Unitatis redintegratio

Unitatis redintegratio (UR) means, after its incipit, the decree on ecumenism formulated by the Second Vatican Council , passed with 2,137 votes to 11 and passed on November 21, 1964 by Pope Paul VI. was promulgated .

The regulation consists of a foreword and three chapters;

The Catholic principles of ecumenism
The practical realization of ecumenism
The churches and ecclesial communities separated from the Roman Apostolic See

The third chapter deals particularly with the relations with the oriental churches, the orthodox churches and Protestantism .

In terms of content, the decree is related to the dogmatic constitution Lumen Gentium on the Church, which was passed by the Council Fathers on the same day as the decree, on November 21, 1964. Unitatis redintegratio refers to fundamental differences between the churches and ecclesiastical communities in the West, which are separate from Rome , but names various similarities with other denominations and recognizes the endeavors of the ecumenical movement . As in Lumen Gentium (No. 15), other denominations are ascribed ecclesiastical status and it is said, “that some, indeed many and important elements or goods, from which the Church as a whole is built and gains its life, also outside the visible limits of the Catholic Church can exist: the written Word of God, the life of grace, faith, hope and love and other inner gifts of the Holy Spirit and visible elements: all this that proceeds from and leads to Christ belongs rightly to the only Church of Christ. " (No. 3.) Instead of heretics and schismatics as before, the decree speaks of "separated brothers" (No. 1). In order to facilitate ecumenical dialogue, it emphasizes the hermeneutical principle of a “ hierarchy of truths within Catholic doctrine according to the various ways in which it relates to the foundation of the Christian faith” (No. 11). For Gerhard Feige , these statements signified the transition from an exclusivist to an inclusiveist ecclesiology. Accordingly, it was received favorably by theologians and church representatives of other denominations.

In the drafts of the decree it was originally intended to deal with the relationship of the Catholic Church to Judaism and religious freedom . After controversial discussions and an intervention by Pope Paul VI. these topics were outsourced and the decree was limited to the relationship with the other Christian churches. Freedom of religion was dealt with in the Dignitatis humanae Declaration , and the Church's relationship to Judaism became part of the Nostra Aetate Declaration on the Church's Attitude to Non-Christian Religions, both of which were adopted in the fourth session of the Council in autumn 1965.

literature

Bernd Jochen Hilberath : Unitatis redintegratio . In: Peter Hünermann, Bernd Jochen Hilberath (Ed.): Herder's Theological Commentary on the Second Vatican Council. Volume 3, Freiburg 2005, 69-223
Lorenz Jaeger : The Council Decree 'On Ecumenism'. Its becoming, its content and its meaning. Latin and German text with commentary . Bonifatius-Druckerei, Paderborn 1965, second expanded edition. 1968

Web links

Individual evidence

^ Gerhard Feige: Unitatis redintegratio . In: Walter Kasper (Ed.): Lexicon for Theology and Church . 3. Edition. tape 10 . Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 2001, Sp. 415 . www.katholisch.at: Keyword: Council decree "Unitatis redintegratio" , May 8, 2015.

[1] Gerhard Feige: Unitatis redintegratio . In: Walter Kasper (Ed.): Lexicon for Theology and Church . 3. Edition. tape 10 . Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 2001, Sp. 415 . www.katholisch.at: Keyword: Council decree "Unitatis redintegratio" , May 8, 2015.