Abstract

In this article we will discuss the reception of the ecclesiological-ecumenical conciliar doctrine of the elementa ecclesiae among the main non-Catholic observers at the Council itself. In so doing, we will point out that this notion was strongly linked to the discussion about the frontiers of the Church. The Roman Catholic ecumenical openness was being questioned by the invited partners, who played a crucial role in the development of the Roman Catholic ecumenical awareness. By using crucial archival material as well as the most relevant literature on the matter, their main critiques will be shown in order to arrive at a more comprehensive understanding of this magisterial Roman Catholic doctrine.