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Ecclesia De Eucharistia on Its Ecumenical Import

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Ecumenical & Interfaith Commission: www.melbourne.catholic.org.au/eic

Ecclesia de Eucharistia On Its Ecumenical Import

By Clint Le Bruyns

(Clint Le Bruyns, is an Anglican ecumenist who is currently completing a research project on contemporary Anglican and Protestant perspectives on the Petrine ministry at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa, where he also serves in the faculty of theology as Assistant Lecturer and Research Development Coordinator of the Beyers Naude Centre for Public Theology.)

The pope’s latest encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia (On the Eucharist in its Relationship to the
Church) – the fourteenth in his 25-year pontificate - was released in Rome on Maundy or Holy Thursday, April 17, 2003.1 Flanked by an introduction (1-10) and conclusion (59-62), the papal letter comprises six critical sections in which the Eucharist is discussed: The Mystery of Faith (11-20); The Eucharist Builds the Church (21-25); The Apostolicity of the Eucharist and of the Church (26-33); The Eucharist and Ecclesial Communion (34-46); The Dignity of the Eucharistic Celebration (47-52); and At the School of Mary, “Woman of the Eucharist” (53-58). Published in English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Portuguese and Latin, it is a personal, warm, and passionate letter by the current pope on a longstanding theological treasure and dilemma (cf. 8).

Like all papal encyclicals it is an internal theological document, bearing the full authority of the
Vatican and addressing a matter of grave importance and concern for Roman Catholic faith, life and ministry. But papal texts are no longer merely Roman Catholic in orientation and scope. The “irrevocable” commitment to ecumenism inaugurated at the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) revolutionised the manner in which internal theological material would subsequently be written and read. The Vatican would, of course, still remain attentive to the issues and concerns of relevance for its own faith community, but would now also be aware of the wider community of churches – their issues and concerns, their questions and efforts, as well as their overall welfare on their Christian sojourn.

John Paul II’s most ecumenically popular encyclical Ut Unum Sint (1995) popularised this new mentality and reality in a significant way. It gave serious attention to various issues confronting the Roman Catholic Church at the dawn of the third millennium, but also proceeded to address matters pertaining to other faith communions on unity, the Petrine office, and so on. Its ecumenical import was unmistakable and meaningful, resulting in a kaleidoscope of ecumenical responses, discussions, and literature that continue even to this day. But can the same be said and read of the pope’s latest encyclical?

While Ecclesia de Eucharistia is no Ut Unum Sint, its ecumenical import is of great

resourcefulness to the continuing call to unity. After all, the pope has been careful to underline the intimate interrelation between the Eucharist and Christian unity, a connection no reader of the present encyclical should overlook: “The seeds of disunity, which daily experience shows to be so deeply rooted in humanity as a result of sin, are countered by the unifying power of the body of Christ. The Eucharist, precisely by building up the Church, creates human community” (24).

In the first place, this encyclical has as its subject one of the most church-dividing issues in the history of Christianity. In January 1982 in Lima, Peru, the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches released its magnum opus Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry (BEM). Representatives from all major church traditions identified what they considered to be three highly divisive theological matters in the Church – Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry. The identification of the Eucharist as an ecumenical dilemma is readily discerned in a host of conversations and statements in

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such bilateral dialogues as those between Roman Catholics and Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, Reformed, Disciples of Christ, and the Oriental Orthodox, which have been in existence since Vatican II.2

The pope himself has continually highlighted the Eucharist as a subject of ongoing importance in ecumenism. In Ut Unum Sint, for instance, he singles out “the Eucharist, as the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ, an offering of praise to the Father, the sacrificial memorial and real presence of Christ and the sanctifying outpouring of the Holy Spirit” as one of those “areas in need of fuller study before a true consensus of faith can be achieved.”3 The fact that John Paul II now in Ecclesia de Eucharistia addresses the Church on the Eucharist is itself an ecumenically significant sign that he is indeed in tune with the concerns and ideals of the modern ecumenical movement. His ecumenical consciousness has not ceased or waned since Ut Unum Sint. Of all the many issues his encyclical could have focused on, the pope discerned a matter of ongoing ecumenical significance.

In the second place, the encyclical is substantiated by a number of critically important ecumenically meaningful texts. The pope extends the teachings of the Second Vatican Council – Lumen

Gentium, Ad Gentes, Sacrosanctum Concilium, Unitatis Redintegratio, Dei Verbum, and Gaudium et

Spes – into the present moment. The teachings of his own Ut Unum Sint on ecumenism are contained within the letter. His articulation of the Roman Catholic Church’s irreversible stand on ecumenical commitment is reiterated and applied to the issues at hand in the present encyclical.

It must be remembered that the pope expects his readers to observe the continuity and congruency of Ecclesia de Eucharistia with earlier teachings in the Roman Catholic tradition (e.g. transubstantiation at the Council of Trent, 15). The doctrine of the Eucharist expressed in his letter must not be viewed as anything new or different from earlier teaching. The Roman Catholic Church has not watered down its theological understanding of the Eucharist because of the ecumenical movement, as some internal critics may allege. On the contrary, the pope is cognisant of the prevailing dilemmas that jeopardise the integrity of the Eucharist among the churches, which causes him much anxiety and consternation:

It must be lamented that, as a result of a misguided sense of creativity and adaptation [vis-à-vis liturgical reform] there have been a number of abuses which have been a source of suffering for many. A certain reaction against “formalism” has led some, especially in certain regions, to consider the “forms” chosen by the Church’s great liturgical tradition and her Magisterium as non-binding and to introduce unauthorised innovations which are often completely inappropriate. I consider it my duty, therefore to appeal urgently that the liturgical norms for the celebration of the Eucharist be observed with great fidelity. (52)

What we must observe, though, is the great lengths to which the pontiff travels in couching this teaching in ecumenical language and documentation, so as to give ecumenical credence to an old teaching. In other words, the kernel remains intact, albeit within a modified husk. The pope is to-thepoint in his intention: “It is my hope that the present Encyclical Letter will effectively help to banish the dark clouds of unacceptable doctrine and practice, so that the Eucharist will continue to shine forth in all its radiant mystery” (10).

In the third place, the encyclical’s ecumenical tone should not be overlooked or trivialised. In ecumenism, tone is everything!4 While it is true that the papal document restates Roman Catholic teaching on the Eucharist, and while it employs texts from such sources as the Council of Trent as well as the norms of Roman Catholicism’s two law codes – the Code of Canon Law and the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches – its tone is neither polemical nor manipulative. On the contrary, Ecclesia de

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Eucharistia reflects a warm and respectful tone in talking about the Eucharist and other ecclesial communities.

For example, while there are various Protestant reservations with the Roman Mass, the pope does not adopt a “shock-and-awe” approach by attempting to counter Protestant assertions with Roman Catholic forceful argumentation. He does not resist the Protestant resistors by resisting more forcefully. Instead, the pope chooses to overemphasise the glorious nature of the Eucharist in Roman Catholicism. He talks with wonderment and enthusiasm about “this most holy Sacrament” (2), anticipating a rekindling of “this Eucharistic ‘amazement’” (6).

Rather than highlighting possible weaknesses or inconsistencies in the Protestant web of beliefs, he chooses to magnify the strengths and integrity of the Roman Catholic understanding. His approach is of a constructive, sober, and savoury nature. The encyclical will most likely shed light on the attractiveness of a rich meditation on the Eucharist as articulated by the pope, cultivating “in our hearts

a constant desire for the sacrament of the Eucharist” (34) and forging a new experience thereof (7).

Moreover, the specific vocabulary and language employed in the encyclical to refer to the non-
Roman Catholic faith communities are telling. The pope uses such phrases as “these separated brethren” (30), thus continuing the ecumenical ethos of Vatican II. Furthermore, when the letter affirms the Decree on Ecumenism as “a special gift of God” (43), it highlights the special status of the Christian community as children who are in direct and authentic relationship with one another, albeit in different ways and degrees: “It was an efficacious grace which inspired us, the sons and daughters of the

Catholic Church and our brothers and sisters from other Churches and Ecclesial Communities, to set

forth on the path of ecumenism” (43, italics mine). Later again, the pope refers to the ecumenical community in this warm and accepting tone – “our brothers and sisters of different Christian confessions” (46; cf. 61, 62).

In the fourth place, the encyclical takes seriously the specific misunderstandings or misconceptions still fuelled in the hearts and minds of other faith communities of Christ. It does not only provide a rich articulation of its own theology, but proceeds to actually give attention to specific problems about the eucharist as held by other churches. One case in point concerns the Protestant allegation that the Roman Mass entertains a re-crucifixion of Jesus Christ, as opposed to a mere memorial of his passion. In reference to this matter, the pope argues for the sacrificial dimension of this sacrament:

The Church constantly draws her life from the redeeming sacrifice [of Christ]; she approaches it not only through faith-filled remembrance, but also through a real contact, since this sacrifice is made present ever anew, sacramentally perpetuated, in every community which offers it at the hands of the consecrated minister (12).

In other words, the encyclical affirms the Eucharist as a memorial, though not as a mere memorial. It is a much richer and more complex mystery of Christian faith. The pontiff states most poignantly:

The Mass makes present the sacrifice of the Cross; it does not add to that sacrifice nor does it multiply it. [By no means!] What is repeated is its memorial celebration, its “commemorative representation” (memorialis demonstratio), which makes Christ’s one, definitive redemptive sacrifice always present in time. The sacrificial nature of the Eucharistic mystery cannot therefore be understood as something separate, independent of the Cross or only indirectly referring to the sacrifice of Calvary (12).

So, the remembrance in the Eucharist is bound up with the sacrifice of Christ, which “is made present ever anew” (12) in the Eucharistic celebration. It means that it is not a repeatable act or event.

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Citing The Catechism of the Catholic Church, the pope asserts: “The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice” (12). Moreover, employing Saint John Chrysostom, “We always offer the same Lamb, not one today and another tomorrow, but always the same one. For this reason the sacrifice is always one Even now we offer that victim who was once offered and who will never be consumed” (12). Protestant perceptions of the Eucharist as re-crucifying Christ should now be put to rest.

In the fifth place, the encyclical provides several points of entry for a greater appreciation and reception of the centrality of the Eucharist in the Protestant tradition. The pope asserts right at the outset that “[the] Church draws her [very] life from the Eucharist” (1), and that the Eucharist fulfilled a decisive role in the Church’s birth and upbringing (5), but a not insignificant number of contemporary Protestant churches would question the Roman Catholic assumption of this pivotal place of the Eucharist in faith, life, and ministry. Many other churches frankly consider the Eucharist in a more marginal sense. Some, like the Salvation Army churches, do not even celebrate the Eucharist within their ecclesial tradition.

The pope in Ecclesia de Eucharistia, overwhelmed by the glorious mystery and power of the
Eucharist, seeks to share his wonderment of the Eucharist’s primary role in the Christian experience. The way in which he attempts this is of important ecumenical meaning. In one way he challenges his “separated brethren” to enlarge their understanding of the presence of Christ in the Church and world. “To contemplate Christ,” he contends, “involves being able to recognise him wherever he manifests himself, in his many forms of presence, but above all in the living sacrament of his body and his blood” (6). Protestants will certainly take issue with the doctrine of transubstantiation (cf. 15), coupled with the notion that Christ is present par excellence in the Eucharist (cf. 11), yet we must not remain unaffected by the essential factor in John Paul II’s statement – the omnipresence of God in Christ, which inevitably includes the sacraments.

This intimate companionship of Christ with us through, inter alia, the sacraments, may deeply console and empower us in a troubled and uncertain world as we confront and endure the harsh realities of human life. “It is in this world,” contends John Paul II, “that Christian hope must shine forth! For this reason too, the Lord wished to remain with us in the Eucharist, making his presence in meal and sacrifice the promise of a humanity renewed by his love” (20). Perhaps this affirmation could assist us ecumenically in a more creative and fresh way in wrestling with an old problem within a more promising framework.

I suggest, furthermore, that the pope unpacks the role of the Eucharist in Christian experience in another way: by relating the wonder and power of the Eucharist (i.e. what is of primary importance in Roman Catholicism) to those aspects most dear and primary in other churches. After all, he desires “the need to urge everyone to experience it ever anew” (7). For example, in Pentecostal Christianity a key emphasis rests with spiritual encounter and character in faith, life, and ministry. Therefore, a new appreciation and reception of the Eucharist in the Pentecostal tradition could occur as they come to terms with the pope’s assumption “that all who take part in the Eucharist be committed to changing their lives and making them in a certain way completely ‘Eucharistic’” (20). Ironically, Mary as role model of this “Eucharistic” lifestyle or character may meaningfully articulate something of the intimate connection between the Eucharist and its impact on human character (cf. 53-57).

For the Evangelical movement, with its emphasis on the saving Gospel of Christ, truth, and mission, the encyclical is equally relevant and resourceful. Proceeding from a knowledge of “Christ’s saving presence in the community” (9), it states: “From the perpetuation of the sacrifice of the Cross and her communion with the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist, the Church draws the spiritual power needed to carry out her mission” (22). Evangelical Protestants may question the high profile of the Eucharist for the Church, but how much more digestible does this logic not become when we read

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the following: “The Eucharistappears as both the source and the summit of all evangelisation, since its goal is the communion of mankind with Christ and in him with the Father and the Holy Spirit” (22). Evangelicals can also appreciate the pope’s desire to give the laity – the entire people of God – their rightful place in the Church, which the pope applies in this encyclical to the opportunity to reflect together on the meaning of the Eucharist for the whole of life (cf. 30, 42).

The Lutheran and Reformed traditions, too, may find a word in season for finding meaning in the Eucharist as applied to what is primary in their respective traditions, even if it begins with a mutual – as well as a fresh – consideration of the Reformation maxim of “faith alone”. In this regard, the pope underlines the value and necessity of faith in the Church and in relation to the Eucharist. For one thing, he wants to strengthen the faith of the Church (59). At another level, he relates the experience and calling of faith to the humanly inexplicable interpretation of the transformation of the elements: “A great and transcendent mystery, indeed, and one that taxes our mind’s ability to pass beyond appearances. Here our senses fail us; yet faith alone, rooted in the word of Christ handed down to us by the Apostles, is sufficient for us” (59). A new take, indeed, on the notion of “faith alone” for the Protestant communities on the issue of the Eucharist!

For Methodists, they may take courage in the encyclical’s discussion of social holiness and societal integrity in faith and life. We should appreciate the manner in which the pope emphasises the outward, social thrust of the Eucharist. It is no private matter. In fact,

it spurs us on our journey through history and plants a seed of living hope in our daily commitment to the work before us. Certainly the Christian vision leads to the expectation of “new heavens” and a “new earth” (Rev 21:1), but this increases, rather than lessens, our sense of responsibility for the world today. I wish to reaffirm this forcefully at the beginning of the new millennium, so that Christians will feel more obliged than ever not to neglect their duties as citizens in this world. Theirs is the task of contributing with the light of the Gospel to the building of a more human world, a world fully in harmony with God’s plan (20).

Finally, in the sixth place, the encyclical confronts the notion and possibility of intercommunion or Eucharistic hospitality (or sharing), and these remarks (34-46) have generated a vast array of reactions from the ecumenical community. The pope has stated categorically that the Eucharistic celebration “cannot be the starting-point for communion; it presupposes that communion already exists, a communion which it seeks to consolidate and bring to perfection” (35). Continuing,

This sacrament is an expression of this bond of communion both in its invisible dimension, which, in Christ and through the working of the Holy Spirit, unites us to the Father and among ourselves, and in its visible dimension, which entails communion in the teaching of the Apostles, in the sacraments and in the Church’s hierarchical order (35).

“Only in this context,” the biting words emerge, “can there be a legitimate celebration of the Eucharist and true participation in it. Consequently it is an intrinsic requirement of the Eucharist that it should be celebrated in communion, and specifically maintaining the various bonds of that communion intact” (35). These bonds of communion – “the profession of faith, the sacraments and ecclesiastical governance” (44; cf. 38) – are primary beliefs in Roman Catholicism, are non-negotiable foundations for communion, but are lacking (in fullness) in the differing Protestant traditions. As such, it poses a significant ecumenical dilemma on the matter of intercommunion from the Roman Catholic vantage point.

Initial reactions5 to Ecclesia de Eucharistia by different Protestant and Anglican leaders and representatives in the wake of its release revolve primarily around this aspect, which thus provides a seemingly doubtful or cynical picture of the encyclical’s ecumenical contribution. On April 23, the

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Ecumenical News International agency in Rome and Geneva informed the ecumenical churches of the obvious: “Pope John Paul II’s firm message at Easter restating Roman Catholic teaching that rules out inter-communion with other churches has evoked responses from leaders in other denominations ranging from resigned acceptance to disappointment.”6

On the release date of the papal letter, the Office of Communications for the U.S. Catholic
Bishops lauded the encyclical for its “rich meditation on the Eucharist,” but was also cognisant of its ecumenical ramifications in the light of the pope’s statements on intercommunion:

Because the sacrament both presupposes and creates unity, the Pope acknowledges the painful but inevitable reality that there can be no Eucharistic sharing between the Catholic Church and those communities without the same Eucharistic theology or without a valid priesthood which is necessary for the Eucharist to be celebrated.7

The premier Roman Catholic newspaper in South Africa, The Southern Cross, was more to the point in stinging frankness: “The most Marian of popes is arguably also the most ecumenical. Ecclesia de Eucharistia, however, will not open new doors in ecumenical relations (arguably not its function in first place).”8 Bishop Christopher Epting, the Episcopal Church’s deputy for ecumenical and interfaith relations retorted: “I must say I fail to see how Ecclesia de Eucharistia takes notice of the enormous progress made by the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) or our AnglicanRoman Catholic dialogue here in the United States (ARC-USA). That is particularly disappointing, given all the years of work by these bodies since the Second Vatican Council.”9

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  • Saint John Paul II

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    CELEBRATING THE CENTENARY OF THE BIRTH OF Saint John Paul II Pope John Paul II gestures to the crowd during World Youth Day in Denver in 1993. (CNS photo) Produced by Office of Communications May 2020 On April 2, 2020 we commemorated the 15th Anniversary of St. John Paul II’s death and on May 18, 2020, we celebrate the Centenary of his birth. Many of us have special personal We remember his social justice memories of the impact of St. John encyclicals Laborem exercens (1981), Paul II’s ecclesial missionary mysticism Sollicitudo rei socialis (1987) and which was forged in the constant Centesimus annus (1991) that explored crises he faced throughout his life. the rich history and contemporary He planted the Cross of Jesus Christ relevance of Catholic social justice at the heart of every personal and teaching. world crisis he faced. During these We remember his emphasis on the days of COVID-19, we call on his relationship between objective truth powerful intercession. and history. He saw first hand in Nazism We vividly recall his visits to Poland, and Stalinism the bitter and tragic BISHOP visits during which millions of Poles JOHN O. BARRES consequences in history of warped joined in chants of “we want God,” is the fifth bishop of the culture of death philosophies. visits that set in motion the 1989 Catholic Diocese of Rockville In contrast, he asked us to be collapse of the Berlin Wall and a Centre. Follow him on witnesses to the Splendor of Truth, fundamental change in the world. Twitter, @BishopBarres a Truth that, if followed and lived We remember too, his canonization courageously, could lead the world of Saint Faustina, the spreading of global devotion to bright new horizons of charity, holiness and to the Divine Mercy and the establishment of mission.
  • Ecclesia De Eucharistia: Encyclical Letter Free Ebook

    Ecclesia De Eucharistia: Encyclical Letter Free Ebook

    ON THE EUCHARIST: ECCLESIA DE EUCHARISTIA: ENCYCLICAL LETTER DOWNLOAD FREE BOOK John Paul II | 68 pages | 01 Jun 2003 | USCCB | 9781574555592 | English | Washington, DC, United States Reflections on Ecclesia de Eucharistia - 1 Their content was later to converge in the documents of the Second Vatican Council, especially Lumen Gentium and Sacrosanctum Concilium. If, in the presence of this mystery, reason experiences its limits, the heart, enlightened by the grace of the Holy Spirit, clearly sees the response that is demanded, and bows low in adoration and unbounded love. Here is the Church's treasure, the heart of the world, the pledge of the fulfilment for which each man and woman, even unconsciously, yearns. So it was his Passover meal. The introduction opens with the words "The Church draws her life from the Eucharist. The same Decree, in No. In Communion, Christ offers himself as nourishment, which "spurs us on our journey through history and plants a seed of living hope in our daily commitment to the work before us". The worship of the Eucharist outside of the Mass is of inestimable value for the life of the Church. All these things express Christ's wish that his last supper would be enlivened by sincere love, by an intimate union of hearts. In this Encyclical, he takes On the Eucharist: Ecclesia de Eucharistia: Encyclical Letter the thread of that discourse to clarify certain points and dispel certain doubts that have arisen here and there concerning the Eucharistic Mystery. This practice, repeatedly praised and recommended by the Magisterium, 49 is supported by the example of many saints.
  • The Ecumenical Legacy of Saint John Paul II: a Providential Vision of Christian Division, a Prophetic Vision of Christian Unity

    The Ecumenical Legacy of Saint John Paul II: a Providential Vision of Christian Division, a Prophetic Vision of Christian Unity

    The Ecumenical Legacy of Saint John Paul II: A Providential Vision of Christian Division, a Prophetic Vision of Christian Unity Hyacinthe Destivelle, O.P. Talk for the 2020 Father Val Ambrose McInnes Chair ​ Angelicum Donor Homecoming Twenty–five years ago, on 25 May 1995, on the Feast of the Ascension, Saint John Paul II published his milestone encyclical Ut unum sint on the ecumenical commitment. Thirty years ​ ​ after the end of the Second Vatican Council, he reiterated that the Catholic Church is committed “irrevocably” to following the path of the ecumenical venture (UUS 3) and ​ “embraces with hope the commitment to ecumenism as a duty of the Christian conscience enlightened by faith and guided by love” (UUS 8). ​ ​ The jubilee of the encyclical, which coincides with the centenary of the birth of John Paul II, is an opportunity to enquire into the contribution to ecumenism of the first Slavic 1 pope. Readily recalling that he came from a country with a deep ecumenical tradition, John Paul II liked to repeat that the restoration of Christian unity was “one of the first and major 2 tasks of [his] pontificate”. Not only did John Paul II write the first papal encyclical on ecumenism, in which for the first time a pope invited pastors and theologians of the various churches to seek the forms in which his ministry of unity “may accomplish a service of love recognized by all concerned” (UUS 95), but he accomplished many prophetic gestures: for example, he was the first pope to ​ preach at the Lutheran church in Rome (1983) and to visit countries of Orthodox tradition (Romania and Georgia in 1999, Greece and Ukraine in 2001, Bulgaria in 2002).
  • Bibliography on the Mass

    Bibliography on the Mass

    Bibliography on The Mass Magisterial Documents: Catechism of the Catholic Church, #s 1322-1419. United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, esp. Chapter 17 on the Eucharist Sacred Scripture Documents of Vatican II: The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (Sacrosanctum Concilium). Specifically #s 1-11, 47-58. Instruction on the Worship of the Eucharistic Mystery (Eucharisticum Mysterium). Writings of Venerable John Paul II: John Paul II: Apostolic Letter Dies Domini, (1998). John Paul II. Apostolic Letter Dominicae Cenae , (1980). John Paul II: Encyclical Letter Ecclesia de Eucharistia, (2003). John Paul II: Apostolic Letter Mane Nobiscum Domine (2004). Writings of Pope Benedict XVI: Joseph Ratzinger. Feast of Faith: Approaches to a Theology of the Liturgy (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1986). Joseph Ratzinger. God is Near Us: The Eucharist, the Heart of Faith (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2003). Joseph Ratzinger. Pilgrim Fellowship of Faith: The Church as Communion (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2005). Joseph Ratzinger: The Spirit of the Liturgy (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2000). Pope Benedict XVI. Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis, (2007). Additional Works of Interest: Fr. Walter Burghardt’s homily, “No Love, No Eucharist.” Cardinal John O’Connor, “Homily on the Eucharist from Palm Sunday Mass, 1998.” Books: Raniero Cantalamessa. The Eucharist: Our Sanctification (Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 1995). Jeremy Driscoll. Theology at the Eucharistic Table: Master Themes in the Eucharistic Tradition (Leominster: Gracewing, 2003). Michael Gaudoin-Parker. The Real Presence through the Ages (New York: Alba House, 1993). Thomas Howard. Evangelical is Not Enough: Worship of God in Liturgy and Sacrament (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1984). Raymond Moloney. Our Splendid Eucharist: Reflections on Mass and Sacrament (Dublin: Veritas, 2003).
  • Ecclesia De Eucharistia – on the Criteria for Intercommunion

    Ecclesia De Eucharistia – on the Criteria for Intercommunion

    Le Bruyns, C University of Stellenbosch Ecclesia de Eucharistia – on the criteria for intercommunion ABSTRACT In contemporary ecumenism, papal encyclicals are read and assessed as ecumenical theological statements on matters of grave importance. Ecclesia de Eucharistia, released in April 2003, is penned by John Paul II and concerns itself with the Eucharist and its relationship to the Church. Since the day it was released, various initial reactions from different Christian churches have begun pouring in. Virtually all of these statements highlight what the respective denominations identify as the most critical as well as lamentable section: the pope’s remarks on the longstanding ecumenical discourse on Eucharistic hospitality (or sharing). This article focuses on Ecclesia de Eucharistia for an ecumenical critique of the relevant statements around intercommunion as well as its impact on future ecumenical relations. 1. INTRODUCTION During the afternoon celebration of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Maundy (or Holy) Thursday in Rome, April 17, 2003, the current pope signed his latest encyclical letter Ecclesia de Eucharistia (On the Eucharist in its relationship to the Church). This internal papal document is addressed to “the Bishops, Priests and Deacons, Men and Women in the Consecrated Life and All the Lay Faithful on the Eucharist and Its Relationship to the Church” and has been published to this point in English, German, Italian, Latin, Spanish, French and Portuguese. It is clearly a warm but firm theological statement on the meaning and role of the Eucharist, comprising an introduction (§ 1- 1 10), six chapters (§ 11-58), and a conclusion (§ 59-62).