Pope Francis receives Church of Scotland delegation
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday addressed
representatives from the Church of Scotlandtelling them that the
mutual purification of memory is one of the most significant fruits of our
common ecumenical journey.
In his remarks to representatives of the Church of Scotland
on Thursday, Pope Francis recalled that their meeting was taking place during
the fifth centenary of the Reformation, which the Holy Father himself joined in
commemorating last year in Lund, Sweden.
Fraternity
The Pope then gave thanks to the Lord for was he called “the
great gift of being able to live this year in true fraternity, no longer as
adversaries, after long centuries of estrangement and conflict.”
He went on to say that, “this has been possible, with
God’s grace, by the ecumenical journey that has enabled us to grow in mutual
understanding, trust and cooperation.
“The mutual purification of memory is one of the most
significant fruits of this common journey, the Holy Father said, adding,
the past cannot be changed, yet today we at last see one another as God sees
us.”
Addressing those gathered, Pope Francis underlined that “in
the spirit of the Gospel, we are now pursuing the path of humble charity that
leads to overcoming division and healing wounds. He continued, we have
begun a dialogue of communion, employing language befitting those who belong to
God. Such language is essential to evangelization, for how
can we proclaim the God of love if we do not love one another?”
Persecuted Christians
During his discourse, the Pope turned his attention in
particular to those Christians who today face grave trials and
sufferings, enduring persecution for the name of Jesus.
The Holy Father said, “so many of them bear a heavy cross as
they profess their faith, many to the point of martyrdom.
He also emphasized that the dialogue directed to full unity,
“our witness and our shared service, our commitment to pray for one another and
to overcome the wounds of the past were also a response that is owed to them.”
Concluding his remarks Pope Francis expressed the hope that
the journey to visible unity would continue daily and “bear rich fruits for the
future, as it has in the recent past.”
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