Saturday, July 19, 2008

Pope Benedict XVI calls on Christian leaders to unite

Pope Benedict XVI has appealed for the strands of the Christian faith to unite as it faced a "critical juncture".

The Pope, who is in Australia to celebrate Catholic festival World Youth Day, called on leaders from the Anglican, Catholic, Lutheran and Uniting churches to fight for unity.

Speaking at a meeting of 50 Christian leaders at Sydney's St Mary's Cathedral, he said: "I think you would agree that the ecumenical movement has reached a critical juncture."

"We must guard against any temptation to view doctrine as divisive and hence an impediment to the seemingly more pressing and immediate task of improving the world in which we live."

The Pope said Christians must "work together" to ensure the religion attracted new followers.

His comments come as 650 Anglican bishops from around the world gathered in Canterbury in the run up to the once-a-decade Lambeth conference. During the 20-day conference the Anglican leaders will attempt to avert a schism in the church over the ordination of women and gays.

During private meetings on Friday, the pope also called on people of all religions to unite against "sinister and indiscriminate forms of violence", interpreted as a reference to terrorism.

He told a gathering of clerics from the Islamic, Jewish, Hindu and Buddhist faiths: "A harmonious relationship between religion and public life is all the more important at a time when some people have come to consider religion as a cause of division rather than a force for unity".

"In a world threatened by sinister and indiscriminate forms of violence, the unified voice of religious people urges nations and communities to resolve conflicts through peaceful means and with full regard for human dignity."

The Pope is in Sydney for World Youth Day, a week-long event that has drawn around 200,000 international pilgrims to Sydney and is intended as a spiritual show of strength for Catholics.

On Friday, tens of thousands of pilgrims gathered in the centre of Sydney to watch a staging of the Stations of the Cross ceremony, in which Jesus' last days are re-enacted. The Pope was present at the first station, but watched the rest of the ceremony from his quarters at the cathedral.

The Pope will make his next public appearance tonight (SAT) when he joins pilgrims for an evening vigil held at a Sydney racecourse.

The festival ends on Sunday with a papal mass, which organisers hope will attract 500,000 people.

The Pope is yet to apologise to Australian victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests.

He indicated to journalists onboard his flight from Rome that he would apologise during his stay, however Vatican officials have since played down his comments.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Disclaimer

No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.

The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

Sotto Voce