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Ecumenism and the Catholic Health Ministry

Spiritual Care Champions November 4, 2008

John F. Wallenhorst, Ph.D.Vice President, Mission & Ethics

Bon Secours Health System

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Objectives Understand some core concepts about

ecumenism and interfaith dialogue Understand how Vatican II and Catholic theology

advanced ecumenism and interfaith dialogue Understand how ecumenism practically affect the

delivery of care, including pastoral and spiritual care services, and self-understanding of the Catholic health ministry

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Agenda Personal & Pastoral Experience Spirituality, Ecumenism & World Religions Catholic Approach

Second Vatican Council American Catholicism – John Courtney Murray “The Church to Come” – Karl Rahner

Health Care Application Discussion

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Personal & Pastoral Experience Personal Experience

Religious tradition of one’s family Development over time; maturation Current understanding of church

Pastoral Encounters Understanding of common spiritual ground Respect for person’s tradition Once again, encountering ambivalence in many

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Spirituality,Ecumenism

& World Religions

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Ecumenism & World Religions Common Spiritual Constitution Ecumenism World Religions

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Common Spiritual Constitution Dignity of the Person

Made in God’s image and likeness Divine origin and destiny Development

Call to Community Person flourishes (or not) in community Emergence of tradition Reform and development

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Ecumenism Broadly

Oikouneme = inhabited world; household Greater unity and cooperation among religions Dialogue without organic unity Mutual respect Interfaith pluralism

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Ecumenism More Narrowly

Unity of Christian Churches Approaches:

Catholic: Full unity Eastern Orthodox: Reluctance Anglican: Communio in sacris; full communion and

intercommunion Protestant: both denominational unity and cooperation

World Council of Churches, 1958; 340 churches Joint Declaration on Doctrine of Justification, 1999 Rejected by some evangelical Christians

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World Religions Interfaith Pluralism

Acceptance of other religions and forms of religious expression

Some truth and true values exist in all religions Supports freedom of religious and protects

religious expression Encourages dialogue and cooperation Not necessarily equivalent to religious relativism

Belief that all religions provide equal access to the truth

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World Religions

Religion Number of Adherents 

1 Christianity 1.9 billion

2 Islam 1.1 billion

3 Hinduism 781 million

4 Buddhism 324 million

5 Sikhism 19 million

6 Judaism 14 million

7 Bahá'í 6.1 million

8 Confucianism 5.3 million

9 Jainism 4.9 million

10 Shinto 2.8 million

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“When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came asound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages,

as the Spirit gave them ability.”

- Acts of the Apostles 2

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Catholic Approach

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Foundations Stress on full unity of the Church

One, holy catholic, apostolic All marks of the Church only in Catholic Church Lack of all marks = “false” churches

Institutional Church is the Church Hierarchical and monarchical Church is perfect, absolutely independent society Extra Ecclesiam nula salus

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Second Vatican Council Remote Context

19th and 20th century scholarship: Scripture, biblical languages, history, liturgy

Emergence of Catholic Social Teaching New engagement with the world and world issues

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Second Vatican Council Lumen Gentium (1964)

Dogmatic Constitution on Church Affirms marks of Church and foundation by Christ Elements of salvation found in other Churches Church of Christ “subsists” in the Catholic Church

Gaudium et Spes (1965) Pastoral Constitution on Church Addressed to the world Universal call to holiness; human community Concern for social alienation, poverty, suffering and war

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Second Vatican Council Unitatis Redintegratio (1964)

Decree on Ecumenism Seeking restoration of Christian unity Acknowledges Church identity of Christian Churches

Scripture, God’s Spirit, Baptism Admits both sides to blame for rupture

Nostra Aetate (1965) Declaration on Relationship to non-Christian Religions Human community from God “Rejects nothing that is true and holy…” Often reflects truth Special, close union of Christians and Jews

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American Church John Courtney Murray (1904-1967)

We Hold These Truths Reflections on religion and public life Religious freedom and separation of Church and state Participation in public debate; without censorship or coercion Appeal to public virtue

Dignitatis Humanae (1965) Declaration on Religious Freedom Unequivocal affirmation of religious freedom

Other Academic and religious freedom in schools and universities Development of doctrine requires dialogue with non-Catholics and

atheists

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The Church to Come Karl Rahner (1904-1984)

Universality of grace Church is always in history and society “Diaspora Church” Age of Christendom is over “Anonymous Christianity”

Church to Come Declericalized Focused on service Moral, without moralizing Concrete and spiritual Open

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Health Care Applications

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Health Care Applications Mission

Ministry of the Church Broadly understood and respectful Catholic identity as an expression of common humanity

Administration Ministry leaders Spiritually motivated Commitment to faith-based work More than the veneer of religion

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Health Care Applications Ethics

Within context of whole Catholic tradition Social context and community responsibility Virtue ethics: existing moral sensitivity and role of habit Not just focus on ethical prohibitions

Pastoral and Spiritual Care Care for persons in their wholeness Respect for diversity of religious experience and expression Appropriate and thoughtful accommodation Promotion of religious respect throughout organization Spiritual environment

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Church with a Worldly Vocation Worldly Vocation

Tension between compelling vision and practical realities

World and work as arena for meaningful religious action

Concrete choices and actions for infusing religious values in the “secular” realm John Coleman

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Discussion

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Questions & Conversation

What are some of the challenges?PersonallyProfessionallyOrganizationally

How do you address those challenges? What is the role of the ecumenism in the

Catholic health ministry?

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Thank you.