Christian leaders affirm urgency of evangelization
(August 22, 2009) Leaders of various Christian churches are affirming that the mission
of their communities should foster a spirit of ecumenism rather than competition.
This was underlined in a document prepared by the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for
Promoting Christian Unity and the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council
of Churches for the 2010 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The international Christian
ecumenical observance is held annually between 18 and 25 January. The document, recently
published on the Vatican Web site, offers resources for next year observance, which
will focus on the theme: "You are witnesses of these things" (Luke 24:48). 2010 will
mark the anniversary of the 1910 World Mission Conference in Edinburgh, which "marked
the beginnings of the modern ecumenical movement," the document affirmed. The document
acknowledged that "not everyone naturally makes the link between missionary endeavour
and the desire for Christian unity," and in the past there were even "rivalries that
existed between missionaries sent by different churches." However, it continued,
these missionaries were often the first to recognize the "tragedy of Christian division"
in the face of "enormous human and material need." They did not want to "export"
these divisions from their home countries to the "peoples who were discovering Christ"
for the first time. In June 2010, church leaders will once again gather in Edinburgh
to pray together and share perspectives on missionary work.