Stephen Sykes: Koinonia, Conflict and Conciliarity

Stephen Sykes thought that an overuse of koinonia language pointed to doctrinal fudge. His desire for clarity in the Church’s doctrine led him to emphasise the place that conflict plays in the life of the Church. His concern with the failure of Anglicanism to address the tensions within it led him to reflect on the exercise of authority and the deployment of power within Anglicanism. In the Orthodox and Roman Catholic traditions, koinonia is primarily a way of speaking about the life of the Holy Trinity and of participation in the Trinitarian life of God. It cannot then imply or contain conflict. Over thirty years, Sykes came to use koinonia confidently as a way of speaking about the conflicted outworking of authority within the Anglican Communion. He modelled a ‘conciliar magisterium’ – a magisterium that is embedded in synodality, that listens to many voices, but affirms episcopacy, and is prepared to teach. Whether such teaching is received can only be seen in the ongoing conciliar process which is the life of the Church.

Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies, Toronto, 11th July 1982

Moreana ◽

10.3366/more.2004.41.1-2.8 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 41 (Number 157- (1-2) ◽

pp. 58-71

Author(s):

John McConica

Keyword(s):

Catholic Church ◽

Church Of England ◽

Historical Review ◽

Roman Catholic ◽

International Commission ◽

Medieval Studies ◽

John Paul Ii ◽

The Church ◽

During the period in which these papers were given, there were great achievements on the ecumenical scene, as the quest to restore the Church’s unity was pursued enthusiastically by all the major Christiandenominations. The Papal visit of John Paul II to England in 1982 witnessed a warmth in relationships between the Church of England and the Catholic Church that had not been experienced since the early 16th century Reformation in England to which More fell victim. The Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission was achieving considerable doctrinal consensus and revisionist scholarship was encouraging an historical review by which the faithful Catholic and the confessing Protestant could look upon each other respectfully and appreciatively. It is to this ecumenical theme that James McConica turns in his contribution.

The Church as a Sacrament in a Time of Pandemic: The Philippine Experience

Studies in World Christianity ◽

10.3366/swc.2020.0309 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 26 (3) ◽

pp. 261-280

Author(s):

Rhoderick John Suarez Abellanosa

Keyword(s):

Catholic Church ◽

Religious Affiliation ◽

Essential Element ◽

Roman Catholic ◽

The Philippines ◽

Social Instability ◽

Presence Of God ◽

The Face ◽

The Church ◽

The declaration of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in various provinces and cities in the Philippines did not impede the Catholic Church from celebrating its sacraments and popular devotions. Mired with poverty and various forms of economic and social limitations, the presence of God for Filipinos is an essential element in moving forward and surviving in a time of pandemic. Predominantly Roman Catholic in religious affiliation, seeking the face of God has been part of Filipinos' lives whenever a serious disaster would strike. This essay presents how the clergy, religious and lay communities in the Philippines have innovatively and creatively sustained treasured religious celebrations as a sign of communion and an expression of faith. In addition to online Eucharistic celebrations that are more of a privilege for some, culturally contextualised efforts were made during the Lenten Season and even on Sundays after Easter. This endeavour ends with a reflection on the Church as the sacrament of God in a time of pandemic. Pushed back to their homes, deprived of life's basic necessities and facing threats of social instability, unemployment and hunger, Filipinos through their innovative celebrations find in their communion with their Church the very presence of God acting significantly in their lives.

DIALOG Z HUMANIZMEM RENESANSOWYM W DZIEŁACH PIOTRA SKARGI / PIOTR SKARGA’S DIALOGUE WITH RENAISSANCE HUMANISM

Ruch Literacki ◽

10.2478/v10273-012-0078-z ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 54 (4-5) ◽

pp. 405-424

Author(s):

Alina Nowicka -Jeżowa

Keyword(s):

Catholic Church ◽

Roman Catholic ◽

Roman Catholic Church ◽

Ignatian Spirituality ◽

Clear Cut ◽

Renaissance Humanism ◽

Cultural Conditions ◽

Political Views ◽

The City ◽

Summary The article tries to outline the position of Piotr Skarga in the Jesuit debates about the legacy of humanist Renaissance. The author argues that Skarga was fully committed to the adaptation of humanist and even medieval ideas into the revitalized post-Tridentine Catholicism. Skarga’s aim was to reformulate the humanist worldview, its idea of man, system of values and political views so that they would fit the doctrine of the Roman Catholic church. In effect, though, it meant supplanting the pluralist and open humanist culture by a construct as solidly Catholic as possible. He sifted through, verified, and re-interpreted the humanist material: as a result the humanist myth of the City of the Sun was eclipsed by reminders of the transience of all earthly goods and pursuits; elements of the Greek and Roman tradition were reconnected with the authoritative Biblical account of world history; and man was reinscribed into the theocentric perspective. Skarga brought back the dogmas of the original sin and sanctifying grace, reiterated the importance of asceticism and self-discipline, redefined the ideas of human dignity and freedom, and, in consequence, came up with a clear-cut, integrist view of the meaning and goal of the good life as well as the proper mission of the citizen and the nation. The polemical edge of Piotr Skarga’s cultural project was aimed both at Protestantism and the Erasmian tendency within the Catholic church. While strongly coloured by the Ignatian spirituality with its insistence on rigorous discipline, a sense of responsibility for the lives of other people and the culture of the community, and a commitment to the heroic ideal of a miles Christi, taking headon the challenges of the flesh, the world, Satan, and the enemies of the patria and the Church, it also went a long way to adapt the Jesuit model to Poland’s socio-cultural conditions and the mentality of its inhabitants.

KOŚCIÓŁ KATOLICKI WOBEC ZAGADNIENIA MAŁŻEŃSTW MIESZANYCH RELIGIJNIE W KONTEKŚCIE MIGRACJI

Civitas et Lex ◽

10.31648/cetl.2485 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 37-45

Author(s):

Piotr Wojnicz

Keyword(s):

Jesus Christ ◽

Subject Matter ◽

Catholic Church ◽

Canon Law ◽

International Level ◽

Holy Trinity ◽

Mixed Marriages ◽

The Church ◽

The increase in migration at the international level also increases the number of religiouslymixed marriages. The Catholic Church advises against entering into such marriages because thisissue refers to the laws of God and the question of preserving faith. The Catholic Church approvesof mixed marriages in terms of nationality or race because belonging to the Church is primarilydetermined by faith in Jesus Christ and baptism in the name of the Holy Trinity. Independentlyof canon law, progressive social secularization is noticeable on that subject matter.

Vestnik of Northern (Arctic) Federal University Series Humanitarian and Social Sciences ◽

The Aggiornamento Phenomenon and the Second Vatican Council

10.37482/2227-6564-v053 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 98-105

Author(s):

Hiermonk Ioann ( Bulyko) ◽

Keyword(s):

Catholic Church ◽

Roman Catholic ◽

Roman Catholic Church ◽

Second Vatican Council ◽

Church Fathers ◽

John Xxiii ◽

The People ◽

Vatican Council ◽

Pope John Xxiii ◽

The Second Vatican Council was a unique event in the history of the Roman Catholic Church. Initiated by Pope John XXIII, it was intended to make the Roman Catholic Church more open to the contemporary society and bring it closer to the people. The principal aim of the council was the so called aggiornamento (updating). The phenomenon of updating the ecclesiastical life consisted in the following: on the one hand, modernization of the life of the Church and closer relations with the secular world; on the other hand, preserving all the traditions upon which the ecclesiastical life was founded. Hence in the Council’s documents we find another, French word ressourcement meaning ‘return to the origins’ based on the Holy Scripture and the works of the Church Fathers. The aggiornamento phenomenon emerged during the Second Vatican Council due to the movement within the Catholic Church called nouvelle theologie (French for “new theology”). Its representatives advanced the ideas that became fundamental in the Council’s decisions. The nouvelle theologie was often associated with modernism as some of the ideas of its representatives seemed to be very similar to those of modernism. However, what made the greatest difference between the two movements was their attitude towards the tradition. For the nouvelle theologie it was very important to revive Christianity in its initial version, hence their striving for returning to the sources, for the oecumenical movement, for better relations with non-Catholics and for liturgical renewal. All these ideas can be traced in the documents of the Second Vatican Council, and all this is characterized by the word aggiornamento.

The Power of the Church - The Role of Roman Catholic Teaching in the Transmission of HIV

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.2018071 ◽

2012 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Johannes Stroebel ◽

Arthur van Benthem

Keyword(s):

Roman Catholic ◽

Grace and Freedom

10.1093/oso/9780197517468.001.0001 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Richard A. Muller

Keyword(s):

Early Modern ◽

Church Of England ◽

Roman Catholic ◽

Reformed Theology ◽

Divine Grace ◽

Freedom Of The Will ◽

Ultimate Cause ◽

The Will ◽

Libertarian Freedom ◽

Grace and Freedom addresses the issue of divine grace in relation to the freedom of the will in Reformed or “Calvinist” theology in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century with a focus on the work of the English Reformed theologian William Perkins, and his role as an apologist of the Church of England, defending its theology against Roman Catholic polemic, and specifically against the charge that Reformed theology denies human free choice. Perkins and his contemporaries affirmed that salvation occurs by grace alone and that God is the ultimate cause of all things, but they also insisted on the freedom of the human will and specifically the freedom of choice in a way that does not conform to modern notions of libertarian freedom or compatibilism. In developing this position, Perkins drew on the thought of various Reformers such as Peter Martyr Vermigli and Zacharias Ursinus, on the nuanced positions of medieval scholastics, and on several contemporary Roman Catholic representatives of the so-called second scholasticism. His work was a major contribution to early modern Reformed thought both in England and on the continent. His influence in England extended both to the Reformed heritage of the Church of England and to English Puritanism. On the Continent, his work contributed to the main lines of Reformed orthodoxy and to the piety of the Dutch Second Reformation.

The Church of England and the Churches of Europe

10.1093/oso/9780199644636.003.0017 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Tony Claydon

Keyword(s):

Church Of England ◽

Roman Catholic ◽

Protestant Reformation ◽

In the period 1662–1829 the Church of England saw itself simultaneously as a national Church for England, as a branch of the European Protestant Reformation, and as a part of a community of Churches across the continent. These identities caused tensions by suggesting different answers to the question of who were true Christians abroad. Anglicans might feel affinities both with Roman Catholic establishments and with the Protestant populations who challenged them. These tensions were managed in part by ambiguity and a determination not to press one identity too hard at the expense of others. This allowed the Church to maintain strong links with a wide variety of the faithful overseas. But tensions were also managed by an increasing spirit of accommodation. Both the Toleration Act of 1689 and the eventual emancipation of Dissenters and Catholics were aided by the struggles of the Church to contain its own internal diversity.

DAVID HUME AS A PROTO-WEBERIAN: COMMERCE, PROTESTANTISM, AND SECULAR CULTURE

Social Philosophy and Policy ◽

10.1017/s0265052520000114 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 37 (1) ◽

pp. 190-212

Author(s):

Margaret Schabas

Keyword(s):

Catholic Church ◽

Cultural Context ◽

David Hume ◽

Max Weber ◽

Good Reason ◽

Roman Catholic ◽

Roman Catholic Church ◽

Secular Culture ◽

Spirit Of Capitalism ◽

AbstractDavid Hume wrote prolifically and influentially on economics and was an enthusiast for the modern commercial era of manufacturing and global trade. As a vocal critic of the Church, and possibly a nonbeliever, Hume positioned commerce at the vanguard of secularism. I here argue that Hume broached ideas that gesture toward those offered by Max Weber in his famous Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1904-5). Hume discerned a strong correlation between economic flourishing and Protestantism, and he pointed to a “spirit of the age” that was built on modern commerce and fueled by religious tolerance. The Roman Catholic Church, by contrast, came under considerable attack by Hume, for fostering intolerance and draining and diverting funds. Hume recognized several of the dispositions that later appealed to Weber: an increased work ethic and tendency to frugality, enterprise, and investment in Protestant regions. A neo-Weberian literature now points to additional factors, the spread of literacy and the fostering of a network of trust among strangers, both of which Hume noted. Insofar as modern commerce both feeds upon and fosters more liberties and representative government, Hume also linked these with the advent and spread of Protestantism. My aim is not to suggest that these arguments have merit—there is good reason to question each and every assertion under the historical microscope—but rather to highlight the broader religious and cultural context in which Hume’s economics was broached.

To Conscience First, and to the Pope (Long) Afterwards? British Catholics and Their Attitudes Towards Morality and Structural Issues Concerning the Catholic Church

Review of Religious Research ◽

10.1007/s13644-021-00452-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ben Clements ◽

Stephen Bullivant

Keyword(s):

Catholic Church ◽

Religious Commitment ◽

Roman Catholic ◽

Religious Community ◽

Roman Catholic Church ◽

Personal Morality ◽

Sources Of Variation ◽

Nationally Representative ◽

The Church ◽

Abstract Background The attitudes of Catholics in Britain have undergone significant liberalisation on social moral issues across recent decades, whilst the reputation of the Catholic Church has suffered due to public opposition to its traditional teachings on such issues. But there has been comparatively little recent investigation into British Catholics’ views on these debates using surveys aimed at this religious community. Purpose This article examines the sources of attitudinal heterogeneity amongst Catholics in Britain on core debates affecting the Catholic Church. The aims are to examine, firstly, which groups within the British Catholic Community are more likely to conform to or to dissent from the Church’s teachings and, secondly, whether the socio-demographic and religious correlates of attitudes vary across different types of issue. Methods This article uses a new, nationally representative survey of Catholic adults in Britain (n = 1823). The survey is used to examine the sources of variation in Catholics’ attitudes towards a range of issues relating to the Roman Catholic Church. These issues relate to the priesthood, personal morality, and sinful behaviours. OLS models are used to assesses the relative impact of socio-demographic, religious socialisation, and religious commitment variables. Results The findings show that women are consistently more liberal in their views than men. Greater religious commitment is always associated with support for the traditional teachings of the Church. Conclusions and Implications Exploring the sources of attitudinal heterogeneity among Catholics, we provide new insights into the internal dynamics of ‘Britain’s largest minority’. We conclude by discussing the potential effects of increasing ‘nonversion’ for interpreting religious statistics—a topic of relevance beyond the denominational and geographical confines of this study’s explicit focus.