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Introduction
A strong desire to see the unity of all God's people is a
concern of many Christians today. The Second Vatican Council
clearly committed the Catholic Church to the ecumenical movement,
and the Council invited all Catholics to cultivate a positive
ecumenical attitude.
Catholics are encouraged to take every opportunity to pray
with Christians whose Churches, like our own, are members
of Queensland Churches Together. Pastors are called to do
all that they can to make such opportunities available to
their parishioners. Not only is it highly desirable that Catholics
participate in ecumenical services, they are encouraged from
time to time to attend services of other Churches to show
friendship and interest, and in order to understand how other
Christians express themselves in worship. Other Christians
should be made welcome at Catholic Masses.
Many Catholics have a desire to share holy communion with
other Christians. They recognise that incorporation into Christ
through baptism should find expression at a shared eucharistic
table. Though the exact nature of the unity desired for all
Christians is still unclear, it is generally agreed that it
must ultimately involve the ability of Christians to celebrate
the eucharist together.
Centrality of the Eucharist
Ours is essentially a eucharistic church. Catholic identity
can be seen most clearly when the parish gathers for the celebration
of the eucharist. It is then that we show to one another,
to other Christians, and to society in general that Catholics
are united in faith and worship and life. Without the eucharist
and the other sacraments, we could not maintain our Catholic
identity. For Catholics eucharistic sharing is inseparably
linked to, and is the visible expression of, full church membership.
The members of the local community are not only united to
one another in the eucharist, they are also united to every
other Catholic eucharistic community. It is made clear in
the words of every Mass that the local community, through
its bishop, is united to the pope who is the centre of Catholic
unity, and through the pope to every other Catholic eucharistic
community.
Unity in Faith
Sadly, Christians do not always agree as to what constitutes
the Christian faith. There are some elements of the faith
which Catholics consider to be essential but other Christians
do not. Some examples are the necessity of the divinely appointed
leadership of the papacy, the role of the Virgin Mary in the
life of the church, and the manner in which Christ is present
in the eucharist. Official dialogue between the Catholic Church
and other Churches is clarifying what we each believe about
these and other matters, but agreement about all the essentials
of faith has not yet been reached.
Because the eucharistic celebration is by its very nature
a profession of faith of the church, it is impossible for
the Catholic Church presently to engage in general eucharistic
sharing. The Catholic Church does not permit her members to
receive holy communion in Anglican, Lutheran and Protestant
Churches, and she offers eucharistic hospitality to Christians
from these Churches only in situations of serious and pressing
spiritual need.
Between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches there
is a very close relationship in matters of faith. When necessity
requires, or a genuine spiritual need exists, it is lawful
for a Catholic to receive communion in an Orthodox Church.
Some Orthodox Churches, however, restrict holy communion to
their own members. Although Catholic priests may lawfully
administer holy communion to members of Orthodox Churches,
in Australia these Churches generally prefer that their members
do not receive holy communion at Catholic Masses.
Eucharistic Hospitality
There are significant events in the lives of individual Christians
and their families when requests to receive holy communion
at a Catholic Mass will be made. If we consider the high frequency
of marriage between Catholics and other Christians in Australia,
the extensive sacramental preparation programs for children
which require the participation of parents, many of whom are
not Catholic, and the increasingly favourable ecumenical climate
in our Archdiocese, it is very likely that such requests will
be forthcoming on a variety of occasions. This will be more
so once our Church's openness to responding to the spiritual
need of other Christians is better known. The following are
some examples of possible spiritual need: for the partner
at a marriage celebrated with a nuptial Mass; for the parent
of a child baptised at a Catholic Mass; for the parent of
a child receiving confirmation and first holy communion; for
the family of the deceased at a funeral Mass. Similarly, requests
may come from Christians who are denied easy access to a minister
of their own Church because they are confined to a health
care facility, or are subject to some form of institutional
confinement.
There should not be a general invitation from the presiding
priest for Christians from other churches to receive holy
communion at a Catholic Mass. Each case must be considered
on its merit. The person must make a request without any kind
of pressure, must manifest the Catholic belief in the eucharist,
and must have appropriate dispositions. In the Archdiocese
of Brisbane it is sufficient for the presiding priest to establish,
by means of a few simple questions, whether or not these conditions
are met.
When a Christian from another Church makes frequent requests
to receive holy communion, different circumstances prevail.
In such cases joint pastoral care by the clergy of both Churches
should be offered to help the person understand the significance
of such requests.
Interchurch Marriages
The Directory on Ecumenism states that eucharistic sharing
for a spouse in a mixed marriage can only be exceptional.
The Directory, however, recognises a category of mixed marriages
where each partner lives devotedly within the tradition of
his and her Church. It sees such couples making a significant
contribution to the ecumenical movement. A spouse in such
a marriage, now commonly called an interchurch marriage, could
well experience a serious spiritual need to receive holy communion
each time he or she accompanies the family to a Catholic Mass.
Requests for this kind of eucharistic hospitality should be
referred by the parish priest to the Archbishop or one of
the auxiliary bishops.
Other Sacraments
Similar principles to the above would apply to the sacraments
of penance and the anointing of the sick.
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