Pope's two innovative ideas

One is pleased to see a consensus among Catholic and other Christian denominations that Pope Benedict XVI has taken the initiative also in the field of ecumenism.

No doubt one of his outstanding addresses during his pastoral visit to Poland (May 25-28) was held in the Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity in Warsaw on May 25. He did not fail to refer his listeners to his important statement on ecumenism at the ecumenical meeting in Cologne in August 19, 2005:

"I am convinced that if more and more people unite themselves interiorly to the Lord's prayer 'that all may be one', then this prayer, made in the Name of Jesus, will not go on unheard. With the help that comes from on high we will also find practical solutions to the different questions which remain open... whenever and however the Lord wills."

In his Warsaw address, he stressed, in a very fraternal spirit: "Together with you I give thanks for the gift of this encounter of common prayer. I see it as a stage in the implementation of the firm purpose that I made at the beginning of my Pontificate (April 24, 2005) to consider a priority in my ministry the restoration of full visible units among Christians."

While he expressed satisfaction at the fact that in Poland, the Polish Council for Ecumenism and the Roman Catholic Church have launched numerous initiatives in the area of ecumenism, Benedict XVI added that even if much progress has been registered in the sector of ecumenism, yet we always await something more.

"Allow me to draw attention to two questions for today in somewhat greater detail. The first concerns the charitable service of the Churches. There are many brothers and sisters who expect from us the gift of love, of trust, of witness, of spiritual and concrete material help...

"It seems that, despite all the differences that need to be overcome in the sphere of interdenominational dialogue, it is legitimate to attribute charitable engagement to the ecumenical community of Christ's disciples in search of full unity.

"We can all enter into co-operation in favour of the needy, exploiting this network of reciprocal relations, the fruit of dialogue between ourselves and of joint action. In the spirit of the gospel commandment we must assume this devoted solicitude towards those in need, whoever they may be.

"To all those who are taking part in our encounter today, I express the wish that the practice of fraternal caritas will bring us even closer to one another and will render our witness in favour of Christ more credible before the world."

Then the Holy Father passed on to the second question: "The second question to which I want to refer concerns married life and family life. We know that among Christian communities, called to witness to love, the family occupies a special place.

"In today's world, in which international and intercultural relations are multiplying, it happens increasingly often that young people from different traditions, different religions, or different Christian denominations, decide to start a family.

"For the young people themselves and for those dear to them, it is often a difficult decision that brings with it various dangers concerning both perseverance in faith and future structuring of the family, the creation of an atmosphere of unity in the family and suitable conditions for the spiritual growth of children. Nevertheless, thanks to the spread of ecumenical dialogue on a larger scale, the decision can lead to the formation of a practical laboratory of utility. For this to happen there is a need for mutual goodwill, understanding and maturity in faith of both parties, and also of the communities from which they come."

After expressing satisfaction for an initiative in this regard taken by the Christian denomination in Poland, Pope Benedict said the time has come to draft a document presenting common Christian teaching on marriage and family life and "establishing principles acceptable to all contracting interdenominational marriages, indicating a common programme of pastoral care for such marriages".