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Written by The Presbyterian Outlook
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Sunday, 05 September 2010 17:23 |
STUTTGART— (ENI) The recently retired senior Vatican official responsible for ecumenical affairs has said his biggest regret during his tenure in Rome is that he did not achieve an agreement on a common communion with Protestants.
“Today, there is a lot of convergence. So, we got closer to each other but we could not achieve the final breakthrough. I regret it very much but you cannot push the issue,” said Cardinal Walter Kasper, who retired July 1 as president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
Soon after he became secretary of the Vatican's unity council in 2001, Kasper took part in the signing, on Reformation Day, of the “Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification” between the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation. This aimed to overcome condemnations, dating back to the 16th century, between the papacy and Martin Luther and his followers.
However, sharing in the Eucharist remains a point of contention. Catholic teaching prevents Protestants in most situations receiving communion from Catholic priests, and says Catholics should not receive communion in Protestant churches.
— Anli Serfontein
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