Pope’s Exhortation: A rich and striking theology of dialogue
(Vatican Radio) Among the key themes discussed in Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation
is the vital importance of dialogue in its many forms. Dominican Father John O’Connor
is the Prior of Blackfriars College in Oxford and is an expert on dialogue between
the Church and the modern world. He told Susy Hodges that this Exhortation has a
striking theology of dialogue that permeates the entire document.
Listen
to the full interview with Father John O’Connor, OP.
Father O’Connor
says on reading the Exhortation he was most struck by the “very rich and joyful theology
of dialogue” that is not just confined to the segments dealing with the specific issue
of dialogue but instead is spread throughout the document. “You have a theology of
the Church as permeated by dialogue” and as a result of this, he says, “the Church
is not static.” Father O’Connor says one of the things “the Pope is getting at”
in this document is a recognition of the concrete benefits of dialogue as well as
the theoretical benefits. “Dialogue with others is not about some kind of abstract
exercise… it’s actually a contribution to building up peace in our world…. so it has
important practical implications of how we live together.”