EG 100: Healing Historical Divisions

Vasnetsov_Maria_MagdalenePope Francis in Evangelii Gaudium touches on ecumenism here. Remember, this is directed at workers: bishops, priests, lay ministers, and others who exercise leadership in the Church. Ecumenism is the task of all the faithful, but let’s attend to what the Holy Father has in mind for his pastoral leadership:

100. Those wounded by historical divisions find it difficult to accept our invitation to forgiveness and reconciliation, since they think that we are ignoring their pain or are asking them to give up their memory and ideals. But if they see the witness of authentically fraternal and reconciled communities, they will find that witness luminous and attractive. It always pains me greatly to discover how some Christian communities, and even consecrated persons, can tolerate different forms of enmity, division, calumny, defamation, vendetta, jealousy and the desire to impose certain ideas at all costs, even to persecutions which appear as veritable witch hunts. Whom are we going to evangelize if this is the way we act?

The witness of Christ in our good lived example: that’s basic Christianity. For everyone.

About catholicsensibility

Todd lives in Minnesota, serving a Catholic parish as a lay minister.
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