Salvation History and Narrative Identity: On the Ecclesiology of the Second Vatican Council Following Current Questions on Participation, Plurality and Synodality

Abstract

The Second Vatican Council refers to the motif of the people of God to illustrate the Church as a pilgrim on her journey within the history of salvation. Regarding this motif, it is possible to address current questions of ecclesial self-understanding, participation, and synodality in their social dimensions. To enable narrative participation within the Church on her incomplete pilgrimage, we consider Paul Ricœur’s concept of narrative identity. This concept can and should include experiences of suffering, discrimination, and marginalization, following the Second Vatican Council’s demand for awareness and solidarity (GS 1). Thus, the Church can provide a social and narrative space for persons who have been discriminated against; this space rests on the redemptive work of Jesus Christ and is open to further development in the Church’s self-understanding as a synodal project.