Urząd duchowny w dialogu Kościoła rzymskokatolickiego z Kościołem ewangelicko-reformowanym

Abstract

In this article, which deals with the office of ministry in the Roman Catholic Church’s dialogue with the Evangelical Reformed Church, the author states that the Church is based in her activities on the mission of Jesus as well as on the power of the Holy Spirit and living the faith of the first apostles she preserves her apostolic nature. The analysis of dialogue documents shows that the common priesthood of the baptized does not mean that there are no special features which, within the Church, are exercised by the representatives of a particular office, entrusted with the ministry of Word and sacrament. It was stressed that the liturgical validity of the act of ordination provides the epiclesis of the Holy Spirit during the laying on of hands on the newly ordained by a group of clergy. The Catholics and Reformed point to difficult issues such as apostolic succession, although their views on its significance remain divergent. It is highlighted that the fundamental structure of the Church and ecclesial authority are collective in nature, which in the Reformed tradition is reflected in the synodal system of church government and in the Roman-Catholic confession is fulfilled in the College of Bishops. The both denominations have also confirmed the existence of the fundamental structure of the office of bishop, priest and deacon, having its origins in apostolic times. The Catholics and Reformed emphasize the need of episkopé on the local, regional and global levels and at the same time they note some differences regarding who, on each of these levels, can be considered as episkopos and what his function is to be. It is also pointed out that according to the doctrine of the Catholic Church, each ordained acts in persona Christi, and his office consists of the ministry of the sent who acts on behalf of the Saviour in the service of the Word of God.