Rome, Italy, Mar 15, 2010 / 14:38 pm
"Unity is a gift that can be given to us only by God" the Holy Father told the Lutheran Community of Rome this weekend. The Pope made this the focus of his homily to the community, highlighting common elements between Lutherans and Catholics but also expressing sadness for the Churches' continued disunity.
Commemorating Pope John Paul II's visit to the same Church in 1983, which marked 500 years since the birth of Martin Luther, Pope Benedict XVI gave a sermon at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Rome on Sunday afternoon. He was welcomed by the Lutheran community of Rome's pastor, Jens-Martin Kruse.
Speaking without notes in German, the Pope gave thanks on the occasion that they were all gathered in the same place, "singing together, listening to the Word of God, listening to one another and looking towards the One Christ, bearing witness to the One Christ."
He observed that while "we hear many complaints about the fact that there are no longer any new developments in ecumenism ... we can say with gratitude that there are many elements that unite us."