After working for the last six years on a means to provide mutual recognition of baptism with several Reformed Protestant denominations, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops voted in favor of the measure at their annual Fall General Assembly. While similar agreements have been reached in other countries, this is the first of its kind in the United States.
According to Religion News Service, Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta, chairman of the ecumenical and interfaith committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, called the agreement a “milestone on the ecumenical journey.” The new agreement will include four Protestant denominations (Christian Reformed Church in North America, Presbyterian Church (USA), Reformed Church in America, and United Church of Christ) after each of their decision making bodies vote to approve the mutual recognition measure. To date, only the Presbyterian Church has done so, but the others are expected to do so “at their national meetings in the coming months.”
According to a Catholic News Agency report:
The document, titled “Common Agreement on Mutual Recognition of Baptism,” holds that Baptism is to be performed only once in a person’s lifetime. It adds that Baptism must be performed by an authorized minister, with flowing water and the employment of the Scriptural Trinitarian formula of “Father, Son and Holy Spirit.”
So What?
This agreement is a significant step toward Christian unity in the United States because it brings together Catholics and Protestants and cover a large percentage of American Christians. According to the most recent data, the Catholic church is the largest in the United States with over 68 million members. The Protestant groups represented include the 2.3 million member Presbyterian Church (USA), the 1 million plus member United Church of Christ, and two smaller denominations: Reformed Church in America and Christian Reformed Church in North America.
How might this agreement open the door to greater Christian unity in the United States? On the denominational level? At the congregational level? For individual believers?