Page 284 - Orthodoxy Zizioulas

O r t h o d o x y
Intercommunion and
the Nature of the Church
A specific issue that Orthodoxy faces within the World
Council of Churches is that of intercommunion. This term
has been used in ecumenical circles to refer to the free sharing
of the Eucharist among churches despite the absence of full
unity. Now, the two main reasons put forward to justify inter-
communion present particular difficulties for the Orthodox.
First, it is argued that the unity already existing among church-
es is sufficient to allow—or even require—common participa-
tion at the Eucharistic table. The invitation to Eucharistic
communion comes from Christ Himself, in whom we are al-
ready united; otherwise, the ecumenical movement would be
inconceivable. The second reason is that the Eucharist is seen
as a means to achieve unity; by participating in it, divided
churches will be aided in their journey toward full unity.
The Orthodox have so far unanimously, and with an insis-
tence that causes discomfort among other members of the
Council, refused to practice intercommunion, citing the fol-
lowing reasons.
Firstly, they argue that the very term—let alone the con-
cept—of intercommunion is foreign to the entire tradition of
the Church and even contradictory to the nature of the Eucha-
rist itself. The proper term to describe the Eucharistic com-
munity is “communion,” since the Eucharistic community
takes place within the one Church. Intercommunion presup-
poses the existence of a certain division within the Church,
which contradicts the very essence of the Eucharist. In this
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