Ecumeny and Law Vol. 6 Remaining United in Diversity Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego · Katowice 2018 Editor-in-chief Andrzej Pastwa Deputy editor-in-chief Józef Budniak Secretaries Kinga Karsten, Marek Rembierz Head of ecumeny department Zdzisław Kijas Head of law department Piotr Kroczek Scientific board Head Cyril Vasil’ (archbishop, Roma) Members Leszek Adamowicz (Lublin), Andrzej Czaja (bishop, Opole), Pavol Dancák (Prešov), Nicolae V. Dură (Constanţa), Ginter Dzierżon (Warszawa), Tomasz Gałkowski (Warszawa), Zygfryd Glaeser (Opole), Wojciech Góralski (Warszawa), Stephan Haering (München), Wojciech Hanc (Warszawa), Marcin Hintz (bishop, Warszawa), Janusz Kowal (Roma), Adrian Loretan (Luzern), Damián Němec (Olomouc), Theodosie Petrescu (archbishop, Constanţa), Marek Petro (Prešov), Wilhelm Rees (Inns- bruck), Gerda Riedl (Augsburg), Peter Šturák (Prešov), Peter Szabó (Budapest), Jerzy Szymik (Kato- wice), Marek Jerzy Uglorz (Warszawa) Statistical editor Wojciech Świątkiewicz English language editor Michelle Adamowski French language editor Dorota Śliwa Italian language editor Agnieszka Gatti Table of contents Part One Ecumenical Theological Thought Jerzy Szymik Unity through Diversity. J. Ratzinger’s/Benedict XVI’s Ecumenical Theses and Questions 9 Michał Hucał The Theological Aspects of the Road to Christian Unity in Polish Lutheran- ism in the Light of Church Documents 21 Catalina Mititelu About the Ecumenical Directory of 1993. An Orthodox Perspective 45 Zygfryd Glaeser Dialogue as an Ecumenical Paradigm within the Context of Regulations of the Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms on Ecumenism (1993) 65 Przemysław Kantyka Communicatio in spiritualibus: Sharing Spiritual Activity and Resources with our Separated Brethren according to the Ecumenical Directory 83 Robert Samsel Constantine the Great — a Precursor of Ecumenism? 97 Józef Budniak Polish Ecumenism as a Movement towards Unity in Diversity 115 4 Table of contents Part Two Ecumenical Juridical Thought Wilhelm Rees Ecumenical Cooperation in the Field of Catechesis, Religious Education and Universities as Well as Communicatio in Sacris according to the Ecumeni- cal Directory 131 Ginter Dzierżon The Reception of the 1993 Ecumenical Directory in the Documents of Epis- copal Conferences Concerning Mixed Marriages 187 Stanislav Přibyl The Limits of Ecumenical Relationships 203 Andrzej Pastwa Sensus fidei fidelium. Legal and Ecumenical Reflection 225 Nicolae V. Dură The Celebration of the Holy Easter on the same Date – an Eloquent Testi- mony of Our Unity in Diversity 249 Tomasz Gałkowski Christian Conscience as a Sign of Unity in the Ecumenical Dialogue 269 Piotr Majer Sponsors for Baptism, Confirmation and Witnesses for Marriage. Ecumeni- cal Perspective 283 Damián Němec Ecumenical Aspects of Financing of Churches and Religious Communities in the Czech Republic 305 Monika Menke Ecumenical Aspects of Health Care Chaplaincy in the Czech Republic 321 Part Three Reviews Lublin — miasto zgody religijnej. Ekumenizm w historii, teologii, kulturze (Lublin — the City of Religious Concord. Ecumenism in History, Theo- logy, Culture), eds. Sławomir Pawłowski, Sławomir Jacek Żurek. Lublin: Towarzystwo Naukowe KUL, 2017, pp. 407 — Józef Budniak 345 Ewangelickie Prawo Kościelne 1918—2018. Zbiór tekstów prawnych kościołów ewangelickich w Polsce (Evangelical Canon Law 1918—2018. Collection of Legal Texts of the Evangelical Churches in Poland), eds. Marcin Hintz, Michał Hucał. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe ChAT, 2018 — Józef Budniak 349 Table of contents 5 Conclusion of Marriage by Proxy in the Internal Law of Churches and Other Religious Associations, eds. L. Świto, M. Tomkiewicz. Studi Giuridici vol. CXXIII. Città del Vaticano: LEV, 2018, pp. 211 — Damián Němec 351 Jan Hus: Życie i dzieło. W 600 rocznicę śmierci (Jan Hus — Life and Leg- acy. On the 600th Anniversary of His Death), eds. Anna Paner, Marcin Hintz. Gdańsk: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Gdańskiego, 2016, pp. 199 — Michał Hucał 355 Wspólnota Kościołów Ewangelickich w Europie. Wybór dokumentów (The Community of Protestant Churches in Europe. Selection of documents), ed. Karol Karski. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Warto, 2018, pp. 496 — Michał Hucał 359 Monika Miczka-Pajestka: Opowiadanie rzeczywistości. Konwergencja i jej przejawy a możliwości ponowoczesnego „bycia” w świecie (Narrating Re- ality. Convergence and Its Manifestations and Possibilities of Postmodern “Being” in the World). Toruń: Wydawnictwo Adam Marszałek, 2018, pp. 251 — Marek Rembierz 361 Notes on Contributors 365 Part One Ecumenical Theological Thought Ecumeny and Law, vol. 6 (2018), pp. 9—20 ISSN 2391-4327 Jerzy Szymik University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland Unity through Diversity Ecumenical Theses and Questions of Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI Abstract: Christian unity is desired by Christ Himself and, consequently, it is also a continuous imperative of Christian conscience and particular care on part of each pope. The starting point of J. Ratzinger/Benedict XVI’s thought and teaching is clear distinc- tion between seeking unity through human strategy and the way to unity ultimately accepted as the gift of God Himself. Consequently, it paves the way for thinking about Christian schism in the context of “Divine retribution,” that is, the situation where God still acts and attracts to Himself. Such a perspective protects against vanity and ambition to organise the world as if according to “God’s way,” but — in practice — without God. Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI copes with ecumenically tempting notions-proposals (e.g., pluralism) that lead to an apprehensive forgetting of one’s own identity. His lode- stars are: Christ — the Truth — longing — patience — suffering — good — conversion. Keywords: ecumenism, unity, communio, dialogue, Christocentrism, truth, logoi sperma- tikoi, praeparatio evangelica, modernity “At the beginning of his ministry in the Church of Rome which Peter bathed in his blood, Peter’s current Successor takes on as his primary task the duty to work tirelessly to rebuild the full and visible unity of all Christ’s followers” — we read already in the “First Message” from 20 April 2005 delivered to the college of cardinals in the Sistine Chapel addressed not only to “venerable brother cardinals,” but also to “dear brothers and sisters in Christ” and “all men and women of good will.”1 1 P. Hünermann, Th. Söding: Introduction. In: J. Ratzinger: Słowo Boga. Pismo — Tradycja — Urząd. Trans. W. Szymona. Kraków 2008 [hereafter: SBPTU], p. 13. 10 Jerzy Szymik Ecumenism is a dimension of Christian and ecclesiastic communio which Peter is obliged to serve, so to speak, ex definitione, ex officio and at any price: offering his own blood and any possible effort. The service to the unity is understood by Benedict XVI broadly, which has been proven by his practical moves during his almost eight years of pontificate. Not only does it encompass “rebuilding […] the unity of all Christ’s followers” (which is ecumenism in the strict sense, inter-Christian ecumenism; it is this ecumenism which, in the strict sense, is “the primary task” of the Holy Father),2 but it does it in a broader sense — inter-religious dialogue, and in the broadest sense — an attitude that unites everybody and every- thing, the entire reality around the Truth, in line with the conciliar under- standing of sacramentality of the Church, the irreducible component of which is, according to Lumen gentium, being “the sign and the tool of the entire mankind.”3 Ecumenism is for J. Ratzinger/Benedict XVI both an important and fascinating issue. I firmly believe that this is the key issue for understand- ing the essence of what is really new, fresh and creative in his message with respect to modern and post-modern thought (in the classical sense of the term). Creative novelty of theological works of J. Ratzinger/Bene- dict XVI is outstanding, when juxtaposed with what in “modern” and “post-modern” theories (the notions no longer correspond directly to the already obsolete content) is passé in the face of the dynamically changing spiritual position of our world and time... Nothing ages quicker than com- pulsive and egotistical attempts to find novelty that enslaves everything, including the truth (which can be clearly seen in post-modern attempts to preserve the youth — it makes one laugh, embarrassed, sad...). The ecu- menical dimension of Logos-oriented, sense-giving Christology and com- munal ecclesiology of J. Ratzinger/Benedict XVI shows clearly freshness and originality of this thought. Partly because his movements in the area of ecumenical dialogue have been perceived for many years by some commentators as controversial to say the least major documents of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith signed by the Prefect, such as Letter to the bishops of the Catholic Church on some aspects of the Church understood as communio “Commun- ionis notio” from 28 may 1992 and Declaration “Dominus Iesus” on the unity and salvific universality of Jesus Christ and the Church from 6 August 2000 were seen by many, as Ratzinger himself admits, as “ecumenical train derailment.”4 Such opinions (most of them concerned his position 2 SBPTU, p. 13. 3 Sobór Watykański II: Konstytucja dogmatyczna o Kościele ‘Lumen gentium’, No. 1. 4 T. Rowland: Wiara Ratzingera. Teologia Benedykta XVI. Trans. A. Gomola. Kraków 2010, p. 163. Unity through Diversity. Ecumenical Theses and Questions… 11 of the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith) were at best misdirected (I presume that most