Year of Faith will contribute to the progress of the ecumenical journey, says the Pope

November 15, 2012: Pope Benedict XVI met on Thursday the members and consulters of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, on the occasion of their Plenary Assembly at the Vatican. This year your Plenary focuses on the theme: "The importance of ecumenism for the new evangelization."

The Pontiff appreciated the choice of the theme and said that it has taken into account the consideration of the recent Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, and the year of faith.
He said the Council Fathers of the Second Vatican Council intended to emphasize the close relationship between the task of evangelization and the overcoming of divisions among Christians. "This division - it is stated at the beginning of the Decree on Ecumenism, - openly contradicts the will of Christ, provides a stumbling block to the world, and damages the holy cause of preaching the Gospel to every creature", the Pontiff said.
There is a close link between the destiny of evangelization and the witness of unity among Christians.
However, an authentic ecumenical journey cannot be prosecuted by ignoring the crisis of faith who are going through vast regions of the planet, including those who first received the proclamation of the Gospel and where the Christian life has been thriving for centuries.

On the other hand, we cannot ignore numerous signs which reveals the need for spirituality, which manifests itself in different ways. The spiritual poverty of many of our contemporaries, who do not receive God from their lives, is a challenge for all Christians. In this context, we who believe in Christ are asked to return to the essentials, to the heart of our faith, to make both witness to the world of the living God.
In fact, give testimony of the living God, who made himself close in Christ, is the most urgent imperative for all Christians, and it is also imperative that unites us, in spite of the ecclesial communion that is still incomplete. We must not forget what unites us, that is, faith in God, the Father and Creator, who revealed himself in his Son Jesus Christ, pouring out the Spirit who gives life and holiness.
Even when we do not see, in the near future, the possibility of the restoration of full communion, they enable us to understand, along with resistance and obstacles, wealth of experience, spiritual life and theological reflections, which become more and more a stimulus for profound witness.

But we must not forget that the goal of ecumenism is the visible unity among divided Christians. This unity is not a work of men alone. We must commit ourselves with all our strength, but we must also recognize that, ultimately, this unity is a gift of God.
Pope Benedict expressed his hope that the Year of Faith will also contribute to the progress of the ecumenical journey.