Ecumenism breeds evangelization and charitable witness, Pope tells Protestant group

June 10, 2016

At a June 10 meeting with leaders of the World Communion of Reformed Churches, Pope Francis called for "an ecumenism that, along with theological dialogue aimed at settling traditional doctrinal disagreements between Christians, can promote a shared mission of evangelization and service."

The Pope took note of theological discussions between the World Communion of Reformed Churches and the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, which have centered on the questions of justification and sacramentality. Those talks, he said, have been a reminder that a shared faith should lead to cooperation in charitable work. "Our faith in Jesus impels us to live charity through concrete gestures capable of affecting our way of life, our relationships and the world around us."

The witness of Christian unity is particularly important today, the Pope said, at a time of "spiritual desertification." He remarked that many new forms of "religiosity" tend to focus exclusively on the individual, "promoting a kind of spiritual consumerism." Without a true Christian witness, he said, many people "will end up being taken in by solutions which neither make life truly human nor give glory to God."

 

 

---

For all current news, visit our News home page.

---

 
Further information:

• To the World Communion of Reformed Churches: an ecumenism that unites theological dialogue with a shared mission of evangelisation and service (Vatican press office)