Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – At 10:30am on July 18, in the Crypt of St. Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney, the Holy Father Benedict XVI held an ecumenical encounter with several leaders of other Christian Churches and members of the New South Wales Ecumenical Council. “Australia is a country marked by much ethnic and religious diversity,” the Pope said, after having greeted and thanked all those present. “Yours, too, is a nation which recognizes the importance of religious freedom. This is a fundamental right which, when respected, allows citizens to act upon values which are rooted in their deepest beliefs, contributing thus to the well-being of society. In this way, Christians cooperate, together with members of other religions, for the promotion of human dignity and for fellowship among all nations.” After acknowledging the positive results on the path of ecumenical dialogue in Australia, that demonstrate “not only the possibility of formulating concrete resolutions for fruitful cooperation in the present day, but also the need to continue patient discussion on theological points of difference,” Benedict XVI recalled that this year we celebrate the 2,000th anniversary of the birth of St. Paul, “a tireless worker for unity in the early Church.” The Pope emphasized that “The road of ecumenism ultimately points towards a common celebration of the Eucharist, which Christ entrusted to his Apostles as the sacrament of the Church’s unity par excellence. Although there are still obstacles to be overcome, we can be sure that a common Eucharist one day would only strengthen our resolve to love and serve one another in imitation of our Lord... For this reason, a candid dialogue concerning the place of the Eucharist – stimulated by a renewed and attentive study of scripture, patristic writings, and documents from across the two millennia of Christian history – will undoubtedly help to advance the ecumenical movement and unify our witness to the world.” The Pope continued, saying: “Dear friends in Christ, I think you would agree that the ecumenical movement has reached a critical juncture. To move forward, we must continually ask God to renew our minds with the Holy Spirit (cf. Rom 12:2), who speaks to us through the scriptures and guides us into all truth (cf. 2 Pet 1:20-21; Jn 16:13). We must guard against any temptation to view doctrine as divisive and hence an impediment to the seemingly more pressing and immediate task of improving the world in which we live.” After reflecting on “the nexus between the gift of understanding and the virtue of charity,” as explained by St. Augustine, Benedict XVI pointed out that “ecumenical dialogue advances not only through an exchange of ideas but by a sharing in mutually enriching gifts. An ‘idea’ aims at truth; a ‘gift’ expresses love. Both are essential to dialogue. Opening ourselves to accept spiritual gifts from other Christians quickens our ability to perceive the light of truth which comes from the Holy Spirit.” Taking into consideration the complementary Biblical images of “body” and “temple” used in describing the Church, the Holy Father explained that “Every element of the Church’s structure is important, yet all of them would falter and crumble without the cornerstone who is Christ. As “fellow citizens” of the “household of God”, Christians must work together to ensure that the edifice stands strong so that others will be attracted to enter and discover the abundant treasures of grace within. As we promote Christian values, we must not neglect to proclaim their source by giving a common witness to Jesus Christ the Lord. It is he who commissioned the apostles, he whom the prophets preached, and he whom we offer to the world.” (SL) (Agenzia Fides 18/7/2008)
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