INTERCOMMUNION IS TOP ISSUE AT SYNOD

Oct. 10 (CWNews.com) - As the Synod of Bishops continued its discussion of the Eucharist, the question of sharing Communion with other Christians emerged as one of the most heavily discussed issues in the assembly.

After a week of discussion, 170 of the Synod fathers have made formal interventions during the daily general sessions, and more than 100 more statements have been made during the daily periods of free debate. The discussions continued through the weekend, pausing for an afternoon devoted to reflection on the history of the Synod, which was established 40 years ago.

In the 6-minute presentations that the Synod heard during general assemblies, many of the participants centered their remarks on the question of unity among Christians. While some bishops have argued that there should be some means of sharing the Eucharist with other Christian denominations, others vigorously argued that the Church must preserve the Communion as a sign of full acceptance of the faith.

The leader of one Eastern Catholic Church made the provocative point that insofar as the Eucharist is the ultimate source of unity within the Church, it might be seen as the principle for unity between the Catholic and Orthodox churches, which accept the validity of each other's sacraments.

Among the contributions to the Synod discussion from October 8 through 10 were:

* Bishop Amedee Grab of Chur, Switzerland, said Church leaders need to explain how and why the Eucharist has been entrusted to the Catholic Church. Regarding demands by other Christians to share in the Eucharist, he said: "It makes no sense not to belong to a Church community, and at the same time to want to receive the Eucharist." * Cardinal Georges Cottier, the theologian of the pontifical household, agreed that "Eucharistic communion is not a starting point." In charity to Protestants, the Church should explain that she cannot share the Eucharist with those who do not share the faith, he said. * Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, the Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, reminded the Synod that the Orthodox churches also celebrate the Eucharist. If the celebration of the Eucharist is the source of Church unity, he asked, what more is required for a restoration of unity with the Orthodox churches? Cardinal Husar made the suggestion that the next Synod of Bishops should focus on relations with the Eastern churches. * Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, prefect of the Congregation for Evangelization, noted that there are 5 billion people in the world today "who do not know Jesus." In justice to them, he said, the Church must ensure "that Eucharistic doctrine be offered to non-Christians in its integral truth, without submitting to the 'cultural fashions' ... in which the Eucharist loses its mystic dimension and becomes a variant of the cultural anthropology." * Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, emphasized the importance of proper formation for the priesthood in seminaries, noting that "how the Eucharist is celebrated, and how it is perceived by the faithful, mainly depends on priests." Seminary training, he said, must include a through attention to the "human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral" needs of the students. * Bishop Gervais Banshimiyubusa of Ngozi, Buruni, reflected that during a time of violent ethnic conflict in his country, the Eucharistic celebration "nourished people's hope in possible reconciliation," while also calling "everybody indiscriminately to a conversion of hearts and minds." * Archbishop Dominic Jala of Shillong, India, returned to the question of how non-Catholics can be introduced to the Eucharist. Noting that in India a large number of non-Catholics and non-Christians regularly attend Mass, he asked: "How wide can a Eucharistic community stretch itself?" He observed that acts of Eucharistic devotion, such a processions, "have a great influence in drawing people to the Church and in helping communities to be more missionary." * Archbishop Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, told the Synod that many Christians who seek employment in predominantly Muslim countries lose the opportunity to celebrate the Eucharist because "there is simply no religious freedom." He urged Church leaders to press Muslim government to respect the religious freedom of minority Christians. * Bishop Felix Lazaor Martinez of Ponce, Puerto Rico, suggested that a lack of understanding of the faith among Catholics is an important reason for defections to other Christian sects. Many Catholics, he said, a "attracted by the blinding light of pseudo-religious science because we were unable to illuminate them in time with good and appropriate catechesis." * Bishop Petru Gherghel of Iasi, Romania suggested that the Church in the West adopt the Eastern tradition of referring to the Eucharistic celebration as "the Holy and Divine Liturgy," rather than simply "the Mass," a term which he described as "not very precise." The more accurate term, he said, "would invite people, to meditation, wonder, silence, and adoration." * Archbishop Sean Brady of Armagh, Ireland, reported that the power of the Eucharistic liturgy has often eased anger and promoted reconciliation. He said: "It is gratifying to note how scriptural words like justice, peace, forgiveness have become the lingua franca of the peace process." * Bishop Severine Niewemugizi of Rulenge, Tanzania made a similar point, observing that "one cannot celebrate and receive the Eucharist while living in fear and violence." He stressed the need for reconciliation as preparation for the Eucharist. * Bishop Bosco Lin Chi-Nan of Tainan, Taiwan, said that the struggle for religious liberty in China threatens to divide the faithful. "We must pray together, because we are one body, one spirit," he said. He ended his intervention with a call for prayerful support of the Church in China-- a plea that drew warm applause from the Synod fathers, who were mindful of the four Chinese bishops invited to take part in their discussions, but prevented from traveling to Rome by the Beijing government.

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