Philip GOYRET,  Joseph THOMAS, ed.  Church and Communion: An Introduction to Ecumenical Theology.  Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of America Press, 2022. pp. 232.  ISBN 978-0-8132-3463-2.  Reviewed by Peter DRILLING, Lackawanna, NY 14218

 Originally written in Italian by Philip Goyret, and published in 2013, this book has been "translated, revised, and expanded" by Joseph Thomas "in collaboration between author and editor."  It is a thorough study of Christian ecumenism on the basis of Roman Catholic participation, doctrine, theology, and pastoral considerations.

The authors begin with a description of the many Christian churches, denominations, and sects, including some indication of the numbers of adherents in each denomination.  By providing this description in the first chapter, the reader is given an indication from the start of how complicated a matter the ecumenical endeavor is, and not solely on the part of the Roman Catholic Church. 

Early in the book (pp. 27-28) and again towards the end (p. 184), the authors cite the Lutheran-Roman Catholic Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification of 1999 as an outstanding (perhaps the outstanding) achievement of agreement between two churches because it makes clear how, in the matter of the particular doctrine of justification by faith, the two churches are united on the essentials of the doctrine, while also allowing for plurality in "language, theological elaboration, and emphasis."

It is noteworthy that throughout the text there are frequent footnote references to a study of ecumenism edited by two well-known Lutheran ecumenical theologians, Carl Braaten and Robert Jenson, The Ecumenical Future, published in 2004.

Goyret and Thomas ask what sort of unity we are looking for, and they answer that it is not just some external comfort zone (which Walter Kasper is quoted as claiming to be relativism, and naming it "wild ecumenism"), but rather deep interior communion.  This is expressed in one way by the Second Vatican Council's Decree on Ecumenism, Unitatis Redintegratio, n. 2, which the authors reference regularly.  Here is one quote that is highlighted: "It is the Holy Spirit, dwelling in those who believe and pervading and ruling over the Church as a whole, who brings about that wonderful union of the faithful.  He brings them into intimate union with Christ, so that He is the principle of the Church's unity.  The distribution of graces and offices is His work too, enriching the Church of Jesus Christ with different functions 'in order to equip the saints for the work of service, so as to build up the body of Christ' [Eph. 4:12]." 

This call to profound communion means that the Christian faithful of the many denominations should not get involved in "church shopping" (p. 116) as a way to deal with their disgruntlement with the sins and other shortcomings within the denomination to which they belong.  Rather, since all persons are sinful, all should work to reform and heal themselves as individuals, as well as their own church body, because each church/denomination is always in need of reform.  By faithful attention to this dimension, the churches will make themselves more ready both for ecumenical dialogue, and, eventually, Christian communion.

The authors stress that full incorporation into the church, full communion, means that the faithful are united in the creed that is professed, the liturgy that is celebrated, and the hierarchy that oversees the church's life.  That leads to the conclusion of the book, which highlights that the apostolic succession is ongoing in the college of bishops acting with and under the bishop of Rome, the supreme pontiff.