Christians must welcome the Holy Spirit as the guide leading the whole Christian community toward unity, Pope Francis said.
Speaking to members of the International Commission for Dialogue between the Disciples of Christ and the Catholic Church at the Vatican on 28th June, the pope said that Christian unity comes from “walking together” while remaining open to the Spirit’s role in creating harmony amid the differences between Christians.
Pope Francis recalled how, on the morning of Pentecost, the Spirit created harmony from the “great ‘division’ of many charisms” among the apostles. Yet, he said, harmony in the Spirit is more than a “negotiation” between different sides; it opens “new and unforeseen paths” of unity that formerly seemed closed off.
“Let us not be afraid therefore of walking the paths of concord that the Spirit points out, not those of spiritual worldliness-which want to conform us to the needs and trends of the time-but the paths of communion and mission,” he said.
For its 2020-2025 dialogue phase, the international dialogue commission chose as the theme: “The Ministry of the Holy Spirit” with the aim of identifying common theological foundations regarding the Holy Spirit’s guidance in the ministry of the two churches.
Picture: (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)