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The Declaration affirms that there are two doctrinal statements, neither of which can be downplayed:  First, that the one Church of Christ already visibly exists, here and now, fully in the Catholic Church.  Secondly, and inseparably, that outside of the structure of the Catholic Church, many of the means of saving grace and of sanctification exist, coming from the same Holy Spirit of Christ, who has entrusted the "very fullness of grace and truth" to the Catholic Church.  These other Christians, through their Baptism, are incorporated into Christ and therefore are in communion with the Church.

It is here that we find the basis for ecumenical dialogue and affirm that "very many of the most significant elements or endowments which together go to build up and give life to the church herself can exist outside the visible boundaries of the Catholic Church: the written Word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope and charity, along with other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit?" (Unitatis redintegratio, n.3)

Unfortunately today people want to rush ahead to unity and avoid the hard work of looking at areas of theological misunderstanding or disagreement and working those through for the goal of true unity in the future.  Imagine where the Lutheran-Catholic dialogue would be today if the leaders from the Catholic and Lutheran Churches refused to do the hard work necessary to understand our differences and areas of agreement.

Today, by the way they act, some people demonstrate that they lack an ecclesial conscience and have little or no concept of the Church.  As a result, we rush ahead toward a  "fuzzy" sort of communion with no idea of what separates us, and even worse, no appreciation for what the separation actually means.

In 1963 Protestant theologian Karl Barth said, "The greatest obstacle to reunion between Protestants and Catholics is a little word which the Catholic Church adds after nearly every one of the our Protestant affirmations.  It is the little word and.  When we say Jesus, Catholics say "Jesus and Mary."  We seek to obey Christ, our only Lord:  Catholics obey Christ and his Vicar on earth, the Pope.  We believe the Christian is saved through the merits of Jesus Christ:  Catholics add, "and our own merits," that is, because of works.  We believe the sole source of Revelation is Scripture:  Catholics add "and Tradition."  We say knowledge of God is obtained by faith in his word expressed in Scripture:  Catholics add and by reason."

Another Protestant theologian, Oscar Cullmann, said in 1962:  "What separates us are not the positive elements of our faith but precisely what there is more in Catholicism (from the Protestant point of view).... and, vice versa, what there is less in Protestantism (from the Catholic point of view)."

True ecumenical dialogue will be centered on lessening and eventually overcoming these differences in order to obtain the ultimate goal of a united Christian Church.  But we must all be clear about the unity which we seek.  The Catholic Church seeks visible unity expressed in visible bonds of communion:  Profession of one faith; common celebration of worship and the sacraments; apostolic succession to valid holy orders; all of this crowned by charity which binds everything together.  (Col 3:14, of Catechism of the Catholic Church, n.814).