Pope says the goal of Ecumenical dialogue remains unchanged: one single visible Church

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Vatican City, Nov 17, 2006 / 12:00 am (CNA).- Speaking to the participants at the plenary session of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Pope Benedict recalled that the primary goal of ecumenical dialogue remains the same: to reach one, single, visible Church.

“We live in a period of great change in almost all areas of life," said the Holy Father, “and we must not be surprised if this also impinges upon the life of the Church and on relations between Christians."

Nonetheless, he added, "the aim of the ecumenical movement remains unchanged: the visible unity of the Church.”

“The Second Vatican Council considered the re-establishment of full unity among all Christians as one of its principal concerns. It is also my concern," the Pope said. Recalling one of the halls in which Vatican Council II took place, "where the observer delegates from other Churches and ecclesial communities sat attentive, but in silence. Over subsequent decades, this image has given way to the reality of a Church in dialogue.”

“Silence, “he continued, “has been transformed into the word of communion. An enormous amount of work has been done at both the universal and local levels.”

“Fraternity among all Christians has been rediscovered and re-established as a condition for dialogue, cooperation, common prayer, and solidarity."

The Holy Father also recalled that “at the time of the Council, many of the venerated Eastern Churches were oppressed by dictatorial regimes.”

“Today they have regained their freedom and are committed to a wide-ranging process of reorganization and revitalization ... The eastern and western parts of Europe are coming closer together, and this encourages Churches to coordinate their efforts to safeguard the Christian tradition.”

“Fortunately,” he added, "following a period of multiple difficulties, theological dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches has taken on fresh impetus," while "bilateral, open and friendly" dialogue is making progress with the ecclesial communities of the West.

Pope Benedict, nevertheless, listed the still present obstacles, such as “the difficulty of finding a shared conception of the relationship between the Gospel and the Church, of the mystery of the Church and her unity, and of the question of ministry in the Church. New difficulties have arisen in the field of ethics and, as a consequence, the different standpoints taken by the Christian confessions on current problems have reduced their possibility of guiding public opinion."

"What must be promoted above all," the Pope concluded, "is the ecumenism of love, which descends directly from the new commandment left by Jesus to His disciples. Love accompanied by coherent acts generates trust ... Ecumenical formation must also be intensified, on the basis of the fundamentals of Christian faith, in other words from the announcement of the love of God which was revealed in the face of Jesus Christ."

Comments: 15

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Published by: Elisha
UK 12/25/2009 08:06 AM EST

2 Timothy 4 1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at[a] His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 1 Timothy 4 1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, 3 forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.

Published by: Servant of Yah
UK 12/25/2009 08:02 AM EST

1 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Published by: Angel
Bensalem, PA 12/13/2006 09:53 PM EST

Our forefathers did speak about Ecumenism. However, it's not the Ecumenism that is being preached today. The Ecumenism of pre-Vatican II was to bring those outside the Church back to the True Faith. The previous Catechism books and even many letters by the popes, clergy, and saints spoke about the One True Catholic Church, outside of which there is no salvation.
An example would be Pope Pius IX who in his allocution Singulari Quadam of 1854 said, "Another error...has taken hold of some parts of the Catholic World...who think there is good hope for the eternal salvation of all those who in no wise live in the true Church of Christ.... keep away from men's minds...that opinion which is as unholy as as it is deadly...that a way of eternal salvation can be found in any religion whatever."

Also, the dogma of Infallibility states that we MUST believe dogmas of faith and morals. And that in order for these dogmas to be valid, they must meet certain criteria. The dogma of Infallibility does NOT mean that everything that is done and said by the clergy is infallible, especially when these are in contradiction to tradition and the constant teachings of the Church. Sadly enough that ideology is being promoted by many Catholics today. May the Lord open our eyes to the Truth soon so that many souls will not continue to be lost.

Published by: Nancy Tuttle
Columbus OHIO Franklin co 12/13/2006 01:07 PM EST

We catholics must pray forthe pope& all priests were in the end times and the bible must be forfilled.Keep hold to triditions&to the true fiath. The bible says even the elect would be let astray. All that will mater in the end is that we will be juged on is love. All will pass away ecept for love! DEOGRATIAS!

Published by: Neil Rangel
Santo Estevam/Goa/India 12/12/2006 12:11 PM EST

The goal of all dialogue is to convert all to the Catholic Faith under the Roman Pontiff. Unity is a misnomer as there is just one Church that cannot be divided. The Catholic Church is the only Church of Christ. Christians do not exist outside the Catholic Church. All those who claim to be Churches or Christians outside the Catholic Church are nothing but agents of Satan the anti-Christ.They are no different from those of other faiths and convictions. Any acknowledgement of Churches or Christians outside the Catholic Church amounts to acknowledging that Christ is divided; which He is not.Catholics are forbidden to even pray with anyone who does not wish to convert.There is absolutely no salvation for anyone outside the Catholic Church. No one is excused of invincible ignorance. One has to be visibly incorporated into the Catholic Church through baptism to hope to be saved. Christ did not will that any should be saved outside His Church and without being baptised with water.

Published by: Karine
New York NY 12/11/2006 10:39 PM EST

To Dr Luning, Germany...
Abuses in the name of ecumenism continue to flourish in Germany, take note! No, we are not primitive and ignorant as you say! It's too easy to fall into Protestant errors
and accept them as part
of the Vatican II ideology.

Published by: Joanna Simons
Rochester NY 12/11/2006 06:21 PM EST

WHY is the sorry state of
"ecumenism" still debated today? There is no such thing...either you are with the Church of Jesus Christ, the Holy
Catholic Church or you're not! No sitting on the fence and no more pretending please! ENOUGH!

Published by: Dr. Peter Lüning
Germany 12/11/2006 06:56 AM EST

All of the recent comments are just primitive and entirely ignorant.

The one, holy, catholic and apostolic church transcends the bounds of the Roman Catholic Church. Otherwise Vatican II would not have said that the other churches are being used by the Holy Spirit as "means of salvation" (Unitatis redintegratio No.3)!!

Published by: Stephanos I
Vallejo CA USA 11/20/2006 10:59 PM EST

There already is a single Church under the Pope. It's called the Catholic Church. One Lord! One Faith! One Baptism! One God and Father of All.

Published by: Liberal
NY 11/20/2006 04:51 PM EST

Exactly Patricia. This whole notion of ecumenism was never even officially defined at VII and has caused all kinds of problems. Christ founded a "Church" not a bunch of churches. He clearly and explicitly founded it on Peter as shown in the Bible and writings of the early Church Fathers. No other church has His authority. Ecumenism therefore has one purpose: work to convert as many as possible to the one, holy, Catholic and apostolic faith. There is no other purpose of ecumenism. Dominus vobiscum.

Published by: Gordon
Buffalo NY 11/20/2006 03:51 PM EST

Here we go again! instead of spouting the
eternal platitudes of dialogue, forty years and going nowhere, let our Pope and Bishops evangelize Protestant churches and the fallen away flock!

Published by: Catherine Morton
Nova Scotia Canada 11/20/2006 03:48 PM EST

I am quited shocked at the attempts at keeping Eucumenism afloat! What a
fraud! There is no way other Christian faiths (or lies?)can one day submit to papal authority!

Published by: Lynn
Hebron 11/20/2006 10:21 AM EST

Ecumenical Dialogue is the "great lie" in the Catholic church. The smoke of Satan entered the Catholic church at Vatican II with this nonsense and the Popes allowed it to go on. I somehow believe it was conspiracy to try to destroy the one true church. I weep over the state of the church, but as stated in the catechism She too must "passover". At Garabandal circa 1964, Our Lady said "many bishops and priests are heading for peridation, less and less importance is being given to the Eucharist." The Eucharist is the stopper and stumbling block in the folly of dialogue. Thank God for raising up Mother Angelica by putting the truth on national TV.....

Published by: Patricia
Scotland 11/19/2006 06:44 PM EST

Instead of wasting time in sterile "dialogue" the Pope should be doing his job and repeating in season and out of season that Christ founded only One Church - which HAS a visible unity - and that all those who are in schism, such as the Protestants and Orthodox must return. End of story. Successive popes post Vatican II have neglected to discipline the dissidents within the Church which is making the problem of schism worse, not better. Leave the dead to bury the dead, as the Gospel insists, and get on with preaching the one, holy, Catholic and apostolic faith - for God's sake, if not for the sake of the distressed and weary faithful.

Published by: Esteban
Costa Rica 11/18/2006 12:13 AM EST

Benedict XVI is wrong in saying that we are living in the midst of a great changing wave in humankind. The Church is endlessly changing and Benedict XVI is putting his foot in his mouth by trying to deceit people. He contradicts himself with what he has said before. His is calling for the money, money of his german patrons. Pathetic and disgusting. There will never be a single church under the Pope, never, ever.

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