Olivier Clément: on the good use of orthodoxy

This article by Christian Badilita examines the figure of Olivier Clément as an eminent representative of Western Orthodoxy, drawing primarily on two works: the patristic anthology Sources. Les mystiques chrétiens des origines and the introduction to the Philokalia of the Neptic Fathers. The study adopts both an analytical and comparative approach, confronting Clément's theological method with that of Dumitru Stăniloae and with certain tendencies of contemporary Eastern Orthodoxy. The central idea is that the "genius of Orthodoxy" no longer necessarily resides in the East, but is now expressed with particular fruitfulness in the West, thanks to a generation of converts capable of combining dual cultural rootedness, patristic rigor, and ecumenical openness. The contribution of the article is to show how Clément renews access to ancient Christian sources by confronting them with the challenges of modernity, while denouncing the pseudo-nationalist traditions that distort the living Tradition of the Church.