CHRYSOSTOM - Vol. IY No. ISPRING 1974 - The Question of Intercommunion

Oct 13, 2026

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CHRYSOSTOM Spring 1974 issue discusses the question of admission to Eucharistic communion, triggered by letters reporting inter-denominational Holy Communion in churches outside one’s own tradition. It outlines why ecumenical fellowship motivates sacramental sharing, while stressing that church authorities set rules based on doctrine and historical practice. The text examines both Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic positions, including limits on private intercommunion, the role of ‘economy,’ and the doctrinal prerequisites for communion.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryReligion & Spirituality

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Pages29

Reading Time1 h 13 min

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The Question of Intercommunion

The Eastern Position

The Catholic Position

CHRYS0STOM Vol.IY No.ISPRING 1974 CONTENTS The Question ofIntercommunion Unity Secretariat's Note onAdmission to EucharisticCommunion Our Lady of Kazan—in Fatima New Archbishop of Athens NewsBook Reviews CHRYSOSTOMPublished in Spring,Autumn and Winter Contributions and books for review should be sent tothe Editor:Helle Georgiadis,c/o Marian House,Holden Avenue,London,N128HY. CONTENTS PageThe Question of Intercommunion… … 1"Interpretative Note on the Instruction on Vol.IV.No.1 Articles Admission to Eucharistic Communion”... 7Our Lady of Kazan—in Fatima ... … … 11A new Archbishop of Athens … … … 15News in Brief Metropolitan Anthony Bloom: Resignation as Exarch 17Apostolic Visitor for Romanian Catholics in America 17Orthodox-Cistercian Symposium,Oxford 1973... 18Christian Vocation by Rene Voillaume .. … 19Worship and Secular Man,and The Trinity andthe Religious Experience of Man BookReviews by Raimundo Panikkar.… 19The Great Canon of St Andrew of Crete,andThe Life of St Mary of Egypt,translatedby Sister Katherine and Sister Thekla .. 20Abortion:the Facts by Michael Scott ... … 21Society of St John ChrysostomAnnual Report and Accounts... ... 21NoticesBack Cover C HRYS O ST O M SPRING 1974 The Question of Intercommunion In recent months there have been a surprising number ofletters published in the secular press,as well as in religiouspapers,from correspondents advertising the fact that theyoften or sometimes receive Holy Communion in a churchwhich is not of their own denomination,or that they personallyknow of priests and ministers who do so.One of the naturalconsequences of ecumenical friendship is the desire to giveexpression to this sense of fellowship in Christ,by sharingin each other's sacramental communion. The problems raised are as old as the ecumenical move-ment and have touched individuals and church authorities ofevery denomination.Church leaders who have pastoralresponsibility for the Christians in their own communities,have laid down rules and guidelines to be followed,based onthe doctrines and historical practice of their tradition.Butmany individual Christians are tempted to follow thepromptings of their own understanding of these,and/or thecompulsion of their own inner convictions. # The Eastern Position Even among the Eastern Orthodox there have been somewho have pleaded for intercommunion with like-mindedChristians across ecclesiastical barriers.Father SergiusBulgakov,for example,who was a leading Orthodox theo-logian among the Russian emigrés during the 1930's,wasdeeply committed to this position in relation to members ofthe Anglican Communion with whom he had close ties offriendship through the Fellowship of St Alban &St Sergius(of which he was a founder).Other Orthodox living in theWest who became personally involved in Anglican parish life,quietly adopted the the local parish as their own—fortifiedby their interpretation of the Orthodox principle of ‘economywhich allows flexibility in discipline for particular andindividual cases of spiritual need. But private intercommunion of this kind has never been widespread among the Orthodox and its advocates havealways been firmly rebuked by Church authorities.Further-more,the ethos of Eastern worship has such obviousdifferences with that of the West that the majority ofOrthodox,even those with very hazy views about sacramentaldoctrine,have felt intercommunion to be wrong. It has been shown by many church historians,however,that in past centuries a measure of local intercommunion,for example,between Orthodox and Catholics around theeastern Mediterranean,was not regarded as abnormal.Paradoxically it was the Ecumenical Movement whichchallenged the various Church authorities to clarify theirdoctrinal position and to take up public positions on pastoralpractice,thus strengthening the barriers of division. The minority voice among Orthodox in favour of inter-communion has become progressive

FAQs

Why has intercommunion become a topic of public discussion in this issue?

A surprising number of letters reported receiving Holy Communion in churches outside one’s own denomination, prompting discussion of admission to Eucharistic communion.

How does the Eastern Orthodox position address limited intercommunion?

Advocates have emphasized a qualified approach linked to shared faith and the Orthodox principle of ‘economy,’ while stressing that open intercommunion is not supported and that church authorities have rebuked private practice.

What is the shared prerequisite emphasized by Orthodox and Rome regarding communion?

Both sides treat agreement on doctrine as a prerequisite for full sacramental communion, which underlies their respective pastoral rules and exceptional handling of separated Eastern churches.

Oct 13, 2026

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