THERE IS NO DOCTRINAL BASIS FOR ECUMENISM. IT IS SOLELY A PASTORAL CONCEPT.
THE CHRISTOPHER FERRARA VIDEO ON THE ARS ORANDI SITE SPEAKS AT LENGTH ABOUT MANY OF THE DAMAGING MISINTERPRETATIONS BY LIBERAL CATHOLICS AT VATICAN II. HOWEVER I AM GOING TO SUMMARISE THE ECUMENISM ASPECTS, MUCH OF WHICH IS TAKEN FROM IOTA UNUM BY THE THEOLOGIAN ROMANO AMERIO.
FIRSTLY, THE MAIN POINTS
FROM MY POINT OF VIEW:
IT TAKES MINIMAL KNOWLEDGE TO SEE THAT ECUMENISM CAUSED CONFUSION & DAMAGE AFTER VATICAN II AND IT IS CLEAR TO SEE THAT IT VIRTUALLY ERADICATED EVANGELISATION. THE PRIMARY PROBLEM IS THAT LIBERAL CATHOLICS DID NOT HEED THE ACTUAL WORDS OF VATICAN II. THEY CHOSE TO INTERPRET IT THEMSELVES WHICH LED TO SERIOUS ERROR. THIS ERROR WAS PROSELYTISED TO THE FAITHFUL SO THAT NOW NEARLY EVERY CATHOLIC BELIEVES THAT ECUMENISM IS JUST ABOUT 'TALKING SHOPS' & 'BEFRIENDING' THOSE FROM OTHER DENOMINATIONS'. ALL THIS IS AT THE EXPENSE OF GENUINE CATHOLIC ECUMENISM WHICH IS ABOUT PRO-ACTIVELY BRINGING THOSE FROM OTHER DENOMINATIONS BACK INTO THE FOLD....
VATICAN II CLEARLY STATES...
THAT GENUINE ECUMENISM MEANS PRO-ACTIVELY ENGAGING WITH THOSE FROM OTHER DENOMINATIONS, USING GOOD THEOLOGY, CATECHESIS, & COMMON SENSE, TO BRING THEM BACK TO THE ONE TRUE CHURCH.
ROMERO AMERIO IS RIGHT ABOUT
THE FOLLOWING....
"ECUMENISM BECAME THE MASTER WORD DETERMINING POST CONCILIAR THINKING"
HE QUITE RIGHTLY STATES....
"HOW COULD A WORD NOT USED FOR 2000 YEARS, DEVOID OF DOCTRINE, SUDDENLY BECOME THE MASTER WORD OF CATHOLIC THOUGHT?"
IT EFFECTIVELY CREATED TALKING SHOPS DEVOID OF ANY
THEOLOGICAL SUBSTANCE.
ECUMENISM IS NOW PERCEIVED AS A PROCESS OF 'DIALOGUE' WITH NO PARTICULAR GOAL IN SIGHT
i.e. "THIS IS WHAT YOU BELIEVE & THIS IS WHAT I BELIEVE"
IN OTHER WORDS:
"WE CAN'T PREACH CONVERSION, WE CAN'T TELL PEOPLE TO BECOME CATHOLICS, WE CAN'T TALK ABOUT SAVING PEOPLES SOULS AND SALVATION, AND WE CAN'T RESORT TO THE ORIGINAL FORM OF EVANGELISATION"
ALTHOUGH SLIGHTLY OFF TOPIC I HAVE SEEN THIS ERROR IN THE LIBERALS CATHOLICS AT MY OWN CHURCH AT ST. MARY'S, EVEN TO THE MOST EXTREME POINT WHEREBY THE PARISH COUNCIL PUT OFF A FORMER PRIEST FROM KNOCKING ON PEOPLE'S DOORS IN AN EFFORT TO BRING LAPSED CATHOLICS BACK. IT WAS PORTRAYED AS BEING 'UN-PC' WHICH IS NOT ONLY RIDICULOUS, BUT WAS UN-CATHOLIC. IF LIBERALS CAN'T GET TO THE POINT OF DEALING WITH LAPSED CATHOLICS THEN IT IS VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR THEM TO DEAL WITH THE FULL RAMIFICATIONS OF GENUINE CATHOLIC ECUMENISM.
HE CONTINUES.... [FALSE] ECUMENISM IS LIKE A VIRUS THAT HAS INFECTED THE ENTIRE MYSTICAL BODY & PRACTICALLY IMMOBILISED IT. THE ORIGINAL EVANGELISATION HAS BEEN LOST
.
"ECUMENISM HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS THE
'THE DE-MISSIONISATION OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH".
THE TRUTH IS THAT ECUMENISM WAS CLEARLY DISCUSSED WITHIN VATICAN II, BUT THE PASTORAL TEACHING WAS SIMPLY TOO DIFFICULT FOR
LIBERAL CATHOLICS TO DEAL WITH. IT MEANT THAT THEY HAD TO DO SOMETHING THAT THEY WERE
NOT PREPARED TO DO BECAUSE OF THEIR
ERRONEOUS, NON CATHOLIC,
RELATIVISTIC THEOLOGY.
.
