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We should grant each other that every denomination is trying honestly to seek the will of Christ and not have their position determined by obstinacy and group interest. The Catholic Church, too, wants the Church to be realized in the way Christ desires. For this reason, she firmly guards for all humanity what was instituted by Christ, as she sees it.
The Catholic Church also knows very well that she never fully lives up to the will of Christ. Therefore, the way to unity must start with her own renewal. The particular purpose of the last Council was to prepare the reunion by internally renewing and reforming the Catholic Church. Catholics are advised by the Council to avoid everything that could hurt other Christians by word or action. They are encouraged to work together with separated Christians, to open a dialogue in order to better know and understand them, and recognize with joy the true Christian values of a common heritage.
All Christians have the duty to seek the unity of the Church and overcome the split in it. Nothing that brings us closer to this goal must be left undone.
The movement for bringing Christian denominations closer together is called "ecumenism" (from the Greek word oekumene, literally: the inhabited earth; in terms of the Church: the universal Church, destined for all of mankind.) Christians of all denominations are trying to eradicate their prejudices and to understand each other by social and charitable cooperation, common prayer and study of the Scriptures.
For several decades, Christians of all denominations have prayed for reunion. There is already close cooperation in many areas: common translation of biblical texts, common prayers and hymns, common worship and educational events, the right to common use of church property. The relationship between Christian communities has changed to a new style.
The desire to come to Eucharistic unity
For many, it is particularly painful that Christians are still separated at the Lord's Supper, Holy Communion. The Catholic Church, especially, is concerned about very central questions regarding the understanding of the Eucharist, the question of the office to perform and authority to execute the Eucharist. There are still dividing differences in this area.
For the Catholic Church, Holy Communion is the completion, the culmination of unity, and Eucharistic unity presupposes the existence of a community of churches as during the very first centuries of the Church. Eucharistic community would claim a unity which does not yet exist and could even block any further endeavors to come to a genuine union.
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Posted by aristorano on 2009-11-02 16:59:24 | Rating: | Views: 4
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