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Unitatis redintegratio (Restoration of unity) is the Second Vatican Council's decree on ecumenism. It was passed by a vote of 2,137 to 11 of the bishops assembled at the Council, and was promulgated by Pope Paul VI on 21 November 1964.

The title of the document is taken from the opening words of the Latin text. The opening words of the official English translation are: "The restoration of unity among all Christians is one of the principal concerns of the Second Vatican Council."

Description

Unitatis Redintegratio calls for the reunion of Christendom and is similar to a previous call for unity by Pope Leo XIII in his 1894 encyclical letter Praeclara gratulationis publicae and by Pope Pius IX in his encyclical In Suprema Petri Apostoli Sede. However, Unitatis articulates a different kind of ecclesiology from Praeclara. It focuses on the unity of the people of God and on separated Christian brethren rather than insisting according to the classical formulation that schismatics must return to the fold under the unity of the Vicar of Christ.

Unitatis acknowledges that there are serious problems facing prospects of reunion with Reformation communities that make no attempt to claim apostolic succession as the Anglican communion does. Ecclesial communities which adhere to Calvinism are a particularly challenging case because they and Catholicism have important doctrinal differences on key issues such as ecclesiology, liturgy and mariology. Other communities have insoluble doctrinal differences with Catholic Christianity because their theology of the Holy Trinity is manifestly incompatible with the doctrine as articulated by the council of Nicaea in the early Church.

Subsequent developments

Pope John Paul II refers to and builds on the teaching of Unitatis Redintegratio in his encyclical letter of 25 May 1995, Ut unum sint.

Cardinal Walter Kasper discussed the status of the problems by the document on the 40th anniversary of the promulgation of Unitatis in remarks entitled "The Decree on Ecumenism – Read Anew After Forty Years".^[1]

References

^ Kasper, Walter (11 November 2004). "The Ecumenism Decree – read anew after 40 years". vatican.va. Archived from the original on 17 April 2005. Retrieved 21 June 2022.

External links

Unitatis Redintegratio

[1] Kasper, Walter (11 November 2004). "The Ecumenism Decree – read anew after 40 years". vatican.va. Archived from the original on 17 April 2005. Retrieved 21 June 2022.

[1]

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+{{Short description|1964 Catholic decree on ecumenism}}
 {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}}
 {{Italic title}}
-'''''Unitatis redintegratio''''' ([[Latin]] for "Restoration of unity") is the [[Second Vatican Council]]'s decree on [[Catholic Church and ecumenism|ecumenism]]. It was passed by a vote of 2,137 to 11 of the [[Bishop (Catholic Church)|bishops]] assembled at the Council, and was promulgated by [[Pope Paul VI]] on 21 November 1964.
+'''''Unitatis redintegratio''''' (''Restoration of unity'') is the [[Second Vatican Council]]'s decree on [[Catholic Church and ecumenism|ecumenism]]. It was passed by a vote of 2,137 to 11 of the [[Bishop (Catholic Church)|bishops]] assembled at the Council, and was promulgated by [[Pope Paul VI]] on 21 November 1964.
 The title of the document is taken from the opening words of the Latin text. The opening words of the official English translation are: "The restoration of unity among all Christians is one of the principal concerns of the Second Vatican Council."
 ==Description==
-''Unitatis Redintegratio'' calls for the reunion of Christendom and is similar to a previous call for unity by Pope [[Leo XIII]] in the 1894 [[Encyclical letter|encyclical]] ''[[Praeclara gratulationis publicae]]''. However, ''Unitatis'' articulates a different kind of [[ecclesiology]] from ''Praeclara''. It focuses on the unity of the [[people of God]] and on separated Christian brethren rather than insisting according to the classical formulation that schismatics must return to the fold under the unity of the [[Vicar of Christ]].
+''Unitatis Redintegratio'' calls for the reunion of Christendom and is similar to a previous call for unity by [[Pope Leo XIII]] in his 1894 [[encyclical letter]] ''[[Praeclara gratulationis publicae]]'' and by Pope Pius IX in his encyclical ''[[In Suprema Petri Apostoli Sede]]''. However, ''Unitatis'' articulates a different kind of [[ecclesiology]] from ''Praeclara''. It focuses on the unity of the [[people of God]] and on separated Christian brethren rather than insisting according to the classical formulation that schismatics must return to the fold under the unity of the [[Vicar of Christ]].
-''Unitatis'' acknowledges that there are serious problems facing prospects of reunion with Reformation communities that make no attempt to claim [[apostolic succession]] as the Anglican communion does. Ecclesial communities which adhere to [[Calvinism]] are a particularly challenging case because they and Catholicism have important doctrinal differences on key issues such as [[ecclesiology]], [[liturgy]] and [[mariology]]. Other communities have insoluble doctrinal differences with Catholic Christianity because their theology of the [[Holy Trinity]] is manifestly incompatible with the doctrine as articulated by the [[First Council of Nicaea|council of Nicea]] in the early Church.
+''Unitatis'' acknowledges that there are serious problems facing prospects of reunion with Reformation communities that make no attempt to claim [[apostolic succession]] as the Anglican communion does. Ecclesial communities which adhere to [[Calvinism]] are a particularly challenging case because they and Catholicism have important doctrinal differences on key issues such as [[ecclesiology]], [[liturgy]] and [[mariology]]. Other communities have insoluble doctrinal differences with Catholic Christianity because their theology of the [[Holy Trinity]] is manifestly incompatible with the doctrine as articulated by the [[First Council of Nicaea|council of Nicaea]] in the early Church.
-== Contents ==
-''The numbers given correspond to the section numbers within the text.''
-;Introduction (1)
-;I. Catholic Principles on Ecumenism (2-4)
-"...it remains true that all who have been justified by faith in Baptism are members of Christ's body, and have a right to be called Christian, and so are correctly accepted as brothers by the children of the Catholic Church.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19641121_unitatis-redintegratio_en.html | title=Unitatis redintegratio, §2 | date=21 November 1964}}</ref>
-;II. The Practice of Ecumenism (5-12)
-When considering how the Church may allow for "common worship", which must never be used "indiscriminately", it is for "local episcopal authority, unless otherwise provided for by the Bishops' Conference according to its statutes, or by the Holy See" to determine the course to follow, making due provision for specific "circumstances of time, place, and persons". (8){{efn|In 2018, Cardinal Kasper cited section 8 as authorization for the [[German Bishops' Conference]] to allow certain non-Catholics, when married to Catholics and sharing certain beliefs of the Catholic faith, to participate in Communion.<ref>{{cite news| work=La Stampa | language=it | accessdate=13 May 2018 | date = 13 May 2018 | url= http://www.lastampa.it/2018/05/13/vaticaninsider/il-concilio-e-due-encicliche-ammettono-casi-di-eucaristia-ai-protestanti-Lw2EujZtAqdCqK4UpaM6IP/amphtml/pagina.amp.html | first=Andrea | last=Tornielli | title= 'Il Concilio e due encicliche ammettono casi di eucaristia ai protestanti'}}</ref>}}
-;III. Churches and Ecclesial Communities Separated from the Roman Apostolic See (13-24)
-;III 1. The Special Consideration of the Eastern Churches (14-18)
-;III 2. Separated Churches and Ecclesial Communities in the West (19-24)
-==Criticism==
-[[Traditionalist Catholics]] argue that this document contradicts the teachings of popes who preceded the [[Second Vatican Council]] and gives a false representation of the unity of the [[Catholic Church]]. They cite documents such as ''Mortalium Animos'' (1928) by [[Pope Pius XI]], which addresses statements similarly expressed in ''Unitatis Redintegratio''. [[Pope Pius XI]] considered the position that the Church of Christ can be divided into sections and that the Unity of the Church has not been achieved as a false opinion. Considering these notions, Pius XI continued "[T]he Apostolic See cannot on any terms take part in [non-Catholic] assemblies, nor is it anyway lawful for Catholics either to support or to work for such enterprises; for if they do so they will be giving countenance to a false Christianity, quite alien to the one Church of Christ. Shall We suffer, what would indeed be iniquitous, the truth, and a truth divinely revealed, to be made a subject for compromise? For here there is question of defending revealed truth."<ref> Mortalium Animos, Pius XI. http://www.papalencyclicals.net/pius11/p11morta.htm </ref>
 ==Subsequent developments==
 Pope [[John Paul II]] refers to and builds on the teaching of ''Unitatis Redintegratio'' in his encyclical letter of 25 May 1995, ''[[Ut unum sint]]''.
-Cardinal [[Walter Kasper]] discussed the status of the problems by the document on the 40th anniversary of the promulgation of ''Unitatis'' in remarks entitled "The Decree on Ecumenism – Read Anew After Forty Years".<ref>{{cite document |accessdate=13 May 2018 | date = 11 November 2004 |url= https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/card-kasper-docs/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_20041111_kasper-ecumenism_en.html |title= The Decree on Ecumenism, Read Anew After Forty Years| first=Walter| last=Kasper| publisher= Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity}}</ref>
+Cardinal [[Walter Kasper]] discussed the status of the problems by the document on the 40th anniversary of the promulgation of ''Unitatis'' in remarks entitled "The Decree on Ecumenism – Read Anew After Forty Years".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kasper |first=Walter |author-link=Walter Kasper |date=2004-11-11 |title=The Ecumenism Decree – read anew after 40 years |url=https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/card-kasper-docs/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_20041111_kasper-ecumenism_en.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050417050720/https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/card-kasper-docs/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_20041111_kasper-ecumenism_en.html |archive-date=2005-04-17 |access-date=2022-06-21 |website=vatican.va}}</ref>
 ==See also==
 * [[Separated brethren]]
-* ''[[Ut unum sint]]'', John Paul II, 25 May 1995
+* ''[[Satis Cognitum]]'', [[Pope Leo XIII]], 29 June 1896
+* ''[[Mortalium animos]]'', [[Pope Pius XI]], 1928
+* ''[[Ut unum sint]]'', [[Pope John Paul II]], 25 May 1995
-==Notes==
-{{Notelist}}
 ==References==
@@ Line 45: / Line 26: @@
 ==External links==
+{{Wikiquote}}
-*[https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19641121_unitatis-redintegratio_en.html ''Unitatis Redintegratio'']
+* [https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19641121_unitatis-redintegratio_en.html ''Unitatis Redintegratio'']
 {{Second Vatican Council}}