Pope Benedict XVI's Address at Ecumenical Prayer Meeting
Pope Benedict XVI's Address at Ecumenical Prayer Meeting 18 April 2008 St. Joseph's
Church, New York City
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, My heart abounds
with gratitude to Almighty God – “the Father of all, who is over all and through all
and in all” (Eph 4:6) – for this blessed opportunity to gather with you this evening
in prayer. I thank Bishop Dennis Sullivan for his cordial welcome, and I warmly greet
all those in attendance representing Christian communities throughout the United States.
May the peace of our Lord and Savior be with you all! Through you, I express my
sincere appreciation for the invaluable work of all those engaged in ecumenism: the
National Council of Churches, Christian Churches Together, the Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat
for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, and many others. The contribution of Christians
in the United States to the ecumenical movement is felt throughout the world. I encourage
all of you to persevere, always relying on the grace of the risen Christ whom we strive
to serve by bringing about “the obedience of faith for the sake of his name” (Rom
1:5). We have just listened to the scriptural passage in which Paul – a “prisoner
for the Lord” – delivers his ardent appeal to the members of the Christian community
at Ephesus. “I beg you,” he writes, “to lead a life worthy of the calling to which
you have been called … eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”
(Eph 4:1-3). Then, after his impassioned litany of unity, Paul reminds his hearers
that Jesus, having ascended into heaven, has bestowed upon men and women all the gifts
necessary for building up the Body of Christ (cf. Eph 4:11-13). Paul’s exhortation
resounds with no less vigor today. His words instill in us the confidence that the
Lord will never abandon us in our quest for unity. They also call us to live in a
way that bears witness to the “one heart and mind” (Acts 4:32), which has always been
the distinguishing trait of Christian koinonia (cf. Acts 2:42), and the force drawing
others to join the community of believers so that they too might come to share in
the “unsearchable riches of Christ” (Eph 3:8; cf. Acts 2:47; 5:14). Globalization
has humanity poised between two poles. On the one hand, there is a growing sense
of interconnectedness and interdependency between peoples even when – geographically
and culturally speaking – they are far apart. This new situation offers the potential
for enhancing a sense of global solidarity and shared responsibility for the well-being
of mankind. On the other hand, we cannot deny that the rapid changes occurring in
our world also present some disturbing signs of fragmentation and a retreat into individualism.
The expanding use of electronic communications has in some cases paradoxically resulted
in greater isolation. Many people – including the young – are seeking therefore more
authentic forms of community. Also of grave concern is the spread of a secularist
ideology that undermines or even rejects transcendent truth. The very possibility
of divine revelation, and therefore of Christian faith, is often placed into question
by cultural trends widely present in academia, the mass media and public debate.
For these reasons, a faithful witness to the Gospel is as urgent as ever. Christians
are challenged to give a clear account of the hope that they hold (cf. 1 Pet 3:15). Too
often those who are not Christians, as they observe the splintering of Christian communities,
are understandably confused about the Gospel message itself. Fundamental Christian
beliefs and practices are sometimes changed within communities by so-called “prophetic
actions” that are based on a hermeneutic not always consonant with the datum of Scripture
and Tradition. Communities consequently give up the attempt to act as a unified body,
choosing instead to function according to the idea of “local options”. Somewhere
in this process the need for diachronic koinonia – communion with the Church in every
age – is lost, just at the time when the world is losing its bearings and needs a
persuasive common witness to the saving power of the Gospel (cf. Rom 1:18-23). Faced
with these difficulties, we must first recall that the unity of the Church flows from
the perfect oneness of the Trinitarian God. In John’s Gospel, we are told that Jesus
prayed to his Father that his disciples might be one, “just as you are in me and I
am in you” (Jn 17:21). This passage reflects the unwavering conviction of the early
Christian community that its unity was both caused by, and is reflective of, the unity
of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This, in turn, suggests that the internal cohesion
of believers was based on the sound integrity of their doctrinal confession (cf. 1
Tim 1:3-11). Throughout the New Testament, we find that the Apostles were repeatedly
called to give an account for their faith to both Gentiles (cf. Acts 17:16-34) and
Jews (cf. Acts 4:5-22; 5:27-42). The core of their argument was always the historical
fact of Jesus’s bodily resurrection from the tomb (Acts 2:24, 32; 3:15; 4:10; 5:30;
10:40; 13:30). The ultimate effectiveness of their preaching did not depend on “lofty
words” or “human wisdom” (1 Cor 2:13), but rather on the work of the Spirit (Eph 3:5)
who confirmed the authoritative witness of the Apostles (cf. 1 Cor 15:1-11). The
nucleus of Paul’s preaching and that of the early Church was none other than Jesus
Christ, and “him crucified” (1 Cor 2:2). But this proclamation had to be guaranteed
by the purity of normative doctrine expressed in creedal formulae – symbola – which
articulated the essence of the Christian faith and constituted the foundation for
the unity of the baptized (cf. 1 Cor 15:3-5; Gal 1:6-9; Unitatis Redintegratio, 2). My
dear friends, the power of the kerygma has lost none of its internal dynamism. Yet
we must ask ourselves whether its full force has not been attenuated by a relativistic
approach to Christian doctrine similar to that found in secular ideologies, which,
in alleging that science alone is “objective”, relegate religion entirely to the subjective
sphere of individual feeling. Scientific discoveries, and their application through
human ingenuity, undoubtedly offer new possibilities for the betterment of humankind.
This does not mean, however, that the “knowable” is limited to the empirically verifiable,
nor religion restricted to the shifting realm of “personal experience”. For
Christians to accept this faulty line of reasoning would lead to the notion that there
is little need to emphasize objective truth in the presentation of the Christian faith,
for one need but follow his or her own conscience and choose a community that best
suits his or her individual tastes. The result is seen in the continual proliferation
of communities which often eschew institutional structures and minimize the importance
of doctrinal content for Christian living. Even within the ecumenical movement,
Christians may be reluctant to assert the role of doctrine for fear that it would
only exacerbate rather than heal the wounds of division. Yet a clear, convincing
testimony to the salvation wrought for us in Christ Jesus has to be based upon the
notion of normative apostolic teaching: a teaching which indeed underlies the inspired
word of God and sustains the sacramental life of Christians today. Only by “holding
fast” to sound teaching (2 Thess 2:15; cf. Rev 2:12-29) will we be able to respond
to the challenges that confront us in an evolving world. Only in this way will we
give unambiguous testimony to the truth of the Gospel and its moral teaching. This
is the message which the world is waiting to hear from us. Like the early Christians,
we have a responsibility to give transparent witness to the “reasons for our hope”,
so that the eyes of all men and women of goodwill may be opened to see that God has
shown us his face (cf. 2 Cor 3:12-18) and granted us access to his divine life through
Jesus Christ. He alone is our hope! God has revealed his love for all peoples through
the mystery of his Son’s passion and death, and has called us to proclaim that he
is indeed risen, has taken his place at the right hand of the Father, and “will come
again in glory to judge the living and the dead” (Nicene Creed). May the word
of God we have heard this evening inflame our hearts with hope on the path to unity
(cf. Lk 24:32). May this prayer service exemplify the centrality of prayer in the
ecumenical movement (cf. Unitatis Redintegratio, 8); for without it, ecumenical structures,
institutions and programs would be deprived of their heart and soul. Let us give
thanks to Almighty God for the progress that has been made through the work of his
Spirit, as we acknowledge with gratitude the personal sacrifices made by so many present
and by those who have gone before us. By following in their footsteps, and by
placing our trust in God alone, I am confident that – to borrow the words of Father
Paul Wattson – we will achieve the “oneness of hope, oneness of faith, and oneness
of love” that alone will convince the world that Jesus Christ is the one sent by the
Father for the salvation of all. I thank you all.