Editorial: Searching the meaning of Catholic identity / James H. Provost and Knut Walf -- I. Foundational considerations. Catholic identity in the third epoch of church history / Norbert Greinacher -- Approaches to Catholic identity in church law / James H. Provost -- The communicative identity of the local church / Johannes A. van der Ven -- Identity, law and culture / Geoffrey King -- The canonical limits of Catholic identity : some problematical situations / Alphonse Borras. II. Institutional dimension. Who speaks in the church's name in the media? / Ernest Henau -- Caritas and the welfare state : the conflict over Catholic diakonia / Norbert Mette -- Catholic hospitals : how Catholic will they be? / John P. Beal -- From the university which is really Catholic to the university which is legally Catholic / Roch Page -- Pastoral care from a Roman Catholic perspective / Robert D. Duggan. III. Ecumenical dimension. Roman Catholic identity amid the ecumenical dialogues / David Tracy -- Catholic identity as seen by a partner in the ecumenical dialogue / Andre Birmele -- Future aspects of Catholic identity / Knut Walf.Special column: Keep quiet about women in the church (with apologies to I Corinthians 14.34) / Bas van Iersel.