A Group that shows how Unity Works

So far in this series I have looked at particular “Saints of Christian Unity”, but this month I’d like to focus on a special group that I believe merits inclusion: the Groupe des Dombes.

Groupe des Dombes is a group of Catholic and Protestant theologians engaged in ecumenical dialogue and common prayer in an informal way.

The group started in a very humble way when Paul Couturier (whom I wrote about in February’s column) invited a small group of Catholic priests and theologians to meet annually with a group of Lutheran and Reformed theologians and pastors, mainly from France and Francophone Switzerland.

The first meeting, in 1937, was held at the Cistercian abbey of Notre Dame des Dombes, near Lyon, France—hence the name Groupes des Dombes. It is the oldest round-table ecumenical dialogue between Protestants and Catholics.

The group flourished especially when it revived the dialogue after the Second World War.

Since 1948 the group has met every year at the beginning of September, in an atmosphere of fraternal discussion and prayer, to treat important points of faith deemed to be areas of divergence and division for lack of clarification.

The group treats the subjects in the following manner: study a given topic; review the subject from the scriptural and historical development; identify the areas of agreement and disagreement; put forward suggestions for convergence; and finally, call for the conversion within each church in the areas of attitudes, teachings, and practices.

In that exercise, the group gives special attention to identifying points of unity.

One remarkable characteristic of this group is its optimism. It’s not just sentimental, but the kind of optimism rooted in the certainty and trust that the effort which the members invest in their work will one day help churches realise visible unity.

Members enter open-heartedly in dialogue with others while remaining faithful to the traditions of their denominations. There is no attempt to win over others, no deadlines to meet—thus no need to hurry. Everything is done in a spirit of friendly and mutual respect, confident that this work, done in good faith, is not in vain—it will bear fruit in due course.

Hence, the spirituality of this group—that is, the manner of its collaboration — is that of trust, honesty, patience and freedom.

Despite whatever differences there may be, every member is aware that he is united with others in the common waiting: Maranatha — Come Lord! That is why members demonstrate this unity by joining in the common liturgy proper to the different denominations represented in the group.

The fact that the Groupe des Dombes is not sponsored by any particular church — and members therefore are not appointees of church authority — gives it room for independent and frank dialogue, free from constraint of censure.

But since members are not representatives of their denomination, their many beautiful documents lack ecclesiastical authority. Nevertheless, Groupe des Dombes was a great source of inspiration for the Vatican II’s documents regarding ecumenical dialogue.

Since 1998 the meetings have taken place at the Abbey of the Benedictine Sisters at Pradines in Lyon, after the monks left the abbey of Notre Dame des Dombes. Since the same year, the group has seen the participation of women theologians.

It is this spirit of all-embracing frankness and mutual respect in common study and prayer that this group is certainly a model of ecumenical dialogue to any group really engaged in the efforts to live Christian unity in the midst of the existing divisions.

Working for unity is not something to be sanctioned from above; it is a way of life that should begin from the grassroots. Groupe des Dombes is our inspiration.

For previous articles, go to www.scross.co.za/category/perspectives/chama