This is My Body: A “Green”Ecclesiology?: Old Catholic Mainstream Theology and the “Green Theology” of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Dialogue

Abstract

On the basis of the broad convergence between Orthodox and Old Catholic theology in general, this contribution explores possible synergies between the eco-theological blueprint as it is set forth by the Ecumenical Patriarchate and Old Catholic “mainstream theology.” First, the blueprint of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the theological method that it entails are presented. Next, it is demonstrated how convergence between such Orthodox eco-theology and Old Catholic theology exists, even if it is a topic that has not been elaborated much in Old Catholic theology so far. The comparison of Old Catholic theology with the theology of the Ecumenical Patriarchate can, precisely because so many compatibilities exist, serve as a way of challenging Old Catholic theology to develop an eco-theological perspective of its own. Important sources for the development of such a theology are the liturgical theology of Old Catholicism and the episcopal-synodal church structure of the Old Catholic Churches, which can serve as aids for developing an eco-theological perspective that enables Old Catholic theologians and churches to respond more adequately to the contemporary ecological crisis.