Pope’s January 19 general audience on Christian Unity
(January 19, 2011) Every week on Wednesday, the Pope holds a public meeting, called
the general audience, during which pilgrims and tourists who come to Rome have a chance
of seeing and hearing him speak in several languages. The general audience of Jan.
19 was held in the Vatican’s Paul VI Audience Hall. A scripture passage was read
in several languages. An aide greeted the Pope on behalf of the English-speaking
pilgrims, and presented the various groups to him. Pope Benedict XVI then delivered
a discourse in English.
Listen: Dear
Brothers and Sisters, During this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, all
the Lord’s followers are asked to implore the gift of full communion. This year’s
theme – “They devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the
breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42) – invites us to reflect on four pillars
of unity found in the life of the early Church. The first is fidelity to the Gospel
of Jesus Christ proclaimed by the Apostles. The second is fraternal communion, a
contemporary expression of which is seen in the growing ecumenical friendship among
Christians. The third is the breaking of the bread; although the inability of separated
Christians to share the same Eucharistic table is a reminder that we are still far
from the unity which Christ wills for his disciples, it is also an incentive to greater
efforts to remove every obstacle to that unity. Finally, prayer itself helps us realize
that we are children of the one heavenly Father, called to forgiveness and reconciliation.
During this Week, let us pray that all Christians will grow in fidelity to the Gospel,
in fraternal unity and in missionary zeal, in order to draw all men and women into
the saving unity of Christ’s Church. I offer a warm welcome to the students
and staff of the Bossey Graduate School of Ecumenical Studies. I thank the choir
from Finland for their praise of God in song. To all the English-speaking pilgrims
present at today’s Audience, including those from Australia, Canada and the United
States, I invoke an abundance of joy and peace in the Lord.
Pope Benedict
also spoke to other groups in their languages and concluded Wednesday’s general audience
with the Pope’s blessing. Listen: