Katolicko-luterański dialog na temat roli i miejsca Kościoła w zbawczym dziele Chrystusa od Soboru Watykańskiego II do Wspólnej deklaracji w sprawie nauki o usprawiedliwieniu

The role and place of the Church in the Christ’s redemptive work and ecclesial mediation on grace are an everlasting moot point for Lutherans and Catholics. Neither of the parties negates this reality of the Church, the difference, however, regards the meaning of those expressions. At the end of the second stage of the Catholic-Lutheran dialogue and during the third one a statement on the existence of fundamental discrepancy (Grunddifferenz, Fundamentaldissens) appeared, which is at the core of the division between both denominations. The existence of that discrepancy has been evident first of all in the issue of the role of the Church in the event of redemption, in the understanding of sacramentality and instrumental role of the Church and human co-operation in the redemption event. Signed ecumenical documents, in particular Joint declaration on the doctrine of justification, must involve dogmatic implications also in the area of ecclesiology, so as to avoid complaints that the dialogue between the Churches and signed document on the justification have actually changed nothing. Hence, drawing theological-dogmatic conclusions from the already signed documents, it is worth rethinking and expressing criticism of those proposal in order to fully replace a concept of “sacrament” regarding to redeemed instrumentalization of the Church and use the terms “sign” and “tool” instead or to develop a different theological language which will be devoid of ambiguity. Such an attitude to the above mentioned issue would allow us to emphasize the consent of both parties in such an important discipline as ecclesiology. Both parties of the dialogue agree that the relationship of Christ and the Church cannot be presented in the way which would cover inequality of this relationship. Both the Catholics and the Lutherans agree that in the New Testament the relationship between Christ and the Church is based at the same time on unity and distinctness, excluding, thus, any identity. The Church, in the light of the doctrine on justification, is first of all the redeemed and gifted Church, which exclusively due to Christ through the Word and Sacrament is the place of effective salvation. There is also a consent that neither people nor the Church can be perpetrators of salvation, nor can they administer it. The salvation is always a gift.