Magyar Egyház, 1967 (46. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1967-08-01 / 8-9. szám
8 MAGYAR EGYHÁZ Roman Catholic - Reformed Dialogue in America Due to lack of space in our last issue this is a belated report on the fifth plenary session of the National Roman Catholic-Presbyterian and Reformed Dialogue. However, since the next session will take place in the near future, the reader will be interested to know about the proceedings of the last one at this time. The fifth plenary session of the National Roman Catholic-Presbyterian and Reformed Dialogue was held at St. John’s Abbey, Collegeville, Minnesota on April 27, to 29, with 29 participants under the joint chairmanship of Dr. Robert V. Moss, Jr., and Msgr. Henry G. J. Beck. The Worship and Mission Section inaugurated a discussion of Mixed (Inter-Church) Marriages between Christians. It is proposed to continue the examination of this topic at the next meeting to be held in Lancaster, Pa. this coming October 26 to 28. At this stage of the discussion the following consensus was achieved: Christian Marriage was recognized as an enduring unitive experience involving a sacredness whereby a man and woman give of themselves in love as a symbol of the union between Christ and the Church. The problem presenting itself to the committee was to define the role of the Christian Communities in aiding two Christians of diverse religious traditions to achieve a marriage which would be meaningful and permanent. The importance of continuing pastoral counseling both before and after the contracting of the marriage on the part of the churches of both parties was accepted as vital in such situations. An emphasis upon a common dedication to Christ should help the spouses to discover spiritual depth in their union and should make a positive contribution through this marriage to Christian unity. It was agred that Mixed Marriages should not be generally encouraged by the churches, but given the frequency of contact between Protestants and Catholics, they cannot be realistically forbidden and may often carry elements of great value. Dissatisfaction with the role allotted in the papal directive of March 1966 to Protestant clergv collaborating with Catholic priests in the solemnizing of mixed Christian marriages was expressed. The committee agreed that the recognition on the part o'f the Second Vatican Council that Protestant Churches are churches must lead to a true equality of both clergies in ceremonies wherein Catholic and Protestant wed. The committee was in agreement that the religious education of the children of a mixed marriage pertains to both parents and that both have the right and duty of communicating their faith to their offspring. Despite the absence of full communion in faith between the parents, they should be encouraged to work in unison in carrying out this obligation, with the collaboration of both their pastors. In reaching a decision concerning such religious education, the welfare of the child should be accorded first consideration. * The Theology Section began what is now planned as a series of three sessions on the disagreements on the order and ministry of the church, a difficult topic whose resolution is prerequisite to church unity. This initial discussion was based on two papers. The first presented the Reformed view of the issue; the second represented various ways in which a more positive evaluation of the Protestant ministry is being attempted by some on the Catholic side, One of the most important areas of new convergence is historical. Some Catholic scholarship is inclined to agree with the Reformed that the monarchical episcopate was not directly instituted by Jesus Christ, that it was not the only type of church government in the days of the apostles or the second century, and became universal only in the third or fourth century. Even if the historical point were conceded, however, Catholics would not necessarily agree that this may be used as precedent as it is by the Reformed, to agree that the other forms of church government than the monarchical episcopate may be also legitimate. It was noted on the other side that the Reformed protest in the 16th century was not against episcopacy as such, but against what they understood as abuses of episcopacy, that the functions of episcopacy are exercised by presbyters collectively, and that some American Reformed Churches are now engaged in church union discussions (COCU) which, if successful, would involve the acceptance of an historic episcopate in a “constitutional” form. But while Catholics as a whole regard this historic episcopate as assuring apostolicity, for the Reformed it would seem a symbol and means, but no guarantee, of such apostolicity. Similarly, for Catholics, both priesthood and episcopate involved permanent “indelible” status and “character,” while for the Reformed they are seen not as hierarchiai ranks but primarily as distinct functions, although as lifelong vocations. The meaning of the rites of ordination and consecration is also differently understood. Despite these differences, there is some Roman Catholic speculation as to whether Reformed ministries, irregular and “invalid” as they are in the Catholic view, may not still be acknowledged as real and effective. Various instances may be cited from the primitive church and from emergency situations of recognition of the reality of sacremental ministrations which are not juridically correct. Further meetings will deal, first, with the development of the tradition of episcopacy in its various modes and then with the ministry of the whole church to the contemporary world as setting a new context for the activity and meaning of the ministry in the special sense. * (Dr. Andrew Harsanyi, Carteret, N. J., participated from the Hungarian Reformed Church in America at these meetings.) MIXED WEDDINGS IN HOLLAND A lecturer on the ecumenical movement at the Theological Faculty of Utrecht University has stated that “the Catholic concept of marriage need not be an obstacle to an interconfessional wedding ceremony” between partners belonging to different confessions. Professor Alexander J. Bronkhorst, head of a synodical commission on mixed marriages, said the Synod of the Dutch Church had been considering whether to stick to its own principles, or be realistic in its attitude to church practice. The Synod concluded that the burden of interchurch division must not be placed on the shoulders of persons contracting mixed marriages. Consequently it is becoming more usual to have interconfessional wedding ceremonies in Holland with the marrriage consecrated by both Roman Catholic and Protestant clergy. One genuine obstacle, Professor Bronkhorst acknowledged, was Roman Catholic insistence that children be reared in the Catholic faith. For some time, however, most Catholic Bishops in Holland have granted dispensation on this point, and have replaced it with the admonition to bring up the children “in the spirit of the Gospel”. (EPS, Geneva)
