Every two years since 1969, the International Congresses of Jesuit Ecumenists have provided a forum for encouraging exchange among Jesuits drawn to the ecumenical dimension of the Ignatian charism. The ecumenical dimension was evident in the ministry of St. Pierre Favre during the emergence of the Reformation, and effective in the contribution of Cardinal Augustin Bea, S.J. (1881–1968) to Vatican II. Cardinal Bea exemplified the Society of Jesus’ appropriation of pastoral, papal, and magisterial commitment to Catholic participation in the modern ecumenical movement. The Congress humbly walks according to his spirit. The Congresses focus on how the Ignatian heritage intersects pastorally, theologically, and spiritually with the ecumenical movement. This is the realm of ‘spiritual ecumenism’ that the Decree on Ecumenism and The Ecumenical Directory place at the centre of Catholic participation in ecumenism.
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The author is Associate Professor Emeritus of Theology at Marquette University, USA and is one of the pioneers of the JesEcum group.
