France, Institut Catholique de Paris, Institut Supérieur d’Études Œcuméniques

1. The Foundation, Methodology and Accomplishments of the Groupe des Dombes

2. A Call to Action and Witness: For the Conversion of the Churches

3. Towards Confessional Conversion in 2017

The foreword of From Conflict to Communion, the report of the international Lutheran Roman Catholic Commission on Unity specifies two challenges. “In 2017, we must confess openly that we have been guilty

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before Christ of damaging the unity of the church. This commemorative year presents us with two challenges: the purification and healing of memories, and the restoration of Christian unity in accordance with the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ(Eph 4:4-6).”1) Our common commemoration of the Reformation in 2017 invites all Christians not only to examine our blemished past, but also to imagine our future from the perspective of the unity Jesus Christ has granted to the one Church. The distinctive understanding of ‘conversion’ elaborated by the Groupe des Dombes is a unique lens for looking back and looking forward as we are called to do in 2017. Indeed the Groupe’s consistent emphasis on the need for conversion is one of its most significant contributions to the broader ecumenical movement. In this presentation, I will first provide a brief history of the Groupe des Dombes and its hallmarks. I will then examine the key 1991 document Pour la conversion des églises and some of the Groupe’s subsequent appeals to conversion. In conclusion, I will consider how the Roman Catholic Church could better respond to this call for confessional conversion as we approach 2017.

Paul Couturier(1881-1953), a French diocesan priest from Lyon, founded the Groupe des Dombes in 1937. Couturier was influenced by the work of the Belgian monk Dom Lambert Beauduin(1873-1960), an important figure in the liturgical movement who began the ecumenical monastery known as Chevetogne Abbey in 1925. Couturier was particularly interested in

1) Lutheran Roman Catholic Commission on Unity, From Conflict to Communion. Lutheran Catholic Common Commemoration of the Reformation in 2017, (Evangelische Verlagsanstalt and Bonifatus, 2013), 7.

Beauduin’s vision of Christian unity within an understanding of the Church as the Mystical Body of Christ. As his writings demonstrate, Couturier insists on common prayer as the necessary context for theological dialogue.2) In this spirit, he invited a group of three Catholic priests to gather with a group of three Reformed pastors at the Cistercian Abbey of Notre Dame des Dombes near Lyon for prayer and reflection in July 1937.3) With almost 80 years of existence, the Groupe des Dombes has become the longest-standing forum for Protestant Catholic dialogue within the ecumenical movement. Today, the Groupe includes 40 French speaking theologians, priests and pastors: twenty Protestants from Lutheran and Reformed traditions and twenty Roman Catholics.4) The longevity of the Groupe, as well as the long tenure of some members, affords an exceptional context for sustained ecumenical conversation.

In addition to its longevity, the Groupe also has a distinct membership practice and methodology. The members themselves decide group membership; they are not appointed by any official Church authority, nor do they act as delegates of any ecclesial body. As Joseph Famerée, a member of the Groupe since 2005, explains, “The Dombes theologians enjoy a certain institutional independence, but at the same time they try to honestly represent their respective Christian traditions.”5) The Dombes theologians share both

2) For historical background on the Groupe des Dombes, see Catherine E. Clifford, The Groupe des Dombes: A Dialogue of Conversion, (New York: Peter Lang, 2005); Joseph Famerée, “The Contribution of the Groupe des Dombes to Ecumenism: Past Achievements and Future Challenges,” Lovuain Studies, 33(2008), 99-116; Richard R. Gaillardetz, “The Groupe des Dombes Document “One Teacher” (2005): Toward a Postconciliar Catholic Reception,” Theological Studies, 74(2013), 20-47. The website of the Groupe des Dombes also includes several short articles on the Groupe’s history. See http://groupedesdombes.org/histoire-du-groupe-des-dombes.html(accessed on October 2, 2016).

3) Willy-René Nussbaum, “Presentation du Groupe des Dombes”, http://groupedesdombes.org/histoire- du-groupe-des-dombes.html(accessed on October 2, 2016).

4) For a list of current and former members, see http://groupedesdombes.org/membres-actuels.html (accessed on August 2, 2016). Membership has included women since 1998.

5) Famerée, “The Contribution of the Groupe des Dombes”, 102.

theological concern for ecumenical issues and practical experience of ecumenical dialogue in their local Churches. Theologians from other Christian traditions do participate in the Groupe’s dialogue as outside experts on specific questions.

Faithful to Paul Couturier’s emphasis on the vital link between common prayer and ecumenical dialogue, the members participate together in the liturgical offices at the Abbey of the Benedictine Sisters at Pradines, where they hold their four-day annual meeting. Each day, the Groupe alternates the celebration of the Catholic Eucharist and the Protestant Lord’s Supper. The Groupe also prepares and celebrates its own daily liturgical offices during the meeting. Common liturgical celebration has thus become the essential core and one of the pillars of the Groupe’s vocation.6)

Sustained by common prayer, the other pillar of the Groupe’s work has been common theological reflection and writing on complex and often divisive doctrines such as Eucharistic faith, reconciliation of ministries, episcopal ministry, the Holy Spirit and the sacraments, the ministry of communion in the universal Church, the conversion of the Churches, Mary in the communion of saints, doctrinal authority and the Lord’s Prayer. The group members choose a subject together, sometimes with the counsel of other theologians, and continue to study and write individually between annual meetings. Drafts of documents are revised during the annual meeting, and four members are designated to review and perfect the final draft. The Protestant and Roman Catholic co presidents write the introduction to documents together, and all members who agree with the statement sign it. The document is then published under the name ‘Groupe des Dombes’.7)

6) Ibid., 102.7) Ibid., 103.

The Groupe’s documents point to a further significant feature its methodological development and options. The early statements, published as theses from 1956-1970, present a comparative methodology that aims for doctrinal convergence on precise aspects of the nature of the Church and ministry. In the 1970s, the methodology of the Groupe underwent a noteworthy twofold shift. Although the need for conversion had always been an element of the Groupe’s approach, the call for a conversion of the Churches became much more explicit and prominent. This entailed a shift from abstract reflection on the Church to a ‘process of change which involves and challenges each of the historically separated denominational Churches.’8) Focus on conversion and awareness of the historical causes of division among the Churches led the Groupe to examine history before considering Scripture, as evident in the structure of its documents since 1985. The careful common study of the contingent divisions in history provides the context for the current call for conversion of the Churches.

The distinctive accomplishments of the Groupe des Dombes thus include: its longevity and status as a private ecumenical coalition; its emphasis on the indispensable link between common prayer and theological dialogue; methodology centered on historical understanding of Church divisions and the dynamic process of conversion; and the commitment of its members to heed the Groupe’s call to conversion and reconciliation in their own communal and personal lives. As the introduction to the collection of its complete works from 1956 to 2005 states, “Such is the vocation of the Groupe des Dombes: to seek in prayer and dialogue, paths of convergence in view of the reconciliation of the Churches and to share the fruit of its prayerful reflection. The Groupe tries above all to live what it proposes: a process of conversion.”9)

8) Ibid., 107.9) Groupe des Dombes, Communion et conversion des Eglises, (Paris: Bayard, 2014), 7-8. The

English translations of the Groupe’s documents published from 1971 to 1991 are found in For the

To grasp how the Groupe comprehends ‘conversion’ and further contemplate what this call might mean in 2017, we now turn to what is perhaps the most important document in the entire corpus of the Groupe des Dombes, the 1991 text Pour la conversion des Eglises.10)

On the occasion of its fiftieth anniversary in 1987, the Groupe des Dombes received a critical question about conversion from several Churches attentive to their previous work. “Would the step of conversion you are proposing not tend to the impoverishment, even loss, of our respective confessional identities? In experiencing this conversion, can the Churches be faithful to the faith they have inherited?”11) The Groupe spent five years addressing this serious concern and preparing its response, Pour la conversion des Eglises. Alain Blancy, the Protestant co president in 1991, highlights the main claim in his commentary on the text. “Far from excluding each other, identity and conversion call for each other: there is no Christian identity without conversion; conversion is constitutive of the Church; our confessions do not merit the name of Christian unless they open up to the demand for conversion.”12) The text develops this assertion in three steps which correspond to the Groupe’s methodology discussed previously. The first

Communion of the Churches: The Contribution of the Groupe des Dombes, ed., Catherine E. Clifford, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010). For a complete list of the Groupe’s publications, translations, and a bibliography seehttp://www.groupedesdombes.org/liste-des-publications-traductions.html(accessed on October 2, 2016).

10) Pour la conversion des Eglises, (Paris: Centurion, 1991); For the Conversion of the Churches in For the Communion of the Churches, 149-223. Quotations are from the English translation. The textual references are to the paragraph numbers.

11) Alain Blancy, “Can the Churches Convert? Should the Churches Convert?”, Ecumenical Review, 44(1992), 420.

12) Ibid,. 420. He quotes paragraph 8 of For the Conversion of the Churches.

section establishes the interdependence of identity and conversion, distinguishes between Christian, ecclesial and confessional identities, and details the related modes of conversion. The historical survey discusses how conversion has become part of the Church’s self awareness over time and how confessional identity became more important than ecclesial identity. In conclusion, the Groupe invites Churches to consider specific areas where conversion is needed.

Drawing on anthropology, the text affirms that an identity is dynamic or ‘always under construction(no. 12)’, and its harmony depends on how we relate our free choices to the aspects of our lives over which we have no control(no. 10). Christian identity depends on existential confession of faith in Jesus Christ as professed by the Church(no. 16). It is also dynamic, a ‘paschal movement’, a ‘becoming’, an ‘opening up to an eschatological beyond(no. 18)’, a living tradition whose horizon is eternal life. Just as Jesus revealed his true nature as he washed the feet of his disciples, Christian identity is lived out in kenosis, in loving service of others(no. 21). The text further explains that ecclesial identity should always bolster Christian identity (no. 25). Ecclesial identity rests on the shared belief that the Church mediates the presence of God’s self gift to humanity in Jesus Christ. Ecclesial identity is also an eschatological gift and thus initiates a creative tension between the given present and the future to be built. The Church is where God’s faithfulness and human vulnerability to sin meet; the Church is always called to a conversion to its own Christian identity.

The text carefully differentiates ‘ecclesial identity’ from ‘confessional identity’, which ‘lies in a specific historically, culturally, and doctrinally located way of living out ecclesial identity and Christian identity(no. 29)’. The text further distinguishes between ‘confessional allegiance,’ which refers to a Christian’s sense of belonging to a historical Church tradition, and

‘confessionalism’, which is a false absolutizing of a tradition’s particularities that ‘hardens into an attitude of self justification’ and rejects dialogue with other Christian traditions(no. 32). With both positive and negative features, confessional identity is ambiguous. While each confessional identity gives prominence to specific aspects of the Gospel message and grounds ecumenical commitment, it also always risks the harmful consequences of confessionalism (nos. 29, 32, 34). The Groupe furthermore observes that the distinction between ecclesial and confessional identity is not accepted by all Churches. For example, the Roman Catholic Church has ‘never understood or defined itself theologically as a confession’, but rather as the Church in which the one Church of Christ ‘subsists(no. 26)’.13) Likewise, the Orthodox Church claims to be the ‘witness to the faith and tradition of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church’ and does not accept being designated as a ‘confession’ among others(no. 27).

Three paths of conversion correspond to these three types of religious identity.14) Christian conversion is the faithful response of each believer to the call from God in Christ. It is a ‘struggle conducted in grace against all forms of sin, personal and collective(no. 39)’. Proclaiming the Word of God and sharing in the Lord’s Supper celebrate and fortify Christian conversion(no. 39). In accordance with the principle of ecclesia semper reformanda, ecclesial conversion is the ‘constant effort of the Church community as such to strive towards its Christian identity(no. 41)’. Confessional conversion refers to the particular form ecclesial conversion takes in the current context of historical Church divisions, the ‘ecumenical effort by which a Christian confession

13) See the Vatican II dogmatic constitution on the Church, Lumen gentium no. 8, “This Church constituted and organized in the world as a society, subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him, although many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside of its visible structure. These elements, as gifts belonging to the Church of Christ, are forces impelling toward catholic unity.”

14) Gaillardetz, “The Groupe des Dombes Document ‘One Teacher’”, 25.

cleanses and enriches its own inheritance with the aim of rediscovering full communion with other confessions(no. 55)’.

The Groupe emphasizes that conversion is received as a grace from God (no. 50), yet Churches must have an active awareness of their need for confessional conversion. This consciousness requires confessional traditions to recognize their own limitations, shortcomings, and failures to live the Gospel. Accepting the need for confessional conversion means mutually welcoming the unique spiritual gifts and values of other Christian traditions and assessing our view of their Churches. “In particular, each confession must ask itself if its judgment of the others is really founded on the Gospel(no. 48)”. The process of conversion is not detrimental to confessional identities, but rather allows them to become a ‘gift from God for the whole Church’, as they enter the ecumenical quest for fuller ecclesial truth and faithfulness. The ecclesiology of the Groupe des Dombes thus distinguishes, without separating, between ‘ecclesial identity’, the Church as the Body of Christ, and ‘confessional identity’, the denominational Churches, historically marked by divisions and the consequential lack of catholicity. The process of confessional conversion calls Churches to recognize their own deficiencies and seek full catholicity with the help of others. The historical survey further explores how Church divisions came about in order to better reconcile them.

The historical survey highlights decisive moments in Church history where efforts at conversion were made and confessional identities were forged. From the history of the early Church, the text explains the critical decisions of Athanasius of Alexandria, Basil of Caesarea and Cyril of Alexandria as examples of ‘conversion of the spirit’ when Church unity was at stake.15) In

15) “One would have to speak of a conversion of the spirit and not only of the heart. To understand that the theology by which the confessional church to which we belong is not the only one capable of expressing the Christian mystery, even on essentials(Cyril); to know how to be silent or rather how to say what is essential at the appropriate moment, even if not explicitly, so that

the sixteenth century, the confessional Churches emerged when appeals for ecclesial conversion failed and divisive political and ecclesial reforms took place. This resulted in a confusion of confessional identities and ecclesial identity.

When the confessional churches, as they were produced historically by the divisive reforms of the sixteenth century, each claim full correspondence between their confessional identity and ecclesial identity, they render their confessional situation inflexible. Faithfulness to ecclesial identity is then confused with faithfulness to doctrinal formulas and confessional practices(no. 119).

The section on the ecumenical movement, which seeks to reverse these priorities, rightly notes how the personal conversion of some of its pioneers inspired other Church groups and later confessions to join the quest for unity (no. 127). The text describes three converging paths of conversion in the Churches as ‘symbolic gestures, doctrinal dialogues, and acts and decisions taken(no. 135)’ and further characterizes the transformation of confessional identities the ecumenical movement seeks. “We see the ecumenical movement as a [ ] quest for communion among confessional identities that, once cleansed of their unevangelical or sinful elements, can receive each other, become complementary, and enrich each other(no. 153)”. The Groupe des Dombes thus emphasizes once again that conversion does not aim to abolish confessional traditions, but rather purifies them so they may be more faithful to their ecclesial identity and vocation.

The brief biblical survey in For the Conversion of the Churches reinforces the conviction that Churches are called to conversion which will lead to their

unity may be upheld or created(Basil); to say that even the best and most carefully chosen words must be the objects of understanding, not veneration, and that they are subject to variation and must therefore be translated both into other languages and into other terminology(Hilary and Athanasius): such would be the conversion of the churches today if they wish to be faithful to the faith in its earliest stages.” For the Conversion of the Churches, no. 63.

final identity(no. 178). It highlights two passages of Scripture in particular. First, the hymn in Philippians 2:5-11, quoted in the exordium of the text, provides a Christological basis for a deeper understanding of conversion in the kenosis of Jesus Christ, who “took the form of a slave and became obedient to the point of death, even on a cross.” Jesus’ journey of selfrenunciation is a ‘pilgrimage’ the Church should ‘make its own(no. 166)’. The letter to the Ephesians 2-3 addresses how groups with different identities, such as Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians, were able to gather to form one Church. Through reconciliation with God in Jesus Christ, differences are no longer divisive, but mutually recognized and respected.16) Finally, the text discusses how fragile identity can become when separated from conversion through the examples of Peter and Paul. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus assigns a unique role to Peter, ‘on this rock I will build my church’, but then declares “Get behind me, Satan!” when Peter refuses to accept Jesus’ revelation about his coming suffering and death. Peter was unable, in that moment, to undertake the conversion necessary to his new identity as a leader of a community. Conscious of his own vulnerability, Paul expresses the risk of sinful pride in his calling and rejoices only in experiencing weakness(2Cor 12:7). The Groupe’s concluding analysis of these two figures strikes a cautionary note. “Thus the strongest point in our identity is also that which is most vulnerable to temptation. We can live truly in accordance with our identity only in a continual process of conversion(no. 177)”. Confessional identities are thus authentic only insofar as they accept conversion.

16) Ephesians 2:14-16, “For he [Jesus] is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it.”

The Groupe’s final recommendations and specific calls for conversion draw attention to ‘false paths’ to unity and areas of possible change for all Churches. The quest for unity will go astray if Churches retain an ‘absorption’ mindset that maintains that ‘separated’ Christians must ‘return’, which was the official Roman Catholic perspective before the Second Vatican Council. This approach is totally incompatible with the introspection inherent to the process of conversion. The other ‘false path’ is satisfaction with the status quo situation of polite relations between the Churches, where divisions are simply overlooked. This apathy also amounts to a refusal of conversion (no. 194). With a reminder of their previous appeals for conversion, the Groupe conveys distinct calls, often in the form of questions, first to the Churches of the Reformation, then to the Roman Catholic Church, and in conclusion, to all the Churches. The invitations to the Protestant Churches concern: the consequences they draw from their conviction of belonging to the one Church; the frequent celebration of the Lord’s Supper; a renewed understanding of catholicity and apostolicity; and reconsideration of episcopal ministry. The Groupe calls the Roman Catholic Church to: deepen its vision of salvation; question its own self understanding and loss of ecclesial wholeness; and reconsider the apostolicity and ministry of the Reformation Churches(nos. 209-213).17)

Finally, the Groupe calls all our Churches to lift the anathemas the Churches pronounced on each other in the sixteenth century. While this has been done in part, notably thanks to the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification(1999), the call to raise the status of this ecumenical agreement

17) “If each confessional Church, and therefore also the Roman Catholic Church, which emerged from the Catholic reformation of the sixteenth century, bears its share of sinful responsibility in the divisions from which the ecclesial body of Christ is suffering, has not the church of Rome also in its historical nature lost ecclesial fullness on account of the schisms of the eleventh and sixteenth centuries?” For the Conversion of the Churches, no. 212.

and others to the level of new and authoritative expressions of the faith has not been fully accomplished(no. 219).18) The Groupe further insists upon assessing the actual practices of Christian congregations. “Many words have been said and many documents written; but too often actions are slow to follow, and this situation becomes worse as the years go on(no. 221). The inadequate diffusion of the Groupe’s work has been a limitation of this call to action.19) Too many Christians remain uninformed of the high stakes of Christian unity and are thus unaware of their need to take action.

What does the process of conversion from Catholic confessionalism presently involve? As the Groupe des Dombes has shown, confessional conversion does not require disavowing fundamental doctrinal beliefs or ecclesial structures and practices. Rather, confessional conversion necessitates an enthusiastic willingness to assess all aspects of ecclesial life with the ecumenical imperative of greater unity as a priority. This call to introspection resonates with the responsibilities entrusted to Catholics at Vatican II by the decree on ecumenism, Unitatis redintegratio. 20)

But their primary duty is to make a careful and honest appraisal of whatever needs to be done or renewed in the Catholic household itself, in order that its life may bear witness more clearly and faithfully to the teachings and institutions which have come to it from Christ through the Apostles(no. 4).

18) The Lutheran World Federation and the Roman Catholic Church, Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, no. 41.

19) Gaillardetz, “The Groupe des Dombes Document ‘One Teacher’”, 21.20) Ibid., 47.

In view of our commemoration of the Reformation in 2017, what should be renewed, through the process of conversion, in our own Catholic household, to enable a more faithful and credible witness to Christ in the world? Some areas where further reflection and debate seem particularly urgent in the Roman Catholic Church include: biblical hermeneutics; accountability of Church leadership; baptismal vocation and shared responsibility for the life of the Church; and continuing to raise awareness and appreciation of ecumenical dialogue.

In its subsequent work One Teacher, the Groupe calls the Catholic teaching authorities to demonstrate “more clearly how doctrinal decisions are guided by Scripture and are obedient to its witness.”21) The Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification also identifies the relationship between the Word of God and Church doctrine as a question which needs further clarification.22) In his analysis of the Roman Catholic reception of One Teacher, R. Gaillardetz observes, “We see in too few doctrinal pronouncements evidence that the bishops are cognizant of the best of modern scholarship [ ]”23) His suggestion that the Pontifical Biblical Commission assume a more active role and that national episcopal conferences establish official collaborative efforts with biblical scholars is pertinent and helpful. Yet, these efforts cannot replace the mutual enrichment and insight that ecumenical listening to the Word enables. As the Reformation principle of sola scriptura enters the spotlight in 2017, with its attendant caricatures, questions of biblical hermeneutics take on renewed importance. Some questions our Churches could address together include: How does Scripture inform our Churches’ respective

21) Groupe des Dombes, “Un seul maître”: L’autorité doctrinale dans l’Eglise, (Paris : Bayard, 2005) ; “One Teacher”: Doctrinal Authority in the Church, trans., Catherine E. Clifford, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010), no. 433.

22) The Lutheran World Federation and the Roman Catholic Church, Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, no. 43.

23) Gaillardetz, “The Groupe des Dombes Document ‘One Teacher’”, 38.

positions on sexual ethics? How do our Churches’ teachings on ministry, and particularly women and ordained ministry, bear witness to the Gospel? How does Scripture encourage us to continue seeking Christian unity?

In One Teacher, the Groupe des Dombes, while recognizing Vatican II’s theological development of the sensus fidelium, has also highlighted the Roman Catholic Church’s failure to “cultivate structures and practices that take the sense of the whole Christian faithful seriously.”24) This perceived gap between the theological significance of the sensus fidelium and the actual consultation and appreciation of it can be an impediment to dialogue with Christian confessions whose synodal structures and practices place a high premium on it. The recent worldwide consultation of the Catholic faithful during the preparation of the Synod on the Family was a positive step towards more receptivity between the Catholic bishops and people, but more must be done so that a diversity of voices, especially those of women and the poor, may be heard. Here confessional conversion would involve greater humility for Church leaders called to listen, as well as courage for the faithful to speak and hold Church leaders accountable. Promoting the importance of the sensus fidelium can only reinforce our common baptismal vocation and sense of shared responsibility for witness to Christ in the world.

As we approach 2017, and are engaged in preparing commemorative ecumenical events and prayers, we are reminded that the Groupe des Dombes has always linked conversion, prayer and witness in their spiritual ecumenism. “May they progress as their conversions progress and at the appropriate time celebrate acts of reconciliation [ ] In this way, confessional conversion will serve ecclesial conversion and enable the Church to give a credible witness to its conversion to Christ(no. 221).” Indeed, annual ecumenical celebrations such

24) “One Teacher”: Doctrinal Authority in the Church, nos. 213, 335, 383, 448, 457, as noted by Gaillardetz, “The Groupe des Dombes Document “One Teacher”, 41.

as the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, do raise concern for the continuation of ecumenical cooperation on the local level. Yet, as we examine our practices in the process of conversion, we may ask whether the urgent need for greater Christian unity is experienced by the members of our Sunday assemblies. In the Roman Catholic Church, could we more explicitly translate ecumenical consciousness into our Eucharistic prayers, perhaps by naming other local Christian leaders, for example? Or, could we routinely offer prayers of petition for other Christian communities in our areas? Could we openly and regularly confess and ask forgiveness for those times we have been indifferent to Christian unity? These small but significant efforts would be signs of confessional conversion.

The Groupe des Dombes holds that confessional conversion, along with common prayer and doctrinal dialogue, is a steady, demanding path towards the restoration of Christian unity. As we join together in gratitude for the significant accomplishments of the ecumenical movement in 2017, may we have the courage and creative energy to undertake confessional conversion and rediscover the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Blancy, Alain, “Can the Churches Convert? Should the Churches Convert?”, Ecumenical Review, 44(1992), 419-428.

Clifford, Catherine E., ed., For the Communion of the Churches: The Contribution of the Groupe des Dombes, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010.

__________, trans., “One Teacher”: Doctrinal Authority in the Church, Grand Rapids:

Eerdmans, 2010.

__________, The Groupe des Dombes: A Dialogue of Conversion, New York: Peter Lang, 2005.

Famrée, Joseph, “The Contribution of the Groupe des Dombes to Ecumenism: Past Achievements and Future Challenges”, Lovuain Studies, 33(2008), 99-116.

Gaillardetz, Richard R., “The Groupe des Dombes Document “One Teacher”(2005): Toward a Postconciliar Catholic Reception”, Theological Studies, 74(2013), 20-47.

Groupe des Dombes, Communion et conversion des Eglises, Paris: Bayard, 2014.

__________, “Vous donc, priez ainsi”: Le Notre Père, itinéraire pour la conversion des Eglises, Paris: Bayard, 2011.

Lutheran Roman Catholic Commission on Unity, From Conflict to Communion, Lutheran Catholic Common Commemoration of the Reformation in 2017, Evangelische Verlagsanstalt and Bonifatus, 2013.

Lutheran World Federation and the Roman Catholic Church, Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000.

Katherine Shirk Lucas

The Groupe des Dombes’ consistent and distinctive emphasis on the need for Christian, ecclesial and confessional conversion is a significant contribution to the wider ecumenical movement. This article provides a brief history of the Groupe des Dombes and examines its key 1991 document, For the Conversion of the Churches. In the perspective of our common commemoration of the Reformation in 2017 and the growth of Christian unity, the article concludes by considering how the Roman Catholic Church could better respond to the Groupe des Dombes’ call for confessional conversion.

Key Words: Groupe des Dombes, Ecumenism, Methodology, Conversion, Churches

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