Towards fuller Christian unity

"The goal of ecumenism is not organic Church union, but unity in diversity, and the way to unity is not conversion to the Catholic Church, but to Jesus Christ. The more we help one another come closer to Jesus Christ, the closer we come to one another" (from a lecture delivered in Tubingen, Germany, by Walter Cardinal Kasper in January 2001, published in the German original Theologische Quartalschrift 181 (2001), 175-90). Cardinal Kasper is the president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

The concept of unity is an ambivalent one. It can be looked upon as the end result of a process and an accomplished task. Unity in this sense is beyond human effort. God alone is One in the fullest sense of the word. But when we deal with human effort, even if strengthened by God's supernatural help, we can only speak of a unity which is essentially dynamic.

No matter how high the degree of unity achieved among Christians may be, it necessarily remains susceptible to a further degree of unity, to a deeper and more complete unity. In this sense, unity is never an absolute reality. It is but a dynamic concept, not a static one. There is always room for further progress in it.

The forthcoming annual celebration of the Octave for Christian unity (January 18-25) calls for a few appropriate reflections on the part of all Christians on such important topic as Ecumenism. What is it all about? Has any progress towards fuller Christian unity been made in recent years, or are we perhaps at a standstill as many among us seem to think?

It cannot be denied that right now there is a good deal of scepticism about the possibility of ever attaining Christian unity, especially in the mind of people who have the wrong idea of what Christian unity is. The most basic point that needs to be kept in mind, however, especially here in Malta where Catholics are in the great majority, is not conversion to the Catholic Church, but conversion to Jesus Christ, as Cardinal Kasper, has put it so well.

The decision of the Catholic Church at Vatican II to become more seriously involved in the ecumenical movement is irrevocable. Ecumenism, as we all know, was in fact one of the chief aims in the mind of Blessed John XXII when, only a few months after being elected to the Chair of Peter, he started the ball rolling and, to the surprise of many even at the Vatican, boldly announced the holding of an Ecumenical Council, now referred to as Vatican II. And even then, those who were not expecting that much would come out of it were indeed not few in many parts of the world.

The divisions among Christians contradict Christ's command "that they all be one". They are, in fact, a scandal to the world. Church unity had on the whole prevailed in the first millennium of Christianity, except for some smaller Old Eastern Churches which split from the Western Church about 1,500 years ago, and of which some have since made tangible progress towards fuller unity.

The second millennium was in many respects a dark one: about 1,000 years ago we saw the separation of the Orthodox Churches in the East, followed 500 years later by the Protestant Reformation in the West. Such serious lacerations within the Body of Christ, followed since then by several other smaller fragmentations, have harmed the credibility of the entire Christian message.

We must admit in all sincerity that in fact much has been achieved in the right direction over the past 40 years or so. Ecumenical involvement has become an assertive response to the call to be attentive to "the signs of the times", and the differences that remain (great as they are as we must sorrowfully admit) should not end or even weaken dialogue, but should rather provoke it further. The common faith in Jesus Christ as the one, unique, and universal Saviour is the heart, centre, and to a certain extent the sum of the Gospel as well as the basic presupposition for ecumenism.

During a meeting held in June 1999 between Cardinal Basil Hume and Patriarch Alexis of Moscow, the late Cardinal is reported having made the following remarks: "It has long been my belief that there is such a thing as 'Ecumenism of the Heart'. Without the heart being involved, we risk just speaking to each other as institutions, and that is not enough. The unity which Christ wants has to involve the heart of each individual."

It is in this spirit of optimism that we, Christians of all denominations, are called upon to prepare ourselves for the yearly celebration of the Octave for Christian Unity. The general topic for this year, agreed upon by all the Churches, is taken from 2 Corinthians 4,7: "We have this treasure in clay jars".

In Malta this ecumenical celebration will be held at St Andrew's Scots Church, South Street, Valletta on Thursday at 6 p.m.. Everybody is invited to attend, to pray together, and to give witness by our presence not only to our common faith in Jesus Christ, but also the reality of our love and esteem for each other.