How can “the unbelieving welcome the proclamation of the Gospel if Christians disagree among themselves, even though they all appeal to the same Christ”? The question was put forward this afternoon during the celebration of the Vespers at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls for the solemnity of the Conversion of St. Paul at the conclusion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Pope Benedict XVI asked it as he recalled in his speech that this year, during the Week of Prayer, Christians have chosen to reflect and pray for a “common witness to the risen Christ”. The theme is intended to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Missionary Conference in Edinburgh (Scotland), which is regarded by many as a key event in the birth of the modern ecumenical movement. “It is the very desire to proclaim Christ and to bring His message of reconciliation to the world – said Benedict XVI – that brings about the contradiction of division among Christians”. “The communion and unity of Christ’s disciples – continued the Pope – is, therefore, an extremely important condition for it makes their witness more credible and effective”. “The ideals of those courageous forerunners are still relevant today, 100 years after the Edinburgh Conference”, continued Benedict XVI. “In a world marked by religious indifference, as well as by a mounting hatred towards the Christian faith, there is the need for a new, intense work of evangelisation, not only among those peoples who have never known the Gospel, but also among those peoples in which Christianity has spread and is part of their history”. The Pope went on to recall that along the path towards the full and visible communion of Christians “there are, alas, issues that separate us from each other and which we hope will be overcome through prayer and dialogue, but also a central topic of Christ’s message that we can proclaim together: the paternity of God, the victory of Christ over sin and death through his cross and resurrection, and trust in the transforming action of the Spirit”.
Then the Pope mentioned those fields in which Christians are called to bear a common witness. “As we walk towards full communion – he said -, we are called to bear a common witness to respond to the ever more complex challenges of our time such as secularisation and indifference, relativism and hedonism, the delicate ethical issues related to the beginning and end of life, the limits of science and technology as well as dialogue with other religious traditions. There are also other realms in which we have to give a common witness: the protection of Creation, the promotion of peace and the common good, the defence of the centrality of the human person, the commitment to fighting the plagues of our time such as poverty, misery, illiteracy, and the unfair distribution of wealth”. At the end of his speech, the Pope said: “the commitment to the unity of Christians is not a task entrusted to some people only, nor is it an additional activity in the life of the Church. We are all called to make our contribution by taking steps towards the full communion of all Christ’s disciples, bearing in mind that it is above all a gift from God, something we always have to ask for. Then the Pope mentioned those fields in which Christians are called to bear a common witness. “As we walk towards full communion – he said -, we are called to bear a common witness to respond to the ever more complex challenges of our time such as secularisation and indifference, relativism and hedonism, the delicate ethical issues related to the beginning and end of life, the limits of science and technology as well as dialogue with other religious traditions. There are also other realms in which we have to give a common witness: the protection of Creation, the promotion of peace and the common good, the defence of the centrality of the human person, the commitment to fighting the plagues of our time such as poverty, misery, illiteracy, and the unfair distribution of wealth”. At the end of his speech, the Pope said: “the commitment to the unity of Christians is not a task entrusted to some people only, nor is it an additional activity in the life of the Church. We are all called to make our contribution by taking steps towards the full communion of all Christ’s disciples, bearing in mind that it is above all a gift from God, something we always have to ask for.

© SIR - jenuary 25th, 2010