Ecumenism

Present Realities and Future Prospects

Edited by Lawrence S. Cunningham

This is an important collection of the historical work presented at the Tantur Ecumenical Center conference in Jerusalem held in the spring of 1997. The Tantur conference commemorates the twenty-fifth anniversary of the center’s founding with a gathering of internationally known ecumenists who represent many decades of serious engagement with Christian dialogue. Their resulting work is an inimitable assessment of the current state of ecumenical relations more than three decades after the Second Vatican Council.

Ecumenism “takes the pulse” of ecumenical relationships by making realistic judgments about future prospects for greater Christian unity. This volume is a pledge for the future of religious unity and a valuable resource for all those interested in the state of ecumenism in Christianity today.

Contributors are Anna-Marie Aagaard, Frans Bouwen, Cardinal Edward Idris Cassidy, Peter Coleman, Thomas Hopko, Edward A. Malloy, C.S.C., Jaroslav Pelikan, Hermann Pottmeyer, Michael Signer, Stephen Sykes, and Jean-Marie Tillard, O.P.

Lawrence S. Cunningham is Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame and author of numerous books, including The Catholic Faith: An Introduction (1987) and Christian Spirituality: Themes from the Tradition (1996).

Reviews

“These collected papers delivered at the Ecumenical Institute in Tantur, Jerusalem catch the spirit of what Pope Paul VI dreamed might take place in Jerusalem. He said that what was most important to him during Vatican Council II was the presence of so many theologians of other Christian communities. ‘They added so much to the Council and to ecumenism,’ he said to me. ‘I dream that it might continue in the Holy Land.’ This book is a testimony that his dream has been realized.” -Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., President Emeritus of the University of Notre Dame

“These essays by pillars of the modern ecumenical movement are timely contributions to our pilgrimage toward deeper communion as we approach the great jubilee of the Incarnation. They stand as a fitting tribute to the twenty-five years of service provided by the Tantur Institute in the Holy Land, at the crossroads of Christian and interreligious tensions and hopes for reconciliation and Christian unity.” -Brother Jeffrey Gros, National Conference of Catholic Bishops