Sharing the Eucharist: A Theological Evaluation of the Post Conciliar Legislation

Ecclesiastical changes resulting from the Second Vatican Council inspired a revised approach to the issue of sharing the Eucharist with those who are not in full communion with the Catholic Church. In Sharing the Eucharist, Myriam Wijlen offers a detailed analysis of the Council’s schemata, interventions, and texts in an effort to determine the theological values that inspired subsequent policies on the issue of communion. Wijlen bases her work on the notion that there ought to be an organic relationship between theological insights and the norms that govern the life of the Catholic community. Her rigorous approach allows her to identify areas where there is already organic unity between the insights of Vatican II and Church legislation. In the process, she also reveals several matters where additional work is needed and offers suggestions for the continued implementation of the Council’s vision and intent. An unprecedented work that makes a genuine contribution to the ecumenical movement, Sharing the Eucharist has great significance for religious scholars and clergy who are concerned with the unity of Christian churches. Text also includes a foreword by Johannes Cardinal Willebrands, the former President of the Secretariat for Christian Unity of the Vatican.