Jul 24, 2008 / 08:59 am
The Anglican bishops assembled for the Lambeth Conference in Canterbury, England heard a speech from the Catholic Cardinal Ivan Dias on Tuesday night. The cardinal appealed to the bishops to maintain unity and said that those who live “short-sightedly rooted in the fleeting present, oblivious to our past legacy and apostolic traditions” are suffering from “a sort of spiritual Alzheimers.”
Cardinal Dias, who is in charge of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, made his comments in a speech entitled, “Proclaiming the Good News: the bishop and evangelism.”
As the Anglican Communion struggles with the wide-ranging views on the ordination of homosexuals and women, Cardinal Dias offered some insights on dialogue. “Dialogue,” he said, “does not mean imposing or relinquishing one’s ideas but listening to what the others have to say.” Real dialogue “means instead that, while holding on to what we believe in, we are willing to respectfully listen to the others, in an attempt to make out all that is good and holy, all that promotes peace and cooperation.”
“Unity and cohesion among the members of the Church, between them and their pastors, and above all among the pastors themselves” is a prerequisite for the Holy Spirit to still be able to work and spread the Gospel across the world, he told the bishops. If instead “diversity escalates into division, it becomes a counter-testimony and seriously undermines the image and commitment” of the Churches to spreading the Gospel.”