The challenges of the ecumenical movement

Nicolas Lossky, French Orthodox theologian and major figure in ecumenical dialogue in the twentieth century, offers in this text a personal account of his involvement in the ecumenical movement. Written between 2012 and the final days of his life, this previously unpublished document constitutes an autobiographical narrative tracing the stages and the stakes of his participation in the bodies of interconfessional dialogue, notably from the perspective of the Orthodox Church in France. The central idea is that of a critical and lucid reflection on the advances, the limitations, and the tensions inherent in the contemporary ecumenical movement. On the theological and historical level, this testimony provides a firsthand perspective on the way in which a Western Orthodox Christian experienced and thought about the encounter between Christian traditions, thus offering a valuable source for the history of ecumenism within French-speaking Orthodoxy.