A news bulletin for E-mail subscribers from Christians Evangelizing Catholics
E-mail: cecmotc@juno.com Website: www.dodone.org
April 14, 2001
In spite of the much publicized agreement between Catholics and Lutherans on Justification by Faith, the 4/5 Louisville diocesan paper admits, "Catholic, Lutheran differences remain."
By John Thavis, Catholic News Service
Despite a major ecumenical agreement in 1999 between Catholics and Lutherans, a shared Eucharist is not yet possible because of remaining doctrinal differences, an article in the Vatican newspaper said.
The article said that at this stage of the ecumenical dialogue with Lutherans, eucharistic sharing would constitute for Catholics a "repudiation of truths of the faith."
"The doctrinal contrast in very important areas of the profession of faith, the Liturgyliturgy, and the apostolic constitution of the church does not allow a common celebration of the Eucharist," it said.
The article was published by the newspaper L'Osservatore Romano March 25. It was unsigned but marked with three asterisks, which in the newspaper's tradition means that it was written or reviewed at high levels of the Secretariat of State.
The article said the 1999 Catholic Lutheran declaration on the doctrine of justification marked an "irrevocable turning point" in their relations.
That statement voiced agreement that people are redeemed solely by grace and faith in Christ's saving work, and not because of human merit. That declaration said the remaining Catholic-Lutheran differences were "no longer the occasion for doctrinal condemnation."
According to the Vatican article, the agreement on justification has prompted some to propose forms of shared Communion, either by offering open Communion to Catholics and Lutherans in each other's services or in the actual sharing of the eucharistic celebration.
Such proposals go too far, and would mask over the serious doctrinal differences that remain, the Vatican article said.
It said that for the Catholic Church, the declaration on justification did not "cancel the binding teaching of the Council of Trent and those of Vatican I and II," including the church's interpretation of revelation and its understanding of the relationship among Scripture, tradition and magisterium.
According to Catholic doctrine, in fact, the reception of holy Communion presupposes full communion with the church," it said.
If divisions arise among Christians on essential questions, they must first be reconciled in the faith. Only afterward can they celebrate in truth the Eucharist as an expression of unity with Christ and unity among themselves," it said.
The article noted that the Catholic-Lutheran declaration had said that areas of doctrinal disagreement remained.