Reception Statement for the Catholic Church in the U.S. (2010)

Reception Statement for the Catholic Church in the United States, November 16, 2010 

The Common Agreement on the Mutual Recognition of Baptism reflects the longstanding conviction of the Catholic Church that baptism is the basis for ecumenical relations with other Christians. With this in mind the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPCU) strongly recommended in its Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms on Ecumenism (1993) that Episcopal Conferences promote dialogues with other churches and ecclesial communities on both the significance and valid celebration of baptism. (Directory, nos. 93-94.) The PCPCU urged that local churches arrive at common statements with their ecumenical partners that would express “mutual recognition of baptisms as well as procedures for considering cases in which a doubt may arise as to the validity of a particular baptism.” (Directory, no. 94.) The Common Agreement of Round 7 of the Reformed-Roman Catholic Dialogue in the USA represents a response to the recommendation of the Holy See, which was reaffirmed by Cardinal Walter Kasper, President of the PCPCU, in his Prolusio to the Plenary of the Council in 2003 (section V, par 1).

Reception-Statement-for-the-Catholic-Church-in-the-United-States.pdf