Before suffering His passion and dying on the Cross, Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Son of Mary, prayed for His disciples. This prayer which is often referred to as the “Priestly Prayer” or “High Prayer” of Jesus, is found in the seventeenth chapter of John’s Gospel, and is considered by some as the “Climax of the last discourse(s).” (USCCB) This prayer is one of intercession. Jesus speaks as intercessor and addresses His prayer directly to the Father. In that prayer, Jesus says “I pray not only for them [disciples], but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.” (John 17:20-21) Jesus prayed for unity among His followers and those who will believe in Him. The primitive Church enjoyed a great deal of unity, for they devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching, to communal life, to prayer, and to the breaking of the bread. (Cf. Acts 2:42-47) But as time went on, the seed of division began to take hold of the Church, leading at times to schism, excommunications, religious conflicts, etc. Following Christ’s desire for Christian unity, the Church, through the voices of her shepherds, has continued to call her children to walk the ecumenical path toward Christian unity. Pope Francis was a strong voice for ecumenism, and Christian unity. Through his words and deeds, Pope Francis has demonstrated his commitment to Christ’s desire for Christian unity. 

From the very day he was elected Pope, Francis made some symbolic gestures with great ecumenical significance. In the first year of Pope Francis pontificate, Cardinal Kasper described Francis as “a Pope of encounter and ecumenical promoter of encounter, a Pope of peace and ecumenical promoter of peace.” Pope Francis indicated that he valued very much what he called “spiritual ecumenism, the ecumenism of prayer, conversion of the heart, with a clear emphasis on inter-human encounter, the dialogue of charity.” Early on in his pontificate, Francis continued to make spectacular ecumenical gestures by practicing what he preached. In 2014, Pope Francis took part in an ecumenical service with Orthodox churches in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The joint declaration by Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew after the service reads that: “Our fraternal encounter today is a new and necessary step on the journey towards to unity to which only the Holy Spirit can lead us, that of communion in legitimate diversity.” In November 2014, Pope Francis attended the Divine Liturgy in the Patriarchal Cathedral of St. George. In his address, the Pope implored the Church of the East to work toward full communion with the Church of the West. Young people yearn and are calling for unity and such communion. Pope Francis made history when he became the first Pope to enter a Waldensian Church in June 2015. The Waldensian Church had had very difficult relations with Rome in the past. The visit of Pope Francis to a Waldensian Church “was an explicit ecumenical signal and a palpable indication of the need for the healing of traumatic and still virulent memories.” The Pope apologized on behalf of the entire Church for her past actions against our Waldensian brothers and sisters. He said: “On behalf of the Catholic Church I ask your forgiveness. I ask your forgiveness for unchristian-like and even inhuman attitudes and conduct which, historically, we have had against you. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, forgive us!” In October 2016, Pope Francis attended the commemoration of the Reformation with the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Sweden. Pope Francis engaged also in ecumenical dialogue with the Evangelicals and Pentecostals. 

Pope Francis ecumenical activities were in continuity with those of his predecessors. John XXIII convoked the Second Vatican Council which was to open wide the doors of the Church to other ecclesial communities.  Paul VI promulgated the Decree on Ecumenism, Unitatis Redintegratio. John Paul II embarked on the ecumenical path outlined in Unitatis Redintegratio, and released his Encyclical Ut Unum Sint, on the commitment to ecumenism. Benedict XVI sought to restore communion with our separated brethren. Pope Francis continued to carry on that legacy through his gestures and words as we have seen. The Church has gone to great extent to engage in dialogue with other ecclesial communities. We have found common goals with many of them. All these are leading all of us a little bit closer toward full Christian unity.

In Christ,

Fr. Robain