Apparently there is still talk in the course of ecumenism. The biggest hurdle is the difference between the Lord’s Supper in the Protestant churches and the Eucharist in the Church of Rome. Apparently just a big spectacle until the right time came.
Deepen relationships
The ongoing ecumenism obviously needs to be accelerated. There are still hurdles to overcome between Protestants and Catholics and these must be removed quickly. During the Synod of the Evangelical Churches in Germany (EKD) taking place in Würzburg, both churches made a vow to deepen mutual relations (Source).
The remaining challenges must now be addressed, said the chairman of the German Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Georg Bätzing. We need to work towards stronger unity. The existing “tornness” between the Catholic and Protestant churches is most clearly visible in the still separate celebration of the Eucharist and the Lord’s Supper, said Bätzing. It will be crucial that diversity is not seen as a contradiction to unity, but as a “shape of unity”.
Eucharist is too central
The Catholic Eucharist is also clearly the pivotal point in ecumenism. This ritual is clearly the focus. History shows that the Roman Catholic Church will not deviate even a millimeter from its traditional constant re-sacrifice of Jesus Christ, followed by the consumption of his “incarnate flesh.” Rather, in the course of ecumenism, there is likely to be a struggle for a formulation that will also include the (formerly) Protestant churches in the fundamentally unchanged Eucharist.
The willingness of the (formerly) Protestant churches to accept the transubstantiation of the wafer into the “true flesh” of Jesus seems to be great anyway. The former EKD council chairman and former regional bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm said that he could no longer wait until the Catholic Church and the Evangelical Lutheran churches could celebrate the Eucharist together (Info).
One can assume that the Eucharist, i.e. the blasphemous, constantly repeated sacrifice of Jesus Christ, will one day be celebrated together (Eucharistie – Info). It is simply THE primary concern of the Roman Catholic Church to celebrate the constant death of Jesus Christ through the Eucharist. Ultimately, the Church of Rome bases its “mystical body” on the basis of Jesus Christ who died, but not the resurrection.
Final step smaller than expected
The step required to reach an agreement is less big than it seems. The Protestant churches, by their very nature, ceased to exist on October 31, 2017 at the latest (Info). Obviously this is not the right time yet. So a “struggle for the matter” still has to be pretended. The way things are going, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the big deal is reached as early as 2025, the Catholic Church’s “holy year.”.
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
John 8:44
Bible verses from King James Version (1611)
