"Civilta Cattolica" goes to war against intercommunion

In an article which appeared on 15th March, entitled The Eucharist Lived, Fr. Giuseppe de Rosa affirmed that "all attempts to force the pace by granting Eucharistic hospitality to non-Catholics, would not hasten the day when all Christians could partake of the one unique Eucharistic meal. It is not a question of presumption on the part of Catholics or a lack of respect for the faith of other non-Catholic communities," he emphasised, "but it concerns the "truth" of the Eucharist. This is a "sign" of unity in the faith; for this reason, where there is not unity of faith, there can not be unity in the participation in the same Eucharist. All the more since the way of understanding the Eucharist for Catholics and Protestants is different. That is to say, if Catholics and Protestants must participate in a Catholic Eucharist, or a Protestant eucharist, they would not participate at the same eucharist, but at different eucharists."

Civiltà Cattolica, a Jesuit publication known to be very close to the Roman Curia, circulated this article several weeks in advance of the publication by John Paul II of an encyclical on the Eucharist.

These arguments are not wrong, and their intentions are laudable. The problem is that this stand does not correspond with that of Vatican II, which has been accepted practice for the past 35 years. Indeed, intercommunion was not, in its origins, a step taken by a few isolated priests, but the result of decisions authorized by Rome (cf. the Directive of the Secretariat for the Unity of Christians, dated 4th May 1967, in which communcatio in sacris with our "separated eastern brothers" is encouraged). When the example of praxis comes from above – cf. as already mentioned in this newsletter – even the best texts change nothing to the situation.