[ninenot]

I think the basic orientation here was to acknowledge that one cannot 'force' someone else to be a Catholic--in the same sense that one cannot 'legislate morality.'

Based on JPII's interest in 'ut unam sint' and his unflagging efforts to bring non-Uniates to Rome--as well as the initiatives with the Lutherans, etc., it would be hard to make the case that HE has lost the drive to convert the world.

At the same time, he has not been loosey-goosey--both with the Luterans and with the Jews he has held the line on certain items which cannot be negotiated.

As to our responsibility--I never viewed VII's document as a denigration of the call to convert.

[Stingray51]

I simply cannot agree. Yes, JPII has worked hard for Christian unity. You could look at this as a strategy for conversion. But it is completely top-down. He prays with the leaders of other religions and engages in dialogue with them. That can only send a message to adherents of these religions that they do not need to convert. The Vatican under him has gone to great pains not to be seen attempting to convert Orthodox in the former Soviet Union (see the Balamand agreement) (so much for Fatima, by the way). As for the Jews, yes he has not gone far enough to satisfy certain Jewish leaders, but he gives every impression of endorsing the view that there is no need for Jews to convert.

How many souls have been lost during decades of dialogue?