Full communion is acommunion or relationship of full agreement among differentChristian denominations or Christian individuals that share certain essential principles ofChristian theology. Views vary among denominations on exactly what constitutes full communion, but typically when two or more denominations are in full communion it enables services and celebrations, such as theEucharist, to be shared among congregants or clergy of any of them with the full approval of each.
Full communion is anecclesiological term for an established relationship betweenChristian denominations that may be constituted by sharedeucharist,doctrine, and ecclesiology. Different denominations emphasize different aspects or define the term differently.[1]
SeveralProtestant denominations base their idea of full communion on theAugsburg Confession which says that "the true unity of the church" is present where "the gospel is rightly preached and sacraments rightly administered."[2] They believe that full communion between two denominations is not a merger, but rather is when two denominations develop a relationship based on a mutual understanding, respect and recognition ofbaptism and sharing of the Lord's Supper. They may worship together, exchange clergy, and share commitments toevangelism and service.[3] For example, groups recognized as being in full communion with theEvangelical Lutheran Church, on this basis, include thePresbyterian Church (USA),Reformed Church in America,United Church of Christ, theEpiscopal Church (United States), theMoravian Church, and theUnited Methodist Church.[3] These churches are not necessarily in full communion with each other, however; each denomination is free to develop its own relationships with other churches. For example, The Episcopal Church, in addition to being a member of theAnglican Communion,[4] is in full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Moravian Church (Northern and Southern Provinces),Mar Thoma Syrian Church of India,Old Catholic Churches of the Union of Utrecht,Philippine Independent Church, and theChurch of Sweden.[5] They are not, currently, in full communion with the Presbyterian Church (USA), Reformed Church in America, or the United Church of Christ, though they are currently in dialogue with other churches; including the United Methodist Church, Presbyterian Church (USA), andRoman Catholic Church.[6]
TheCatholic Church makes a distinction between full and partial communion: where full communion exists, there is but the one Church; partial communion, on the other hand, exists where some elements of Christian faith are held in common, but complete unity on essentials is lacking. Accordingly, they see the church as in partial communion with Protestants and in much closer, but still incomplete, communion with Orthodox churches. It has expressed this distinction in documents such asUnitatis redintegratio, theSecond Vatican Council's decree onecumenism, which states: "quite large communities came to be separated from full communion with the Catholic Church. [...] Men who believe in Christ and have been truly baptized are in communion with the Catholic Church even though this communion is imperfect".[7]
Nonetheless, the Second Vatican Council used the word "communion" in a sense other thancommunio in sacris when speaking of Christians separated from the Catholic Church. TheCatechism of the Catholic Church, citing the Second Vatican Council andPope Paul VI, states:[8]
"The Church knows that she is joined in many ways to the baptized who are honoured by the name of Christian, but do not profess the Catholic faith in its entirety or have not preserved unity or communion under the successor of Peter" (Lumen gentium 15). Those "who believe in Christ and have been properly baptized are put in a certain, although imperfect, communion with the Catholic Church" (Unitatis redintegratio 3). With the Orthodox Churches, this communion is so profound that it lacks little to attain the fullness that would permit a common celebration of the Lord's Eucharist
Full communion thus involves completeness of "those bonds of communion – faith, sacraments and pastoral governance – that permit the Faithful to receive the life of grace within the Church."[9]
In Catholicism, the "universal Church" means Catholicism itself, from the Greek adjective καθολικός (katholikos), meaning "universal".[10] The termparticular church denotes an ecclesiastical community headed by a bishop or equivalent, and this can include both localdioceses as well asautonomous (orsui juris) particular churches, which include other rites such as theLatin Church and theEastern Catholic Churches.[11]
A 1992Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) letter to Catholic bishops expressed this idea as:"'the universal Church cannot be conceived as the sum of the particular Churches, or as a federation of particular Churches'. It is not the result of the communion of the Churches, but, in its essential mystery, it is a realityontologically andtemporally prior to everyindividual particular Church".[12]
The autonomous Catholic churches in full communion with theHoly See are:
As a practical matter for most Catholics, full communion means that a member of one church may partake of theEucharist celebrated in another,[13] and for priests, that they are accepted as celebrants of the Eucharist in the other church.
Restrictions in this matter were already in force in the second century as witnessed to byJustin Martyr in hisFirst Apology: "No one is allowed to partake (of the Eucharist) but the man who believes that the things which we teach are true, and who has been washed with the washing that is for the remission of sins, and unto regeneration, and who is so living as Christ has enjoined."[14]
For acceptance into full communion with the Catholic Church a specific profession of the faith of the Catholic Church is required even of those who have been members of a separate church whosesacraments the Catholic Church considers to be valid.[13][15] Being "in full communion with the Catholic Church" requires that they "firmly accept" its teaching on faith and morals.[16]
Intercommunion usually means an agreement between churches by which all members of each church (clergy with clergy, or laity with laity, respectively) may participate in the other's Eucharistic celebrations or may hold joint celebrations.[17] The Catholic Church has entered into no such agreement: it allows no Eucharisticconcelebration by its clergy with clergy of churches not in full communion with it.[b]
The Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms on Ecumenism indicates the limited circumstances in which Catholics may receive the Eucharist from clergy of churches not in full communion (never if those churches are judged not to have validapostolic succession and thus valid Eucharist), and in which Catholic clergy may administer the sacraments to members of other churches.[20]: nn. 122–136
The norms there indicated for the giving of the Eucharist to other Christians (communicatio in sacris) are summarized incanon 844 of theLatin Church's1983Code of Canon Law.[21] TheCode of Canons of the Eastern Churches (CCEO) indicates that the norms of the Directory apply also to the clergy and laity of theEastern Catholic Churches.[22]
Eastern Orthodox have an understanding of what full communion means that is very similar to that of the Catholic Church.[23] Though they have no figure corresponding to that of the Roman Catholic Pope, performing a function like that of the Pope'sPetrine Office for the whole of their respective communions, they see each of theirautocephalous churches as embodiments of, respectively, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. They too consider full communion an essential condition for common sharing in the Eucharist.
For the autocephalous churches that form the Eastern Orthodox Church, seeEastern Orthodox Church organization. Their number is somewhat in dispute.
TheChurch of the East is currently divided into churches that are not in full communion with one another. TheAssyrian Church of the East and theAncient Church of the East divided in the 20th century over the former's limitation of the post of patriarch to members of a single family[24] and due to the adoption of theNew Calendar by the former. There is movement towards reunity, but they are not in full communion with one another at present. The Chaldean Catholic Church shares a similar history with both, but is currently in full communion with neither. The Catholic Church, of which the Chaldean Church is part, allows its ministers to give the Eucharist to members of Eastern churches who seek it on their own accord and are properly disposed, and it allows its faithful who cannot approach a Catholic minister to receive the Eucharist, when necessary or spiritually advantageous, from ministers of non-Catholic churches that have a recognised Eucharist.[25][21]
TheGuidelines for Admission to the Eucharist between the Chaldean Church and the Assyrian Church of the East explicitly apply these rules, which hold also for the Ancient Church of the East and all Eastern Orthodox churches, to the Assyrian Church of the East.[26] "When necessity requires, Assyrian faithful are permitted to participate and to receive Holy Communion in a Chaldean celebration of the Holy Eucharist; in the same way, Chaldean faithful for whom it is physically or morally impossible to approach a Catholic minister, are permitted to participate and to receive Holy Communion in an Assyrian celebration of the Holy Eucharist".[26]
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TheOriental Orthodox Churches have a similar understanding of communion as theEastern Orthodox Church andRoman Catholic Church. There is no leader of all the Oriental Orthodox Churches. All churches within the Oriental Orthodox Churches areautocephalous and operate and function on their own. All Oriental Orthodox Churches are in full communion with each other. They can take part in all the7 sacraments from each other's churches.
The Oriental Orthodox churches are:
The Oriental Orthodox Churches have a relationship with the Roman Catholic Church, and is working on a relationship with the Eastern Orthodox Church and other Christian churches.
The Oriental Orthodox Churches believe in apostolic succession, the concept that Jesus Christ gave spiritual authority to the 12 Apostles and 72 Disciples, and that authority has been passed on till this day.
For example, theSyriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch is considered the successor ofSt. Peter, theCoptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria is considered the successor ofSt. Mark, theArmenian Apostolic Catholicos of Armenia is considered the successor ofSt. Bartholomew andSt. Thaddeus, theCatholicos of the East of India is considered the successor ofSt. Thomas.
Likewise, the Oriental Orthodox Churches acknowledges theGreek Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople as the successor ofSt. Andrew and theRoman Catholic Pope as the successor of St. Peter andSt. Paul. Due to the schisms at theCouncil of Chalcedon, the tensions between the churches have been high, but in recent years the leaders of all churches have acknowledged each other, and are working on a relationship with each other.
TheAnglican Communion distinguishes between full communion and intercommunion. It applies the first term to situations "where between two Churches, not of the same denominational or confessional family, there is unrestrictedcommunio in sacris including mutual recognition and acceptance of ministries", and the second term to situations "where varying degrees of relation other than full communion are established by agreement between two such Churches".[28] This distinction differs from the distinction that theCatholic Church makes between full and partial communion in that the Anglican concept of intercommunion implies a formal agreement entered into by the churches concerned. As with other Protestant traditions, the Anglican understanding of full communion differs from that of the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodoxy, which consider that full communion between churches involves them becoming a single church, as in the case of theparticular churches "in which and formed out of which the one and unique Catholic Church exists".[29]
All the churches of the Anglican Communion are in full communion with theMar Thoma Syrian Church, which is anOriental Protestant denomination based inIndia.[30][31][32] In addition the Anglican Communion recognizes the possibility of full communion between some of its member provinces or churches and other churches, without having the entire Anglican Communion share that relationship.[33] An example is thePorvoo Communion, which is largely composed ofEvangelical Lutheran churches.
The Anglican Communion established full communion with theUtrechter Old Catholic Churches on the basis of the 1931Bonn Agreement, which established three principles:
TheAnglicans Online website provides a list of non-Anglican churches "in full communion with theSee of Canterbury" and also indicates some important ecumenical agreements of local character (i.e., not involving the whole of the Anglican Communion) with other non-Anglican churches.[33] It also lists churches that, in spite of bearing names (such as "Anglican" or "Episcopal") that might suggest a relationship with the Anglican Communion, are not in communion with it.[36]
TheUnited Methodist Church is in full communion with theEvangelical Lutheran Church in America; theMoravian Church in North America (Northern and Southern Provinces); pan-Methodist Churches which include theAfrican Methodist Episcopal Church,African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church,African Union Methodist Protestant Church,Christian Methodist Episcopal Church,Union American Methodist Episcopal Church; and theUniting Church in Sweden.[37] The United Methodist Church also has a large number of churches in partnerships in "formal, ecumenical relationships approved by the General Conference"[38] which are categorized as concordat churches, affiliated autonomous churches, affiliated united churches, and known ecumenical partner churches Specific to European Central Conferences.[39] While not using the exact wording, these relationships are closely akin to full communion, and include theMethodist Church of Great Britain and theUnited Church of Canada.
The United Methodist Church approved full communion with theEpiscopal Church at their Annual Conference on April 30, 2024. The agreement is awaiting approval by theEpiscopal Church, which is not expected until 2027.[40] Both churches are already in full communion with theEvangelical Lutheran Church in America and theMoravian Church in North America (Northern and Southern Provinces).[41]
TheUnited Church of Christ (UCC) defines full communion as meaning that "divided churches recognize each others' sacraments and provide for the orderly transfer of ministers from one denomination to another." Some of these go back to the 17th centuryPilgrims in Holland; other relationships are recent. The UCC is in full communion alliance with the members of theWorld Communion of Reformed Churches, theUnion of Evangelical Churches in Germany, the Presbyterian Church in the US, and several others in North America and elsewhere.[42]
Churches or denominations holding toopen communion allow all persons who consider themselves "Christian believers" to participate, even without any arrangement of full communion with the other church or denomination involved, and still less requiring an arrangement involving interchangeability of ordained ministers.
It is in the stronger sense of becoming a single church that in 2007 theTraditional Anglican Communion sought "full communion" with theRoman Catholic Church as asui iuris (particular church) jurisdiction, but in 2012 declined the possibility offered byPope Benedict XVI to join apersonal ordinariate for former Anglicans in full communion with the see of Rome.[43]
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The following groupings of churches have arrangements for or are working on arrangements for:
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