“We pray for Christian unity … Let us pray…!”
This invocation has become regular and common in our Roman Catholic churches worldwide! For any Christian the history of schisms, divisions and breaking away of the church remain thorny issues. To quote the Second Vatican Council, “… it scandalizes the world and damages the holy cause of preaching the Gospel to every creature” (UR 1). Inherently, Christian division contradicts the very mission of Christ, whose desire and prayer is “they may be one.”
Out of that history today we continue to witness the mushrooming of several evangelical churches! Just what went wrong, and what can our generation do to remedy the situation? The need for remedy and search for Christian unity is essential, if not urgent.
Over fifty years ago, the Second Vatican Council took bold steps to confront some of the key causes behind Christian divisions. It urged all Christians to work for unity in its documents on “Ecumenism” and on “The Catholic Churches of the Eastern Rite”. Guided by various councils, synods and commissions the Catholic Church has always worked hard to re-unite with the “broken-away brothers and sisters”. It has been a laborious work, and at times disheartening, considering the setbacks encountered.
Yet here and there one can sense some hope. Last February, Pope Francis and the Patriarch of Russia met in Cuba to revisit various encounters between Paul VI, John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis, with prelates of the Anglican, Orthodox and Lutheran Churches. All these encounters have been encouraging, though we still have a long way to go, praying unceasingly!
Are there any fruits from this prayer? Indeed, there are! The Evangelical Lutheran Church in American recently announced that the key dividing doctrinal issues about Church, Liturgy and Eucharist are no longer considered as church-dividing issues with the Roman Catholic Church.
Their declaration is documented in their “Declaration for the Way”. It has taken over 500 years for a group of Lutherans to make such a bold declaration. As the presiding bishop who made the declaration stated in that historical declaration, “Though we have not yet arrived, we have claimed that we are, in fact, on the way to unity. … This ‘Declaration on the Way’ helps us to realize more fully our unity in Christ with our Catholic partners, but it also serves to embolden our commitment to unity with all Christians”.
Indeed, there are rays of hope towards Christian unity. We should not lose hope in our prayers and work towards unity – keeping in mind that Christ’s call is “that all may be one”.
-- Fr. Sossy Luyembe, SJ, Associate Pastor