This deeper love for one another is manifested in a variety of Christian virtues. Those involved in ecumenism like to say, “In coming closer to Christ we come closer to one another.” Following the Holy Spirit, opening ourselves to a deeper conversion to Christ, and thus to a deeper love for one another, is at the root of our ecumenical convergences. Spiritual growth and the movement toward Christian unity are, therefore, intimately connected. He points to the primacy of prayer as he quotes the council: “This change of heart and holiness of life, along with public and private prayer for the unity of Christians, should be regarded as the soul of the whole ecumenical movement, and can rightly be called ‘spiritual ecumenism’” (No. John Paul II, in his striking encyclical Ut Unum Sint (“That They May Be One,” on commitment to ecumenism) stresses the unalterable commitment of the Catholic Church to the search for Christian unity. We believe our common desire for unity is because we have been open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Results of recent dialogues have brought Catholics closer to other churches and ecclesial communities than we have seen in centuries. Symbolic of this shift in focus, Pope Francis began this 500th year after the Reformation by praying with various Lutheran leaders on Oct. Together we seek the peace of Christ so we may bring peace to the world. But this anniversary also provides an opportunity to recall the unity that we have been seeking intently for the last 50 years. In the upcoming year we will mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, by which we are reminded of our divisions and brokenness even more.
In the very first section of the decree, the bishops reflect on the tragedy of Christian division: “Such division openly contradicts the will of Christ, scandalizes the world, and damages the most holy cause, the preaching of the Gospel to every creature” (No. The council’s decree on ecumenism, Unitatis Redintegratio, received overwhelming approval on Nov.
Catholic bishops, gathered from all parts of the globe, gave expression to this concern about the separation among Christ’s followers and embraced the path forward known as ecumenism. John XXIII and the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). The search for unity among Christians was one of the central concerns of Pope St. People say something like, “How can so many Christian churches differing from one another, and sometimes even in opposition to one another, be from God?” Even today Catholic and Protestant missionaries attest that current Christian divisions impede people from hearing Jesus’ message.
Here, the will of Jesus is clear, which makes it all the more regrettable to think of all the divisions that arose among Christians in the second millennium.
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