wfn.org | Ecumenical Eucharist Ruled Out For WCC 1998 Assembly

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4-October-1996 
 
 
96387  Ecumenical Eucharist Ruled Out For WCC 1998 Assembly 
 
                         by Stephen Brown 
                  Ecumenical News International 
 
GENEVA--There will be no ecumenical eucharist service organized as part of 
the official program of the next assembly of the World Council of Churches 
in 1998 - a departure from the practice at the WCC's past assemblies. 
 
     The 1998 assembly, to be held in Harare, Zimbabwe, marks the 50th 
anniversary of the WCC's formation. 
 
     Eucharist, also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is an 
important part of the liturgical life of most of the WCC's 330 Orthodox, 
Anglican and Protestant member churches.  
 
     A committee organizing the assembly had originally recommended that no 
official eucharist be held during the event because of the many divisions 
between the churches on the question. 
 
     But following a compromise agreed during the Sept. 12-20 meeting in 
Geneva of the WCC's central committee, local churches in Zimbabwe will be 
asked "to host the assembly in eucharistic celebrations according to church 
traditions represented in Harare, one of the celebrations to be open to all 
who in good conscience would like to participate in the eucharist." 
 
     According to a WCC spokesperson, however, this service will not be 
part of the official program of the assembly. It thus represents a 
departure from the practice of earlier assemblies of including an 
ecumenical eucharist service open to all as part of the official program. 
 
     Some churches welcome all Christians to receive the bread or wafer - 
Holy Communion - at church services; but others allow only their own church 
members, and members of churches with which they are "in communion," to 
receive Holy Communion at their church services.  
 
     At the WCC's last assembly, in Canberra in 1991, a reminder that only 
Christians belonging to Orthodox churches could receive the Eucharist at a 
service celebrated by an Orthodox priest prompted criticisms that such an 
attitude was arrogant. Of about 3000 people present at the worship in 
Canberra, only 25 percent - members of Orthodox churches - were able to 
receive the Eucharist at that service. 
 
     The central committee asked the assembly planning committee to explore 
how the "thirst for unity" could be expressed through the recognition of 
"our common baptism" including the possibility of a baptism during the 
assembly. 

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