Chapter Four

PRINCIPLES AND PROPOSALS FOR DEVELOPING RELATIONS
BETWEEN CATHOLICS AND METHODISTS

139. At the beginning of his papacy, Pope Benedict XVI declared in unequivocal terms his commitment to rebuilding the full visible unity of the Church:

Nourished and sustained by the Eucharist, Catholics cannot but feel encouraged to strive for the full unity for which Christ expressed so ardent a hope in the Upper Room. The Successor of Peter knows that he must make himself especially responsible for his Divine Master’s supreme aspiration. Indeed, he is entrusted with the task of strengthening his brethren (cf. Luke 22:32).¹¹⁴

With full awareness, therefore, at the beginning of his ministry in the Church of Rome which Peter bathed in his blood, Peter’s current Successor takes on as his primary task the duty to work tirelessly to rebuild the full and visible unity of all Christ’s followers. This is his ambition, his impelling duty. He is aware that good intentions do not suffice for this. Concrete gestures that enter hearts and stir consciences are essential, inspiring in everyone that inner conversion that is the prerequisite for all ecumenical progress.¹¹⁵

From their own experience of ecumenism, Methodists are all too aware that good intentions alone are insufficient to advance the cause of Christian unity. They would therefore echo Pope Benedict’s conviction that “concrete gestures that enter hearts and stir consciences are essential” for ecumenical progress to be achieved.

140. If relations between Catholics and Methodists are to develop further, gestures are required from our two communions that are both realistic and appropriate at the present time. Though there are still doctrinal issues that will need to be resolved on the way to full communion between Catholics and Methodists, it is now possible, drawing on the preceding chapters of this present report, to identify a series of concrete gestures that will facilitate a deepening of communion between us. The principle of ‘unity by stages’ can be embraced. Catholics and Methodists are called to advance step by step in our ecumenical journeying together, living as fully as possible the degree of unity we currently share whilst taking appropriate action to reach the next stage.

141. Already, Catholics and Methodists have moved beyond the initial stages in our relationship to a point where we have discovered a considerable amount in common and no longer live in ecclesial isolation from each other. Chapter Two of this present report surveys the extensive agreement that we share about the nature and mission of the Church. Chapter Three constitutes a significant achievement in our dialogue, as we have been able to state for the first time what we recognise to be truly of the Church in each other. Moreover, it has been possible to identify various ecclesial elements and endowments that might form part of a fruitful exchange of gifts between our two communions. Building on the foundations laid in Chapters Two and Three, it is now possible to make a number of specific recommendations to help us attain the next stage on the way to the full visible unity of the Church.

142. Whilst the recommendations set out in subsequent paragraphs of this chapter are relevant to Catholics and Methodists at every level of ecclesial life, they are addressed especially to the following groups:

(1) Regional and national bishops’ conferences and each autonomous Methodist Conference;
(2) Catholic and Methodist bishops and their equivalents;
(3) Theologians within our two communions;
(4) Those directly responsible for ministerial and lay formation within our two communions;
(5) The national Catholic-Methodist dialogue commissions in Great Britain, New Zealand and the United States and other relevant dialogue commissions.

These recommendations are not expressly addressed to Catholic parishes and local Methodist churches. An international report cannot take proper account of the immense variety of local circumstances that affect relations between Catholics and Methodists in different parts of the world. Recommendations that are appropriate in one situation may be impracticable in another. Applying the principle of subsidiarity, the groups directly addressed in this report are better placed to translate its overall recommendations into practical plans that are appropriate to their situation. By this means, the concrete gestures envisaged at the start of this chapter will be implemented more effectively throughout our two communions.

General Principles

143. Before specific recommendations are considered, it is possible to state a number of general principles. These will serve to guide future relations between Catholics and Methodists as we seek to advance from one stage to another on the way to full visible unity. While a number of these principles may seem obvious, nevertheless they need to be stated. This is because relations between Catholics and Methodists in some parts of the world are still characterised by the suspicions and misunderstandings identified in Chapter One of this present report. These our dialogue has exposed as no longer justified.

144. The following general principles are based on what Catholics and Methodists already agree together about the nature and mission of the Church and what we recognise in each other as being truly of the Church:

(1) Dialogue between Catholics and Methodists proceeds on the basis of our common Baptism in the body of Christ which we are called to make visible in our ecclesial life.
(2) Catholics and Methodists are committed to the goal of “full communion in faith, mission and sacramental life”.¹¹⁶
(3) Catholics recognise Methodists as fellow Christians and Methodist churches as ecclesial communities in which the grace of salvation is present and effective.
(4) Methodists recognise Catholics as fellow Christians and Catholic churches as ecclesial communities in which the grace of salvation is present and effective.
(5) Catholics and Methodists respect each other’s ecclesial life and discipline, instruments of authority and ordained ministries, and therefore extend due courtesy in their mutual relations at every level.
(6) Catholics and Methodists are committed to finding ways of giving greater visible expression to their real, though imperfect, communion within the body of Christ.
(7) For the sake of the Church’s mission to the world, Catholics and Methodists recognise their obligation to share resources wherever practicable.
(8) The pursuit of closer relations between Catholics and Methodists is compatible with other ecumenical possibilities for both partners according to the opportunities and challenges presented in different territories.
(9) In their relations with Methodists, Catholics should make the fullest use of the provisions contained in the Ecumenical Directory, except that no breach of Methodist discipline should be encouraged.
(10) In their relations with Catholics, Methodists should make the fullest use of the provisions contained in their ecumenical legislation, except that no breach of Catholic discipline should be encouraged.
(11) Catholics and Methodists each have gifts to share with the other. These gifts are not owned by anyone but are held in trust for the sake of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church and its mission to the world. In exchanging gifts with each other, Catholics and Methodists would be receiving them as from the Holy Spirit.
(12) Full communion between Catholics and Methodists “will also depend upon a fresh creative act of reconciliation which acknowledges the manifold yet unified activity of the Holy Spirit throughout the ages. It will involve a joint act of obedience to the sovereign Word of God.”¹¹⁷

145. In some places these principles may seem unduly restrictive; elsewhere they may appear to permit more than was hitherto thought possible. Nevertheless, they reflect the current level of agreement and recognition between our two communions. As such, they constitute a secure framework for practical actions now and for future conversations, both formal and informal, between Catholics and Methodists at every level and in every situation. Accordingly, the groups expressly addressed in the present report are invited to employ these general principles when implementing its recommendations.

Practical Proposals

146. Based on the preceding chapters of the present report, and within the framework of the general principles stated above, it is now possible to make a number of specific recommendations that will facilitate closer relations between Catholics and Methodists, enabling us to advance to the next stage on the way to full visible unity. These recommendations fall into one of three basic kinds:

A) Proposals for making more evident in practice the existing degree of shared belief between Catholics and Methodists about the nature and mission of the Church, as registered in Chapter Two;
B) Proposals based on what Catholics and Methodists already recognise in each other as being truly of the Church, as affirmed in Chapter Three;
C) Proposals for the sake of the mutual exchange of ecclesial gifts and endowments between Catholics and Methodists that was identified as desirable in Chapter Three.

147. For convenience, these proposals are listed under three headings corresponding to the threefold goal of dialogue between Catholics and Methodists – towards full communion in faith, in sacramental life, and in mission. A degree of overlap between these headings is inevitable since aspects of the Church cannot be separated into watertight compartments. But, whatever classification is employed, the proposals listed under each heading are practical and timely. Catholics and Methodists, and especially the particular groups addressed in this report, are invited to consider whether and how they might implement them in their own situation.

Towards Full Communion in Faith

148. While substantial progress has been made in the course of our dialogue during the past forty years, there are still some key aspects of Christian doctrine on which Catholics and Methodists are not yet fully agreed. Theological dialogue still needs to take place if these doctrinal differences are to be resolved. Nevertheless, the proposals presented in this section are directed towards specific action based on what we can already affirm together. Such action will enable Catholics and Methodists to progress towards the next stage on the way to full communion in faith, whilst simultaneously facilitating the process of identifying and overcoming the remaining obstacles.

A. Proposals based on the existent degree of shared belief

149. There are a number of ways in which Catholics and Methodists could make more evident in practice the considerable degree to which they share a common faith about the nature and mission of the Church. To that end, Catholics and Methodists are invited to study in greater detail the practical implications of:

(1) Recognising the Church to be both a visible community and an invisible fellowship (§48);
(2) Describing the Church as a pilgrim people who live by faith, and treating each other as fellow pilgrims (§49);
(3) Maintaining that God faithfully remains present to the Church in every generation (§50);
(4) Expressing the conviction that what unites us is much greater than what divides us (§63);
(5) Describing the Church as a sacrament or means of grace (§77);
(6) Respecting each other as partners in national and regional ecumenical structures and dialogue commissions (§91).

B. Proposals based on the existing degree of mutual recognition

150. Based on what we are able to recognise and value in each other as being truly of the Church, Catholics and Methodists are invited to carry forward our discussion of God’s providential way for the Church by focusing on the following matters:

(1) The process by which the canon of Scripture was established in the Church, the historic creeds were formulated, and ecclesial structures were developed in the first Christian centuries (§107);
(2) The fifteen centuries of common history prior to the Reformation and God’s activity in the Church during this period (§112);
(3) The ministry of the people of God as a whole, lay and ordained together (§116);
(4) The priesthood of the ordained ministry in relation to the royal priesthood of the Church (§132);
(5) Episcopacy both as a form of governance in the Church and as a sign of succession in apostolic faith and life (§108);
(6) The nature and exercise of diaconal ministry in the Church (§108).

C. Proposals for a mutual exchange of gifts

151. For the sake of a mutual exchange of ecclesial gifts and endowments, Catholics are invited to give concentrated attention to:

(1) Their ecclesial identity in order to distinguish what is essential and what might be changed or let go of for the sake of Christian unity (§119);
(2) Lay leadership in the Church and the participation of lay people in instruments of authority by virtue of their Baptism (§115);
(3) Christian conference as an instrument of authority and reception in the Church (§115);
(4) The contribution of women to the Church’s ministry (§116);
(5) Personal and corporate forms of assurance and the Church’s corporate assurance as the context for the infallibility of the Pope (§§134-135).

152. For the sake of a mutual exchange of ecclesial gifts and endowments, Methodists are invited to give concentrated attention to:

(1) Their ecclesial identity in order to distinguish what is essential and what might be changed or let go of for the sake of Christian unity (§118);
(2) The historic succession of bishops and the individual exercise of episcopé within a collegial ministry of oversight (§112);
(3) The exercise of universal primacy for the sake of unity and as an expression of the universality of the Church (§§113, 129);
(4) The Petrine ministry of the Bishop of Rome as a final decision-making authority in the Church (§113);
(5) Personal and corporate forms of assurance and the infallibility of the Pope within the context of the Church’s corporate assurance (§§134-35).

Towards Full Communion in Sacramental Life

153. Catholics and Methodists agree that the Church itself is a means of grace and sacramental in nature (§§76-77). The sacramental life of the Church encompasses the entire liturgical and spiritual life of the people of God. Whilst full communion in faith is an essential prerequisite for full communion in sacramental life, there are intermediate stages on the way to this goal. Catholics and Methodists already enjoy a real, though imperfect, communion based on their common Baptism into the body of Christ. The proposals presented in this section are intended to further deepen that communion.

A. Proposals based on the existent degree of shared belief

154. There are various ways in which Catholics and Methodists could make more evident in practice the existing degree of shared belief about the sacramental life of the Church. For example:

(1) Emphasising our common Baptism would represent a more tangible expression of our shared conviction that the Church is a koinonia in the Holy Trinity (§§51, 53);
(2) More opportunities for joint prayer and spiritual retreats would testify to our shared belief that the call to holiness is intrinsic to the call to be the Church (§56);
(3) Serious self-examination would give substance to our common perception that continual reformation, purification and renewal belong to the very nature of the Church (§50);
(4) The connectional nature of the Church ought to be made more visible in our respective ecclesial structures (§60);
(5) Greater respect needs to be given to each other’s ecclesial life, instruments of authority and structures as means of grace for salvation (§91).

B. Proposals based on the existing degree of mutual recognition

155. Based on what we are able to recognise and value in each other as being truly of the Church, Catholics and Methodists are invited to consider the following.

(1) The common Baptism in water and the name of the Trinity which Catholics and Methodists share has significant implications for our ecclesial life which deserve to be explored much more fully;¹¹⁸
(2) Since Catholics and Methodists recognise the validity of each other’s Baptism, it is sufficient for individuals to offer their baptismal certificate as proof of Baptism when seeking to be received from either of our two communions into the other;
(3) When a Baptism, wedding, funeral or similar kind of service in a Methodist church directly involves Catholics, for example through an interchurch family, it is appropriate that a Catholic priest be invited to take an agreed part in the service itself and any preparation, subject to both the constitutional practice and discipline of the relevant Methodist Conference and the norms of the Catholic Ecumenical Directory as interpreted by the relevant Catholic bishops’ conference;
(4) When a Baptism, wedding, funeral or similar kind of service in a Catholic church directly involves Methodists, for example through an interchurch family, it is appropriate that a Methodist minister be invited to take an agreed part in the service itself and any preparation, subject to both the norms of the Ecumenical Directory as interpreted by the relevant Catholic bishops’ conference and the constitutional practice and discipline of the relevant Methodist Conference;
(5) When Catholics and Methodists attend the Eucharist in each other’s churches, they may present themselves to receive a blessing as a way of participating in the grace that is present and operative in the Eucharist;
(6) There is potentially a fruitful conversation to be had about the nature of sacraments in general and the sacrament of ordination in particular (§§103, 132);
(7) Drawing on both the Wesleyan and Catholic traditions, Methodists might usefully articulate a more developed theology of the Eucharist with special reference to its sacrificial nature, the sacramental memorial of Christ’s saving death and resurrection, the real presence, the ministry of those who preside, and the link between eucharistic communion and ecclesial communion (§§109, 131-32; cf. §93);
(8) Catholics might usefully explore the conditions laid down in the Ecumenical Directory under which individual Methodists who request it could be granted exceptional permission to receive Holy Communion in the Catholic Church on particular occasions;
(9) Catholics might also consider how the ecumenical provisions contained in the Ecumenical Directory could be applied in each territory to the fullest possible extent in the case of Methodists, subject to the overall constraints of the Directory and official Catholic teaching.
(10) Catholics and Methodists might usefully engage in a joint study of the Lima text Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry, particularly with regard to these issues.

C. Proposals for a mutual exchange of gifts

156. For the sake of a mutual exchange of ecclesial gifts and endowments, Catholics are encouraged to:

(1) Invite Methodists to experience different forms of worship and spiritual devotion in the Catholic Church (§111);
(2) Investigate the boundaries of permissible ecclesial diversity in the Church (§117);
(3) Value the contribution made to the life of the Church by small groups meeting for fellowship, prayer and mutual pastoral care (§120);
(4) Develop more effective means of Bible study for lay people as well as personal reading of the Scriptures by individuals (§126);
(5) Promote the place in Christian worship of evangelical preaching and corporate hymn singing (§120);
(6) Reflect upon and be inspired by the example and witness of John and Charles Wesley (§127).

157. For the sake of a mutual exchange of ecclesial gifts and endowments, Methodists are encouraged to:

(1) Invite Catholics to experience different forms of worship and spiritual devotion in Methodism (§120);
(2) Investigate the boundaries of permissible ecclesial diversity in the Church (§111);
(3) Promote the Church’s sacramental ministry to the sick and dying, and the sacramental use of material things (§111);
(4) Consider making a weekly Eucharist the norm in their pattern of Sunday worship;
(5) Explore Catholic forms of spiritual devotion such as the Stations of the Cross and the veneration of Mary (§111);
(6) Reflect upon and be inspired by the example and witness of the saints through the ages (cf. §127).

Towards Full Communion in Mission

158. In some respects the mission of the Church is the least problematic area for closer relations between Catholics and Methodists because full communion in faith is not a prerequisite for shared mission. The present level of agreement between our two communions already permits Catholics and Methodists to work together in many different ways as partners in mission, though in some places this is not always fully understood or appreciated. Even in those parts of the world where Catholics and Methodists enjoy cordial relations, cooperation in the mission of the Church has yet to achieve its full potential. The proposals presented in this section are intended to develop and extend the ways in which Catholics and Methodists share together in the mission of the Church.

A. Proposals based on the existent degree of shared belief

159. There are various ways in which the existing degree of shared belief between Catholics and Methodists about the nature and mission of the Church could be made more visible in our common mission to the world. In particular, Catholics and Methodists ought to:

(1) Recognise that each other’s ministers and ecclesial structures already participate in the mission of the Church (§75);
(2) Collaborate in local ventures in evangelisation, either bilaterally or with other ecumenical partners (§80);
(3) Develop partnerships in a broad range of projects to serve the poorest members of society, but especially in projects that involve social action relating to justice and peace (§69);
(4) Find ways of enabling the whole people of God, lay and ordained together, actively to participate in the Church’s mission to the world (§80);
(5) Engage in shared mission as a ministry of diakonia in the world (§69).

B. Proposals based on the existing degree of mutual recognition

160. Based on what we are able to recognise and value in each other as being truly of the Church, Catholics and Methodists are invited to consider the following.

(1) There are already instances of Catholic parishes and local Methodist churches sharing buildings for worship and other ecclesial activities. In some parts of the world there may be greater scope for such sharing of buildings.
(2) In places where Catholics and Methodists have invested in schools, colleges, hospitals and other institutions, experience and expertise could be shared to mutual advantage.
(3) In some places Catholics and Methodists are already partners in ministerial formation as participants in ecumenical training institutions and similar programmes. Those responsible for ministerial formation in our two communions may usefully consider how the benefits of such institutions and programmes could be made available to greater numbers of those training for ministry.
(4) National and regional bishops’ conferences and autonomous Methodist Conferences may wish to consider making joint statements on appropriate topics of mutual concern, possibly in conjunction with other ecumenical partners, especially where a united witness to the Gospel would have a greater impact than statements issued separately by church leaders.

C. Proposals for a mutual exchange of gifts

161. For the sake of a mutual exchange of ecclesial gifts and endowments, Catholics are called upon to:

(1) Empower lay people to take a full and active role in the mission of the Church (§115);
(2) Encourage the contribution of personal evangelism to the mission of the Church (§117);
(3) Study the diversity of ecclesial structures raised up by God to advance the Church’s mission (§117).

162. For the sake of a mutual exchange of ecclesial gifts and endowments, Methodists are called upon to:

(1) Develop a greater awareness of the testimony made to the Gospel by the saints of every age and place (§111);
(2) Consider bishops as nodal points in the web of communion for mission across space and time (§128);
(3) Recognise that the diverse forms of spirituality and ecclesial life in the Catholic Church exist in order that men and women may grow in holiness (§111).

Conclusion

163. The practical proposals outlined in this chapter do not exhaust the possibilities for closer collaboration between Catholics and Methodists in pursuit of the goal of “full communion in faith, mission and sacramental life”. Nor are they equally relevant to the groups specifically addressed in this report. Nevertheless, these proposals constitute a comprehensive set of concrete gestures that will assist our two communions as we journey towards the next stage on the way to our full visible unity. It is for each of the addressees to judge how best to implement the proposals in their own particular context.

164. While this report is the fruit of a theological dialogue between the World Methodist Council and the Catholic Church, its content is relevant to a wider ecumenical audience. Catholics and Methodists hope that their common endeavour, embodied in the present document, will serve the ecumenical movement at large. May it contribute, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to the reconciliation of all Christian communities within the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.

ENDNOTES