Communio Sanctorum
The Church as communion of saints
Von Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Thönissen, Paderborn
Almost a year after the signing of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification in Augsburg a new text, now within the framework of the Lutheran/Roman Catholic dialogue in Germany, has been published. The bilateral Lutheran/Roman Catholic Working Group has drawn up a second and not less important document after the report "Church Communion in Word and Sacrament" (1984). With the new document the Working Group has broken new ground in, e. g., following questions: the cooperation of different criteriological witnesses in the process of finding and proclaiming revealed truth, the role of a service to the unity of the universal church (Petrine ministry), the communion of saints beyond death. "The things presented in these fields reflect a certain state of the talk", one can read in the introduction. The Working Group did not want to exclude specific topics, as solutions allegedly did not seem to be possible, but intended instead to go on, where one had not been able to recognize a break-through beforehand.
Ecumenical experts already knew in October last year that the achieved consensus in the doctrine of justification is fundamental, yet not sufficient for full church communion. In order to reach such a unity in reconciled diversity further questions have to be answered, in which a consensus has not yet been reached. These questions are concerned with the relationship of the Word of God and ecclesial teaching, the doctrine of the church including the teaching ministry and the doctrine of the sacraments. The document now presented by the Bilateral Working Group of the German Bishops’ Conference and the Governing Body of the United Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Germany has exactly dealt with these questions.
The bilateral Working Group has explicitly followed the method of the "differentiated consensus". With the help of this principle of newer hermeneutics solutions have been sought for the mentioned problems. The result is therefore not a new document of consensus, but rather an indication of problems on a high academic level; it contains a manifold offer to possible solutions. "Communio Sanctorum" presents an almost complete ecclesiology in ecumenical perspective with the claim of being systematic, not unlike the Church Constitution "Lumen Gentium". This ecclesiology is approached by a framework concept of ecclesiology ecumenically accepted in the mean time which tries to combine various ecclesial images and notions from a communio/koinonia perspective of the New Testament and the Old Church: The communion of saints is primarily a communion established by the sacred, literally: by holy gifts, i. e. by Jesus Christ himself, as he is present in the proclamation of the Word and the sacraments. "Professing the communion of saints has proved itself to be an appropriate framework for treating the mentioned topics" (No. 7). At the same time the reached fundamental agreement in the doctrine of justification has been examined for its ecclesiological implications and consequences. The key function of the doctrine of justification is acknowledged and held. "According to the conviction of our churches the message of justification has got a central meaning to the teaching, life and order of the churches. A fundamental agreement in the doctrine of justification and sanctification has therefore got to have an effect on the understanding of the church as ‚communion of saints’ and on a corresponding communion between our churches" (No. 117). On this basis difficult questions such as the teaching ministry, the Petrine ministry, the veneration of saints and the Virgin Mary have been included into an ecumenically open ecclesiology. Does the consensus prove itself to be basic in detailed questions of ecclesiology? The document presents as a result: At least an agreement in core questions of the respective problems is possible. Conflicting views can be toned down, so that they are not church-dividing any longer. Is this result tenable?
The indication of problems allows for possible agreement in topics in which such agreement did not seem to be possible. This can be shown in the following case: A universal ecclesial service to the unity and truth of the church corresponds to the essence and task of the church; it is to be regarded as corresponding to the subject matter" (No. 195). This is a joint statement, which means to the Evangelical Lutheran side that there is not a fundamental objection to a church universal Petrine ministry as a pastoral service to the worldwide communion of churches (No. 194). Such a consensus means to the Catholic side that the ministry of church universal responsibility is a necessary service to the Gospel necessary for salvation. This ministry has been basically realized in the person and task of the bishop of Rome (No. 193). The teaching ministry infallible in certain circumstances is an instrument of God, which does not contradict the selfinterpreting power of the Holy Scripture (No. 68). It is obvious that the attempts to solve the problems imply certain offers to the other side, yet at the same time demands against one’s own side as well. However, does not that go too far? This is a question directed not only to theology but also to the life and practice of both churches, which in turn means: ecumenical attempts to agreements of this kind have become challenges to the respective ecclesiological self-understanding. Such ecumenical attempts appeal to the power of self-renewal in the respective churches; they demand for a new dealing with the own tradition. These insights will without doubt also provoke protest within one’s own ranks.
Finally a clear perspective reveals itself: The aim of attempting to reach the unity of Christianity is to reach full church communion between churches still divided. The way to it is growing in consensus. The necessary basis for that is an agreement in the understanding of the Gospel, an agreement on the Holy Scripture as a presupposed norm for the proclamation, faith and church. This is focused in the question of justification. The new document shows that the reached consensus in the doctrine of justification is not necessarily on shaky ground. It even becomes more obvious than before: Theology and practice of the church are being jointly challenged to give answers. Yet, it is essential to note that quick solutions, for example to the question of eucharistic sharing, are not coming into sight. Too many questions remain open to have that happen. Yet, an important question is how the result formulated in this document can be drawn into other ecumenical contexts, such as into the inner Protestant, the Roman Catholic/Orthodox and the Protestant/Anglican ones.