The Many Facets of Worldwide Ecumenism: Bridge-Building between the Vatican and the World Council of Churches

The Roman Catholic Church is not a member church of the World Council of Churches (WCC). Nevertheless, ever since Vatican II the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPCU) has been working closely with different bodies of the WCC on a continuous basis. Taking as its point of departure the latest Assembly, this article investigates the roots of the cooperation between the WCC and the Roman Catholic Church, has a closer look at the institutional bridges between the two partners, highlights some specific features shaping their cooperation, and reflects on the status quo of the ecumenical movement in light of the contemporary challenges that both partners in this ongoing cooperation have to face. Bodies with Catholic cooperation like the Joint Working Group, the Faith and Order Commission, and the Commission on World Mission and Evangelism managed to present major results of their work during the months leading up to the 10th Assembly of the WCC in 2013. Yet through these institutional bridges also the Catholic Church is currently challenged to take into account the many facets of worldwide ecumenism in order to start new ecumenically ground-breaking initiatives together with her multilateral ecumenical partner, the WCC.status: publishe