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International Conference Henk Witte Associate Professor of Dogmatic Theology University of Tilburg, Netherlands Shapes and Changes of Domestic Church in Western Europe In advanced modernity, the Catholic Church in Europe experiences far-reaching transitions. They concern the Church formation. The formation of the ultramontane mass Catholicism is disappearing, while it is still unclear which new formation is coming. It is clear, however, that a new Church formation must deal with individualisation, autonomy and pick-and-choose behaviour, which, apart from that, does not exclude a life-long commitment to the Church. The decline of the parish system (clustering parishes), the changing role of ordained ministers, and the increasing importance of intermediate levels in the Church (dioceses) can be considered as phenomena that indicate this transition. What are chances, possibilities and difficulties of being Church in more domestic forms (small Christian communities, new ecclesial movements)? What is it that motivates into being Church that ways? And how the old and new structures are connected? Henk Witte (Netherlands, 1947) is a lay theologian and associate professor of dogmatic theology at the Faculty of Catholic Theology, University of Tilburg. He studied in Tilburg and Nijmegen, and wrote his dissertation on Vatican II’s statement of the hierarchy of truths (1986). From 1995 to 2005, he combined his academic work with a function as a member of the theological staff of the Dutch Bishop’s Conference. His research concerns issues of ecclesiology, ministry and ecumenism. Some recent publications: The Local Bishop and Lay Pastoral Workers: A Newly Created Function in the Church and Its Impact on Episcopal Collegiality, in The Jurist 69 (2009), 84-115 and Vatikanum II Revisited: Kontext und Entstehung der Aussage über die ‘Hierarchie’ der Wahrheiten, in Bijdragen 68 (2007), 445-477. Henk Witte is a member of the Commission for Ecumenical Affairs of the Dutch Bishop’s Conference. Personal website Conference Main Page | Theme | Travel Programme | Call for Papers | Information | |
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