London, England, Sep 17, 2010 / 14:28 pm
Presiding over an ecumenical celebration on Friday evening at Westminster Abbey, Pope Benedict XVI noted that faith and fidelity to Christ will lead Christians to unity.
The Holy Father presided over the celebration with Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. Delegates from all of the major Christian churches of England were present for the prayerful occasion in the enormous Gothic abbey church.
The Holy Father told those present that there were two reasons for his pilgrimage to the abbey: "to pray before the tomb of Saint Edward the Confessor and to join you in imploring the gift of Christian unity."
Calling the impressive effect of the abbey a powerful reminder of the Christian faith that "shaped the unity and culture of Europe and the heart and spirit of the English people, he said: "Here too, we are forcibly reminded that what we share, in Christ, is greater than what continues to divide us."