Pope Francis says: "Jesus Christ is the heart of ecumenism"
A reflection on a recent ecumenical meeting between Pope Francis and Lutherans
Reflecting on the recent ecumenical meeting between Pope Francis and a delegation from the Lutheran World Federation in the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican.
By Dr Ian Watson, County Ecumenical Officer for Churches Together in Norfolk and Waveney (NWCT).
Whether you are a Roman Catholic or not, if you are committed to ecumenism, I am sure you will agree that the great thing about Pope Francis is his persistent and public support for Christian unity. On 20 June 2024 he received a delegation from the Lutheran World Federation at the Vatican and stressed that “Jesus Christ is the heart of ecumenism.” I really love that sentiment.
In Churches Together in Norfolk and Waveney (NWCT) we have captured this in our new declaration of commitment to Christian Unity: Together in Christ, Bound by Love, Serving as One. It is a wonderful thing that the senior Church leaders of NWCT are going to publicly commit to this on Christ the King Day, 24 November 2024 at 3.30pm, in Norwich Cathedral (Anglican). In line with the sentiment that Jesus is at the centre of Christian Unity, Christ the King Day will become the day for NWCT’s annual ecumenical service of commitment and thanks moving forward.
In Pope Francis’ talk given during the audience with the Lutherans held in the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican, he called this encounter “an important gesture of ecumenical fraternity.” He recalled the visit of this delegation to Rome three years ago, an occasion in which they reflected on the upcoming 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea in 2025 as an ecumenical event.
In this context, he noted that it is “a beautiful sign of hope that has a special place in the history of reconciliation between Catholics and Lutherans. “Jesus Christ is the heart of ecumenism,” Pope Francis highlighted, at the same time noting that “he is divine mercy incarnate, and our ecumenical mission is to bear witness to this.”
He also recalled the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (something I have already written about in an earlier NWCT article here) which is a sign of hope in the history of Christian reconciliation. The pontiff encouraged us to keep it “in our memory as something always living” and to celebrate this anniversary “as a feast of hope.” He said: “May the God of hope be with us and continue to accompany our dialogue of truth and charity with his blessing.”
When I am out and about doing the work of County Ecumenical Officer it is inspiring and encouraging to walk together as Christian’s across our diverse traditions; however, I have to be honest, it is difficult to see the end point as being full visible Church unity. I have the feeling that on Earth that day may never come, but I also feel that sort of unity is not the real purpose of Christian unity, at least as I understand it.
For me Christian unity must incorporate diversity in how we follow Christ, worship and proclaim the Gospel - based on (of course) the essential and basic truths of our Christian Faith. In this sense, as long as we hold true to the basic truths it is not about uniformity. I genuinely love and appreciate praying, worshipping and working alongside (and learning from) different Christian traditions, but this is not at the cost of forsaking or abandoning my own church, which is so precious to me. Christian unity is advanced when we pray together and for each other, strengthen our relationships, build trust between us by respecting and understanding each other more, and by speaking with one Christian voice whenever it is possible to do so.
Pope Francis clearly gets this. He recalled what the Orthodox Bishop Zizioulas (who was for many a pioneer of ecumenism) used to say: “the date of Christian union is the day of the final judgment”. In the meantime, the Pope says: “we must walk together, pray together and do works of charity together, on the way toward that ‘hyper-ecumenical’ day that will be the final judgment.” The Holy Father concluded that “Zizioulas had a good sense of humour!” As James Joyce would say many a true word is spoken in jest – I agree.
The content relating to Pope Francis and the Lutheran delegation is adapted from an original story by ACI Prensa; CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.
Photo showing Pope Francis meeting with the delegation from the Lutheran World Federation. Credit: Vatican Media