Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Fides Service) - “Deus caritas est (1 Jn 4,8.16), God is love. Upon this solid rock rests the whole faith of the Church. And in a special way it is the basis of patient striving for full communion among all Christ’s disciples: with our eyes firmly fixed upon this truth, the core of divine revelation, divisions, while maintaining their painful gravity, appear superable and we are not discourage by them”. Pope Benedict XVI said this on January 25 at the end of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in St Paul’s Basilica where he presided Vespers in the presence of Christians of various different denominations and thousands of local Catholics from Rome and various parts of the world
“Love is the theme of my first Encyclical - the Pope said in his homily -, released today at the end of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and this happy coincidence is a call to consider our coming together and indeed the entire ecumenical journey in the light of God’s love, of Love who is God... Authentic love does not eliminate differences, instead it harmonises them in a more superior unity which is not imposed from outside but which from inside shapes, so to say, the whole. This is the mystery of communion which, just as it unites a man and a woman in the community of love and life of marriage, so too it shapes the Church as a community of love, composing in unity a multiform wealth of gifts and traditions. At the service of this unity of love the Church of Rome, as Saint Ignatius of Antioch says, ‘presides in charity’ ”.
Reflecting on the liturgical readings proclaimed at the Vespers the Pope pointed out that they were closely linked by the theme of love: “In the first divine charity is the power which transforms the life of Saul of Tarsus making him the Apostle of the nations...in the Gospel passage of Mark love works as a principle which unites Christians and ensures that their unanimous prayer will be heard by the heavenly Father … agreement in prayer is therefore important for the prayer to be granted by the heavenly Father. The act of asking together is already a step towards the requested unity. On no account does this mean that God’s reply is determined by our request. We know well: our longed for unity depends first of all on the will of God, whose plan and generosity are beyond human understanding, requests and aspirations.”
At the end of the homily the Holy Father said he was filled with “immense joy at the sight of such a large assembly at prayer imploring in a ‘symphonic’ manner the gift of unity” and he greeted warmly the representatives of other Churches and ecclesial communities and also delegates of Europe’s Churches, Bishops’ Conferences, Christian communities and ecumenical bodies who have started preparations for the Third European Ecumenical Meeting scheduled to be haled in Sibiu, in Rumania, in September 2007. “Yes, dear brothers and sisters, we Christians have the task of being, in Europe and among all peoples the ‘light of the world’ - the Pope said. May God grant us to reach soon the longed for full communion. The re-composition of our unity will render more effective. evangelisation Unity is our common mission; it is the condition for the light of Christ to spread more effectively to every corner of the world, for men and women to convert their hearts and be saved” At the end of the homily Pope Benedict XVI urged those present “not to lose heart” at the sight of the long road ahead “indeed with more enthusiasm let us we resume our journey together. Christ goes before us and walks at our side.” (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 26/1/2006 - righe 43, parole 641)
