The Problem of Inter-communion

Prof. Gary Devery, Sydney

The problem of Inter-communion goes to the very heart of the Church. The Church is the sacrament of salvation for humanity. Salvation involves the saving grace of Jesus Christ overcoming disunity and division that exist in every level of human relationships as a consequence of original sin. The mission of the Church is to be the sign and instrument of unity and communion for humanity. The Eucharist is both the source and the summit of unity and communion in the Church for its mission as sign and instrument. As John Paul II wrote in Ecclesia De Eucharistia n. 44, the very nature of the Eucharist is such that it “absolutely requires full communion in the bonds of the profession of faith, the sacraments and ecclesial governance.” To allow the practice of inter-communion when these three aspects of unity are not present is to reduce the Eucharist to a charade of unity and communion. It becomes injurious to the very thing that is desired and being worked towards in ecumenical endeavours. There can be no unity and communion where truth is not also present.

Another problem arises when special pastoral circumstances are confused with ecumenical activity. The Code of Canon Law (n. 44) provides for inter-communion for both Catholics and members of other ecclesial communities according to specific norms for individual persons. The circumstances are always pastoral “when necessity requires it or true spiritual advantage suggests it.” The intention of this canon is clearly and specifically pastoral and towards individual persons. Its intention is clearly not dealing with any ecumenical endeavour of an act towards unity between Churches or Ecclesial Communities.

This pastoral provision of Canon 44 raises a delicate problem that is mentioned in n. 28 of the Lineamenta of the XI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops where it states that “what remains to be considered carefully is the relationship between Eucharistic hospitality and proselytism.” This is very true in some of our Australian cities. The Catholic Church is the majority religion in Australia. Due to our particular history the Latin Rite Catholics have established a very vast Catholic School system. The majority of city parishes have a Catholic Primary School. The standard of these schools is valued by the wider society. Consequently, often the delicate question arises of inter-communion for the Orthodox children frequenting the schools. Without the Catholic Church desiring to proselytise in any form there is a tendency for the Orthodox children to want to participate fully in the liturgical life of their fellow Latin Rite Catholic classmates. This can cause unwanted tensions between the Churches. This often leaves the local Parish Priest in a very delicate situation of being unsure of to what extent to extend Eucharistic hospitality to the Orthodox children and their parents for their spiritual advantage. Also it happens that the Orthodox children who have done all their twelve years of schooling within the Latin Rite Catholic School system, once married, often go to the Latin Rite Church to ask to have their children baptised.