Sobór wszystkich chrześcijan we współczesnej refleksji ekumenicznej

Abstract

The General Assembly of the World Council of Churches in Uppsala (1968) set up a concrete goal of efforts intending to form a new image of Christianity. It should be crowned by a universal council of all Christians. Intensive studies were initiated on the key concepts: “conciliarity,” “conciliar process,” and “koinonia-communio.” Following investigations, a question arose as re gards the succession of bishops representing particular religious traditions at the council, the au thority of the council and the pope. There was still yet one more fundamenta, question: is it ne cessary to hold a universal council of all Christians? The answer that a prominent theologian and ecumenist from Paderborn, H. Mühlen, gave is worthy of utmost attention. Namely, he proved that this idea has all real foundations. He pointed to the fundamental and biblical grounds of a common ecclesiology (the mysterium of the Church as a work of Christ and His Spirit). One may put it briefly in a sentence: “one and the same Spirit gives His gifts also to the Churches divided through their own fault” (cf. Cor 12). The element of this ecclesiology have an invaluable value for the direction of ecumenical aspirations to build a common vision of the united Church (e.g. the Holy Spirit and time, the Holy Spirit and tradition, the Holy Spirit and membership of the Church, or consecration to a church office as a relationship between a person and a person).