ŚLĄSKIE STUDIA HISTORYCZNO-TEOLOGICZNE

Towards the Unity of the Church – Ecumenical Ecclesiology of John Paul II
The Second Vatican Council was a turning point in the Catholic Church on its way to the unity of Christians. The pontificate of Pope John Paul II was the fulfillment of the teachings of this council in practice. This article presents this blessed time of care for the unity of Christians on the basis of three fundamental issues. First the teachings of the said pope devoted to ecumenism have been presented in a synthetic manner. For obvious reasons the most fundamental reference text here is the Ut unum sint encyclical. It was the first document published after the Second Vatican Council, which deals with the subject of unity of the followers of Christ and shows what has already been achieved. It also depicts the present day situation of ecumenism and the need for its further development in the light of the preaching of the Gospel to all nations. This encyclical inspires the other two issues developed in this article, that is the issue of spiritual and practical ecumenism and its fruits in the life of the Church and its mission which consists in pursuing a longlasting unity among Christians.