Ecumenical Commisssion - Resource FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Dialoguing with other Christian denominations as well as various faith traditions requires an extreme sensitivity to matters of truth, revelation, community, and the mechanics of conversation. While encouraging personal faith development, dialogue can also be perplexing and confusing. Here are some commonly asked questions that we are asked at the commission as well as our responses.

In advocating dialogue with other Christian churches as well as other faith traditions is the commission saying that the Catholic Church is wrong?

How does my participation in ecumenical or interreligious dialogue affect the fact of my Catholicism and how I practice the Catholic faith?

As I have more involved in ecumenical and interreligious dialogue I continually hear critiques of the papacy and much of the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. As a Catholic engaged in these dialogues, do I still have to believe in the pope?

If I am Catholic and engaged to be married to a non-Catholic, even a non-Christian, does my fiancé, either before or after our wedding, have to convert to Catholicism?

In advocating dialogue with other Christain churches as well as other faith traditions is the commission saying that the Catholic Church is wrong?
This is a great question. It is also one of the most common we hear from Catholics and non-Catholics. No, our commission is not saying that the Catholic Church is wrong. As a matter of fact, in nurturing dialogue with other traditions, we are affirming the primary truths of the Catholic Church as laid out in the catechism. As well, we are recognizing the fact that God and God¹s love is active not only in the Catholic Church but also in a great number of other religions and faiths. Our unique belief about our Catholic communion is that God¹s self-revelation in Jesus Christ is most fully present within our liturgy, Church, and Magisterium.

How does my participation in ecumenical or interreligious dialogue affect the fact of my Catholicism and how I practice the Catholic faith?
Your participation in ecumenical or interreligious dialogue need not diminish the purity or vigor of your Catholic faith. On the contrary, through dialoguing with others on issues of revelation, the image of God, religious experience, the importance and use of Scripture, ethical praxis we hope that you gain a better understanding of your own particular path of discipleship. As well, through dialogue the love you have for your neighbors and co-workers of other faith persuasions can be deepened in gaining a more authentic understanding of their spiritual path.

As I have become more involved in ecumemical and interreligious dialogue, I continually hear critiques of the papacy and much of the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. As a Catholic engaged in these dialogues, do I still have to believe in the pope?
Again, this is a common question which at its root is a question that emerges from the ways in which all of our different religious institutions are structured based on our various understandings of how revelation occurs in human history. A primary component of Catholic doctrine is the affirmation of the pope as the vicar of Christ, apostolically linked to Jesus¹ disciple, Peter. This cannot be denied if one is a true Roman Catholic according to official Church teaching. However, dialogue can help each of us, as Catholics seeking to remain faithful to our tradition and our pope, to become more sensitive to how hierarchy of any sort, especially in religious matters, can use its power to serve and support rather than "lord over" those under its guidance.
If I am Catholic and engaged to be married to a non-Catholic, even a non-Christian, does my fiancé, either before or after our wedding, have to convert to Catholicism?
No, your fiancé does not have to convert either before or after your wedding if you are a Roman Catholic. However, to be married within the communion of our Church, both you and your fiancé are required to complete the marriage preparation program known as Pre-Cana. There are special sessions of Pre-Cana that are specifically designed for interfaith couples seeking to be married within the Catholic Church.