VATICAN - “The document Dominus Iesus and the other religions” of Archbishop Angelo Amato, Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (sixth part)

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - “L’Osservatore Romano” has made it possible for Agenzia Fides to publish the entire text of the speech given by Archbishop Angelo Amato, Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, for the opening of the Academic Year 2007-2008 in the Theological Institute of Assisi. Its theme was: “The document Dominus Iesus and the other religions.” The translations into other languages was made by Agenzia Fides and have not been revised by the author.

Epistemological reflections on interreligious dialogue
The category of «dialogue» received extraordinary impulse during the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), above all with Pope Paul VI's encyclical on dialogue, Ecclesiam suam dated 6 August 1964 (cfr Acta Apostolicae Sedis, 56 [1964] pp. 609-659) with the Conciliar declaration Nostra aetate, on the Church's relations with non-Christian religions dated 28 November 1965 (cf. Acta Apostolicae Sedis, 58 [1966] pp. 740-744; Acta Synodalia Sacrosanti Concilii Oecumenici Vaticani II, IV, V pp. 616-620) and the other Conciliar declaration Dignitatis humanae dated 7 December 1965 on religious freedom (Acta Apostolicae Sedis, 58 [1966] pp. 929 - 941; Acta Synodalia Sacrosanti Concilii Oecumenici Vaticani II, IV, V pp. 663-673).
In order not to make dialogue an absolute which replaces the truth, we will now propose a few epistemological considerations on both ecumenical dialogue and interreligious dialogue. This will be helpful for assuming attitudes consonant with personal identity and with reality.

Epistemology of ecumenical dialogue
We can see that in the ecumenical field there exist two forms of dialogue: dialogue of charity and dialogue of truth. «Dialogue of charity» began with Vatican II's invitation to non Catholic guests to take part in the Council assemblies as observers. With regard for example to relations between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches we recall the importance of the publication Tomos Agapis in 1971, containing the documentation from 1958 and 1970 of relations between the Holy See and the Fanar (Tomos Agapis, Vatican-Phanar (1958-1970), Rome-Istanbul, 1971). These 284 documents testify to a will for unity and communion in the mystery of Christ on the part of Catholics and Orthodox Christians.
This dialogue of charity consists of knowledge, communication, respect, friendship, mutual acceptance and overcoming of reciprocal prejudices of a cultural, psychological and historical nature. It is a dialogue which comforts and encourages with edifying manifestations of reconciliation and reciprocal esteem.
Unlike dialogue of charity, «dialogue of truth» proceeds more slowly and with no few difficulties. This dialogue, in fact, cannot be generic, it must be bilateral: dialogue with the ancient Churches of the east is one thing, quite another is dialogue with the reformed communities. Dialogue of truth demands deep knowledge of the other party's history, theology, liturgy. Not lacking are various contingent difficulties, obstacles on the path towards unity.
Fortunately, in September 2006, after a decade of stall, the mixed Catholic-Orthodox Commission resumed dialogue to discuss the theme «the ecclesiological and canonical consequences of the sacramental nature of the Church: ecclesial communion, conciliarity and authority in the Church», leading also to the publication of a declaration (Ravenna 8-14 October 2006).
However less comforting news is not lacking (today we speak of an ecumenical «winter»; see reflections contained in the monographic «Problems in ecumenism» issue of the review «Credere oggi», 27, 2007, n. 160). Recent decisions by some Anglican communities with regard to certain morally unacceptable issues («ordination» of women, ordination of homosexual «bishops», blessing of homosexual couples), contested even within their own Communion, render more arduous on the Catholic side ecumenical dialogue, whose goal is the unity of all Christians in the one Church of Christ and concretely «communion in the doctrine of the Apostles, the Sacraments and the hierarchical order» (John Paul II, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, n. 35).
Ecumenical dialogue of truth cannot be conducted with superficiality it demands care and attention. In this regard, for Lutheran-Catholic dialogue, see the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification signed in 1999, which offers an outstanding example of precision in language and contents.
Nonetheless, to overcome doctrinal tensions, perhaps ecumenical dialogue should undertake more dialogue of action, for example, joint action for the re-Christianisation of Europe with efforts to defend and promote Christian principles, to counter secularism and any sort of religious fundamentalism. (6 - to be continued) (SL) (Agenzia Fides14/3/2008; righe 65, parole 705)