The Holy Sinful Church: Towards a More Realistic Catholic Ecclesiology

Abstract

This article demonstrates that in Roman Catholic ecclesiology, it would be more justifiable and realistic to fully accept the concept of the sinfulness of the Church as a whole, not only that of its individual members. The piece begins with a short review and commentary on the doctrinal position of the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) that provides a doctrinal basis for adopting and developing the notion of a ‘sinful Church’. Then, two contemporary activities of the Roman Catholic Church are analysed in which the notion of the ‘sinful Church’ has played an important role: the Great Jubilee act of confession, with the related explanations and commentaries, and the ecumenical dialogue with Lutherans. The final section attempts to formulate some suggestions for a more realistic Catholic ecclesiology involving a ‘relativisation’ of the Church’s salvific mission and a wider use of the Chalcedonian Christological paradigm in ecclesiology.