Vatican ecumenist says ecumenical advances must enter church life

Published: 2007-02-01

ARLINGTON, Va. (CNS) -- One of the chief ecumenical concerns of the Vatican today is to see that the advances achieved at the national and international levels enter fully into the life of the entire church, a top Vatican official told U.S. Catholic ecumenists Jan. 30. Bishop Brian Farrell, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, addressed more than 150 Catholic ecumenists attending the National Christian Unity Workshop in Arlington Jan. 29-Feb. 1. He spoke at the luncheon of the Catholic Association of Diocesan Ecumenical and Interreligious Officers, which is held every year during the workshop. He said one of the top priorities being discussed by the council these days is the issue of what theologians call "reception" -- how Catholic teachings, policies and understandings developed as a result of more than 40 years of ecumenical dialogue get down into the local dioceses, parishes and pews, and how they are received as an integral part of the lived faith of pastors, teachers and people.

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