Vatican City, Nov 15, 2012 / 12:38 pm
Christians must not allow their divisions to keep them from working together to evangelize a world enduring a "crisis of faith," Pope Benedict XVI told the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity.
The failure to do so, he said, "goes against the will of Christ, and is a scandal in the world."
The council, which is meeting Nov. 15 –19, will address the theme of "The Importance of Ecumenism for New Evangelization." The theme dovetails with the topic of overcoming Christian divisions, which was widely-discussed topic at last month's synod of bishops on the New Evangelization.
Speaking in the Clementine Room of the Apostolic Palace on Nov. 15, the Pope stressed the necessity of having theological dialogue with Christians who do not hold the Catholic faith, in order to give a credible witness to Christ in a world suffering a crisis of faith and spiritual poverty.