Christian Unity – Three advice for shifting into a higher gear

When Pope Francis inaugurated CHARIS 2019, one of the main tasks he wished from the Charismatic Renewal in the Catholic Church was promoting Christian unity. Therefore, CHARIS International Commission for the Unity of Christians was founded. It is made up of Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Evangelical and Pentecostal Christians. It aims at supporting all local, national and continental initiatives that could be taken to strengthen the unity of the body of Christ, since the Charismatic Renewal does not belong to a single Christian tradition, but is ecumenical from its inception.

Pope Francis was very committed in developing friendly and fraternal relations with Christians of different denominations. He called it the “ecumenism of the heart” or “relational ecumenism”. This is an area where CHARIS should be involved. Thanks to the baptism of the Holy Spirit, we know that the person who did the same experience, whichever Church they belong to, is our brother or our sister in Christ. We speak the same language, and we are driven by the same passion to evangelise and give witness. Most of the time we can do this together.

Pope Leo XIV has continued in the footsteps of Pope Francis and consistently promoted ecumenism. Recent he has supported the updated Charta Œcumenica for Europe, calling for shared witness and listening to the Holy Spirit. Through his representative Archbishop Flavio Pace, Secretary at the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, he sent a message to the participants in the Ecumenical Week in Stockholm18-24 August. From the speech:

“…Since the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church has wholeheartedly embraced the ecumenical path.  Indeed, Unitatis Redintegratio, the Council’s decree on ecumenism, called us to dialogue in humble and loving fraternity, grounded in our common baptism and our shared mission in the world.  We believe that the unity Christ wills for his Church must be visible, and that such unity grows through theological dialogue, common worship where possible, and shared witness in the face of humanity’s suffering…

May the Holy Spirit, who inspired the Council of Nicaea, and who continues to guide us all, deepen your fellowship this week, and awaken fresh hope for the unity which the Lord so ardently desires among his followers.”

November 27-30 Pope Leo will visit İznik (the ancient Nicaea) to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea from where we got the Nicean Creed, still today common for all Christians. During the visit the Pope will be joined by Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople for a joint pilgrimage.

CHARIS commission for the Unity of Christian has sent a letter to the NSC Nordic and all the coordinators of CHARIS National Services of Communion all over the World with advice for what we can do on the national and local level to support Christian unity. Here three of the points:

1.        Organising training sessions in this area during the coming events you will arrange.

2.        Developing a culture of dialogue with the other denominations by inviting to your gatherings Christians of other denominations to pray together with you and to give a testimony.

3.        Connecting with other Christian churches and communities through a participation to ecumenical events or by frequenting their own gatherings and prayer services.

As reported in our Newsletters, we do a lot of this already. E.g. to the event in S:t Mary in Helsinki the invitation is open to all Christians, the ecumenical prayer event in Kungsträdgården, Stockholm, but now is time putting in a higher gear and make it to a new culture where it is natural that we regularly visit each other’s event among the different churches to promote an ecumenism of the heart.