Evangelii Gaudium and the Prospects for Ecumenical Mission |
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| Authors: | Kirsteen Kim |
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| Abstract: | Evangelii Gaudium (EG) is addressed to the “bishops, clergy, consecrated persons and the lay faithful” of the Catholic Church. It comes out of an internal discussion of “the new evangelization” and devotes considerable space to particular concerns of the Catholic Church, such as its pastoral activity, preaching ministry, and devotion to Mary. Out of 288 sections, it devotes only three near the end to “ecumenical dialogue.” So it would not seem at first sight to offer much prospect for ecumenical mission. However, this impression is deceptive. This article compares EG with the main concerns of the World Council of Churches’ statement on mission and evangelism in changing landscapes, Together towards Life (TTL), which was published earlier the same year, and finds a remarkable extent of common ground. It also finds that both documents share an inclusive and holistic understanding of mission/evangelization. |
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