The Llullian Spirit of Ecclesium Suam

The article begins with a summary of the nature and structure of interfaith dialogue according to Ecclesiam Suam situating it in the context of contemporary debate on the nature and purpose of interfaith dialogue. It then relates this to the vision of interfaith dialogue presented by the 13th Century Catalan Franciscan, Ramon Llull (c. 1232 – 1316). My argument will be that Llull anticipates the model of dialogue presented by Ecclesiam Suam and that recent scholarship on his dialogue with the Jewish Cabbalistic tradition can be seen to embody the methodology presented by Pope Paul VI in his encyclical.