2013-11-28 17:05:13

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. RealAudioMP3

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.”








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