Pope Francis calls for Christian unity

America Magazine June 21, 2018
“The Lord asks us for unity; our world, torn apart by all too many divisions that affect the most vulnerable, begs for unity,” Pope Francis told top representatives of the World Council of Churches during a prayer service at its headquarters in Geneva soon after his arrival on June 21.

This push for unity was the leitmotif of his visit for the 70th anniversary of the founding of the largest ecumenical movement in the world that today represents 348 churches and 560 million Christians from 110 countries. The Catholic Church works with the council in several ways, though not yet as a full member.

On the plane from Rome to Geneva, Francis told reporters that this “was a journey to unity” and “a desire for unity.” On arrival in this country of eight million people, Francis was given a particularly warm welcome by the president of the Swiss Federation and those gathered for a prayer service with which he began his visit.

The ecumenical language of Rome for sin

By Father Paul Keller, C.M.F.| 

Are you living in sin? The answer to that question is “Yes”—we are all living in sin. We are all sinners. We all live in a world that forces us to deal with the consequences of our own sins and the sins of others. However, the phrase “living in sin” has traditionally been applied to couples who live together without being validly married. This phrase has normally been applied to: 1) Couples who are living together but are not married, 2) Catholics who are civilly married, but not married in the Catholic Church, and 3) Catholics who, after being married in the church, have divorced and remarried civilly (although anyone, not just a Catholic, who is divorced and remarried would fall into this same category). Of course, it is not sinful to merely live with someone else. In order for these couples to be “living in sin,” they must be sexually intimate.

 

Last October in Rome, the Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Family took place. During this synod some bishops suggested the church drop the use of language such as “living in sin,” “intrinsically disordered,” and “contraceptive mentality.” The final report from this synod, which also serves as the working document for the Ordinary Synod to take place this October, does call for a critical examination of the language the church uses when addressing the people who would normally have these terms applied to them. Many of those critical of this idea see it as a cowardly concession to political correctness. However, there are good reasons to drop this kind of language. 

 

First of all, this phrase is used inconsistently. As I previously noted, we are all “living in sin.” We are all sinners. To apply a phrase like this to only one kind of human behavior, as if others are not also “living in sin,” is an arbitrary and deceptive misrepresentation of people’s circumstances and the reality of sin. For example, are not those who fail to care for the poor also living in sin? Why should we apply this phrase to only one kind of misbehavior? The church is not fairly representing all the complexities of any relationship when it focuses on only one aspect of that relationship (i.e., sexual intimacy outside of a valid marriage), as important as this aspect might be, and tells the couple they are “living in sin.” 

 

The church loses credibility because most people know couples who are not married in the church. The experience of these couples is that they can be committed, prayerful, generous, loving, and kind to each other, to their children, and to others. It sounds insulting, dismissive, and inaccurate when the church labels these couples as merely “living in sin.” Identifying sinful aspects of any (or all) relationships is very different than claiming that there is only one significant aspect of the relationship, or that the entirety of the relationship can be fairly categorized as only sinful, which is what this phrase seems to imply.

 

Do you know what Catholics used to call Protestants? Heretics. Technically speaking, according to Catholic teaching, Protestants are still heretics. However, when was the last time you heard your priest or bishop use that term to refer to Protestants? There was a big shift during the Second Vatican Council. In the decree from Vatican II on ecumenism, Unitatis Redintegratio (1964), the church began referring to Protestants as “brothers [and sisters] in the Lord” or “separated brothers [and sisters].”  Notice the difference? Without changing doctrine, the church changed its language. The church recognized that the term heretic, with all its associated emotions and images, was not an adequate or appropriate description for our Protestant brothers and sisters. The church recognized that using a word that comes across as an insult is not a fitting way for members of the Body of Christ to speak. As the psalmist pointed out, it is God’s will that truth and kindness must always accompany one another (Ps. 85:10). Truth without kindness can be arrogant and cruel. Kindness without truth can be cowardly and cruel. Both are ineffective when it comes to proclaiming the gospel. It is not enough to only proclaim truth; it is absolutely essential to make sure that our proclamation of the truth is wrapped in the language and reality of loving kindness.

 

Just as the Catholic Church has changed the language it uses concerning our Protestant brothers and sisters in the Lord, the church should also change the language it uses concerning couples whose relationships fail to symbolize the fullness of marriage. It is time to recognize the reality that holiness and sin coexist in the life of every human person and in every human relationship. Language that obscures that truth should be abandoned. It is time for kindness and truth to meet.

 

This column appeared in the August 2015 issue of U.S. Catholic (Vol. 80, No. 8, pages 37–38).

Published: 

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Father Paul Keller, C.M.F. is a Catholic priest and a Claretian Missionary. He received a master of divinity degree from Catholic Theological Union and a master of arts in marriage and family therapy from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio. He is currently a doctoral student in theology and the philosophy of religion at Claremont Graduate University.
USCatholic

 

Canadian Bishops Mark 50th Anniversary of Vatican II's Ecumenism Document

Zenit.org - To mark the 50th anniversary of the Vatican II decree on ecumenism, Unitatis Redintegratio, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) has published a document titled: “A Church in Dialogue, Catholic Ecumenical Commitment."

The divisions between Christians are in contradiction with the Gospel, the document said. “Christ calls us to be reconciled with one another in order that we might give a more faithful witness to his love for all of humanity.”
Striving to overcome these divisions is the responsibility of every Christian, the CCCB stressed. “This work begins by coming to know others as they truly are, by avoiding any misrepresentation of the faith and practice of other Christians, and acknowledging the many gifts that we share from our common tradition.”
There are many beliefs in common between Christians, the statement continued, and what we share in our faith is greater than that which divides us.
In our interaction with other Christians we need to start with an attitude of humility and repentance. “We can learn and receive from the insights and experiences of other Christian communities as we seek to renew the life of the Catholic Church in fidelity to the gospel.”
The last fifty years has seen a significant amount of dialogue with other Christian Churches and communities. “We have uncovered surprising levels of common understanding and convergence in faith,” the statement explained. As well: “We have also clarified the sources of persistent disagreement.”
The document went on to look at the dimension of spiritual ecumenism, highlighting the importance of prayer. “The practice of prayer is an indispensable means of sustaining the activities of common witness and dialogue as we progress along the path to Christian unity.”
The gathering together of Christian communities for events such as baptisms, marriages, and funerals, is an opportunity to pray together. “Even though it may not be possible to share fully at the table of the Lord, these are important opportunities for common prayer that can strengthen our communion in faith and deepen our desire for full ecclesial unity.”
Achieving Christian unity will not be an easy or quick task the Canadian bishops acknowledged. “Pope Francis observes that Christian unity will not appear in a sudden miraculous way. Rather, it will be the fruit of a long and patient effort, as we open ourselves to the grace of God’s reconciling Spirit.”

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