Pope Francis highlights signs of hope in the future
On Thursday, June 20, Pope Francis received in audience a delegation from the Lutheran World Federation, where he spoke of hope. According to the pope, this meeting was an important gesture of fraternity and highlighted the many signs of hope that are emerging for the future. Among these signs, the Holy Year stands out with the motto ‘Pilgrims of hope’ and the 1,700th anniversary of the first Council of Nicaea, which defined the divinity of Christ (https://correccioencatala.cat/com-estructura-text -Catalan/).
The importance of ecumenism and reconciliation
During the audience, Pope Francis emphasized the importance of ecumenism and reconciliation between Lutherans and Catholics. He referred to the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, signed in 1999 in Augsburg, which has a strong ecumenical value. This document will celebrate its twenty-fifth anniversary next year, and the pope stated that this is another sign of hope in the history of reconciliation between the two confessions.
The importance of common baptism
Pope Francis emphasized that baptism is the common spiritual origin between Lutherans and Catholics. He invited us to pray ‘with confidence as pilgrims of hope’ and reminded us that baptism is a single baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
A memory to an orthodox theologian
Pope Francis recalled the words of the Orthodox theologian Bishop Ioannis Zizioulas, Metropolitan Major of Pergamum, who contributed to the drafting of the encyclical Laudato Si’. He called him a ‘pioneer of ecumenism’ and quoted some of his words about the importance of walking, praying and doing charity together.
conclusion
In short, Pope Francis highlighted signs of hope for the future and stressed the importance of ecumenism and reconciliation between Lutherans and Catholics. He invited us to pray together as pilgrims of hope and recalled the importance of common baptism. He has also made a memorial to an Orthodox theologian who contributed to the encyclical Laudato Si’. At the end of the audience, the Pope invited those present to pray the Lord’s Prayer together in their own languages ​​(https://www.softcatala.org/resum-de-textos-en-catala/).
