For a Church of Churches and an open primacy

This article by Roland Dumont offers an ecclesiological reflection on the question of Roman primacy and its implications for Christian unity. Drawing on the declaration *Dominus Iesus* and the encyclicals *Ut Unum Sint* and *Ex Oriente Lux*, the author adopts a critical and prospective approach, articulating an institutional diagnosis alongside proposals for reform. The central idea is that the hypertrophied conception of pontifical primacy, inherited from the First Vatican Council, constitutes a major obstacle to the reunification of the Churches, particularly with the Orthodox Churches. The article argues for a "kenotic primacy," inspired by Saint Clement of Rome and Saint Ignatius of Antioch, which would make the Catholic Church a Church in service of the other Churches. On the theological level, the principal contribution lies in the distinction between permanent primacy and charismatic priority, and in the valorization of the conciliar and patriarchal model as the foundation of a renewed ecclesiology.