Following our second meeting, everyone was able to send their written contribution to answer these two questions: What do we mean by “ecclesial community”? What role does the liturgy play in it? The answers turned out to be very rich and varied – starting from the etymology for one, from the words of Jacques Ellul for another; a place, an occasion for improbable encounters, where we share our diversity, for some; or a place where everyone is invited to drink at the source, to share the Word and then the Lord’s meal before being put outside to act around us, to get involved in the city, for others still . The debate that followed was able to deepen this sharing to a large extent, and introduced a third dimension, that of the institution, with this provisional conclusion to be meditated on: the Church of which we dream must not cut us off from the real Church.
The last plenary meeting also made it possible to discuss the community of the Saint-Bernard de Montparnasse chapel, its past, its present, its future, from the gaze of a privileged witness, Jean-Claude Devèze.
One of our next large group meetings should allow us, thanks to the links maintained by Lucie and Dominique Pannier within the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK) – which has no equivalent in France -, to look at closer to the work of the synodal process of the Catholic Church in Germany. For those who are interested, a synodality evening is offered on June 11 by videoconference by the CCBL: “Exercising synodality, the German synodal path and the project on the governance of the Church of Australia”, to which you can register. at [email protected].
In addition, three sub-groups will soon start working in our Ecclesiology workshop in Saint-Merry Hors-les-Murs:
- « Secularism, religion, sacredness, authority, in the light of the Gospel »(Moderated by Marguerite Champeaux-Rousselot)
Four related notions, which are at the root of some of the difficulties of our Church in our societies and among its members. The plan would be to look in the Gospels for what people who knew Jesus remembered about his “ how to think / do »Vis-à-vis, for example, the law or the sacred. These questions were already being asked at the time of Jesus and the Gospels show him making choices, freeing himself from what he understood as so many obstacles for the proclamation of the Kingdom of God. For example, it appeals to trust, obedience, or freedom of conscience in the name of certain criteria, explicit or implicit. This is how he announces Good News to everyone. Observing it will teach us how to transpose this attitude to our time, how to live with the same spirit today. We will reflect on a few themes chosen by the participants.
- « The future of the Church starting from the reflection of Joseph Moingt »(Moderated by Jean-Claude Thomas)
This eminent theologian has always been guided by concern for the future, especially the future of the Church. His work is marked by a constant back and forth between the origin and the present day. It is nourished by an in-depth knowledge of the original texts, as well as a history abounding contrasts and ruptures. Inviting to a critical faith and to a hope full of discernment, Joseph Moingt formulates proposals which may appear revolutionary to some but which are all guided by the same concern for the future and founded in a tradition considered, not as an intangible legacy but like a reservoir from which we are invited to draw.
- « The Church-institution: obstacle and path to God »(Moderated by Olivier Coutor)
Starting from the title of a colloquium at the Center Sèvres, it will be proposed to examine together how the Church thinks of herself since Vatican II, how she tries to face the crisis of the institutions which particularly affects her, and how Francis thinks its future by revisiting the notion of synodality. We will also be able to explore, if people are interested in the subject, the reflection of Christoph Theobald on a new figure of Church which is adjusted to its mission. The method chosen will aim to allow everyone to actively contribute to collective reflection.
To participate, or for any other information on the Ecclesiology workshop of Saint-Merry Hors-les-Murs: [email protected])
Blandine Ayoub (with the logistical support of Olivier’s reports)
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