The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity origins are associated with the Second Vatican Council. The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, or Vatican II, was an Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church opened under Pope John XXIII in 1962 and closed under Pope Paul VI in 1965. ...

Pope John XXIII wanted the Catholic Church to engage in the contemporary ecumenical movement. He established a "Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity" on 5 June 1960 as one of the preparatory commissions for the Council, and appointed Augustin Cardinal Bea as its first President. The Secretariat invited other Churches and World Communions to send observers to the Council. Blessed Pope John XXIII (Latin: ), (Italian: Giovanni XXIII), born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli (November 25, 1881 – June 3, 1963), was elected as the 261st Pope of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City on October 28, 1958. ... Augustin Cardinal Bea was a Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church and the first President of the Vaticans Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity, founded by Pope John XXIII. The name was changed to the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity by Pope John Paul II on 28 June 1988...

The Secretariat prepared and presented a number of documents on:

• ecumenism (Unitatis redintegratio)
• non-Christian religions (Nostra aetate)
• religious liberty (Dignitatis humanae)
• with the doctrinal commission, the dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation (Dei Verbum).

There are two sections dealing with : Nostra Aetate is the Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions of the Second Vatican Council. ... Dignitatis Humanæ is the Second Vatican Councils Declaration on Religious Freedom. ... Dei Verbum, the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, is one of the principal documents of the Second Vatican Council, indeed their very foundation in the view of one of the leading Council Fathers, Bishop Christopher Butler. ...

• The Eastern Churches - Orthodox Churches and ancient Oriental Churches, and
• The Western Churches and Ecclesial Communities and for the World Council of Churches.

Following the Council, Pope Paul VI confirmed the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity as a permanent dicastery of the Holy See. The World Council of Churches (WCC) is an international Christian ecumenical organization. ... Pope Paul VI (Latin: ), (Italian: Paolo VI), born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini (September 26, 1897 – August 6, 1978), reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and as sovereign of Vatican City from 1963 to 1978. ... Dicasteries (from Greek: δικαστ, judge/juror) are the central offices of the Roman Curia in which the stewardship of the Roman Catholic Church is entrusted. ...

Walter Cardinal Kasper is the current President while Bishop Brian Farrell is its secretary. His Eminence Walter Cardinal Kasper (born 5 March 1933) is a German prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. ...

In the Apostolic Constitution Pastor Bonus (28 June 1988), Pope John Paul II changed the Secretariat into the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPCU). Pastor Bonus is an Apostolic Constitution promulgated by Pope John Paul II in 28 June 1988. ... Coat of Arms of Pope John Paul II. The Letter M is for Mary, the mother of Jesus, to whom he held strong devotion Pope John Paul II (Latin: ), (Italian: Giovanni Paolo II), born   [] (May 18, 1920, Wadowice, Poland – April 2, 2005, Vatican City) reigned as Pope of the Roman...

Purpose

The Council has a twofold role:

• the promotion in the Catholic Church of an authentic ecumenical spirit according to the conciliar decree Unitatis redintegratio
• to develop dialogue and collaboration with the other Churches and World Communions.

Since its creation, it has also established a cordial cooperation with the World Council of Churches (WCC). Twelve Catholic theologians have been members of the Faith and Order Commission. The World Council of Churches (WCC) is an international Christian ecumenical organization. ... The World Council of Churches (WCC) is an international Christian ecumenical organization. ...

Similarly, the PCPCU to names Catholic observers at various ecumenical gatherings and in its turn invites observers or "fraternal delegates" of other Churches or ecclesial Communities to major events of the Catholic Church.

At present, the PCPCU is engaged in an international theological dialogue with each of the following Churches and World Communions:

• The Eastern Orthodox Church
• The Coptic Orthodox Church
• The Malankara Orthodox Church
• The Anglican Communion
• The Lutheran World Federation
• The World Alliance of Reformed Churches
• The World Methodist Council
• The Baptist World Alliance
• The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
• Some Pentecostal groups.

The Council also seeks to promote meetings with Evangelicals. The Eastern Orthodox Church is a Christian body that views itself: as the historical continuation of the original Christian community established by Jesus and the Twelve Apostles. ... Christ - Coptic Art Coptic Orthodox Christianity is the indigenous form of Christianity that, according to tradition, the apostle Mark established in Egypt in the middle of the 1st century AD (approximately AD 60). ... The Indian Orthodox Church (also known as the Malankara Orthodox Church, Orthodox Church of the East, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, Orthodox Syrian Church of the East), is a prominent member of the Oriental Orthodox Church family in Christianity. ... The Anglican Communion uses the compass rose as its symbol, signifying its worldwide reach and decentralized nature. ... LWF logo The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) is a global association of national and regional Lutheran churches headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. ... The World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) is a fellowship of more than 200 churches with roots in the 16th-century Reformation. ... The World Methodist Council is a group composed of most of the worlds Wesleyan / Methodist denominations, working toward mission and unity. ... The Baptist World Alliance was formed in 1905 at Exeter Hall in London, England during the first Baptist World Congress. ... The insignia of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). ... The Pentecostal movement within Evangelical Christianity places special emphasis on the direct personal experience of God through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, as shown in the Biblical account of the Day of Pentecost. ... The word evangelicalism usually refers to religious practices and traditions which are found in conservative, almost always Protestant Christianity. ...

Structure

Directed by a Cardinal President, assisted by a Secretary, a Joint Secretary and an Under-Secretary.

Relations with the Jews

The Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews is distinct from but closely linked with the PCPCU.

See also

Source:

External links

• Giga-Catholic Information
• The Pontifical Council's website
• THE PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN UNITY