Pope Francis seeks 'unity' with non-Catholics in Geneva

The closer ties between the Catholic Church and other denominations in recent decades has coincided with Christianity's rapidly waning influence in Europe.
Pope Francis (File Photo | AP)
Pope Francis (File Photo | AP)

GENEVA: Pope Francis called Thursday for deeper unity between the Catholic Church and other Christian faiths as he visited Geneva, a centre of Protestantism, even urging common "evangelical outreach" by different denominations.

"I have desired to come here, a pilgrim in quest of unity and peace," Francis told a prayer gathering at Geneva's Ecumenical Centre, shortly after arriving in the City of Calvin.

He came at the invitation of the World Council of Churches (WCC), which was created in 1948 and groups 350 Protestant, Orthodox and Anglican churches from more than 100 countries around the world, with around half a billion believers among them.

At the start of his one-day visit, he took part in an "ecumenical prayer" for the organisation's 70th anniversary, highlighting his commitment to unity between various Christian denominations.

"How hard it is to leave behind centuries-old disagreements and mutual recriminations," he acknowledged, but insisted that "our differences must not be excused. We can pray, evangelise and serve together."

"Our world, torn by all too many divisions that affect the most vulnerable, begs for unity," he said.

Historically, divisions between the Catholic Church and the Protestant confessions have run deep.

Strong voice

The dissenting movement launched by Martin Luther more than 500 years ago and its strict interpretation engrained in Geneva by John Calvin in the mid-16th century launched centuries of often bloody divisions in Europe.

WCC chief Olav Fykse Tveit, a Norwegian Lutheran pastor, told AFP prior to the pope's visit that "it is not difficult to find issues that are still dividing Christians," pointing to attitudes towards "human sexuality and family life".

But he said there was movement towards Christians across denominations becoming "more united, and the pope's visit is a sign of that."

"I think that many Christians, whether they are Catholics or not, see him as a strong voice for what we want to say as Christians today," he said pointing to the pope's message of love and inclusiveness.

The Catholic Church is not part of the WCC but Francis is keen to close the gap between his 1.3 billion-strong faithful and the Churches under the WCC umbrella.

"What is really needed is a new evangelical outreach," he said during a meeting with WCC members Thursday afternoon.

New ecumenical spring

"I am convinced that an increased missionary impulse will lead us to greater unity. Just as in the early days, preaching marked the springtime of the Church, so evangelisation will mark the flowering of a new ecumenical spring," he said.

The closer ties between the Catholic Church and other denominations in recent decades has coincided with Christianity's rapidly waning influence in Europe as well as frequent deadly attacks on Christians in many parts of the world.

The pontiff on Thursday reiterated his frequent reference to "ecumenism of blood", deploring the indiscriminate murder of Catholics, Orthodox and Protestant Christians.

"Let us also look to our many brothers and sisters in various parts of the world, particularly in the Middle East, who suffer because they are Christians," he said.

"May we never forget that our ecumenical journey is preceded and accompanied by an ecumenism already realised, the ecumenism of blood, which urges us forward," he said.

The pope wrapped up his lightning tour to Geneva by celebrating Mass before some 41,000 Catholics at the city's Palexpo convention centre.

He spoke in French and Italian, but stressed to the crowd that they were "already praying in the language of Christianity."

Personal over virtual relationships

Francis also urged the faithful to "rediscover the courage of silence and of prayer" in a world where digital devices increasingly hijack our attention.

"Let us choose people over things so that personal, not virtual, relationships may flourish," he said. 

In a nod to his Swiss hosts, Francis's plane was met Thursday by two former Swiss guards, the stoic papal soldiers who vow to sacrifice all for the pontiff if need be.

The Swiss guard was created in 1506, making it the oldest army in the world, and is made up solely of soldiers recruited among celibate, Roman Catholic Swiss citizens.

In Switzerland, a country of some eight million people, 41 percent of the population identifies as Catholic, and around a quarter as Protestant.

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