Vatican City: Pope Francis told a group of Lutheran leaders on Friday that the desire for unity grows the more Christians understand how much Christ suffers over our divisions.
In a June 25 meeting with representatives of the Lutheran World Federation, the pope said: “The passion for unity matures through the suffering that is felt in the face of the wounds we have inflicted on the Body of Christ.”
“When we feel pain for the division of Christians, we get closer to what Jesus experiences, continuing to see his disciples disunited, his garments torn apart,” he said.
Archbishop Panti Filibus Musa, president of the Lutheran World Federation, and the Rev. Martin Junge, the organization’s general secretary, were among those who met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Friday.
In his speech, the pope thanked the group for gifting him a paten and a chalice made in the studios of the ecumenical community Taizé.
“I thank you for these gifts, which evoke our participation in the Passion of the Lord,” he said. “In fact, we too live a sort of passion, in its double meaning: on the one hand suffering, because it is not yet possible to gather around the same altar, the same chalice; on the other, ardor in serving the cause of unity, for which the Lord prayed and offered his life.”
Francis said: “Let us therefore continue with passion on our journey from conflict to communion on the road of crisis.”
The next stage of Catholic-Lutheran dialogue, Pope Francis said, “will concern the understanding of the close links between the Church, ministry and the Eucharist.”
“It will be important to look with spiritual and theological humility at the circumstances that led to divisions, in the confidence that, if it is impossible to undo the sad events of the past, it is possible to re-read them within a reconciled history.”
He said that the Lutheran World Federation’s general assembly in 2023 could be an important step in this regard.
The pope also urged those engaged in ecumenical dialogue to continue their work in prayer and charity.
“I would like to encourage all those engaged in Catholic-Lutheran dialogue to continue with confidence in incessant prayer, in the exercise of shared charity, and in the passion for research aimed at greater unity among the various members of the Body of Christ,” he said.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/248143/pope-francis-to-lutheran-leaders-jesus-feels-pain-at-our-divisions
Today there is only “churchianity” (many churches divided). Christ is no more present in any church.
So, church minus Christ = churchianity. It is a sad state of affairs!
With due respect to Pope. what sacrifice and pain are we talking about. In the backdrop of the story. that Jesus was taken out of the tomb alive and well by the Father. the value of the so called sacrifice and pain stand diminished to almost nil. Was it real sacrifice or mere fulfilment of a prophesy as Jesus himself had told his disciples that the son of man has to go the way it is prophesied for him. I would think it is time that we Christians focused more on the teachings of Jesus than on incidents in his life and ritualising them.
As for becoming one, why restrict it only to Lutherans. I am afraid though that maximum adjustment will have to be taken in by Catholic Church as their beliefs have strayed far away from the Book.