Ecumenical Meeting with Those Responsible for Christian Communities (11 September 1983)

On Sunday, 11 September 1983, the Holy Father attended an Ecumenical Meeting in the Archbishop's Residence of Austria addressing those responsible for Christian Communities. In his speech, the Pope spoke of confessional conflicts in their history, “Our Church combines with the painful memory and the request for forgiveness according to the Second Vatican Council, the sincere desire to overcome the disastrous consequences of the past; with the declaration on freedom of religion and the Decree on Ecumenism, we are shown the path towards the future that points to new horizons for the growing unity and communion of Christians.”

Dear Brothers in the one Lord!

1. In this morning hour together we prayed to God, our Father, and saw how deeply we are united through this one Baptism and the Christian faith in the one Lord Jesus Christ, and how we are all nourished by these sources. Therefore now, with full awareness, I call you brothers.

With great joy and gratitude I welcomed the opportunity to meet with you today, leaders of the Christian Churches in Austria.

I extend particular thanks to Your Excellency, Metropolitan Doctor Tsiteri and to Your Excellency, Bishop Professor Knall, for your cordial words of welcome and the suggestions contained therein. We are very happy that these suggestions are now widely, at different levels, the subject of ecumenical dialogue.

Our praises and thanks are directed, beyond words and fraternal signs, to the One who gave us everything, who put His own in a position to meet today in this community of the one Spirit.

2. All of us gathered here contemplate with deep emotion the passing of the centuries, during which Austria — like some other European countries — was afflicted by the tribulations of confessional conflicts. The life of the Church and the cultural and social life of the country were characterized by religious discord and even intolerance, oppression and persecution. We, as Christians, are particularly aware of the limitations and fragility of man, we are aware of the possibility of failure in the face of the great and clear demand of the Gospel. The guilt with which Christians are truly stained must not be denied. They always expect new confession and forgiveness. With this we do not judge a past of which we ourselves are heirs and which can be understood only in its particular historical circumstances. Our Church  combines with the painful memory and the request for forgiveness according to the Second Vatican Council, the sincere desire to overcome the disastrous consequences of the past. With the declaration on freedom of religion and the Decree on Ecumenism, we are shown the path towards the future that points to new horizons for the growing unity and communion of Christians.

The seed spread by the Council has undoubtedly already taken root in this country. The process of reconciliation between Christians of different traditions has led to visible results, which make us confident and can also be considered exemplary. I want to encourage you to continue your efforts.

3. I am particularly happy that the Catholic Church in Austria has for years been aware of its ecumenical responsibility even far beyond the confines of the country. It seeks to create a bridge through which East and West, North and South meet. To the Archbishop of Vienna, whose commitment to the Church in the world and to Ecumenism is very well known, joins the work of theologians, priests and lay people, who, each in their own way, seek to respond to the call of Our Lord.

Through the "Pro Oriente" Foundation, the Catholic Church made an important contribution to dialogue with the Orthodox, and through the ecclesiological colloquium "Koinonia" it helped to pave the way for dialogue between the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches. In the same way, fraternal contacts were established with the ancient Eastern Churches in the so-called "Linz Dialogues". I hope all these works continue positively in great confidence, with sincere consideration and love.

With joy I also learned that you have been a community of prayer for years. In particular, the "Okumenische Morgenfeir" already has a rich tradition.

Dialogues between Catholic and evangelical theologians also contributed to reducing traditional prejudices, created a new climate of collaboration and even opened new paths for the implementation of new common pastoral programs. Such progress at national level is an essential element of the ecumenical movement in general. Through reciprocal exchange, they sustain and inspire the life and development of the entire People of God. Only in this way can true collaboration between all who bear the sign of Christ on their foreheads be fruitful. My thanks go to all the members and advisors of the official Dialogue Commissions. Their work is also considered and recognized by the Secretariat for the Union of Christians.

4. We see with particular confidence and satisfaction that the Catholic Church in Austria has gathered in these days in a "Katholikentag", which opens its doors to all visitors, who, through the bond of Baptism in the name of the Holy Trinity, place themselves in a true — if not yet full — unity with our Church. The spirit of this great confluence as well as its outward forms are characterized by the Christian will for openness towards others, for reciprocal comfort and spiritual enrichment, for meditation for a common witness and for mission in a world that longs for light and heat.

The objective of this "Katholikentag" responds to an essential commitment, proclaimed by the Second Vatican Council in the Decree on Ecumenism . He exhorts "all the faithful, recognizing the signs of the times, to willingly participate in ecumenical work" ( Unitatis Redintegratio , 4). And further on he proclaims: "The solicitude for the restoration of unity is valid for the entire Church, both for the faithful and for the pastors. It affects each one in particular, according to his capacity, whether in daily Christian life or in theological investigations and historical" ( ibid . 5).

5. Dear Brothers! Our meeting takes place at a time when evangelical Christians remember in different ways the 500th anniversary of the births of Martin Luther and Huldrych Zwingli. These dates were part of our common history. We are heirs to the historically significant events of the Reformation, the consequences of which we must still face today. After centuries of controversial debates or cold approaches, we " rediscovered ourselves" in the true sense of the word , in the common foundation of faith in the only Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, but also in the search for a deeper and more general understanding of the Message.

For this availability to understanding, precisely here, in Vienna, I would like to remember the figure of that great witness of the Gospel, who manifested to men through words and actions the reconciling force of the Redemption wrought by Jesus Christ. I am referring to the city's Patron Saint, St. Clemente Maria Hofbauer. He left luminous traces in the Church with his commitment to a sincere willingness to understand the Christians of the Reformation in a spirit of truth and love. He showed us that we can overcome the weight of the history of our divisions, beyond polemics and reciprocal false interpretations, only with a willingness to listen and fraternal encounter.

6. In all our efforts let us remain faithful to that important principle of the history of Salvation: "I planted, Apollo watered, but it was God who gave the growth. Therefore, neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, which gives growth... Indeed, we are co-workers with God" ( 1 Cor . 3, 6).

If the Unity of the Church has its absolute foundation in the mystery of the Trinity of God , in the Equality and distinction of the three divine Persons, the people called by God seek to live in the strength of this mystery that encompasses us all: in the variety of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, they realize the Koinonia; in profession to the Lord Jesus Christ sees the foundation and source of every common vocation.

Recently, Christians gathered in Vancouver, on the occasion of the General Assembly of the Ecumenical Council of Churches, reflected through common prayer and meditation on this profound mystery and were able, in spiritual union, to profess and praise Jesus Christ, the life of the world.

Praise be to the Lord who, in this time of hope, called us to humbly serve the unity of His people, on the path of pilgrimage on the threshold of the second millennium of our Redemption. We, therefore, are guided by the firm hope that one day we will pray to God, our Father, in one language , in spirit and truth (cf. Jn 4:24).

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