Urząd kościelny jako służba Ewangelii. Od reformacyjnego postulatu do ekumenicznego konsensusu
Ordained Ministry as Service to the Gospel. From Reformation Postulate to Ecumenical Consensus

Summary/Abstract: The relationship of the ordained ministry and the Gospel is a key problem in ecumenical relations, especially with the post-Reformation churches. Reformation criticism was largely concerned with the abuses associated with a reductionist exercise of this ministry and placing it above the Gospel. Meanwhile, its proper task is to serve as a witness to the word of God. In the ecumenical era, also Catholic theology may join the reformation postulate of understanding the ministry as a service to the Word. This approach is the result of the ecumenical dialogue on this issue, initiated on the Catholic side by the teaching of the Second Vatican Council regarding the relationship between the Word and ministry. A key factor in this process was a deeper understanding of apostolic succession and an appreciation of fidelity to the Gospel as an essential sign of the Church's apostolicity, while distancing oneself from an understanding of the ordained ministry as authority. Following a chronological order, the first stage will show the historical evolution in the understanding of the ministry in apostolic succession. Then, elements of the teaching of the Second Vatican Council and some achievements of reports of the Catholic-Lutheran dialogue will be pointed out, which contribute to an understanding of the ordained ministry primarily as a service of witness to the Word.

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