The Groupe Des Dombes: A Dialogue of Conversion by Catherine E. Clifford (review)

THE GROUPE DES DOMBES: A DIALOGUE OF CONVERSION by Catherine E. Clifford.American University Series, SeriesVII, Theology and Religion, Vol. 231. New York-Washington, D.C./BaltimoreBern -Frankfurt am Main-Berlin-Brussels-Vienna-Oxford: Peter Lang, 2005. Pp. xvi–283. In American ecumenical circles, neither the Groupe des Dombes nor its founder, Paul Couturier (1881–1953), a priest of Lyon (France), is particularly well known. This lacuna is doubly regrettable, because Couturier was not only the founder of “The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity;” but also an advocate of what has come to be known as “spiritual ecumenism.” Equally regrettable is the lack of knowledge among American ecumenists both about the topics discussed and the methodology employed by the Groupe, which took its name from its customary meeting place, the Abbey of Notre Dame des Dombes. Thus, this book potentially fills a major gap in the English-reading ecumenical world. After an initial chapter on Couturier’s “spiritual vision” and the often delicate and sometimes difficult negotiations that eventually resulted in the “establishment” of the Groupe, this book’s central chapters examine in detail: first, the history of the dialogue; then, the contents of each of its published statements; and third, the Groupe‘s developing methodology. Perhaps the most startling aspect of the Groupe’s history is that it goes back to 1936, a year when few Roman Catholics had even heard of “ecumenism ,” much less discussed it. In regard to the topics chosen for discussion , noteworthy is the fact that the Groupe’s efforts generally predated and sometimes significantly contributed to later and better known ecumenical documents.As for the topics themselves, many have become the staples of bilateral and multilateral dialogues: eucharist, reconciliation of ministry, episcopal oversight, etc. Some topics, however, such as conversion, the Holy Spirit, and Mary, have been less discussed; indeed, recent ecumenical discussions about these topics seem partially indebted to the pioneering work of the Groupe des Dombes. However, it is in the area of ecumenical methodology that the Groupe has made a pivotal contribution. Starting, as has been the case with most dialogues, with comparative dogmatics—which has the unquestioned merit of surfacing areas of agreement, but which provides no apparent avenue for resolving disagreements—the Groupe then passed to a theological method of convergence and consensus, before realizing that such approaches were notional at best, unless also accompanied by a real spiritual conversion based on a re-reading of the history of separation and a mutual healing of divisive memories. Participants in current ecumenical 594 the jurist book reviews 595 dialogue could benefit immensely from deliberate reflection on this third step of ecumenical methodology, which often is neglected, if not overlooked entirely. To the author’s credit, this volume is admirably researched—ranging from archival materials, to obscure publications, to well known ecumenical literature. Yet there are two deterrents to the wide ecumenical readership that this well written book deserves: first, most citations from the work of the Groupe des Dombes are reproduced in French without translation, thereby excluding those who do not read that language; second , as the interpretive matrix for analysis and commentary, the author has chosen the much admired theological methodology of Bernard Lonergan , which may be unfamiliar to many readers, especially nonCatholics . Such deterrents not withstanding, this work is an important contribution to both the history and theology of ecumenism. Moreover, the use of Lonergan en passant poses the intriguing question of whether his theological methodology could also furnish a methodological breakthrough for ecumenical dialogue. John T. Ford, C.S.C. The School of Theology and Religious Studies The Catholic University of America Washington, D.C. LE CHIESE SUI IURIS. CRITERI DI INDIVIDUAZIONE E DELIMITAZIONE by Luis Okulik, ed.Venice: Studium Generale Marcianum, 2005. Pp. 240. In March 2004, European canonists dedicated to the study of Eastern canon law participated in a congress in Kolice, Slovakia, to reflect on the ecclesiological and juridical configuration of the church sui iuris. The present work, a collection of the twelve presentations made at the congress , does not intend to be an exhaustive treatment of the subject, but only to provide interested scholars recent developments in the area. It is quite...