Theology of Ecumenism by Michael Hurley, S. J. (review)

BOOK REVIEWS 181 Theology of Ecumenism. Theology Today Series: 9. By MicHAEL HuRLEY, S. J. Notre Dame: Fides Publishers, 1969. Pp. 96. $0.95. Within its small compass this is an admirable book. Perhaps the title is misleading, since it is not really occupied with a discussion of ecumenical problems, such as the Churches are faced with today, or with the origins and progress of the ecumenical movement. It deals in the main with the ecumenist himself, the reasons why he should be impelled in his search for ecumenism, the obstacles he will have to overcome in his search, the real impediments against a coming together as against the reputed obstacles to reunion, the line to be followed in drawing prospective converts to the Church, the crucial necessity for the Church herself to be always striving for aggiornamento as the one real objective of ecumenism. You finish each chapter with a sense of satisfaction; each follows in logical order, dealing with the common objections to a hope for reunion and reviving faith in what appears to be a desperate case. Immediately after the Second Vatican Council hopes were riding high and reunion of the Churches appeared to be just around the corner; but as the years have gone by, as the difficulties have not diminished in any way, as the road seems to be without end, and the short cuts to unity such as intercommunion have been ruled out of order, hope is giving way to despair; on many sides there is the inclination to throw down the sponge and to abandon a policy which appears devoid of any tangible results. The author revives both one's faith and one's hope. What pleases me most in this treatment of the subject is the strong chain of reasoning, the arguments marshalled in order, so that it is impossible to avoid the conclusions, so well are they linked together; and yet the central point of this book is that the real obstacle to union is not difference in dogma, not even a different explanation given to articles of belief. The real obstacle lies in the historical development of the past, the prejudices and animosities that have been formed over the years, the unwillingness to accept that one has been wrong in the past, the irreconcilability of positions which have been reinforced by the consequences of history. The real differences do not follow from different beliefs; in fact, beliefs have so little to do with the attitudes of the various churches that their differences in belief can be reconciled in a short time when theologians and scholars meet and discuss these matters in an atmosphere of real honesty. But the factors which have really caused opposition and resentment in the past cannot be overcome except by charity, a realization that the true love of God must entail an acceptance of the truth whatever the difficulties, a real regret for our own sins of the past and a readiness to undo their consequences, a courage to shed prejudices which have grown up and become second nature. These are the roadblocks which human pride and human sensitivity have set up and which only the power of charity can overcome. 182 BOOK REVIEWS I have said that this little book is admirable: it is admirable not alone in its power of reasoning; it is yet more admirable in its healthy optimism, in its courage in the face of difficulties, in its readiness to confront the future whatever the snags might be. It is an admirable blend of reasoning and faith and is stimulated by a charity that is stronger than both. Archbishop's House Nagpur, India ~LEONARD J. RAYMOND Il Corpo Mistico e le sue relazioni con l'Eucaristia in S. Alberto Magno. By ANTONIO PIOLANTI. Preface by Andre Combes. Studi di Teologia Medievale della Pontificia Universita Lateranense, 1. Rome: Pontificia Universita Lateranense, 1969. Pp. 211. The Lateran University's new series of monographs in medieval theology opens with a reprint of Msgr. Piolanti's 1939 study of Albert the Great's teaching on the Mystical Body. No changes are made except for the laudatory preface by Msgr. Combes and a new paragraph by the...