What more is required for unity?
The sessions of the Eleventh General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, presided by the Holy Father Benedict XVI, are continuing at the Vatican. The UGCC is represented at the sessions by His Beatitude Lubomyr (Husar), the Head of UGCC, and His Excellency Sophron (Mudriy), Bishop Emeritus of Ivano-Frankivsk.
According to information previously provided , d uring the time dedicated to open comments on October 10, His Beatitude made a speech in which he suggested that the next Synod be dedicated to the Oriental (Eastern) Churches . In addition, His Beatitude emphasized that this initiative will be important for the development of Catholic intra-ecclesial communion.
(There can be no doubt that the Eucharist is the source and summit of the life and the mission of the Church,¦ The Head of the UGCC stated. (But this is also true for Oriental Churches!¦ His Beatitude posed this question: (If the Liturgy is a regula fidei, if the Divine Liturgy celebrated by Oriental Churches in communion with the See of Rome and by the Orthodox or Apostolical Churches is identical for both, if there is mutual recognition of the Apostolic Succession of Bishops and, consequently, of priests that celebrate it, then my question is: what more is required for unity?¦
His Excellency Sofron (Mudriy), bishop emeritus of Ivano-Frankivs'k, another representative of the UGCC at the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, spoke about the need to reconsider Canon Law 702 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (CCEC), which forbids con-celebrating the Holy Eucharist with representatives of non-Catholic traditional Churches. In his address, Bishop Sophron said that his proposal comes out of existent practical needs in Ukraine . (On October 4, Bishop Sofron was appointed the vice president of the Commission responsible to publicize the work of the Synod.)
Press secretariat of the Head of UGCC
Reference
The speech of His Beatitude Lubomyr (Husar)
I believe, first of all, I must express my gratitude to the Secretary General and to the Preparatory Commission who took into account the observations made by the Oriental Churches both in the Lineamenta and in the Instrumentum Laboris.
I would like also to intervene on the Eucharistic practice (no. 22. 23. 24) in the Tradition of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, but, wanting to focus the present intervention on another problem, I will postpone this aspect to an in scriptis intervention.
The problem that I face as a Hierarch of a sui iuris Oriental Church
refers to numbers 85, 86 and 87 of the Instrumentum Laboris. I express
myself in interrogative terms. My preface is that there can be no doubt
whatsoever that the Eucharist is the source and summit of the life
and the mission of the Church. But this is also true for Oriental Churches!
- If the Liturgy is a regula fidei (lex orandi, lex credendi)
- if the Divine Liturgy celebrated by Oriental Churches in communion
with the See of Rome and by the Orthodox or Apostolical Churches is
identical for both,
-if there is mutual recognition of the Apostolic Succession of Bishops
and, consequently, of priests that celebrate it, then my question is:
what more is required for unity?
Is there maybe another fons or another culmen superior to the Eucharist?
And if not, why isn't con-celebration permitted?
A final proposal. In order to grow also in Catholic intraecclesial communion I would like to propose that the next Synod be dedicated to the Oriental Churches.
The speech of His Excellency Sofron Stefan Mudry:
The question which I am putting forward stems from a practical need. In the Ukraine, the ordinary situation of life with all its problems and with the challenges of post-communism is a common issue to us Greek Catholics and likewise to the Orthodox.
Canon law 702 of the Canon Code of the Eastern Churches expressly forbids con-celebrating the Divine Eucharist with non Catholic priests and vice versa. This canon law stems from the need of fullness of unity between the Churches. Although in agreement, I believe there is the need to review this canon law revaluing some fundamental points of the Eucharist and of ecumenism, by also specifying the term (non Catholic¦ used in the aforementioned canon.
One has to underline the intimate relationship between the Word and the Sacrament. The proclamation of the Good News is addressed to everybody. The Sacrament is reserved to who welcomed the proclamation and fulfils the incorporation. Hence, the Eucharist not only expresses the unity of the church, but produces it. As an element constituting unity, it cannot come afterwards; but must be welcomed as a key moment in order to make our ecumenical aspirations practical.
As an expression of visible unity of the Church, in an ontological sense, that is the fullness of the means of salvation, it is also a promise of the realization of the phenomenon of the visible unity. The Eucharist produces the full visible unity of the Church. Consequently, we make unity between us real by allowing non Catholic Orthodox to participate in communion.
Thus common participation in celebration of the Eucharist between Catholics and Orthodox and vice versa could be that light which enlightens us to achieve the breadth of our only Lord, Saviour and Shepherd: (Ut unum sint¦.
These requirements perhaps are not well present in the official relations
between our Churches, but are felt more and more in our daily pastoral
work.