CHAPTER 11: SUGGESTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 269 11 SUGGESTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS aving laid out the theological implications in chapters 9 and 10, this final chapter offers some suggestions for the monastic communities and the churches involved, especially the Roman Catholic Church, as well as recommendations for further research into the topic of Eucharistic sharing and in practical theology in general. As such, it collects some concrete possible applications of the insights acquired as well as questions that remain open. 11.1 SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR CHURCHES AND THE COMMUNITIES Based on the principles of the practical theological discipline in general and the findings of this study in particular, I encourage church leaders, first of all, to acknowledge the role that Eucharistic sharing already has in the life of the church. In the communities studied, Eucharistic hospitality as a means to promote unity is clearly an established practice. It is hardly a secret that such hospitality is extended to non-Catholic Christians in many monasteries and parishes, although this occurs in different circumstances and it often enjoys less canonical legitimation. From canonical and theological perspectives, this may be reviewed as problematic considering church teaching and discipline and therefore dismissed as undesirable. However, it can just as well be interpreted as an expression of the sensus fidei and, therefore, as an authentic contribution to the mission of the church. Cardinal Kasper hints in this direction by referring to the ecumenical path of Brother Roger as a “discreet indication by the Holy Spirit for the future ecumenical path.”562 He did not necessarily include the practice 562 Kasper, “Mercy and the Ecumenical Journey of Brother Roger,” 294. H
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTk4NDMw