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(1) Background: The present research aims to emphasize the interest of the Securitate in theological matters with the help of information provided by the Romanian Securitate Archives. To this end, we will focus on two important personalities of the Romanian theological space, namely André Scrima (1925–2000), who left Romania in 1956 and refused to go back, and Valeriu Bartolomeu Anania, who was imprisoned for political reasons and later sent to the USA between 1966 and 1977. Both were writers and theological and cultural personalities (Scrima was well known internationally, while Anania had made a name for himself within the borders of the country). Therefore, the question this research will try to answer is the following: What was the interest of the Romanian Securitate in terms of religious aspects and particularly in the Orthodox Church? (2) Results: This analysis of the documents from the Romanian Securitate Archives proves that, although such an interest existed, it was rather superficial and was mostly related to the potential relations between politics and theology. (3) Methods: This analysis is qualitative and consists of a case study based on the interpretation of primary sources. (4) Conclusions: The conclusion of this research is that the Romanian Securitate was interested in the personalities and the work of André Scrima and Valeriu Bartolomeu Anania and their relationships with various people. However, the theological aspect was only of secondary interest to the Romanian Securitate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The theological program of Archpriest Georges Florovsky is understood as a conception of the neopatristicsynthesis that he developed. From the beginning, its appearance was associated with the participation of its creator in a public discussion about the historical ways of Russia within the framework of the Eurasian movement, then, with his scientific investigations into the history of Russian Orthodoxy and ancient Christian thought and later with his activity in the ecumenical movement. It is noteworthy that the positive content of the program for modern Orthodox theology turned out to be an indirect response to broader challenges of historical and social order. The focus of attention in this case are some peculiarities in the reception of the program in international and Russian contexts, which in turn requires the clarification of the content of its main points, such as a question about a true fatherland or the sense and meaning of Christian Hellenism. The conclusion notes the significant relevance and openness of Florovsky's ideas for modern Orthodox theology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of the work to "transcend the dichotomy" of the "two schools" of the Russian Religious Renaissance, the study of individual theologians reveals different approaches to theological synthesis. The present paper is a study of Nicholas Afanasiev's patristic engagement and the specifics of his approach to neo-patristics. Two ecclesiological conceptions emerged as consistent themes in his work: eucharistic ecclesiology and ecumenical theology. Afanasiev was a trained historian, and his analysis of the Fathers of the early Church—in particular Ignatius of Antioch, Clement of Rome and Justin Martyr—became a catalyst of original theological insight. This was the case with his eucharistic ecclesiology and his influence on the ecumenical movement near the end of his life. The originality of his neo-patristic insight differentiated Afanasiev from other theologians of the Russian Religious Renaissance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking as its starting point the 1966 World Conference on Church and Society in Geneva, which marked the beginnings of a fundamental change in the understanding of ecumenical social ethics within the World Council of Churches (WCC), this article discusses the role of the conference in this shift in perspective from the idea of the "responsible society" to the emergence of a form of postcolonial ecumenism. It traces the emergence of the responsible society as a guiding principle for the WCC and, in particular, the role in this of the US social ethicist Paul Abrecht, as well as how a focus on rapid social change helped strengthen and consolidate churches in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. These churches would then articulate the beginnings of a postcolonial understanding of ecumenical social ethics at the Geneva conference, which would in turn lead to the development of new programmes on social justice after the WCC's 4th Assembly in Uppsala in 1968. The article concludes by discussing the tension between the two guiding principles in the decade that followed the Uppsala assembly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the participation of Orthodox representatives in the Universal Christian Conference on Life and Work held in Stockholm in 1925. It highlights the contributions of Orthodox hierarchs and theologians to key themes such as social ethics, international relations, and cooperative efforts among Christian communions. Despite their active involvement, the Orthodox presence at the conference has so far been underresearched. The article emphasizes the significance of the Orthodox Church, particularly the Patriarchate of Constantinople, in shaping the conference's agenda and fostering ecumenical dialogue. It also discusses the urgent call for Christian unity in addressing contemporary societal challenges and underlines the importance of Orthodox participation in advancing the goals of the ecumenical movement during a critical period in world history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the organization of the Universal Christian Conference on Life and Work in Stockholm in 1925, its significance for the 20th‐century ecumenical movement, and the central role played by Swedish Archbishop Nathan Söderblom. It describes Söderblom's repeated efforts during the First World War to bring churches together to work for peace and how he originally hoped that what might become the Stockholm conference would be organized by the World Alliance for Promoting International Friendship through the Churches, as well as his determination that Orthodox churches should be present in Stockholm. The article then gives an account of the proceedings of the Stockholm conference and how it demonstrated the diversity of the unity of the church. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article considers the legacy of the Universal Christian Conference on Life and Work, which met in Stockholm in 1925, for the contemporary ecumenical movement. It asks whether the World Council of Churches and the wider ecumenical movement can reconnect with the spirit of the Life and Work movement, especially that of its first decade or so, to inspire a comprehensive understanding of ecumenical social thought and action in response to contemporary challenges and opportunities. It argues that responses to today's global challenges can build on four foundational principles inspired by the Life and Work movement: creatively reimagining the spirits of the time; embodying an incarnational presence; mobilizing ecumenical efforts for meaningful and empowered action; and recommitting to the principles of life, peace, and justice that were central to the Life and Work movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the relationship between the two ecumenical conferences in Stockholm in 1925 and Lausanne in 1927, which led to the creation of the movements on Life and Work and on Faith and Order, and which merged in 1948 to form the World Council of Churches (WCC). The conferences took place following the First World War amid fears of a new outbreak of war, and in this situation, fellowship was an important aim of those who met in the two cities. The article examines the search for the fellowship that characterized Stockholm and Lausanne, using the vision of an "ecumenism of the heart," developed in connection with the WCC's 11th Assembly in 2022. The roots of such a search for unity inspired by deep mutual relationships can be found in the two movements that were inspired by the conferences in Stockholm and Lausanne. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay seeks to articulate the relationships between Ignatian and Quaker "seeking that of Go[o]d in all things" and the "servant leadership" method, and between "communal discernment" and the "service-based participative group decision-making" process methods. These core principles and processes are related to what has been termed "wider ecumenism," "bottom-up ecumenism," and "tactical ecumenism." Large Jesuit and Quaker universities have experienced similar marginalization and even the disappearance of meaningful Ignatian and Quaker presence and mission. These process methods can incorporate the key ecumenical principles within large secular university contexts and help preserve, adapt, harmonize, and partner with core cross-tradition and ecumenical foundations, even when the core principles are at some disconnect from contemporary secular organizational cultures and systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The document provides a comprehensive bibliography of M. L. Daneel's work, including organizations founded, publications, books in progress, and articles and book chapters. Daneel's research focuses on African Independent Churches, traditional ecologists, and earthkeeping movements in Zimbabwe. His work explores the intersection of Christianity, traditional African culture, and environmental conservation, making significant contributions to African theology and mission studies. [Extracted from the article]

The article focuses on intellectual debates about poverty and marginality during the 1960s crisis in the Southern Cone of Latin America. Topics include the role of sociology and economics in understanding poverty, the influence of Christian ecumenism and liberation theology, and the portrayal of poverty in new Latin American cinema, particularly through documentary film.

The article focuses on the 50th anniversary of the Lausanne Movement, which emerged in 1974 as a response to the ecumenical movement's shift towards social action and away from evangelism, and its development into a global evangelical movement. Topics discussed include the historical background; theological positions; and impact of the Lausanne Movement, also highlighting its significance in shaping the evangelical identity and its mixed record after 50 years of existence.

In this essay, a revised version of a presentation given at the Centro Pro Unione event 'Synodality at Your Fingertips' during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2024,1 the author offers his personal testimony to the impact intertwined experiences of ecumenism and synodality have had on his priestly ministry. The oral style of the presentation has been maintained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geoffrey Wainwright (1939-2020) was a British Methodist minister who, from 1983 to 2012, held the Robert Earl Cushman Chair of Theology at Duke Divinity School. Wainwright was a significant liturgical scholar, an eminent systematic theologian and a leading figure in the ecumenical movement. He co-chaired the Methodist-Roman Catholic conversations and was one of the editors of the highly influential World Council of Churches document, Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry. Given at a symposium jointly sponsored by Pro Unione and the Methodist Ecumenical Office, Rome, in October 2022, this paper aims to identify key elements in Wainwright's theological legacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 1980s in Latin America were the time of return to democratic rule, but also of the emergence of new forms of organization and participation. The ways of political participation and subjectivation changed during this time. There is little research that has addressed the historical development of the ideas of the social movements that emerged during this period. In Argentina, the role that Ecumenism and Liberation Theology played in the conceptualization of social movements is often overlooked. We argue about the existence of a Christian political-ideological matrix, understood as a tradition of objectification of the social and political, underlying what has been called the social left. We deal with the development of concepts and nodal categories in Argentine Ecumenism, as they appear in Alternativa Latinoamericana magazine (1985-1990). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A seminar of the North American Academy of Liturgy met to explore how understanding of liturgy can contribute to church unity between Lutherans and Catholics. The seminar participants, including Lutherans, Roman Catholics, and others, focused on Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry as fundamental issues. They found that there is agreement on the meaning and practice of baptism, the real presence in the Eucharist, and the nature of ministry. The seminar concluded that there should be no obstacle to eucharistic sharing and no significant obstacles to the mutual recognition of ministries between Lutherans and Roman Catholics. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the significance of international discourse on ecumenical formation for debates about the future of religious education in diverse environments, both from a German and global perspective. It emphasizes the historical importance of education in the ecumenical movement, tracing back to the early pioneers with a background in the World Student Christian Fellowship. The author draws from his longstanding involvement in international ecumenical work on education to advocate for ecumenical formation for students of theology, including those training to be religious education teachers. The article surveys key policy documents from German and international church bodies and concludes with six essential learnings for theological education in post-confessional environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Curanderxs are healers who utilize a variety of means such as prayers, herbs, Christian icons, Spiritist rituals, images from religions, and such commonplace objects as eggs and dirt. Christian leaders often reject curanderismo as overly syncretistic or even as witchcraft. Nevertheless, many curanderxs are devout Catholics and even understand their gifting and practices through the lens of Christianity. This essay draws on the work of Kwame Bediako to demonstrate how these peripheral Christian curanderxs have translated diverse knowledge into Christian idiom and vice versa. Through examining examples of curanderxs , this essay shows how "Christian" much of the history, discourse, and living tradition of curanderismo is. It is an area of ambiguity that challenges Christianity's borders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay examines the role of José Míguez Bonino as a Latin American Protestant observer at both Vatican II and the CELAM Conference in Medellin (1968), as well as his active participation in World Council of Churches and Faith and Order meetings. It explores his impact on the solidification of Latin American ecumenism, particularly through his critical engagement of the "ecumenical establishment" and his emphasis on the "social question" in addressing overlaps and tensions between Christian unity and social justice. It ultimately argues that Bonino contributed to the rise of an ecumenical liberation Christianity and a third-world ecumenical perspective that continues to be significant for ecumenical practice and theology today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The challenge and hope of ecumenism is to seek ways to see the reality of Christians who long for visible unity. Starting from the principle that this visible unity is already expressed in the unity of baptism, we aspire to the greatness of unity in the eucharist, the source of life. From every observable reality, the people of God earnestly seek an encounter with the sibling who suffers, despairs, and feels the desire for God. We believe in a God who wants and encourages the encounter, a God who has the initiative to see the face of humanity. We Christians live in many borderline situations—often at the limit of bloodshed, martyrdom, and suffering—for the simple desire to seek happiness and koinonia. The question would be: What do the rest of Christians do for those of my siblings who live in situations of death—borderline situations? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The North American Academy of Ecumenists (NAAE) is a network that focuses on researching conflict and peacemaking in Christian churches and cultivating an ecumenical perspective. They will be holding a conference in Toronto on "Memory, Truth, and Reconciliation," which will address the history of displacement and violence towards Indigenous Peoples. The previous year's conference, held in San Antonio, focused on "Ecumenism in the Borderlands: Translating Worlds," and this issue of the Journal of Ecumenical Studies collects articles from that conference. The theme of translation is explored in relation to ecumenism, highlighting the importance of understanding different perspectives and bridging gaps in comprehension. The text argues that translation is a fundamental aspect of human understanding and that embracing the challenge of translation can lead to a deeper understanding of ourselves and others. [Extracted from the article]

In this essay, I argue that post-conciliar Catholic ecumenical discourse responds to anxieties about unity and identity in ecumenical encounter by turning to translation metaphors. Such metaphors, I suggest, fail to give an account of dialogue-across-difference that preserves the identity of both participants, but they do accurately describe the trans-formative effect such dialogue has on one's own tradition. Thus, while translation metaphors may not work to describe the ecumenical vision of Vatican II, they may be useful in describing the ecumenical reality of the 1960s charismatic renewal. Moreover, I suggest that such an understanding of translation offers us a space to think creatively about that renewal's theological significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the significance of Anglican heritage in the context of Catholic communion, particularly in light of the Apostolic Constitution "Anglicanorum coetibus" by Benedict XVI from 2009. Tracey Rowland, the editor of the reviewed book, gathers theologians and hierarchs to reassess the impact of this document on Catholic liturgy and faith, emphasizing that Anglican elements can enrich the Catholic tradition. The article also discusses various liturgical aspects, the evangelizing mission of the ordinariates, and the importance of Marian devotion in the Anglican context. Overall, it points to a new stage in ecumenism, where the Catholic Church embraces and appreciates the gifts from other Christian traditions. [Extracted from the article]

This article discusses the concept of receptive ecumenism, which is a strategy for reform and revitalization within the Christian community. Receptive ecumenism involves self-critical learning and recognizing the shortcomings of one's own church. It emphasizes vulnerability and a willingness to learn from others. The article also explores the tension between strategic thinking and self-criticism in receptive ecumenism and the role of feminist theology in understanding power dynamics. Receptive ecumenism aims to bring about change and unity within the church, but it also carries risks and requires trust and love. [Extracted from the article]

The article focuses on reflections on Round XII of the U.S. Lutheran-Catholic dialogue, emphasizing changes in dialogue dynamics and shifting challenges towards achieving full communion. Topics include the evolution of dialogue participants, the contemporary context of ecumenism, and the exploration of key points of disagreement between the two traditions in ecclesial process rather than doctrinal content.

"The Oxford Handbook of Ecumenical Studies" is a comprehensive volume that explores the history, achievements, and challenges of the Ecumenical Movement. The book covers various aspects of ecumenism, including the evolution of different church traditions, progress and issues in theological areas, the role of institutions, the current state of ecumenism on different continents, and prospects for the future. The Handbook emphasizes the significant role of the Liturgical Movement in furthering ecumenism and highlights the importance of communal worship and the centrality of the Eucharist. While the Handbook provides a valuable foundation for Ecumenical Studies, it acknowledges the need to address emerging topics such as the role of women, racism, colonialism, and a greater focus on parish churches in future discussions on ecumenism. [Extracted from the article]

The special service for people with disabilities in HKBP Jatiasih is a form of attention to motivate parents to remain enthusiastic in accompanying their children even though they have disabilities. HKBP Jatiasih, especially the Diakonia Team, want to make this activity has an impact on other churches paying attention to congregations with disabilities. Disabled worship services are held once every 3 months, provides a service of words delivered by the Pastor and then prepares blessings in the form of money and food. This activity has been carried out for more than 2 years, which is included in the program for the Year of Health, the Year of Professionalism in Service Organizers, and the Year of Inclusive Ecumenical 2024. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engelhardt's critiques of "generic chaplaincy" rely on the argument that chaplains are secular; however, professionally certified chaplains must maintain ordination with an ecclesial body. Engelhardt's concerns are better directed at the academic subfield that supports and trains chaplains: pastoral theology. That field is somewhat guilty of forced ecumenism because it attempts a universal theology rooted in experience and the social sciences rather than the authority of creeds, ecclesial bodies, or traditions. Pastoral theology makes too many sacrifices to the authority of the behavioral sciences without sufficient appreciation for sacramental theology and the spiritual bonds that rituals effect in communities of shared belief. In this model, ritual is reduced to its instrumental value in addressing the emotional needs of patients rather than viewed as efficacious spiritual care. Chaplains should take a holistic approach to theology so that they can better identify the duties and scope of interfaith spiritual care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars have long contended that Aquinas managed to escape the devastating critique launched by Averroes against the being/essence distinction by reimagining being/essence according to an analogy of act/potency rather than Avicenna's model of accident/substance. This essay complicates the scholarly consensus that Aquinas defined his metaphysical thought on being and essence against the philosophy of Averroes and instead argues that Aquinas's De Ente et Essentia can be seen as modeling interfaith dialogue, intellectual ecumenicism, and hybridity. Aquinas developed his thought through interlocution and philosophical interchange rather than opposition, a process that emphasized openness rather than alterity. After showing through the source material that Aquinas would not even have had access to Averroes's critique, I offer a reexamination of the historical development of Aquinas's reimagining of being/essence as act/potency and argue that Aquinas developed his thought not in opposition to Averroes's Long Commentary of the Metaphysics but, rather, in dialogue with Maimonides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After several decades of relative silence in the Netherlands on the topic of church and racism, the Black Lives Matter Movement and the public debate on reparations for colonial enslavement have brought the issue back on the agenda of church and theology. Fuelled by the Programme to Combat Racism (PCR), previous ecumenical discussions on this topic in the 1970s provide a good starting point for reflection today. This paper first provides some basic background on the PCR and then describes three theological positions in relation to reconciliation that shaped the discussions around racism. Based on these historical insights, the article summarizes the experiences and insights of the PCR in three major points, and discusses their relevance for today's conversation on church, diaconia, and racism. The paper argues that commitment, the transfer of power, and the value of discomfort provide important theological and practical insights for today's debate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past, popular Catholicism in Latin America and the Caribbean was perceived with suspicion by liberation theologians and official Roman Catholicism for its eccentricities, lack of doctrinal coherence, and fears of syncretism with folk religions. Nowadays, popular Catholicism in Latin America and the Caribbean has been a source of theological reflection, ecumenism, and religious revitalization. The apparition of the Holy Mother in 1953 at barrio Rincón in Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico, is a case study in global Catholicism that exemplifies this turn to see popular Catholicism as a source of liberation, perseverance, and deep spiritual devotion by the faithful. Using cultural, social, and reception historiography, the article argues that the Puerto Rican faithful were not passive recipients of the literary narratives of journalists covering the events as narrated by the main protagonists, the children/seers, but rather themselves formulators of history through their reception and participation. This is demonstrated by the allegiances of the faithful to popular Catholicism and their rejection of the official mandates of the clergy to ignore the events taking place at barrio Rincón regarding the apparition of the Virgin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article addresses determinants of the ecumenical impetus' weakening in the second half of the twentieth century. This situation invokes a key question about the purpose of the ecumenical journey. Despite the complexity and multiplicity of problems dividing the Churches, it was acknowledged that the main reason for stagnation was differences in understanding the Church. The Dominus Iesus declaration represented a kind of caesura, one marking a divergence in the aims of the ecumenical path, especially in Catholic–Protestant relations. Since then, certain statements on the Protestant side signal a clear attempt at distancing themselves from the concept of visible unity. They have come to prefer an alternative model of a community of Churches. Some have, in turn, put forward arguments for the apparent nature of such an alternative. In fact, the realisation of the Church's visible unity can only take place "through" and "in" the community of various Churches. The Church herself is the assembly (community) of all peoples and nations in one people under God. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article puts forward the argument for the acute and urgent need to move from ecclesial self-sufficiency to ecclesial interdependency in the ecumenical process. The difficulties in ecumenical cooperation mirror those in the climate crisis, as despite a global crisis of relevance for Christianity and for the ecumenical movement, individual Churches, much like individual states, fail to work together effectively as they negotiate their own internal challenges. Not dissimilar to the ecological climate breakdown, what we understand as the history-bound reality of the Church will not be safeguarded and will not be made relevant in today's globalised, pluralistic, interconnected, and dominantly secular, in many contexts, world, except by concerted action from all Churches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vladimir Sergeevich Solovyov (1853–1900) was the central figure of Russian religious thought, which had its heyday at the end of the 19th century and early 20th century, rich in wonderful and deep thinkers such as Pavel Florensky, Sergey Bulgakov, Nikolay Berdyaev, and Simon Frank among many others. Solovyov was the first classical Russian philosopher, in the sense that he had his own philosophical system at a time when systemic philosophy was being abandoned in the West. It was Solovyov who deepened Russian philosophy and firmly entrenched Christian metaphysics in Russian philosophical discourse. He introduced Russian philosophical thought to Europe. His project of a free universal theocracy intended to fundamentally change the course of social history. In fact, the project of a universal free theocracy and the reunification of Christian churches associated with it became the most prominent idea of the philosopher in the Western intellectual environment. Moreover, the question about Solovyov's pro-Catholic leanings, including his contacts with catholic clergy and theologians, as well as the issue whether Solovyov converted to Catholicism came into prominence after the book of Michel D'Herbigny Vladimir Soloviev: Un Newman russe was published in 1911. This article focuses on the narrow but important issue of reconstructing the historical context of the philosopher's ideas. The focus is on the history of Solovyov's contacts with the Holy See. The author analyzes the existing historiography, which testifies to the indirect contacts of the philosopher with the Holy See, the philosopher's published correspondence, contemporary research articles, as well as materials from the Vatican and Russian archives. As a result, the article presents a new look at the history of the relationship between the Holy See and Russian philosopher, who is currently recognized by most researchers as the ancestor of the ecumenical movement of the 20th century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article revisits the debate leading to the inclusion of the notion of a "hierarchy" of truths in the Second Vatican Council's Decree on Ecumenism to show that it not only concerns the presentation of Catholic doctrine in ecumenical dialogue but that it extends to all of Catholic teaching and practice and ought to serve as a guiding principle in the assessment of ecumenical agreements. Further, it argues that the soteriological criterion or horizon for properly weighing the truths of faith has yet to be fully received. The recent recognition of consensus on the basic truths relating to the doctrine of God's saving grace between Lutheran, Anglican, Methodist, Reformed, and Catholic Communions represented by the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification has brought us into a new context, one that invites a more intentional application of this principle for the mutual recognition of shared faith. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, I will expose the perspective of the ecumenical dialogue in the theology of Fr. Ion Bria, one of the well-known Romanians involved in the ecumenical movement. In the first part, after a short introduction, I will present the most important biographical milestones of the Romanian theologian, as well as some details about his activity in the World Council of Churches. Then, in the second part, I will critically present the most important aspects of Bria's ecumenical theology, as well as the reception of these ideas in contemporary Orthodox theology, in discussion with common witness and eucharistic communion within ecumenical dialogue. In the last part, I will present the critical remarks on ecumenism in Bria's theology. Through this analysis, I will emphasize important directions that the ecumenical dialogue can exploit today to overcome some historical, cultural or theological preconceptions and misunderstandings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the concept that modern works can create new interpretations of classical texts by altering the past through their influence. Topics include the role of reader-response theory in classical reception, the distinction between "classical tradition" and "reception," and the exploration of layered receptions in various cultural contexts, such as literature, art, and landscape design.

On the 60th anniversary of the celebration of the Second Vatican Council, we would like to take up again a statement from the constitution Lumen gentium, which was a source of controversy from the moment it was proposed in the schema De Ecclesia during the Council: «The Church is in Christ, like a sacrament, a sign and instrument of intimate union with God and of the unity of the entire humankind» (Lumen gentium, 1). In this article, we want to take up the concept of the Church as a sacrament, which emerged from the conciliar constitution on the Church, as a first step, although the conception of the Church as a sacrament is found in ecclesiology before the Second Vatican Council. Second, we will focus on the reception of this concept and its development after the Council. We will conclude with a third part devoted to its implications for ecumenical dialogue and the difficulties and possibilities for convergence it offers, with particular reference to the document of the Faith and Order Commission: The Church towards a Common Vision (2013). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the theological content of the controversy that unfolded between the leaders of the Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius in connection with the proposal of Archpriest Sergiy Bulgakov on the "partial intercommunion" – the Eucharistic communion of Anglicans and Orthodox, members of the Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius. The Fellowship was founded at the second Anglo-Orthodox Congress in St. Albans in 1928. Bulgakov put forward a proposal for communion at one of the annual conferences of the Fellowship in 1933, i.e. after five years of its existence. According to Bulgakov, partial intercommunion could not replace the whole reunion of churches, but could serve as its beginning. Bulgakov's proposal for communion caused a heated discussion that lasted for three years. Opinions were divided on both the Anglican and Orthodox sides. The discussion was preserved on the pages of the Journal of the Fellowship and in the confidential correspondence of the members of the Executive Committee and the Paris Group, which was conducted in English. The main exponents of the opposite positions were Archpriest Sergey Bulgakov and Archpriest George Florovsky. At the heart of these disagreements was a different idea of the nature of the Church. Both sides assumed that the Church is one and catholic ("sobornaya"), but they understood the content of these concepts differently. In Florovsky's understanding, "sobornost" should have a dogmatic basis, while Bulgakov believed that "sobornost" has a mysterious-charismatic basis. In practical terms, the discussion turned around two possible ways of the ecumenical movement and their combination: the "diplomatic" method of reunification and the "molecular" action. The translation of several documents from the correspondence of the members of the Executive Committee of the Fellowship and the Paris Group is published as an appendix for the first time: a confidential note by A.F. Dobbie-Bateman to the members of the Executive Committee, letters from A.V. Kartashev and Archpriest George Florovsky, as well as a letter from N. Zernov, which outlines the discussion of Bulgakov's project at a meeting of the Brotherhood of Saint Sophia on October 29, 1933 in Paris.

The article presents information on the fourth global gathering of the Global Christian Forum (GCF) held in Accra, Ghana from April 16 to 19, 2024. Topics include participants from Christian constituencies who include Reverend Merlyn Hyde Riley of the Jamaica Baptist Union and Reverend Dr Casely Essamuah, importance of global ecumenical movement, and call upon the churches throughout the world to continue the charism of GCF.