The last issue of Polish thought in 2024 published an article by Mr Adam Danek devoted to the Roman-Catholic nun Bolesław Lament entitled "The Pioneer of Ecumenism".
The ecumenism of the nun was to bring to the Roman-Catholic Church the Orthodox Church. This activity was carried out in Russia, i.e. in the area of the canonical activity of the Russian Orthodox Church. Later on, after the Bolshevik Revolution, nuns from the sister of B. Lament of the Congregation of Missionaries of the Holy Family, conducted akin activities in Estonia, bringing to the Roman-Catholic Church not only Orthodox believers but besides evangelicals.
In my opinion, this activity has nothing to do with ecumenism, in its modern sense. It is simply a typical proselytism, from which the modern Roman-Catholic Church besides distances itself, not entirely consistent. The definition of ecumenism can be found in the decree of the Second Vatican Council Unitatis redintegratio. It reads as this: “Ecumenism is an activity and an undertaking aimed at the unity of Christians”, i.e. the paper does not mention joining the Roman Catholic Church, but about unity, and this is not the same.
Ecumenism seeks to make closer cooperation and better common knowing between the various branches of Christendom. The main tool of ecumenism is dialog and common prayer. The aim of these actions is to yet unite Christians, but not on the basis of the brutal joining of all to the Roman-Catholic Church. On the another hand, the activity of Sister Bolesława Lament can be considered to be typical proselytism, due to the fact that what is different is the message of the author of the article that 1 of the tasks of the sister in the pre-revolutionary area of Russia was to “bring the separated Christians back to the Catholic Church”.
Let us pause for a minute on the message of “separated Christians.” Let me remind you that before the divided of Christianity in 1054 there were 5 patriarchs: Roman, Constantinople, Aleksandrian, Anthiochean and Jerusalem. As a consequence of the divided from this pentaarchy, the Roman Patriarchate was separated. If so, which Church can be said to be separated. I have already left out the fact that there is simply a mistake in the message of joining the Catholic Church. The Orthodox Church is besides a Catholic Church due to the fact that the Catholic word derives from the Greek word catholikos, meaning common. Thus the correct name of the Western Church is the Roman Catholic Church, which distinguishes it from the east Catholic churches (the Orthodox ones).
Jacek Marczyński
photo of wikipedia
Think Poland No 1-2 (5-12.01.2025)
