Project 4: Receptive Ecumenism in International Perspective: Ecclesial learning in context

The fourth major project, like the second, was primarily orientated towards curating a major International Conference at which progress on Receptive Ecumenism could be disseminated, and which would intentionally bring new questions and contexts into view. Specifically, while the second conference represented a shift from a primarily Catholic perspective to a wider ecclesial learning, the third focussed on ‘Receptive Ecumenism in International Context’, moving away from the North European home from which it had emerged. The conference itself was organised as a collaboration between Durham and the Center for Catholic Studies at Fairfield University, Connecticut, USA.

In addition to the conference, work on Receptive Ecumenism in International Context saw Murray invited to give lecture tours in Australia and South Africa, as well as talks in various European venues. A measure of success of the project is that not only was the Australian contingent at the third conference able to publish a themed journal edition based around the Australian contribution to the conference, but plans were made for a further international conference in Australia, which would be organised independently from Durham (Leaning Into the Spirit: Discernment, Decision-Making, and Reception, 2017).

The international reach was also important in attracting new scholars, as can be seen by the references to Receptive Ecumenism in postgraduate theses from Australia, Scandinavia, and America, in additional to those from England, Scotland, and Belgium.

In 2011, Paul Murray was appointed to the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC III) by Pope Benedict XVI and ARCIC III decided to follow a receptive ecumenical approach. The first fruits of this can be seen in the agreed statement, Walking Together on the Way (2017).

Key Outputs

Chapters in Paul D. Murray, Gregory A. Ryan and Paul Lakeland (eds.), Receptive Ecumenism as Transformative Ecclesial Learning: Walking the Way to a Church Re-formed (in preparation).

Murray, Paul D., 'The Reception of ARCIC I and II in Europe and Discerning the Strategy and Agenda for ARCIC III', Ecclesiology, 11/2 (2015), 199-218.

Murray, Paul D., 'Introducing Receptive Ecumenism', The Ecumenist: A Journal of Theology, Culture, and Society, 51/2 (2014), 1-7.

Ford, David F., & Clemson, F. (eds.), Interreligious Reading after Vatican II: Scriptural Reasoning, Comparative Theology and Receptive Ecumenism (Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2013).

Healing Gifts for Wounded Hands: Booklet published by the South Australian Council of Churches.

Pacifica: Australasian Theological Studies. Themed Issue: 'Receptive Ecumenism: Perspectives', 28/2 (June 2015).

First Agreed Statement by ARCIC III: Walking Together on the Way: Learning to Be the Church – Local, Regional, Universal (Erfurt, 2017, published 2018).