Sainte-Anne de Jérusalem : un séminaire grec melkite catholique au service de l’Unité?

Abstract

This article examines the contribution of the Seminary of St. Anne in Jerusalem (1882-1967) to the identity, theological thought, and ecumenical vocation of the Greek Melkite Catholic Church. Founded by Cardinal Lavigerie with the vision of respecting Eastern traditions and training local clergy, the seminary trained over 300 Melkite priests, including bishops and patriarchs. Its professors worked towards a better understanding of Eastern Christianity, notably during the Eucharistic Congress of 1893 in Jerusalem. The Seminary thus paved the way for a new policy from Rome towards the East. The journal Proche-Orient Chrétien (1951) marked the entry into authentic ecumenism. At the Second Vatican Council, the Melkite Church, represented notably by former students of St. Anne’s, pleaded to “reserve a place for the Absent” facilitating the rapprochement with the Orthodox Churches. The author suggests that the training received at St. Anne’s contributed to this ecumenical openness of the Melkite Church.