Letters of Pope Paul VI and pope John Paul II concerning the veneration of the virgin Mary: a study in ecumenical development

Abstract

As seen from the outside, the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox Churches appear to have many things in common. Among these is the veneration of the Virgin Mary, which is part of their common heritage of over 1000 years, though the Orthodox would insist that there are important differences between Roman Catholic and Orthodox Mariology. Serious ecumenical contacts and discussions between the Church of Rome and other Churches have only begun in the last thirty to forty years, and this thesis examines letters of Pope Paul VI and John Paul II on Marian doctrine, written during the period of increasing communication The theme focuses on the ecumenical implication of these documents, as well as their change in emphasis on the part of the Papacy. From Pope John XXIII's first opening the doors to ecumenism, the Bishops of Rome have become progressively more interested in, or conscious of, the ecumenical implications of their statements on Mary. At the same time, there has been a considerable shift in interest on the part of the Papacy, changing from talking about the Western Churches, to a grand strategy which exercises an approach to the Orthodox Churches from their common heritage of the Virgin Mary.