World Church Takes Step Toward One Communion

As part of the Week of Prayer for Church Unity in Vatican City, the head of the World Council of Churches has called for greater unity among all denominations and hopes that, by the middle of the century, all Christian churches will be able to commune together, Reuters reported.

WCC Secretary General the Rev. Samuel Kobia told media in the Vatcian that he has met with Pope Benedict of the Roman Catholic Church to discuss differences in theology that prevent intercommunion. The WCC represents mainline and fundamentalist protestants across the globe. Kobia is a Kenyan Methodist.

The secretary general envisions a world where “Christians everywhere, regardless of their confessional affiliations, can pray and worship together and feel welcome to share in the Lord's Table at every church," he told reporters.

Catholic theologians, however, are skeptical about intercommunion with protestants, an issue that has arisen primarily through mixed marriages in the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States. They believe Catholic intercommunion would likely occur first with Orthodox churches because of similar doctrine.