Marcin Składanowski

The inclusive language issue is an important element of Christian reflection on Church involvement for gender equality. The article focuses on American Protestant communities and their attitude towards inclusive (non-exclusive and non-discriminatory) language, although tendencies to make the Church’s language more inclusive are also present in some Catholic circles. The article begins with an attempt to define the Christian understanding of inclusive language. It then presents the positions of North American Protestant communities towards this kind of religious language. It also shows the difficulties related to this issue, using the example of the inclusive baptismal formula.

An analysis of dialogue documents indicates that there are important thematic areas that are not addressed in them or, quite often, are addressed in a fragmented way, so as to more accentuate existing convergences than the scale and consequences of discrepancies. This applies to both certain dogmatic controversies and ethical issues. Silence in the ecumenical dialogue is therefore ambivalent. It can be an expression of expectations for further progress of this dialogue and overcoming difficulties, but it can also be an attempt to evade the most difficult issues and their assessment. It is the context which sets the goal of this brief theological-ecumenical reflection. The article addresses the issues of silence and word in the ecumenical dialogue. Firstly, it proposes some ways of interpreting „ecumenical silence”. Secondly, it presents the characteristics of the „ecumenical word”.

The article shows the main issues in the dispute over marriage within contemporary Catholicism. It also presents possibilities and limitations of the attempts at reinterpretation of traditional Catholic doctrinal formulations. These attempts, which are related to the assemblies of the Synod of Bishops in 2014 and 2015, are aimed at greater openness of the Catholic Church towards the divorced and remarried. They are also intended to maintain unity within the Catholic dogmatic, ethical and canonical tradition as a justified expression of its development. Firstly, the article presents the main issues of the ongoing dispute in the Church. Secondly, it describes the language of this dispute. Thirdly, it shows Walter Kasper’s proposals and their criticism from the point of view of the conservative wing in the Church.