We aren't talking about monkeys because Homo Sapiens aren't monkeys and didn't evolve from monkeys.
You clearly misunderstand evolution and the Homo sapiens species.
This all depends on who you ask. Firstly, new evidence suggests we are more closely related to Orangutan than Chimps (yes, both apes). However, we, according to science, all come from the same Order, so we are all connected. Use which ever word you like, but according to science, all animals are related; therefore, it’s all about monkeys, or rats, or birds, or whatever. Unless I clearly misunderstand…again. 
Of course we are all connected, and you are right in saying we are members of the same Order. We are all Primates. But you clearly misunderstand it and oversimplify it as though it were an A = B sort of comparison, this always seems to be an issue various kinds of fundamentalists have with things.
Humans, Apes, Chimpanzees and Orangutans are all members of the same Order. Order is about the 6th level of classification.
For humans, we are classified under the Order of Primates. Within that Order, we are of the family of Hominidae, of the tribe of Hominini, genus Homo and species Homo Sapiens.
We are "related" to apes, chimpanzees and such through our Order.
If you want a parallel, then look at things like dogs. Dogs/Wolves, Cats (domestic and others), Foxes, Bears and others are all members of the Carnivora Order. Therefore, they are all "related" and share a common ancestry through that Order. But cats clearly aren't dogs, foxes clearly aren't bears, etc...
Or for another parallel, look at horses, zebras, rhinos, onagers, tapirs and donkeys. They are all members of the Perissodactyla Order. They all share that common ancestry, but (for the most part) they aren't equivalent to each other or "like" each other other than the common ancestry.
For all of those mentioned above, we are all of the Class of Mammalia. We are all "mammals". We are related at that level, but we aren't equivalent or the same.
Neanderthals are Homo Sapiens, they are the same species as we are, but they are a subgroup of our species, they are Homo Sapiens Neanderthalensis.
Apparently not. Same Genus, different species. (Sorry about the chart, I had trouble getting it to line up right)
Human Neanderthal
Domain Eukaryote Eukaryote
Kingdom Animal Animal
Phylum Chordate Chordate
Subphyla Vertebrate Vertebrate
Class Mammal Mammal
Order Primate Primate
Family Hominidae Hominidae
Genus Homo Homo
Species Sapien neanderthalensis
The subspecies is a very, very recent idea I first heard about it was around 2009-2010. This is still open for debate and in no way universally accepted. It is also based on the notion Neanderthals and Sapiens interbred normally, not as a rarity or even at all. I was under the belief evolution worked with fact, not possibility. “To influence evolution and phylogeny, interbreeding must be constant and genetically influent.”
You are right, there are two interpretations, one says that we are the same species, and another that we are two different species. But is salvation connected to species?
As for communion and the grace of God. We cannot say that it is exclusive to the Homo Sapiens species. In fact, we even have holy men and bishops today who argue that if we make contact with other intelligent life out there, that we should extend the Gospel to them as well, and seek to baptize them.
I understood your view was holy men and bishops were not scientists and those who took a literal sense of Creation were to be dismissed as lacking in proper education. But these men are ok because they are closer to your view? What evidence, scientifically speaking, is there of an advanced alien race outside of our own planet? None. In fact, people who run around talking about this “evidence” are joked about.
Even if there were an advanced alien species traveling through the universe and they decide to stop by and introduce themselves, do you really think they would look at our primitive state, compared to theirs, and believe in any religion from here? Doubtful. We can hypothetical all day. Those whacky aliens…
Humans evolve and if The Lord tarries further, we will continue to evolve, possibly to the point where our descendants "become" another subgroup of Homo Sapiens. It isn't a natural law or our just being Homo Sapiens that grants us the status of being higher than the angels and made in the image of God. But rather it is that God made all humans, all Homo Sapiens after his own image and likeness, regardless of their brain development, physical development and other such traits.
If humans are doing anything, it’s de-evolving. (sapins, wise, rational, present participle of sapere, to be wise)
According to the science produced on this forum from evolutionists, as I understand it, a theory or hypothesis is valid until someone can prove it invalid (at least that is what I have been told here). So, I came up with a perfectly acceptable idea and unless you can prove it invalid, outside your opinion, it stands as fact.
You clearly don't understand my view then and you don't understand the positions of those holy men either. You are putting your Modern Fundamentalist views on them. They weren't fundamentalists, and if you want to be, then that's okay, just don't think you're being more Orthodox by being a Fundamentalist, in fact, you're being more Protestant than anything else. They believed in the literal sense of Genesis, but not for the same reasons you do and you cannot super-impose 20th Century Biblical literalism and Fundamentalism back onto the holy persons of the Church.
You have seemed to try to impose your own view and interpretation on the Church and seem to assume the Church has to be "this way" and has to essentially be "fundamentalist" or it isn't really the Church and has changed. You have gone so far as to condemn the church for "changing" or "innovating" by not being fundamentalist or conforming to modern fundamentalism and Biblical literalism (which is largely a product of heretical Western Christianity and western literalism/fundamentalism)
Actually no, we aren't devolving. You cannot "devolve" you can only evolve. Devolution would assume "winding back the clock" which isn't possible.
Also, theories don't work as you are suggesting, in fact, you are treating your opinion as a theory, which it certainly is not. Opinions are not assumed true till proven false. Theories are deeper and more thoroughly tested and "proven" than opinions or hypothesis are.
