Pope’s Jan 21 General Audience on Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
(Jan 21, 2009) Every week on Wednesdays, 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. The Holy Father delivers a spiritual reflection
and greets various groups in their languages. The General Audience of Jan 21 was
held in the Vatican’s Paul VI audience hall. Pope Benedict XVI delivered a reflection
in English which was on the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Jan 18-25.
Listen: Dear Brothers
and Sisters, last Sunday we began the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity dedicated
this year to the theme: “that they may become one in your hand” (Ezek 37:17). This
scripture passage recalls God’s command to Ezekiel to take two sticks, one representing
Judah and the other Israel, and join them together as a symbol of the Lord’s power
to gather his people into one. As Christians, we read these words as an exhortation
to pray and work for the full unity of Christ’s disciples. As the Second Vatican
Council reminds us, “there can be no ecumenism worthy of the name without a change
of heart” (Unitatis Redintegratio, 7). This week offers us an opportunity to thank
God for all he has done and continues to do to bring Christians closer to one another.
I am personally grateful for the many opportunities I have had to meet with representatives
of Churches and Ecclesial Communities, both in the Vatican and during my travels abroad.
Let us pray that the various initiatives this week at the local and universal levels
will encourage all who confess “one Lord, one faith, and one baptism” to listen more
attentively to the Word of God, to deepen prayer, and to intensify dialogue, so as
to imitate Saint Paul’s example of a life completely devoted to the Lord and the unity
of his Body, the Church. I offer a warm welcome to all the English-speaking
visitors present at today’s Audience. My particular greeting goes to the pilgrimage
group from Malta led by Archbishop Paul Cremona. Upon all of you I cordially invoke
an abundance of joy and peace in the Lord.