Det blir (for meg) stadig tydeligere at synet på bispe- og prestembedet er det største problemet i de økumeniske samtalene; det gjør bl.a. at vi katolikker stiller alvorlige spørsmål ved nattverdfeiringa i de protestaniske kirkene.
Jeg tenker av og til tilbake på fjoråret i Roma, og akkurat nå er det et år siden jeg leverte inn en oppgave på det pavelige universitetet Angelicum. Den handlet ikke om embedssynet generelt, men mer spesifikt om «Synet på Peters-embedet i luthersk-katolske dialoger«. Med andre ord: Hvor langt har lutheranere og katolikker kommet i enighet om selve paveembedet?
Man er vel ikke kommet så veldig langt skulle man tro, men det var til min overraskelse bare delvis riktig. Hele oppgaven min kan leses HER, og konklusjonen min er disse fem korte punktene:
1. The issue of the Petrine office has been considered a very difficult problem in the Catholic-Lutheran dialogues.
2. Lutherans have not quite ruled out the possibility of the Petrine office – even though they at one point called the pope the anti-Christ. Some Lutherans see the need of a unifying office in the church, though they are not really sure this office should be set up.
3. There still seems to be two very important questions/problems between Catholics and Lutherans when they talk about this issue: a) Is the Petrine office necessary for the church and b) how should it be exercised?
4. I have noticed a certain imbalance in this dialogue; the Lutherans seem to need to change a lot to accept the papacy, while for Catholics it is more a matter of presenting the papacy in a more open way.
5. There is a certain openness among some Lutherans to accept the Petrine office, yet after the last 30-40 years of dialogue, this potential solution has remained just that; potential. And it is really very hard to say if or when Catholics and Lutherans will come closer to an agreement on the Petrine office.