Was Soloviev Catholicus?

Abstract

The reunification of the Catholic and the Orthodox churches was one of the major objectives in the life and work of the Russian religious philosopher Vladimir Soloviev. It inspired virtually all of his writings, and also marked deeply his own religious discernment with regards to the universality of the Christian body – the church. This text surveys the question of Soloviev’s ecclesial affiliation both on the level of his theological ideas on the status of the relation between Catholicism and Orthodoxy and in the sphere of the steps in his personal history concerning his membership in either of Christian denominations. As the study points out, Soloviev’s ecclesial affiliation needs to be interpreted in inclusive rather than exclusive terms.

Keywords

• vladimir sergeevich soloviev
• catholicism
• christian spirituality