The Political Discernment Of The Church Developments Towards A Catholic Political Theology

GAUT, Wilibaldus The Political Discernment Of The Church Developments Towards A Catholic Political Theology. PEETERS LEUVEN – PARIS – BRISTOL, CT.

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Abstract

The current crisis in the Roman Catholic Church becomes manifest in its debates on synodality. Central to these debates is the location of authority, and the different positions in the discussion can be placed along the line from a centrifugal to a centripetal ecclesial government. Until now, the conversation that should have led to a reconstitution of ecclesial unity, has instead intensified the already existing polarization between the so-called “traditional” and “liberal” Catholics. A result of the description of this polarization is a binary, and often conflicted view of the dynamics of unity and diversity, a zero-sum balance determined by degree, in which one aspect is inversely proportional to the other. That balance now seems to be a constant battle, subject to disagreement on procedures rather than on principles, and a contested matter of strategy rather than structure. Unity in diversity has become the rare and intermediate result of labori ous negotiations instead of being the starting point for reflections on a common ground or goal. In order to counter the potential defeat of the intentions behind synodality, a new understanding of unity in diversity is needed, if it were to avoid ending up as a tool for window dressing a pragmatist dealing with plurality and division. In this article, we will reconsider the concept of catholicity as a model for political theology. The catholicity of the church has often been described as unitas in diversitas. During the last few decades, reflections on the theology of catholicity have shown that the Catholic concept of unity is not one of sheer universality, nor of uniformity1. Instead, it implies a rela tionship among things that are diverse, a dynamic that, according to Avery Dulles, “designates a fullness of reality and life, especially divine life, actively communicating itself”2. The catholicity of the church is therefore regarded by him as shaped by a diversity of participations in the divine catholicity. So, this theological view of catholicity seems to be a combi nation of divine self-communication on the one hand and the various participations in that divine communication on the other. In both instances, catholicity is a dynamic performance: of God in particular moments in the history of salvation, and of the church in its variety of forms and engagements. In what follows, we will first define the concept of catholicity and then explore its potential as a political principle for the church. Next, we will sketch what a political theology might look like by means of a Catholic vision of synodality. This way, we hope to contribute theologi cally to the debate on unity and plurality in an age of ecclesial conflict and disagreement.

Item Type:	Article
Subjects:	200 – Agama > 260 Teologi sosial dan gerejawi > 260 Teologi sosial dan eklesiastik Kristen
Depositing User:	Mr Floribertus Herichis Wanto Tapo
Date Deposited:	25 Jul 2026 01:15
Last Modified:	25 Jul 2026 01:15
URI:	http://repository.iftkledalero.ac.id/id/eprint/4311

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