger integrated patristic hermeneutics into his theological work, contributing to liturgical renewal and the rediscovery of biblical and patristic sources.

In modern times, the understanding of holiness is often overshadowed by notions of achievement in various areas of human existence, and holiness could be understood as merely human commitment in the moral realm. Therefore, within the Christian tradition there are discussions of a call to holiness and not only to moral perfection, where holiness rests above all on the fact of God's chosenness, to which the Christians respond by changing concrete lives. This article shall highlight several main characteristics of holiness as a model of Christian existence important to the Church in the third millennium. Firstly, a biblical-theological account of holiness shall be presented as a landmark of understanding holiness in the Church and in theology. Then, the fundamental dimension of holiness shall be introduced which is the principle of giftedness, opposed in a certain contrast to the widely present principle of achievement and perfection. The third part shall highlight the exemplary character of holiness, which has the ability to attract others, thus realizing in the life of the Church its main character of holiness that comes from God Himself. In their response to God, Christians find a model among the saints who have accepted various means of consecration within the Church and given God an answer to His call to holiness. Finally, the importance of a personal response to the call to holiness shall be indicated. The goal of Christian holiness is to unite with God, and on the way to this union, the effort of every individual who manifests himself primarily in accepting God's gifts and His grace is also needed. Moral and sacred life is not primarily the adventure of spiritual giants of tried and tested moral behaviour and virtues, where these behaviours and virtues are only the result of their own endeavour and humanistic aspirations, but rather holiness is a response to God to his great love, which he expressed in the history of salvation and in the lives of people.

Throughout his life, Eugenio Corecco was deeply fascinated by the United
States of America. He developed this fascination for affective reasons, but
also for reasons of study and research. In the studies of Corecco carried out
in continental Europe, not many realise that this fascination was mutual.
This article presents a comprehensive overview of the reception of Corecco's
thought and general theory of canon law in American and Anglophone
scholarship. Special attention is given to the process of ontologizing faith
and theology within Corecco's reflection on communio.

This article analyzes the paradox of institutional strengthening within the Brazilian Catholic Church amid the steady decline of self-identified Catholics in the country. Drawing on census data, ecclesiastical records, and a long-term anthropological perspective, the authors demonstrate how, since the 1980s, the number of parishes and ordained clergy has grown significantly, while Catholic affiliation has fallen. The article proposes that this phenomenon reflects a broader cultural process of detraditionalization, in which Catholicism loses its status as a taken-for-granted element of Brazilian identity and instead becomes one among many religious options. The Church’s responses—through Romanization, liberation theology, and the Charismatic Renewal—have helped consolidate its institutional presence but have not reversed the demographic decline. This shift marks the transformation of Catholicism in Brazil from a mass cultural tradition into a minority religious identity.

This article provides a comprehensive overview of the historical formation of the Federal Council of Churches of Christ in America (FCC), examining the social and political context in the United States that shaped its adoption of ecumenical practices focused on social justice. Central to this shift was the incorporation of Kingdom theology from the Social Gospel movement, which emphasized the importance of addressing socioeconomic injustice and industrial problems within Christian ethical thought. The article also explores the FCC's involvement in the Life and Work movement, a crucial but often underrepresented aspect of ecumenical history. While traditional historical narratives have focused on Sweden's role in the movement, this article highlights the FCC's pivotal contributions to the 1925 Universal Christian Conference for Life and Work in Stockholm, demonstrating its influence on shaping global ecumenical dialogue and action. By exploring these themes, the article repositions the FCC's legacy within the broader context of early-20th-century Christian social engagement.

Das vorliegende Buch will in aktueller Auseinandersetzung die Anschauungen eines Theologen als Spiegelbild vieler brisanter Fragen der gegenwärtigen Kulturentwicklung diskutieren. Es geht in diesem Buch darum, Christen das Phänomen Drewermann und das Umfeld der Diskussion um Drewermann verständlich zu machen und ihnen Argumente an die Hand zu geben, warum wir trotz Drewermann am klassischen christlichen Glauben festhalten dürfen.

In his work Gesù il Cristo Alois Grillmeier cites a speech by Joseph Ratzinger entitled: Il significato di persona nella teologia. Both authors present the same analysis of the Christological concept of person used at the Council of Chalcedon, whose defining characteristic is its distinction from nature in defence of the humanum of Christ. Analysing their other works, it becomes clear that Grillmeier and Ratzinger use this Christological concept of person to develop a contemporary anthropology. A comparative and analytical-critical method was applied to the publications of both authors in order to create a synthesis of common elements concerning the hermeneutics of Chalcedonian concept of person and the anthropological conclusions derived from it.