An Agreed Statement
on the Holy Eucharist
U.S. Theological Consultation, 1969
We, the members of the
Orthodox-Catholic consultation, have met and discussed our understanding of
the Holy Eucharist. After a dialogue, based on separately prepared papers, we
affirm our remarkable and fundamental agreement on the following:
- The Holy Eucharist is the memorial of the history of salvation,
especially the life, death, resurrection, and glorification of Jesus
Christ.
- In this eucharistic meal, according to the promise of Christ, the Father
sends the Spirit to consecrate the elements to be the body and blood of
Jesus Christ and to sanctify the faithful.
- The eucharistic sacrifice involves the active presence of Christ, the
High Priest, acting through the Christian community, drawing it into his
saving worship. Through celebration of the Eucharist the redemptive
blessings are bestowed on the living and the dead for whom intercession is
made.
- Through the eating of the eucharistic body and drinking of the
eucharistic blood, the faithful, who through Baptism became adopted sons
of the Father, are nourished as the one body of Christ, and are built up
as temples of the Holy Spirit.
- In the eucharistic celebration we not only commend ourselves and each
other and all our lives unto Christ, but at the same time accept the
mandate of service of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to mediate salvation to
the world.
- Through the Eucharist the believer is transformed into the glory of the
Lord and in this the transfiguration of the whole cosmos is anticipated.
Therefore the faithful have the mission to witness to this transforming
activity of the Spirit.
Recognizing the importance of this consensus, we are aware that serious
differences exist in our understanding of the church, eucharistic discipline,
and pastoral practice which now prevent us from communicating in one another's
churches. Our task should consist in exploring further how these differences
are related to the agreement stated above and how they can be resolved.
Worcester, Massachusetts
December 13, 1969
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Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
3211 4th Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20017-1194 (202) 541-3000