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Communion Ecclesiology and Communication in the Post-Vatican II Church

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Communion Ecclesiology and Communication in the Post-Vatican II Church The University of Notre Dame Australia ResearchOnline@ND Theses 2017 Communion Ecclesiology and communication in the post-Vatican II Church Marita Winters The University of Notre Dame Australia Follow this and additional works at: https://researchonline.nd.edu.au/theses Part of the Religion Commons COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Copyright Regulations 1969 WARNING The material in this communication may be subject to copyright under the Act. Any further copying or communication of this material by you may be the subject of copyright protection under the Act. Do not remove this notice. Publication Details Winters, M. (2017). Communion Ecclesiology and communication in the post-Vatican II Church (Master of Philosophy (School of Philosophy and Theology)). University of Notre Dame Australia. https://researchonline.nd.edu.au/theses/171 This dissertation/thesis is brought to you by ResearchOnline@ND. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses by an authorized administrator of ResearchOnline@ND. For more information, please contact [email protected]. School of Philosophy and Theology Sydney Communion Ecclesiology and Communication in the post-Vatican II Church. Submitted By Marita Joan Winters A thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of the Masters of Philosophy by Research Supervised by Dr Moira Debono, RSM Dr Matthew Tan August 2017 Abstract From the time of the Second Vatican Council (1962–65) there has been a recovery of the understanding of the nature of the Church as communion. The communion of the Church is derived from the divine love between the three Persons of the Trinity and gives rise to communion among the faithful. It is evident in scripture and was understood by the early Church. This shift in ecclesiology underpinned the renewal of the Church’s mission of evangelization in the years since the Council. The Church is called to go out to the whole world and tell the Good News of Jesus Christ in new ways for new times. This means promoting an encounter with the person of Jesus Christ. It is the responsibility of all people, regardless of their vocation, to proclaim and witness to Christ. Due to the increasing secularisation of modern western societies this led to the call for the New Evangelization. Throughout history, communicating Christ and the Good News has been done through the media of social communications. In the years since the Council, there has been developed a theology of communication which recognises that communication can be a useful way for the Church to reach the goal of communion. At the same time, there has been a revolution in the forms of media available, including digital media that have been enabled by the invention of the Internet. This has also led to a new culture of communication. The Church must evangelize within this culture. In fact, the Church itself could be regarded as an act of communication as she facilitates the encounter with Christ and draws the hearer into the Trinity, which is a relationship of love. Thus there is an inherent link between communion, communication and evangelization. iii Table of Contents Declaration of Authorship ........................................................................................................ ii Abstract .................................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ...................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements...................................................................................................................vii Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1 Chapter 1. Exploring the Church as Communion ................................................................... 4 1.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 4 1.2 What is the Church? ........................................................................................................ 5 1.3 Pre-Vatican II .................................................................................................................. 9 1.3.1 The Church as Visible Institution ............................................................................. 10 1.3.2 The Church as Mystical Body of Christ ................................................................... 14 1.4 Vatican II ....................................................................................................................... 16 1.4.1 Historical Context – An unexpected illumination for the Church ............................. 16 1.4.2 Vatican II, 1962–65 .................................................................................................. 18 1.4.3 The Church as Communion ...................................................................................... 20 1.4.3.1 Communion ecclesiology is Trinitarian…………………………………………………..21 1.4.3.2 Communion ecclesiology is Christocentric ..................................................................... 23 1.4.3.3 Communion Ecclesiology is Sacramental ....................................................................... 26 1.5 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 30 Chapter 2. Evangelization as fruit of Communion ................................................................ 32 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 32 2.2 What is evangelization? ................................................................................................. 33 2.3 Pre-Vatican II ................................................................................................................ 34 2.3.1 Formation for the already baptised ........................................................................... 34 2.3.2 Forming new Christians ........................................................................................... 36 2. 4 Vatican II ....................................................................................................................... 39 2.4.1 Encountering Christ leads to witness and proclamation ........................................... 41 2.4.2 The rediscovery of the Church as the new People of God leads to the co-responsibility of all the faithful to evangelize ........................................................................................... 43 2.4.2.1 Bishops .......................................................................................................................... 45 2.4.2.2 Priests ............................................................................................................................ 47 2.4.2.2 Deacons ......................................................................................................................... 47 2.4.2.3 Religious ........................................................................................................................ 48 2.4.2.4 Laity............................................................................................................................... 49 2.4.2.5 All united in Christ ......................................................................................................... 50 2.4.3 Universal call to holiness leads to the universal call to mission ................................ 50 2.5 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 54 Chapter 3. Communion in the Church and in the World after the Council ........................ 56 3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 56 3.2 Post Vatican II ............................................................................................................... 57 3.2.1 (Re)interpreting the Council ..................................................................................... 59 3.2.2 The Church goes out to the whole world .................................................................. 64 3.2.3 ‘A New Pentecost’ ................................................................................................... 66 3.3 Developments in Communion Ecclesiology .................................................................. 69 iv 3.3.1 Trinitarian catechesis leading to Great Jubilee ......................................................... 71 3.3.2 Christology as an encounter with Christ ................................................................... 74 3.3.3 The Sacraments communicate the mystery of the Trinitarian God ........................... 77 3.3.4 The Relationship of the Universal Church and the local or particular Churches ...... 81 3.4 Crisis of humanity and crisis of faith ............................................................................. 82 3.5 Developments in Evangelization ................................................................................... 86 3.5.1 What is the ‘New Evangelization’? .......................................................................... 88 3.5.2 Further developments in evangelization ................................................................... 91
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