Toward a Joint Declaration on the Church?

The Lutheran–Catholic report Baptism and Growth in Communion (2019) argued that on the basis of a common understanding of baptism, it would be possible for both Lutherans and Catholics to consider themselves as being in communion within the one body of Christ and in this sense as churches. However, this approach was not supported unambiguously on the Catholic side. One commission member stated that the Catholic Church is the “only fully identifiable” visible manifestation of the body of Christ. Also, the use of “elements of sanctification and truth” as ecclesial criteria was seen to be too optimistic. As a result of this, Baptism and Growth in Communion is now understood only as an open-ended study document that is not yet ready for reception. It seems the starting point of the report was a belief that the Lutheran and Catholic understandings of the church differ so much that a new approach is needed, namely through the mutual recognition of baptism and the mutual recognition of baptizing communities as members of the body of Christ. However, this path does not appear to be possible in the proposed form because of the criticism from the Catholic side. Instead, it might be possible to make progress through a Joint Declaration on the Church that can pick up the insights of the reports On Church and Church Communion (2018), Communion in Growth (2017), as well as Baptism and Growth in Communion and other major dialogue documents in ecumenical ecclesiology.