Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - The “marvellous flourishing of efforts to restore unity among Christians” particularly in the past 40 years was the subject of Pope Benedict XVI’s teaching during the weekly audience on Wednesday 24 January, almost at the end of the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The Second Vatican Council (Unitatis redintegratio 5) stated that “The attainment of union is the concern of the whole Church, faithful and shepherds alike” and the Holy Father recalled “our first common duty is prayer. By praying, and praying together Christians become more aware that even though still divided they are brothers; furthermore, by praying we learn to listen more to the Lord because only by listening to the Lord and heeding his voice can we find the path to unity.”
The Holy Father explained that ecumenism “is a slow process, a slow and uphill path, like every path of repentance. However it is a path which after the initial difficulties and precisely because of them, presents many occasions for joy, refreshing stops, and allows us now and then to inhale deeply the pure air of communion”. As experience shows since Vatican II “promotion of Christian unity is undertaken at various levels and many different circumstances: in parishes, in hospitals, in contact among people, in cooperation among local communities all over the world especially in regions where a gesture of good will for a brother requires great effort and also the purification of memory”. In this context, which the Pope described as one of “hope, filled with concrete steps towards full communion of Christians”, is set also the ministry of the Bishop of Rome, Shepherd of the universal Church. In this regard the Pope recalled significant ecumenical events in the past 12 months “motives for joy and for gratitude to the Lord”.
The year 2006 began with an official visit to the Pope of the leaders of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches and the presence for Vespers on 25 January 2006 at the end of the "Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in the Basilica of St Paul’s outside the walls of European Delegates for Ecumenism, convoked jointly by the Council of the Bishops’ Conferences of Europe and the Conference of European Churches for the first stop towards the European Ecumenical Meeting in Sibiu, Rumania, in September this year. The Pope recalled his meetings with delegations of the World Baptist Alliance, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and with the leaders of the Orthodox Church of Georgia. The Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, Alexis II, asked the Holy See to take part in the "Summit of Religious Leaders" held in Moscow in July.
The Holy Father recalled the visit of Metropolitan Kyril of the Patriarchate of Moscow, and that of a group of Priests and Seminarians from the Theological College of the «Apostoliki Diakonia» of the Greek Orthodox Church. The Pope sent messages to a Meeting of the World Council of Churches at Porto Alegre, and to the General Meeting of the World Methodist Council in Seoul. He mentioned to visit of the Christian World Communions, the official visit of the Archbishop of Canterbury and Primate of the Anglican Communion, and his ‘unforgettable’ journey to Turkey. The year closed with the official visit to Rome of the Archbishop of Athens and all Greece, his Beatitude His Beatitude Christodoulos.
The Pope concluded his discourse underlining that “these events highlight our common commitment - often silent, but serious - for unity. They encourage us to make every effort to advance in this slow but important uphill path”. The Holy Father then entrusted these efforts to the constant intercession of the Mother of God and patron saints, “praying and working with confidence, certain that the Holy Spirit will do the rest. He will grant us complete unity how and when He pleases”.
Greeting different groups Pope Benedict XVI greeted Catholics from the Italian diocese of Emilia Romagna, accompanying their Bishops on their ad limina visit with these words: “Dear friends, take every opportunity to announce the Gospel without losing courage and always happy to proclaim the truth which illuminates and saves. Above all give priority to prayer for evangelisation and perseverance in the faith. Be ready to discern with every apostolic means to foster missionary zeal in Christian communities. Experience shows that a diocese, a parish which prays and vibrates with missionary spirit, is a community which is fervent and dynamic”. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 25/1/2007 - righe 55, parole 765)
