 previous article in this issue | next article in this issue  |
Preview first page |
Document Details : Title: The Catholicity and Sacramentality of the Church as the Foundations for Interreligious Dialogue Author(s): GAUT, Wilibaldus Journal: Louvain Studies Volume: 46 Issue: 1 Date: 2023 Pages: 12-29 DOI: 10.2143/LS.46.1.3292267 Abstract : This article aims to explore the theological foundations for the necessity of interreligious dialogue in the notion of the catholicity of the church. The argument outlined here is that for Christians, interreligious dialogue is inherent to living out the catholicity of the church. As one of the marks of the church, the meaning of catholicity first and foremost points to the fullness of divine life that God shares with the world, of which the church is a sacrament. However, while the church plays an indispensable role in manifesting God’s salvation, it remains a limited reality, for it has both divine and human dimensions. Therefore, in living out its sacramentality, by which it mediates God’s grace to the world and creatures’ responses to it, the church is not only in constant need of repentance and renewal but also of mutual learning through dialogue with other religious communities. In short, the necessity of interreligious dialogue for the church flows from its sacramentality, which is inherent to the understanding of its catholicity. |
|
