Lima Declaration

The Declaration of Convergence on Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry or Lima Declaration or Lima Paper or Lima Text ( Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry / BEM ) was published by the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Adopted in Lima ( Peru ) on January 1st , 1982 . It deals with baptism , the Eucharist and ministry in the churches in three chapters and is considered the most widespread and most intensely discussed document of the ecumenical movement .

The declaration does not yet formulate a consensus, but convergences, that is, increasing convergence in the understanding of the three topics covered. It is based on inter-church discussions that began in 1927 with the first World Conference on Faith and Order . The Faith and Order Commission had been working on preliminary stages of the texts since 1964. A provisional version was published in 1974 and subsequently worked on in plenary and commission meetings and an editorial committee headed by Max Thurian . Because Roman Catholic theologians also work on the Faith and Order Commission, their views have also been incorporated into the text.

A Eucharistic liturgy , the so-called Lima liturgy , was also developed. It was the first time on 15 January 1982 and then again on a large scale at the 6th WCC Assembly in 1983 in Vancouver ( Canada celebrated of all denominations in attendance). The Lima Liturgy gives congregations that consciously want to celebrate the Lord's Supper ecumenically concrete instructions.

content

Baptismal understanding

The BEM text begins by emphasizing the roots of Christian baptism in the work of Jesus of Nazareth , in his death and resurrection. It is the sign of new life through Jesus Christ (B 1,2). Theologically it means the participation in the death and resurrection of Christ , a realignment of the whole personality ( conversion ), the promise of the Holy Spirit, the integration into the one, holy, catholic (i.e. worldwide) and apostolic church (with all the implications that this entails for the overcoming of the separation of the churches follow) as well as a symbolic reference to the coming kingdom of God (B 3–7). The irrevocable connection between baptism and individual faith is undisputedly recognized by all churches: this includes personal growth in faith and the striving for the realization of God's will in all areas of life (B 8-10).

The treatment of the practice of baptism , which has developed differently in the churches ( infant baptism / believer baptism ) , takes up a lot of space . The concerns from a Baptist point of view against the practice of infant baptism are clearly and consciously taken up. The document tries very hard to balance the existing tensions v. a. by emphasizing the need for personal growth in the wake of baptism for both minors and adults. Basically, the unrepeatability of baptism is affirmed (ie no “re-baptism”). All churches are called upon to expressly (bilaterally) declare mutual recognition of baptism - if not already done - and to self-critically review their own baptismal practice to determine whether it corresponds to the basic structure of this document (B 11–16).

Regarding the celebration of baptism, it is noted that it is performed with water in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, with the symbolic dimension of water being emphasized ( immersion ). Elements are named that should at least be included in a Christian baptism ceremony, and the concerns of the Orthodox side regarding the completeness of Christian initiation ( confirmation , participation in Holy Communion ) are recorded. The misunderstanding is countered that Christian baptism has something to do with customs in connection with naming. Because baptism is related to the communal life of the believers, the baptism should normally take place within a public service (B 17-23).

Understanding of the sacrament

The BEM text sees the Eucharist as a thanksgiving or “sacrifice of praise” to God for his diverse actions (E 3f). As an “anamnesis” or “memorial” it presents the gift of Christ (E 4–13), and as an invocation of the Holy Spirit it gives a foretaste of the kingdom of God (E 14–18). Through participation in the body and blood of Christ, every Christian is led into communion with Christ as well as with the Church as a whole, whereby the Eucharist also challenges us to seek reconciliation and to overcome divisions and injustice (E 19-21). The declaration recommends a number of basic elements for the celebration of the Eucharist, which should take place at least every Sunday (E 31). The citation of the instigation report is framed in a larger framework, which (according to the theological interpretation) includes thanksgiving, anamnesis , epiclesis , devotion of the believers to God and a greeting of peace as well as a prayer for the return of Christ (E 27). The chapter ends with the hope that the convergences identified will allow the churches "a greater degree of Eucharistic communion".

Understanding of ministry

The calling of the whole people of God to serve God and one's neighbor is emphasized as the starting point for the office or offices in the church (M 1–6). In order to facilitate this general service, the church needs the “ordained ministry”; H. “Persons who are publicly and continuously responsible for pointing out their fundamental dependence on Jesus Christ” (M 8), with the task “to gather and build up the body of Christ through the proclamation and instruction of the word of God, through the celebration of the Sacraments and by guiding the life of the community in its worship, mission and caring ministry ”(M 13). This office goes back to the calling of the Apostles through Christ (M 9–11). Although “the church as a whole can be described as a priesthood”, the ordained ministers “can rightly be called priests because they perform a particular priestly service” (M 17). When it comes to the ordination of women , the different positions are placed side by side (M 18). Although it is recognized that there is no uniform structure of office in the New Testament, the three-tier structure of the office of bishops , presbyters and deacons , which emerged in the time of the early Church and has been common in many churches since then , is “an expression of the unity we seek, and also recommended as a means of achieving this ”(M 22). It is underlined that the threefold office needs a reform (M 24) and should always "be exercised in a personal, collegial and communal manner" (M 26). In order to enable mutual recognition of offices, the churches without the episcopate are appealed to " to accept episcopal succession as a sign of the apostolicity of the life of the whole church" (M 38, cf. also M 53b). The ordination is dealt with in detail ; it is defined as "an act of God and of the community through which the ordained are strengthened by the Spirit for their task and supported by the recognition and prayers of the community" (M 40).

Reception and meaning

The participating churches had been asked for statements with the publication, which were received in large numbers. A very detailed and nuanced one was published in 1987 by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity . The WCC published the statements in English in six volumes.

The return of the document is valued differently. Although the project was largely recognized, the statements showed that many churches assessed the statements primarily in the light of their specific tradition and saw little reason to correct their teaching or practice. Protestant churches in particular found the statements on the Eucharist and ministry to be high church or Catholic. Orthodox churches saw the text as being too shaped by Western theological thinking. The document enabled progress in the mutual recognition of baptism between the churches and denominations (the Magdeburg Declaration of 2007 specifically referred to the Lima Declaration), but the hope of a common celebration of the Lord's Supper between the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant Churches Kirchen has not yet come true. There are also great differences in the understanding of the ministry of the priest / clergyman .

This is based on the fundamentally different understanding of the church , which primarily distinguishes the churches of the Reformation from the Orthodox and Catholic churches. This is why the Faith and Order Commission concentrated since the late 1980s on making statements about convergence with regard to ecclesiology as well. The current state of the ecumenical search for a common understanding can be found in an ecclesiology Declaration, the General Assembly WCC 2006 at the 9th Porto Alegre ( Brazil was adopted), and in 2013 published study The Church: Towards a shared vision .

expenditure

Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry (= Faith and Order Paper no.111). Geneva 1982 ( access to PDF file ).
Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry. Declarations of Convergence by the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches. Lembeck, Frankfurt am Main / Bonifatius, Paderborn ⁹ 1984 ( pdf ).

literature

William H. Lazareth : Growing together in Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry. Lembeck, Frankfurt am Main 1983.
Denominational Institute (Ed.): Commentary on the Lima Declarations on Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry. Vandenhoeck and Ruprecht, Göttingen 1983.
The discussion about baptism, the Eucharist and ministry 1982–1990. Statements, effects, further work. Lembeck, Frankfurt am Main / Bonifatius, Paderborn 1990.
Lukas Vischer : The Convergence Texts on Baptism, Last Supper and Office. How did they come about? What did they bring? In: Internationale Kirchliche Zeitschrift , Vol. 92, 2002, pp. 139–178 ( pdf ).
Ulrich Kühn : The Lima Process for Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry. In: Hans-Georg Link , Geiko Muller-Fahrenholz (Ed.): Paths of hope. Groundbreaking impulses from the World Council of Churches over six decades. Lembeck, Frankfurt am Main 2008, pp. 153–166.

Web links

The Last Supper (Pfälzisches Pfarrerblatt)

Individual evidence

^ The discussion on baptism, the Eucharist and ministry 1982–1990. Statements, effects, further work. Lembeck, Frankfurt am Main / Bonifatius, Paderborn 1990, p. 19.
↑ Text in English and French ; Text in German ; English also in Churches respond to BEM. Vol. VI. Geneva 1988, pp. 1-40.
↑ Max Thurian (Ed.): Churches respond to BEM. Geneva 1986-1988. Only a selection appeared in German: The discussion of baptism, the Eucharist and ministry 1982–1990. Statements, effects, further work. Lembeck, Frankfurt am Main / Bonifatius, Paderborn 1990.
^ WCC ecclesiology statement .

[1] The discussion on baptism, the Eucharist and ministry 1982–1990. Statements, effects, further work. Lembeck, Frankfurt am Main / Bonifatius, Paderborn 1990, p. 19.

[2] Text in English and French ; Text in German ; English also in Churches respond to BEM. Vol. VI. Geneva 1988, pp. 1-40.

[3] Max Thurian (Ed.): Churches respond to BEM. Geneva 1986-1988. Only a selection appeared in German: The discussion of baptism, the Eucharist and ministry 1982–1990. Statements, effects, further work. Lembeck, Frankfurt am Main / Bonifatius, Paderborn 1990.

[4] WCC ecclesiology statement .