Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - On Friday 17 November Pope Benedict XVI received in audience the participants at the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the Unity of Christians. In his address the Pope said “What must be promoted above all is the ecumenism of love, that descends directly from the new commandment left by Jesus to His disciples. Love accompanied by coherent acts generates trust and opens eyes and heart - the Holy Father continued. Dialogue of charity by nature promotes and illuminates dialogue in truth: it is in fact in the fullness of truth that there will be the definitive encounter to which the Spirit of Christ is leading us. Certainly, relativism or easy and false Irenaenism will not help ecumenical efforts. Indeed they misrepresent and disorientate these efforts. It is necessary to intensify ecumenical formation starting from the fundamentals of the Christian faith, from the announcement of God’s love revealed in the face of Jesus Christ and which Christ revealed to man enabling him to understand his lofty calling”.
Referring to the theme of the plenary - “The Changing Ecumenical Situation." -, the Pope said “we live in times of great changes in almost every sector of life, and therefore it comes as no surprise that this also includes the life of the Church and relations among Christians. However it must be said that despite changing situations, mentalities and problems, the goal of the ecumenical movement remains the same: visible unity of the Church”. The Holy Father then confirmed the commitment made at the beginning of his Pontificate to re-establish full unity among all Christians as demanded by the Second Vatican Council.
Recognising that since Vatican II progress has been made towards achieving full communion, the Pope said. “Great work has been done at the universal and local level. Brotherhood among all Christians has been rediscovered and re-established as a condition for dialogue, cooperation, prayer, solidarity… … My imminent visit to His Holiness Bartholomew I and that Ecumenical Patriarchate will be another sign of consideration for the Orthodox Churches, and will help - we trust - to hasten our steps towards re-establishing full communion”. Pope Benedict XVI continued: “Realistically however we must admit that the path ahead is still long. Since Vatican II the situation has altered under many aspects. Rapid changes in the world have effected also ecumenism”. Many eastern Churches, having reacquired freedom, are involved in a process of re-organisation and revitalisation. “Eastern and western Europe are drawing closer; this encourages the Churches to coordinate efforts to safeguard Christian Tradition and to announce the Gospel to the new generations. This collaboration is especially urgent in the situation of advanced secularisation in the western world”. Theological dialogue between the Catholic and the Orthodox Churches has received new impulse and the Pope said in this regard that he has great hopes “for the path ahead in respect for legitimate theological, liturgical and disciplinary variations”. Progress has also been made among the ecclesial Communities of the West “in reciprocal knowledge, to set aside prejudices, to confirm convergences and identify clearly the real divergences”.
With regard to the latter the Holy Father mentioned “the difficulty to find common understanding of the relationship between Gospel and Church and in relation to this, of the mystery of the Church and Church unity and the question of ministry in the Church. New difficulties have appeared in the field of ethics, different positions on present day issues assumed by the Christians confessions weaken the latter’s guiding incidence on public opinion. From this point of view what is needed is in depth dialogue on Christian anthropology as well as interpretation of the Gospel and its concrete application”.
The Pope concluded underlining the importance of spiritual ecumenism “prayer, charity, conversion of heart for personal and community renewal. I encourage you to continue on this path which has already borne fruit and will continue to do so”. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 18/11/2006 - Righe 52, parole 711)
