'The primacy of the pastoral' : Bridging the divide between faith, theology and life in the ecclesiology of Yves Congar

[Extract] The chapter will illustrate that the primacy of the pastoral is an essential guide for true and false reform in the contemporary church and an essential conduit for pastoral ministry within the secular dynamic. Indeed, the primacy of the pastoral is an initiative capable of empowering the church to fulfil its gospel mandate: ‘Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit’ (Matt 28:19) and ‘I am with you always, to the very end of the age’ (Matt 28:20).