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Abstract
After the second Vatican Council, the ecclesiology of communion spread widely in theological reflection and in ecumenical dialogues; it is applied in almost all theological dialogues in which the Roman Catholic Church is engaged, opening up new possibilities and raising new expectations. However, a certain disillusionment occurred over the years and some dialogues seemed to mark time, to go around in circles. This is particularly true for the theological dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. How can this be explained? The ecclesiology of communion seems to have lost its dynamic, missionary and inclusive nature in order to become more exclusive, more concerned with establishing its boundaries, than with the commandment of making disciples of all nations. This profound theological vision is also in danger of being reduced to a juridical or canonical concept. In order to revive a dynamic and inclusive communion, we need to rediscover the richness of all that already unites Catholics and Orthodox and build on this common basis of communion in the Trinitarian life.