Ecumenical Update
05 August 2008
The latest news from the Clifton Diocese Ecumenical Commission. Chair Anne Doyle writes for cliftondiocese.com.
August is usually a quiet month, few meetings, lots of people away on holiday despite the weather. So for those involved in ecumenical work I offer a selection of quotes from Pope Benedict XVI. Some are from the very beginning of his papacy, others very recent from his visit to Australia for World Youth Day when he addressed the leaders of Christian denominations in Sydney.
“It is clear to us all that today's world is in need of a new evangelisation, a fresh accounting on the part of Christians for the hope that is in them."
"Yet those who profess that Jesus Christ is Lord are tragically divided and cannot always give a consistent common witness.”
"We may feel discouraged when progress is slow, but there is too much at stake to turn back."
"On the contrary, there are good reasons to forge ahead, as my predecessor Pope John Paul II pointed out in his encyclical letter 'Ut Unum Sint' on the Catholic Church's ecumenical commitment, where he speaks of brotherhood rediscovered and greater solidarity in the service of humanity."
“Christ’s mandate to evangelise all people remains a priority.”
“The road to ecumenism ultimately points to a common celebration of the Eucharist, which Christ entrusted to his apostles as the sacrament of the Church’s unity par excellence. Although there are still obstacles to be overcome, we can be sure that a common Eucharist one day would only strengthen our resolve to love and serve one another in imitation of our Lord…. For this reason, a candid dialogue concerning the place of the Eucharist - stimulated by a new and attentive study of Scripture, patristic writings and documents from across the two millennia of Christian history - will undoubtedly help to advance the ecumenical movement and unify our witness to the world.”
Pope Benedict clearly links ecumenism with mission and the need for a common witness to a broken world and sees the need for ecumenical dialogue to continue and grow. I hope that these quotes prove useful and give you heart to fulfil your calling to ecumenism.
