The divine right of the papacy in recent ecumenical theology

Since the second Vatican Council, ecumenical interest in papal primacy has taken a new turn. Not since the sixteenth century has there been such lively discussion on its meaning and on the kinds of justification given to it. One major problem raised in recent ecumenical, theological and official interconfessional dialogue is the Catholic claim that Roman primacy is iure divino. The purpose of this study is to examine the meaning of the iure divino qualification of papal primacy as it has been taught and understood in the Catholic, Lutheran and Anglican traditions. Moreover, we shall investigate, by means of an historical and systematic inquiry, the meaning of ius divinum when applied to ecclesial structures generally and especially to papal primacy. This investigation will involve a review of the Catholic theological tradition and particulary contemporary theological writings on the subject. We shall also consider how the iure divino qualifications has been understood in the Lutheran and Anglican traditions. Finally, we shall analyze its meaning and the degree of convergence that has emerged in recent ecumenical dialogues. The scope of this work is limited to the Catholic, Lutheran and Anglican traditions for three reasonsa