The Bishop of Rome. Primacy and Synodality in the Ecumenical Dialogues and in the Responses to Encyclical Sintut Unum

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preface INTRODUCTION “TO FIND A WAY OF EXERCISING PRIMACY”: PAPAL INTERVENTIONS ORIGIN, AIM AND STRUCTURE OF THIS document 1. Ecumenical reflection on the ministry of the Bishop of Rome 1.1. Responses to Ut unum sint 1.2. Theological dialogues 1.3. A renewed interest and a positive Ecumenical spirit 1.4. A theological reading of our relations 2. Fundamental theological questions 2.1. Scriptural foundation 2.1.1. A renewed reading of the “Petrine texts” 2.1.2. “Episcope” or “ministry of oversight” at the universal level 2.1.3. Authority as diakonia 2.1.4. The “Petrine function” 2.1.5. “Petrine texts” in the patristic tradition 2.2. De iure divino 2.2.1. Hermeneutical clarifications 2.2.2. Both de iure divino and de iure humano ? 2.2.3. “Necessitas Ecclesiæ”: theological essence and historical contingency 2.3. Vatican I’s definitions on primacy of jurisdiction and papal infallibility 2.3.1. A hermeneutical approach to Vatican I a. The historical context of the Council b. Distinction between intention and expression c. Distinction between the text and its interpretation 2.3.2. A hermeneutic of dogmas a. Primacy of jurisdiction b. Infallibility 3. Perspectives for a ministry of unity in a reunited Church 3.1. Is a primacy for the whole Church necessary ? 3.1.1. The argument from apostolic tradition 3.1.2. The ecclesiological argument: primacy and synodality at each level of the Church 3.1.3. A pragmatic argument: the need for a ministry of unity at the universal level 3.2. The criteria of the first millennium 3.2.1. “The history of the Church in the first millennium is decisive” 3.2.2. Expressions of communion were not primarily juridical 3.2.3. A “primacy of honour” of the Bishop of Rome 3.2.4. The model of Apostolic Canon 34 3.2.5. The right of appeal as an expression of communion (Canons of Sardica) 3.2.6. Ecumenical councils: the synergeia of the Bishop of Rome 3.2.7. A diversity of ecclesial models 3.3. Some principles for the exercise of primacy in the 21st century 3.3.1. The communal, collegial and personal ordering of the Church a. Mutual interdependency between primacy and synodality b. “All”, “some” and “one” 3.3.2. Articulation between the local, regional and universal levels a. Simultaneity of the local Church and the universal Church b. The regional level c. Subsidiarity 4. Some practical suggestions or requests addressed to the Catholic Church 4.1. A renewed interpretation of Vatican I 4.2. A differentiated exercise of the primacy of the Bishop of Rome 4.3. Synodality ad intra 4.4. Synodality ad extra: “walking together” 4.4.1. “Conciliar fellowship” and primacy 4.4.2. Working and praying together Summary Ecumenical reflections on the ministry of the Bishop of Rome New approaches to traditionally contested theological issues Perspectives for a ministry of unity in a reconciled Church Some practical suggestions Towards an Exercise of Primacy in the 21st Century. A Proposal from the Plenary Assembly of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity based on the Study Document “The Bishop of Rome” Significant contributions to the reflection on primacy Future steps to be taken in the theological dialogues Principles and proposals for a renewed exercise of primacy Towards a model of communion Unity, a gift of the Holy Spirit SOURCES 1. Responses to Ut unum sint 1.1. From Churches 1.2. From ecumenical bodies 2. Bilateral and multilateral dialogues 2.1. BILATERAL DIALOGUES (IN ALPHABETIC ORDER) 2.2. MULTILATERAL DIALOGUES ABBREVIATIONS