Subject: VISnews 120118
Organization: VIS
From: Vatican Information Service - Eng - txt
VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
TWENTY SECOND YEAR - N. 13
ENGLISH
WEDNESDAY, 18 JANUARY 2012
SUMMARY:
- Invoking the Gift of Unity among Christians
- Other Pontifical Acts
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INVOKING THE GIFT OF UNITY AMONG CHRISTIANS
VATICAN CITY, 18 JAN 2012 (VIS) - The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity,
which begins today, was the theme of Benedict XVI's general audience
celebrated this morning in the Paul VI Hall. The Holy Father explained how
this initiative has been held annually for more than a century and brings
together Christians from Churches and ecclesial communities, who "invoke
that extraordinary gift for which the Lord Jesus prayed during the Last
Supper: ... 'That they may all be one'".
The Week of Prayer - established in 1908 by Paul Wattson, founder of an
Anglican religious community who later entered the Catholic Church - "is one
of the most effective annual expressions ... of the impetus which Vatican
Council II gave to the search for full union among all Christ's disciples",
said the Pope. "This spiritual event, which unites Christians from all
traditions, increases our awareness of the fact that the unity we strive for
cannot result merely from our own efforts; rather, it is a gift we receive
and must constantly invoke from on high".
The texts for this year's Week of Prayer have been prepared by a group of
representatives from the Catholic Church, and from the Polish Ecumenical
Council which proposed the theme of "We will all be changed by the victory
of our Lord Jesus Christ". The history of Poland - marked by defeats and
victories, by the struggle to end oppression and achieve freedom - led the
ecumenical group to reflect more deeply upon what it means to "win" and to
"lose".
In this context the Pope pointed out that, "in contrast to 'victory'
understood in triumphal terms, Christ shows us a very different way. His
victory does not involve power and might. ... Christ speaks of victory
through love, mutual assistance and boosting the self-esteem of those who
are 'last', forgotten, excluded. For all Christians, the best expression of
such humble service is Jesus Christ Himself, His total gift of self, the
victory of His love over death. ... We can share in this 'victory' only if
we allow ourselves to be transformed by God".
Likewise, "the unity for which we pray requires inner conversion, both
shared and individual. But this must not be limited to cordiality and
cooperation; we must reinforce our faith in God; ... we must enter into the
new life in Christ, Who is our true and definitive victory; we must open to
one another, accepting all the elements of unity which God has conserved for
us; ... we must feel the pressing need to bear witness, before the men and
women of our time, to the living God Who made Himself known in Christ".
Ecumenism, as defined by Vatican Council II and Blessed John Paul II, is
"the responsibility of the entire Church and of all the baptised, who must
augment the partial communion that already exists among Christians until
achieving full communion in truth and charity. Praying for unity ... must
then be an integral part of the prayer life of all Christians, in all times
and places, especially when people from different traditions come together
to work for victory in Christ over sin, evil, injustice and the violation of
human dignity".
Benedict XVI also pointed out that "lack of unity among Christians hinders
the effective announcement of the Gospel and endangers our credibility", but
noted that, "as far as the fundamental truths of the faith are concerned,
there is far more that unites us than divides us. ... This is a great
challenge for the new evangelisation, which will be more fruitful if all
Christians together announce the truth of the Gospel and Jesus Christ, and
give a joint response to the spiritual thirst of our times".
In conclusion, the Pope exhorted the faithful to unite more intensely in
prayer during the course of the coming Week, "to increase shared witness,
solidarity and collaboration among Christians, in expectation of that
glorious day when together we will all be able to celebrate the Sacraments
and profess the faith transmitted by the Apostles".
At the end of his audience, the Holy Father greeted a group of Italian
lawyers, encouraging them to practise their profession "in faithfulness to
the truth, which is a fundamental premise of justice".
AG/ VIS
20120118 (720)
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
VATICAN CITY, 18 JAN 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father accepted the resignation
from the pastoral care of the archdiocese of Guwahati, India, presented by
Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil S.D.B., upon having reached the age limit.
He is succeeded by Coadjutor Archbishop John Moolachira.
RE/ VIS
20120118 (50)
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