Differences and similarities between Ecumenical

dialogue and Inter-religious dialogue

Group 8:
Decoriña, Kim S.
Benito, Aisha D.
Supan, Cyrell

I. Introduction
Within the Catholic Church, the term Ecumenismrefers to efforts of different Christian Churches
to develop closer relationships and develop better understandings of their shared faith.
While interfaith dialogue is the means of co-operation with those people of Non-Christian
religions.

II. Body
Ecumenical and interreligious dialogue only started after Vatican II which provided a more
positive outlook towards other Christian denominations and religions. Before the closing of
Vatican II, Paul VI issued the apostolic exhortation Ecclesiam Suam which laid down the vision
of the Church of Dialogue – dialogue with the world, dialogue with other Christian
denominations, dialogue with other religions and dialogue within the Church. The Vatican II
document Redentegratio Unitatis focused on Ecumenical dialogue while Nostra Aetate
promoted Interreligious dialogue. The focus of Ecumenical and Interreligious dialogue was the
dialogue of life and faith which also integrated the dialogue of praxis that promoted
collaboration in the work for justice, peace and integrity of creation.
Ecumenical and interreligious dialogue requires building bridges rather than walls as we focus
on what unites us rather than what divides us. This means recognizing that we are brothers and
sisters, neighbors and friends, fellow Human beings. This requires finding ways to carry forward
the dialogue of life and faith as well as the dialogue of action. There are common issues that we
need to address together: poverty, drug addiction, the armed conflict, human rights violations,
extra-judicial killings, environmental destruction/climate change, natural calamities, etc. We
look to the future with hope as we journey together to achieve harmony, peace and justice.
Ecumenism and interfaith harmony are certainly related, but they are distinctive movements,
each with its own goals.
Our commitment to the unity of Christ's church is affirmed by the words of our symbol—"That
They May All Be One."(John 17:21). Itself a union of several Christian traditions, the United
Church of Christ is actively engaged in ecumenical relationships that seek to heal the broken
unity of the Body of Christ.
Interreligious dialogue is based on two common fundamental religious Commandments; Love
of God, and Love of the Neighbour, without nevertheless compromising any of their own
religious tenets.It is hoped that this initiative will provide a focal point from which all people of
goodwill can recognize that the common values they hold far outweigh the differences they
have, and thus provide a strong dosage of peace and harmony to their communities
Lutherans, Presbyterians, Baptists, and Evangelicals are not "other religions."They are simply
traditions of faith in the religion called Christianity. Denominational names like Roman Catholic,
Anglican, Orthodox, Pentecostal are all adjectives. The noun is "Christian,"and grammatically
the noun is called the substantive in the sentence because thats where the most substance is.
Its not in the adjective or qualifier.
The substance of our Christian faith is expressed in the Nicene creed and that substance is
embraced by every denomination of Christian faith. These different denominations represent
the variety of traditions in that one faith, so it is not appropriate to think of them or refer to
them as "other religions."We are all members of the same world religion called Christianity.
But while our unity with one another through our common baptism into the one body of Christ
is real, it is also incomplete. In 1991, the Assembly of the World Council of Churches in
Canberra, Australia, described the marks of what it called "full communion:"
The common confession of the apostolic faith; a common sacramental life entered by the one
baptism and celebrated together in one eucharistic fellowship; a common life in which
members and ministries are mutually recognized; and a common mission witnessing to the
gospel of Gods grace to all people and serving the whole of creation.
It further specified that full communion would be expressed on the local and universal levels of
the church through councils and synods. In other words, we would also make important
decisions together. These are the goals of the movement called "ecumenical."The very word
comes from the Greek word "oikumene"referring to the whole faith of the church as opposed
to that which is partial.
How is this unity different from what we seek with those who genuinely do belong to other
religions -- Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists? We do seek unity and solidarity with them, but
the bar is raised less high. The goals of interreligious or interfaith relations are mutual
understanding and respect, with collaboration in meeting the challenges we commonly face in
the society and world in which we live.
Analogically, a way of putting that would be that other Christians are members with us of the
one body of Christ by virtue of our common baptism. And members of other religions are
brothers and sisters in the human family, but not members of the particular body of which we
are a member, the body of Christ.
To be sure, there is a level of intimacy and solidarity with all our brothers and sisters, but the
intimacy and solidarity we have with other members of our own body is of a special nature and
even deeper.
Interreligious dialogue is a challenging process by which adherents of differing religious
traditions encounter each other in order to break down the walls of division that stand at the
center of most wars. The objective of interreligious dialogue is peace. It has many faces. Two
people can come together and share the aspects of their respective faiths and struggle to
understand that which is foreign.
Members of one faith tradition can join with members of another religion to improve a
neighborhood. What is most crucial in any such encounter is that the participants lay aside
attempts to evangelize, which is always accompanied by an attitude of exclusive superiority.
That is the spoken or unspoken belief that ones own religion is to trueway, the only way in the
ultimate sense of the terms.
An attempt is made to establish the theological legitimacy of ecumenical dialogue and inter-
religious dialogue, the basis being the dialogical structure of Christian Theology which takes its
cue from the dialogical being of the triune God (I). Following on this, the common framework of
both types of dialogue is discussed (freedom, truth, justice and love) with special attention
devoted to the problem of religious freedom in Christian-Islamic dialogue (II.). Finally, the
specific differences between the two types of dialogue are elaborated. It is shown that the
ontological (1), existential and dogmatic (2), and ethical (3) presuppositions of Christian and
other religions themselves set limits to inter-religious dialogue which make it impossible to
overcome the existing fundamental differences (III.).
The ecumenical dialogue is not an end in itself. It is not an academic exercise. Its aim is to grow together
in koinonia. [This Greek word is here used in the general sense of fraternal association, or fellowship,
not the special sense of "full communion"]. It must, more or less from the start, aim at findings from
which conclusions will be drawn and seek (but neither too easily nor too hastily) to discover points of
convergence, it being understood that unity in essentials is not synonymous with uniformity in
everything.
But dialogue is not merely nor primarily the activity of Churches meeting and encountering one another
in order to advance towards unity. Dialogue is also (perhaps above all) a continuous mutual exchange
and enrichment which springs from an effort to cooperate, in order to undertake together everything
that we are not obliged to do separately.
Dialogue is not a confrontation between Churches which are concerned about their own positions and
their own structures. It is their meeting and collaboration in a common task, an effort to bear joint
witness, a desire to obey the Lord whose Will it is that they should be one so that the world may believe.
The Second Vatican Council’s Declaration on the Relations of the Church with Non-Christian Religions,
Nostra Aetate, urges the faithful that “through dialogue and collaboration with the followers of other
religions, carried out with prudence and love and in witness to the Christian faith and life, they
recognize, preserve and promote the good things, spiritual and moral, as well as the socio-cultural
values found among these men.” Pope Francis underlines the importance of the dialogue when he says:
The Catholic Church is conscious of the importance of promoting friendship and respect between men
and women of different religious traditions and of the responsibility which all of us have for our world,
for the whole of creation, which we must love and protect. There is much that we can do to benefit the
poor, the needy and those who suffer, and to favour justice, promote reconciliation and build peace.
The way to build unity is dialogue. Dialogue requires patience, mutual respect and understanding as well
as acceptance of one’s own limits and of the riches that the partner in dialogue can offer. It implies
willingness to learn from each other which Pope Francis emphasizes in the Apostolic Exhortation
Evangelii Gaudium: “How many important things unite us! If we really believe in the abundantly free
working of the Holy Spirit, we can learn so much from one another! It is not just about being better
informed about others, but rather about reaping what the Spirit has sown in them, which is also meant
to be a gift for us.” (n. 246) The Catholic Church has pursued the dialogue with other Christian Churches
and ecclesial communities in order to overcome dividing differences in matters of doctrine and practice
and to grow in mutual understanding. Pope Francis underlines the importance of trust in the Evangelii
Gaudium: “We must never forget that we are pilgrims journeying alongside one another. This means
that we must have sincere trust in our fellow pilgrims, putting aside all suspicion or mistrust, and turn
our gaze to what we are all seeking: the radiant peace of God’s face. Trusting others is an art and peace
is an art.” (n. 244)
The Catholic Church is bound by Jesus’ prayer “that all may be one” (Jn 17:21) and encouraged by the
Second Vatican Council and recent Popes to work for the unity of Christians. Let us not forget that what
we hold in common with other Christians is much greater than what divides us. The search for full,
visible communion among all Christians should therefore be instilled in the faithful through prayer and
practical initiatives.
In addition to her work for Christian unity, the Catholic Church is increasingly aware of the importance of
promoting friendship and respect among the followers of non-Christian religions in “an attitude of
openness in truth and in love” (Evangelii Gaudium, n. 250). The interfaith dialogue “is a necessary
condition for peace in the world” and it is “in first place a conversation about human existence … and a
duty of serving justice and peace, which should become a basic principle of all our exchanges.” (ibid.)
This dialogue is based on the Golden Rule which is found in all main religions and cultures of the world,
“Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Mt 7:12) and focuses on the importance of love in
the collaboration with people of different religious traditions.
The Office of Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations exists to coordinate and foster contacts and activities
between the Archdiocese and members of other Christian Churches, ecclesial communities and faith
communities. It provides support, advice, service and information to parishes, offices and agencies,
schools and ecclesial movements of the Archdiocese; and it encourages the life and work for unity
among Christians, and mutual collaboration with the followers of other religions.

references:
https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/ecumenism-and-interfaith-harmony-what-s-
difference
https://cbcpnews.net/cbcpnews/2020-the-year-of-ecumenical-and-interreligious-dialogue/
https://www.ucc.org/ecumenical
http://xaviers.edu/irs/pdf/What%20is%20InterReligious%20Dialogue.pdf
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/295607603_The_ecumenical_and_interreligious_dial
ogue_Similarities_and_differences
https://www.cdsale.org.au/ecumenism-and-interfaith-dialogue
https://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/wcc-programmes/ecumenical-movement-in-the-
21st-century/member-churches/special-commission-on-participation-of-orthodox-churches/sub-
committee-ii-style-ethos-of-our-life-together/ecumenical-dialogue
https://rcav.org/dialogue-with-other-churches/
https://rcav.org/ecumenism-and-interfaith-relations/

III. Learning derived