Theological teaching, ecumenical research and personal travels

This article constitutes the autobiographical and reflective testimony of Father Bernard Sesboüé, S.J., Catholic theologian and long-standing member of the Groupe des Dombes, on his ecumenical journey. Adopting both a biographical and critical approach, the author traces the stages of his formation, teaching, and research in connection with the ecumenical movement, from the Second Vatican Council to contemporary interconfessional dialogues. The central idea is that ecumenical engagement does not constitute a separate theological domain, but rather a transversal dimension of all theological reflection and teaching. In terms of contribution, the article highlights the decisive role of interpersonal relationships between theologians of different confessions, advocates for a rigorous dogmatic hermeneutics limiting the inflation of definitions of faith, and underscores the continuity between ecumenical dialogue and interreligious dialogue as the horizon of Christianity in the twenty-first century.