About episcopal collegiality

This article by Panayotis Nellas is part of a theological debate concerning the notion of episcopal collegiality as defined by the Second Vatican Council, written in response to a review of his earlier study published in the *Messager Orthodoxe*. In the form of an opinion piece, the author clarifies and deepens his position by drawing on the writings of recognized Catholic theologians, notably Jean Colson and Yves Congar. The central idea is that the Catholic doctrine of collegiality, founded on the sacramental insertion of the bishop into a distinct episcopal body, differs essentially from the Orthodox conception of conciliarity, which encompasses the entire body of the faithful. The contribution of the article is to demonstrate, through rigorous textual analysis, that post-Vatican II Catholic ecclesiological development moves away from the Patristic Tradition rather than drawing closer to it, thereby posing a real challenge to Orthodox-Catholic ecumenical dialogue.