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Perspectief 24 Communion in Taizé may forbid sharing; the second may commend it.” 5 The decree only refers to communicatio in sacris again in the section on ecumenical contacts with Eastern Orthodox Christians 6 , not in the section on Protestantism. Still, apparently the Taizé community operates within the narrow space offered by this decree, according the authorities. On an informal level, local authorities have demonstrated their approval by celebrating the Eucharist with the brothers, by distributing communion to them, and by refraining from imposing disciplinary actions against the community. I will deal with the two principles encountered in Redintegratio unitatis in more detail in chapter 4. 3.2 Implementation by ecclesial authorities The implementation of the Code of Canon Law is as important as the codex itsel f. The authorities have to interpret and apply the law. The way ecclesial authorities have dealt with the Taizé community indicates how to value the community and its methods from the viewpoint of canon law. A major change can be seen in the attitudes of Catholic authorities before and after the Second Vatican Council, with regard to the community. Before the Council, the Church was rather isolated from other Christians. Permission to use the old Roman church in the village of Taizé for the ecumenical prayer services of the brothers was initially granted, but soon withdrawn, because the Bishop of Autun was not sure whether this would be in line with the Church’s policy. It was such a big issue that it eventually ended up with the papal nuncio in Paris, Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli - the later John XXIII. He gave permission to use the village church for the prayers of the brother, without however permitting them to welcome Catholics in their services yet. 7 Another key relation was Cardinal Gerlier, Archbishop of Lyon. Favoring ecumenism, he urged brother Roger to visit the Pope in Rome. The first visit was not too successful. 5 McManus, Frederick R., ‘Canonical Overview: 1983-1999’ in Beal, John P. (ed.), New Commentary on the Code of Canon Law (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press 2000), 16. 6 C.f. Unitatis Redintegratio , 15. 7 Santos, A Community Called Taizé , 62.