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Pope to international Protestant group: no ecumenical dialogue possible without interior conversion
He said that "The Catholic-Reformed dialogue, which came into existence shortly thereafter, has made an important contribution to the demanding work of theological reflection and historical investigation indispensable for surmounting the tragic divisions which arose among Christians in the sixteenth century.” “One of the results of the dialogue”, he noted, “has been to show significant areas of convergence between the Reformed understanding of the Church as ‘Creatura Verbi’ and the Catholic understanding of the Church as the primordial Sacrament of God’s outpouring of grace in Christ.”He also said that “The Decree on Ecumenism affirmed that ‘there can be no ecumenism worthy of the name without interior conversion’.”
Pope Benedict also recalled that "At the very beginning of my pontificate I voiced my own conviction that ‘inner conversion is the prerequisite for all ecumenical progress,’ and recalled the example of my predecessor, Pope John Paul II, who often spoke of the need for a ‘purification of memory’ as a means of opening our hearts to receive the full truth of Christ.”
“The late Pope”, he told the group, “gave a powerful impulse to this endeavor in the Catholic Church, and I am pleased to learn that several of the Reformed Churches … have undertaken similar initiatives."The Holy Father concluded his address by stressing that true dialogue "calls for wisdom, humility, patient study and exchange.”
catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=5700
He said that "The Catholic-Reformed dialogue, which came into existence shortly thereafter, has made an important contribution to the demanding work of theological reflection and historical investigation indispensable for surmounting the tragic divisions which arose among Christians in the sixteenth century.” “One of the results of the dialogue”, he noted, “has been to show significant areas of convergence between the Reformed understanding of the Church as ‘Creatura Verbi’ and the Catholic understanding of the Church as the primordial Sacrament of God’s outpouring of grace in Christ.”He also said that “The Decree on Ecumenism affirmed that ‘there can be no ecumenism worthy of the name without interior conversion’.”
Pope Benedict also recalled that "At the very beginning of my pontificate I voiced my own conviction that ‘inner conversion is the prerequisite for all ecumenical progress,’ and recalled the example of my predecessor, Pope John Paul II, who often spoke of the need for a ‘purification of memory’ as a means of opening our hearts to receive the full truth of Christ.”
“The late Pope”, he told the group, “gave a powerful impulse to this endeavor in the Catholic Church, and I am pleased to learn that several of the Reformed Churches … have undertaken similar initiatives."The Holy Father concluded his address by stressing that true dialogue "calls for wisdom, humility, patient study and exchange.”
catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=5700