Being Different Together

Abstract

This article looks back at more than 70 years of ecumenical formation at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey. The encounter of the students at Bossey shows that it is possible to develop an ecumenical space that is prophetic and critical, reflective and spiritual, in which the experiences of a diverse community – cultural, theological, and ecumenical – can be worked through. Ecumenical formation at Bossey therefore involves holding together converging and diverging interpretations of what the Christian faith means. Bossey is thus a place of ecumenical learning in the sense of intercultural and theological reflection and practice. It represents symbolically the ecumenical movement as a fellowship of learning and offers an invitation to keep alive this experience of learning in an awareness of what is held in common, despite all the differences.