When the different theological, liturgical, spiritual and canonical traditions are "genuinely rooted in the apostolic tradition," he noted, they are an "asset, not a threat" to the unity of the Church.
If we let ourselves be guided by the Holy Spirit, he said, the "richness, the variety, diversity" do not become a source of conflict, but are instead a point of enrichment.
The "ecumenical task," then, is to respect "legitimate diversity" and work to successfully address what seem like irreconcilable differences, even when they persist.
Similarly, Pope Francis said that unity is not "absorption," but a unification around the same center, the Lord.
"It is not enough to be unanimous in understanding the Gospel, but it is necessary that all believers are united to Christ and in Christ," he said.
"In doing so, we Christians can recognize ourselves as brothers and sisters who believe in the one Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, engaged together to find ways to obey the Word of God."
It is both personal conversion, and conversion as a community, to conformity with Christ which allow us to grow in communion among ourselves, the Pope said, explaining that this must be the spirit of every meeting which strives to bring differences closer together.
Jesus himself prayed in John 17:21 that "they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you," Francis noted.
"The unity of Christians is an essential requirement of our faith. A requirement that flows from the depth of our being believers in Jesus Christ," he said. "We call for unity, because we invoke Christ."
Hannah Brockhaus is Catholic News Agency's senior Rome correspondent. She grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, and has a degree in English from Truman State University in Missouri.