Dar największy. Prawdy podstawowe w Encyklice „Ecclesia de Eucharistia”

Abstract

The fourteenth encyclical letter of John Paul II entitled Ecclesia de Eucharistia was taken as a source for theological reflection during a conference at the Pontifical Faculty of Theology in Wrocław, held on May 13, 2003. Four theologians gave their contributions during this meeting. The starting point was a lecture by the Rector of the Faculty, Prof. Ignacy Dec. In his text Fr. Rector underlined the fact that we have in front of us the first papal encyclical of the new century and the new millennium. Important is the fact that the Pontiff frequently refers there to his personal experience of a priest, a bishop, a cardinal, and finally the pope. The next three interventions by Prof. Roman Rogowski and later Fr. Bogdan Ferdek and Fr. Andrzej Siemieniewski developed the main topics of the papal encyclical along three lines. The dogmatic importance of the letter was discussed, especially in connection with theological trends of ecclesiastical dissent and dogmatic uncertainty. The ecumenical side of Ecclesia de Eucharistia was then proposed as a sound foundation for a much needed reconciliation among Christian communities. In the end of the Wroclaw meeting some liturgical and pastoral points of the papal letter were highlighted in order to make the whole picture closer to the everyday life of Catholic communities for whom the Eucharist is a regular form of worship and as such needs both a deeply lived experience and a solid theological reflection.