7/22/2023 0 Comments Catholic unityThis creed confesses belief in “one holy catholic and apostolic church,” giving us four truths about the church of Christ: its unity, its holiness, its catholicity, and its Apostolicity. Proof of this is evident in that the Reformers adopted the classic ecumenical creeds, including the Apostles’ Creed. The Reformation church did not cast aside the ancient church’s understanding of itself but rather maintained it. Proof of this can be seen in their ecclesiology-their doctrine of the church. ![]() ![]() "This demands courage, but it is the spirit of gift, since each true gift entails sacrifice, entails transparency and courage, and openness to forgiveness.Despite being charged with innovation, the Protestant Reformers insisted that they sought not to invent any new doctrine but rather to recover the faith entrusted to the church and confessed since ancient times. "The sins that have led to our historical divisions can only be surmounted in humility and truth, beginning with experiencing sorrow for our reciprocal wounds and the need to give and receive mutual forgiveness," the pope said. This is the first step: not to be concerned with appearing attractive and secure to our brothers and sisters, presenting ourselves the way we would like to be, but with showing them with an open heart how we are in reality." The place to begin, he said, must be "by admitting and sharing the struggles we experience. The ecclesiological questions dividing Catholics and Anglicans include the ordination of women as priests and bishops, and the ethical questions include the blessing of same-sex marriages. "To speak honestly to one another both about ecclesiological and ethical questions, to discuss uncomfortable topics, is risky it could increase distances rather than promoting encounter," he said. ![]() "Humility and truth," the pope said, are necessary to make sure that does not happen. In the realm of ecumenism, though, the "exchange of gifts" can be reduced to a formal or ceremonial gesture, he said. They are blessings meant for all God’s people: The graces we receive are intended for others, and the graces others receive are necessary for us." "The gifts of the Holy Spirit are never given for the exclusive use of those who receive them. "Every search for deeper communion must be an exchange of gifts, where each makes his or her own the seeds that God has sown in the other," the pope insisted. "We, in our dialogue, will have to enter crisis, and that is good," because a crisis can force people to recognize danger and find creative ways to overcome it.Ĭatholics and Anglicans, the pope said, are called to walk together, "moving forward, leaving behind the things that divide, past and present, and keeping our gaze fixed on Jesus and the goal that he desires and points out to us: the goal of visible unity between us." "We must distinguish between crisis and conflict," he said. In ecumenical relations, like in civil relations, he said, "we must not fall into the bondage of conflict." And this is the good work that he does, as a couple, with his wife. ![]() Let us pray that it may inspire Christians in South Sudan and everywhere to be promotors of reconciliation, patient weavers of concord, capable of saying no to the perverse and useless spiral of violence and of arms."ĭiverging from his prepared text, Pope Francis told the group, "my brother Justin is sending his wife first to do the works of preparation and charity. In a land where different denominations evangelized different communities and many of those communities are experiencing political tensions with each other, the pope said: "Ours will be an ecumenical pilgrimage of peace. Iain M Greenshields, the new moderator of the Presbyterian church, have announced they will visit South Sudan together July 5-7. Pope Francis, Archbishop Welby of Canterbury and the Rev. (Anglican) Archbishop Justin Welby and the moderator of the (Presbyterian) Church of Scotland, two dear brothers, will be my traveling companions when, in a few weeks' time, we will at last be able to travel to South Sudan." "As part of this concrete journey, I wish to recommend to your prayers an important step. The "journey" toward Christian unity is not simply metaphorical, he said. Welcoming members of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission to the Vatican May 13, the pope also insisted that while the formal theological dialogues continue, divided Christians also must be willing to get their hands dirty "in shared service to our wounded brothers and sisters discarded on the waysides of our world." VATICAN CITY - Divided Christians must recognize how their sins have fractured Christ's church, be honest about the struggles their communities are facing and be humble enough to recognize that others have gifts they need, Pope Francis said.
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