Editing Full communion (section)

====Full versus partial communion====

The [[Catholic Church]] makes a distinction between full and partial communion: where full communion exists, there is but the one Church; partial communion, on the other hand, exists where some elements of Christian faith are held in common, but complete unity on essentials is lacking. Accordingly, they see the Church as in partial communion with Protestants and in much closer, but still incomplete, communion with Orthodox Churches. It has expressed this distinction in documents such as ''[[Unitatis redintegratio]]'', the [[Second Vatican Council]]'s decree on [[ecumenism]], which states: "quite large communities came to be separated from full communion with the Catholic Church. [...] Men who believe in Christ and have been truly baptized are in communion with the Catholic Church even though this communion is imperfect".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Unitatis redintegratio |url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19641121_unitatis-redintegratio_en.html |access-date=2023-02-22 |website=www.vatican.va}}</ref>

Nonetheless, the Second Vatican Council used the word "communion" in a sense other than ''communio in sacris'' when speaking of Christians separated from the Catholic Church. The ''[[Catechism of the Catholic Church]]'', citing the Second Vatican Council and [[Pope Paul VI]], states:<ref>{{CCC|pp=838}}</ref>

{{Quote|"The Church knows that she is joined in many ways to the baptized who are honoured by the name of Christian, but do not profess the Catholic faith in its entirety or have not preserved unity or communion under the successor of Peter" (''Lumen gentium'' 15). Those "who believe in Christ and have been properly baptized are put in a certain, although imperfect, communion with the Catholic Church" (''Unitatis redintegratio'' 3). With the Orthodox Churches, this communion is so profound that it lacks little to attain the fullness that would permit a common celebration of the Lord's Eucharist|author=|title=|source=}}

Full communion thus involves completeness of "those bonds of communion &ndash; faith, sacraments and pastoral governance &ndash; that permit the Faithful to receive the life of grace within the Church."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://clsa.org/content/files/USCCB_memo_2006_0405.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080309122847/http://clsa.org/content/files/USCCB_memo_2006_0405.pdf|archive-date=9 March 2008|title=Notification from Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts on the actus formalis defectionis}}</ref>