Vatican City, 8 October 2014 (VIS) –
This morning, punctual as always, the Holy Father entered St. Peter's
Square in an open-top Jeep to greet the faithful in attendance at
this Wednesday's general audience. He dedicated his catechesis to the
“many brothers who share with us our faith in Christ, but who
belong to other confessions or to traditions different to our own”.
He emphasised that even today the relations between Christians of
different confessions are not always characterised by respect and
cordiality, and asked, “What is our current attitude to this
situation? Are we indifferent or do we firmly believe that we can and
must walk towards reconciliation and full communion?”.
The Pope emphasised that the divisions
between Christians wound the Church and Christ, and remarked that
Jesus wanted his disciples to remain united in His love. This unity
was already under threat in Jesus' time, explained Pope Francis, and
He urged his disciples to speak unanimously, so “by the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be
no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and
the same purpose”.
The bishop of Rome also mentioned that
throughout history the devil has tempted the Church with the
intention of dividing her. Unfortunately, the Church has been marked
by serious and painful divisions that have at times been
long-lasting, continuing until the present day. For this reason, “it
is very difficult to reconstruct the reasons and, above all, to find
possible solutions. … What is certain is that, in one way or
another, behind all these lacerations there is always arrogance and
selfishness, which are the cause of every disagreement and which make
us intolerant, incapable of listening and of accepting those who have
a vision or a position different from our own”.
“Now, faced with this, is there
anything that we as members of the Holy Mother Church, can and should
do? Without doubt there must be no lack of prayer, in continuity and
in communion with Jesus. And together with prayer, the Lord asks of
us a renewed openness: He asks us not to close ourselves against
dialogue and encounter, but rather to accept all that is valid and
positive that is offered to us even from those who think differently
to us or who adopt different positions. Let us not focus on what
divides us, but rather on that which unites us, seeking to know and
love Christ better and to share the richness of His love. … We are
divided against ourselves. However, we all have something in common:
we believe in Jesus Christ, the Lord … in the Father, the Son and
the Holy Spirit. We walk together, we are on the same path … let us
help each other! Let us receive communion on the way. This is
spiritual ecumenism: walking the path of life together in our faith
in Jesus Christ the Lord”.
Continuing on the theme of communion,
the Holy Father told the faithful present that today he is very
thankful to the Lord, since it is seventy years since his first
communion. “Receiving the First Communion means entering into
communion with others, with our brothers in our Church, and also with
all those who belong to different communities but who believe in
Jesus”.
Francis concluded by encouraging all to
walk together towards full unity. “History has separated us, but we
are on the path to reconciliation and communion. And when it seems
that our goal is too distant or we are discouraged, we may be
comforted by the idea that God cannot cover His ears to the voice of
His own Son, and cannot fail to respond to His prayer and ours, that
all Christians are truly one”.
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