Between Suffering and Triumph André Scrima’s Xenophile Christology
Between Suffering and Triumph André Scrima’s Xenophile Christology

Author(s): Michael Hjälm
Subject(s): Christian Theology and Religion, Theology and Religion
Published by: Editura Doxologia
Keywords: André Scrima; Christology; ecclesiology; periphery; monasticism; interreligious dialogue; Vatican II; universality of Christ;
Summary/Abstract: This article explores the Christology and ecclesiology of Father André Scrima, focusing on his vision of the “Xenophile Christ” – Christ as the Stranger who transcends all boundaries. Drawing on Scrima’s encounter with Father John Stránnik and his subsequent spiritual and philosophical journey beyond Romania, the study situates Scrima’s theology within a framework of voluntary exile and universal openness. His understanding of Christ as the Logos present in every culture informs a cosmic and inclusive theology that anticipates and complements the insights of Nostra Aetate and Dei Verbum. The article argues that Scrima’s ecclesiology, rooted in the periphery rather than the center, offers a dynamic vision of the Church as a pilgrim body revealed most clearly among the marginalized and in interreligious dialogue. Viewing the Church through the lens of monasticism as an “ecclesiophany,” Scrima redefines the Eucharist not as a possession of institutional power but as an eschatological gift approached from the margins. His vision challenges both Orthodoxy and Catholicism to rediscover their identity as communities of strangers guided by Christ the Gate – the threshold between heaven and earth – and invites a renewed ecclesial self-understanding oriented toward the periphery.

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