Vatican City, 6 November 2014 (VIS) –
This morning Pope Francis received in audience a delegation from the
World Evangelical Alliance, a network of evangelical churches in 128
nations, based in New York, U.S.A., which has formed an alliance with
over 100 international organisations, giving voice to more than 400
million evangelical Christians throughout the world.
The Holy Father began his address to
the Alliance by emphasising that Baptism is a priceless gift from
God, which we have in common. “Thanks to this gift, we no longer
live a purely earthly existence; we now live in the power of the
Spirit”. He went on to remark that from the beginning, there have
been divisions among Christians and “sadly, even today, conflicts
and rivalries exist between our communities. This weakens our ability
to fulfil the Lord’s commandment to preach the Gospel to all
peoples. Our divisions mar the beauty of the seamless robe of Christ,
yet they do not completely destroy the profound unity brought about
by grace in all the baptised. The effectiveness of the Christian
message would no doubt be greater were Christians to overcome their
divisions, and together celebrate the sacraments, spread the word of
God, and bear witness to charity”.
The Bishop of Rome went on to express
his joy to know that “in various countries Catholics and
Evangelicals enjoy good relations and work together as brothers and
sisters. The joint efforts of the Pontifical Council for Promoting
Christian Unity and the Theological Commission of the World
Evangelical Alliance have also opened up new horizons by clarifying
misunderstandings and by showing the way to overcoming prejudices”.
He continued, “It is my hope that these talks may further inspire
our common witness and our efforts to evangelise: if we really
believe in the abundantly free working of the Holy Spirit, we can
learn so much from one another! It is not just about being better
informed about others, but rather about reaping what the Spirit has
sown in them, which is also meant to be a gift for us. I am confident
that the document 'Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious World:
Recommendations for Conduct' can prove helpful for the preaching of
the Gospel in multi-religious contexts”.
“I trust that the Holy Spirit, who
inspires the Church to persevere in seeking new methods of
evangelisation, will usher in a new era of relations between
Catholics and Evangelicals, so that the Lord’s will that the Gospel
be brought to the ends of the earth may be more fully realised. I
assure my prayers for this cause, and I ask you to pray for me and
for my ministry”, concluded Pope Francis.
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