Pope says conversion is prerequisite for communion
(January 26, 2009) Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday led a celebration of vespers in
the afternoon at Rome’s Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls to mark the close of
the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Jan 18-25. In his homily he held up
the conversion of St. Paul as a model for Christians on the road to full unity, saying
"Unity in fact requires a conversion," – conversion from division to communion, from
broken unity to healed and full unity. The Pontiff proposed that conversion implies
two dimensions: recognizing our faults and repenting, and recognizing that this new
road "cannot come from us." "Conversion demands our yes, my 'pursuit'; it is not
ultimately my activity, but a gift, a letting ourselves be formed by Christ…” he said.
The Pope reflected on the theme of this year’s Week of Prayer, “That they may become
one in your hand”, taken from the Book of Ezekiel. Proposed by an ecumenical group
from South Korea the theme also reflects the yearning for unity between North and
South Korea. In this regard, the Pope said the week has also been "intercession for
the different situations of conflict that afflict humanity at present." He particularly
mentioned the Holy Land where he said the local faithful as well as visitors can offer
“a witness to everyone that diversity of rites and traditions need not be an obstacle
to mutual respect and to fraternal charity." Reflecting on Saturday’s 50th anniversary
of the convocation of the Second Vatican Council by Pope John XXIII, Pope Benedict
said that the great council also gave a fundamental contribution to ecumenism, through
the decree 'Unitatis Redintegratio.'"