Ministerium biskupie w dialogu katolicko-anglikańskim

Abstract

The issue of the episcopal ministry was one of the most important questions discussed by the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC). This ministry of oversight and pastoral care – episcopē – has been retained within the structure of the Catholic Church as well as in the Anglican Communion. In the documents of ARCIC the episcopē of ordained ministers has been described as a special charisma of the Spirit given for the building of the Church to those who – by ordination – receive authority of the apostolic teaching, presiding at the Eucharist and prayer. The episcopate itself is given to the Church by God’s will and the ministerial authority of bishops is closely connected with and inseparable from the hierarchical structure of the Church. For the preserving of the continuity and unity of the Church the apostolic succession should be guaranteed in the ordination of each bishop. Bishops are responsible for the preserving and promoting the integrity of the koinonia of the Church and are in their communities the focus of unity. The bishop – generally overseeing the community – can require from the faithful the compliance necessary to maintain faith and charity in the life of the community. Considering this, the far-reaching consensus in the Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue can be assumed. When the next step to the visible unity could possibly be the re-examining of the Anglican orders, the decision made by the Anglican Communion about the women’s ordination may create the real obstacle to the continuation of the dialogue.