NEW YORK - 21 April 2008 - 320 words
New
York: ecumenical gathering welcomes Pope Benedict
After his visit to the Park East Synagogue the Holy Father participated
in an ecumenical meeting at the church of St Joseph. The event
was attended by 250 representatives from 10 Christian denominations.
At the beginning of his address, the Holy Father expressed his
appreciation "for the invaluable work of all those engaged
in ecumenism: the National Council of Churches, Christian Churches
Together, the Catholic Bishops' Secretariat for Ecumenical and
Inter-religious Affairs, and many others. The contribution of
Christians in the United States to the ecumenical movement is
felt throughout the world", he said.
The Holy Father expressed the opinion that "globalisation
has humanity poised between two poles. On the one hand, there
is a growing sense of interconnectedness and interdependency between
peoples even when - geographically and culturally speaking - they
are far apart. ... On the other hand, we cannot deny that the
rapid changes occurring in our world also present some disturbing
signs of fragmentation and a retreat into individualism".
The Pope then went on to express his concern for "the spread
of a secularist ideology that undermines or even rejects transcendent
truth. The very possibility of divine revelation, and therefore
of Christian faith, is often placed into question by cultural
trends widely present in academia, the mass media and public debate.
For these reasons, a faithful witness to the Gospel is as urgent
as ever. Christians are challenged to give a clear account of
the hope that they hold.
"Too often those who are not Christians, as they observe
the splintering of Christian communities, are understandably confused
about the Gospel message itself. Fundamental Christian beliefs
and practices are sometimes changed within communities by so-called
'prophetic actions' that are based on a hermeneutic not always
consonant with the datum of Scripture and Tradition. Communities
consequently give up the attempt to act as a unified body, choosing
instead to function according to the idea of 'local options'".
"Faced with these difficulties we must first recall that
the unity of the Church flows from the perfect oneness of the
Trinitarian God". With reference to the Apostles, he also
recalled how "the ultimate effectiveness of their preaching"
depended "on the work of the Spirit Who confirmed their authoritative
witness".
"The power of the 'kerygma' has lost none of its internal
dynamism", he continued. "Yet we must ask ourselves
whether its full force has not been attenuated by a relativistic
approach to Christian doctrine similar to that found in secular
ideologies, which, in alleging that science alone is 'objective',
relegate religion entirely to the subjective sphere of individual
feeling".
The Holy Father made it clear that although "scientific discoveries,
and their application through human ingenuity, undoubtedly offer
new possibilities for the betterment of humankind. This does not
mean ... that the 'knowable' is limited to the empirically verifiable,
nor religion restricted to the shifting realm of 'personal experience'.
"For Christians to accept this faulty line of reasoning would
lead to the notion that there is little need to emphasise objective
truth in the presentation of the Christian faith, for one need
but follow his or her own conscience and choose a community that
best suits his or her individual tastes. The result is seen in
the continual proliferation of communities which often eschew
institutional structures and minimise the importance of doctrinal
content for Christian living".
The Pope told the representatives of different Christian denominations
that "only by 'holding fast' to sound teaching will we be
able to respond to the challenges that confront us in an evolving
world. Only in this way will we give unambiguous testimony to
the truth of the Gospel and its moral teaching. This is the message
which the world is waiting to hear from us.
"Like the early Christians, we have a responsibility to give
transparent witness to the 'reasons for our hope', so that the
eyes of all men and women of goodwill may be opened to see that
God has shown us His face and granted us access to His divine
life through Jesus Christ. He alone is our hope!"
"May this prayer service", the Holy Father concluded,
"exemplify the centrality of prayer in the ecumenical movement;
for without it, ecumenical structures, institutions and programs
would be deprived of their heart and soul".
Source: VIS
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