V C Samuel 4 Faith and order commission Meeting, Lima 1982

Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry (BEM), also known as the Lima Document, is a Christian ecumenical document adopted by members of the

World Council of Churches The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a worldwide Christian inter-church organization founded in 1948 to work for the cause of ecumenism. Its full members today include the Assyrian Church of the East, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, most ju ...

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of ...

in January 1982. The document attempted to express the convergences that had been found over the years. It was sent to all member churches and six volumes of responses compiled. The approach used in the document has been called ''ecclesiology of communion'' by ecumenical theologians, in that the sacraments are presented as a means to achieve greater Church unity. As a result, some churches have changed their liturgical practices, and some have entered into discussions, which in turn led to further agreements and steps towards unity. For instance, Protestant churches began to mutually recognize the validity of each other's ministers. Similar agreements in sacramental theology have affected Catholic-Orthodox relations and Catholic-Protestant relations, notably the recognition of Trinitarian

baptism Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...

s. The question of

eucharistic theology Eucharistic theology is a branch of Christian theology which treats doctrines concerning the Holy Eucharist, also commonly known as the Lord's Supper. It exists exclusively in Christianity and related religions, as others generally do not cont ...

is more delicate, given the fact that historic Reformation churches have given no indication that they will recognize the Roman Catholic dogma of

transubstantiation Transubstantiation (Latin: ''transubstantiatio''; Greek: μετουσίωσις '' metousiosis'') is, according to the teaching of the Catholic Church, "the change of the whole substance of bread into the substance of the Body of Christ and of ...

, which is essential to the formation of the Catholic priesthood.

References

* {{Authority control World Council of Churches 1982 in Peru 1982 in Christianity 1980s in Lima 1982 documents January 1982 events

See also

References