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“We are united in a pact of love, that encourages us to live in such a way that Christian unity is not only a dream, but may come closer each day,” said His Eminence Francis Xavier Kriengsak Kovithavanij, archbishop of Bangkok and Cardinal-Priest of Santa Maria Addolorata, as 40 bishops from 18 churches in 12 different countries gather in Sigtuna, Sweden, this week.
Under the theme of “The Spirit’s breath of life, the Church, in today’s world”, the 37th Ecumenical Meeting of Bishops of Various Churches meets to explore how the Focolare movement may bring inspiration for churches to face current and future ecumenical challenges.
“I hope that light for the cause of unity may shine out from here”, said Dr Maria Voce, president of the Focolare Movement, addressing the bishops. “We need love for other churches. To not stop in the crack of division, but to find ways to move forward together.”
The meeting takes stock of recent ecumenical events around the world and in Sweden, not least the 2016 Catholic-Lutheran joint commemoration of the Reformation in Lund, Sweden.
“We all still feel the energy of Lund as a prophetic meeting, that the pope and not only the international community, but also the local community could pray together,” reflected His Eminence Anders Arborelius, O.C.D., bishop of Stockholm and cardinal-priest of Santa Maria degli Angeli. “It was a providential meeting, and I believe many more fruits will come from it.”
Church of Sweden Primate Archbishop Antje Jackelén continued, “Indeed, the Church of Sweden now is overwhelmed with ecumenical events these days. We have just finalized the ACT Alliance general assembly, we have the Executive Committee of the World Council of Churches meeting in Uppsala, and also this Focolare meeting – and in every meeting we see something of Lund mentioned.”
“This is indeed a blessing, but also a task. Ecumenism lives by the many experiences, and it needs to bear fruits in life, not only in formal dialogue. We can see the Focolare movement is very strong in this, and we see a hunger for it as well,” Jackelén added.
“I have been part of the Focolare movement for 25 years,” said Church of Sweden member Peter Grimheden, who brought testimony of one such experience, “yet I have never felt pressured to change churches.”
“On the contrary, I’ve always felt appreciated for myself and encouraged to engage in my home parish. It’s not that we all live for our own churches. We live for each other,” Grimheden concluded.
WCC executive committee tackles public issues (WCC press release of 7 November 2018)
A vibrant movement ready for tomorrow’s challenges (WCC press release of 4 November)
Unity, solidarity and hope at core of Ecumenical Weekend (WCC press release of 4 November)
WCC, ACT reflect on ecumenical diakonia in historic meeting (WCC press release of 1 November 2018)
