ROME, JULY 18, 2007 (Zenit.org).- To understand the recent document on the nature of the Church by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, one must harmonize apparently contradictory concepts, says Bishop Brian Farrell.
The secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity said this in statements to ZENIT on the June 29 document "Responses to Some Questions Regarding Certain Aspects of the Doctrine on the Church."
Bishop Farrell, a Legionary of Christ, noted that the media presentation of the document has not been complete.
"As often happens, theological complexity gets lost in the way the story unfolds, especially in the media," he said. "There is not just one, but a number of affirmations in this document, and they must all be taken together.
"The document cannot be reduced to saying: 'The Catholic Church claims to be the one true Church.' It also says: 'It is possible, according to Catholic doctrine, to affirm correctly that the Church of Christ is present and operative in the churches and ecclesial communities not yet fully in communion with the Catholic Church.'"
Bishop Farrell affirmed that "it is necessary to hold various affirmations all together at once" in order to correctly understand the document.
Reciprocity
Bishop Farrell noted that the document caused initial negative reactions among non-Catholics.
However, he stated that "there is nothing new or surprising in this document" and said that he believes it "will be seen as inviting us all to be more theologically exact in our dialogues, and perhaps more creative in making our position better understood."
The 63-year-old prelate further asserted that a lack of communion implies disagreements regarding the understanding of certain concepts.
"Of course, no Christian body likes to hear that we Catholics think they are missing something that is essential in the concept of Church," he said. "Just as we do not like to hear our Orthodox friends say that they alone are the true continuation of the undivided Church of the first millennium.
"Likewise, at the center of the Reformation there is a radical critique of the Catholic Church as not having remained faithful to Christ and to the Scriptures.
"So it cannot come as a surprise to our Protestant partners that there are different ideas of 'Church' at work in our views of one another."
Communion
Bishop Farrell also commented on the authority of the See of Peter and on communion with the Supreme Pontiff.
"The major obstacle is not so much the universal ministry of the Bishop of Rome, but the way that this ministry has been defined and practiced in recent centuries in the Catholic Church," he said.
"But also here," Bishop Farrell continued, "'Responses' can be ecumenically useful. It reminds us that the authority of the successor of Peter is not something over, against, the particular Churches, but is rather one of the internal constitutive principles of every particular Church.
"'Responses' challenges the ecumenical discussion to clarify how this ministry belongs to the inner life of each particular Church, and how it serves to free the faith and life of the Churches from too strong an identification with prevailing cultural conditions or ethnic belonging."
Urgency
Bishop Farrell affirmed that ecumenical dialogue is an urgent task for Catholics and non-Catholics alike: "When 'Responses' reminds us that because of division between Christians, the Church’s universality is not fully realized in history, it is pointing to an unfinished task that cannot be neglected or delayed.
"Far from feeling any sense of self-sufficiency, Catholics must feel that the situation of incompleteness inherent in division and separation is a tragedy for them too. It makes it all the more difficult to offer a convincing witness, so that the world may believe."
ZE07071804 - 2007-07-18