VATICAN CITY, JAN 7, 2006 (VIS) - Today in the Vatican, the Holy Father received in audience a delegation from the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, led by the president of the organization, Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick.
In his address to them, the Pope recalled "with gratitude the presence of delegations from the World Alliance both at the funeral of my predecessor Pope John Paul II and at the inauguration of my own papal ministry. In these signs of mutual respect and friendship I am pleased to see a providential fruit of the fraternal dialogue and cooperation undertaken in the past four decades, and a token of sure hope for the future."
Benedict XVI then went on to recall the 40th anniversary of the closing of Vatican Council II, and the promulgation of the Conciliar Decree on Ecumenism "Unitatis Redintegratio" saying: "The Catholic-Reformed dialogue, which came into existence shortly thereafter, has made an important contribution to the demanding work of theological reflection and historical investigation indispensable for surmounting the tragic divisions which arose among Christians in the sixteenth century.
"One of the results of the dialogue has been to show significant areas of convergence between the Reformed understanding of the Church as 'Creatura Verbi' and the Catholic understanding of the Church as the primordial Sacrament of God's outpouring of grace in Christ. ... The Decree on Ecumenism affirmed that 'there can be no ecumenism worthy of the name without interior conversion'."
"At the very beginning of my pontificate I voiced my own conviction that 'inner conversion is the prerequisite for all ecumenical progress,' and recalled the example of my predecessor, Pope John Paul II, who often spoke of the need for a 'purification of memory' as a means of opening our hearts to receive the full truth of Christ. The late Pope ... gave a powerful impulse to this endeavor in the Catholic Church, and I am pleased to learn that several of the Reformed Churches ... have undertaken similar initiatives."
Benedict XVI concluded his remarks by recalling that the way of dialogue "calls for wisdom, humility, patient study and exchange. May we set out with renewed confidence, in obedience to the Gospel and with our hope firmly grounded in Christ's prayer for His Church."
AC/REFORMED CHURCHES/KIRKPATRICK VIS 20060109 (380)
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