wfn.org | [UCC NEWS] UCC leader calls Pope's legacy 'remarkable'

[guessb@ucc.org]

United Church of Christ
United Church News
The Rev. J. Bennett Guess, News Director
216/736-2177
<guessb@ucc.org>

For immediate release
April 2, 2005

Pope leaves 'a remarkable legacy of faith' says United Church of Christ
leader

Calling his 26-year papacy "a remarkable legacy of faith," Pope John Paul
II is being remembered by the Rev. John H. Thomas, the United Church of
Christ's general minister and president, as a religious leader committed to
global peace and the nurture and development of young people.

Thomas, who leads the 1.3-million-member UCC in the United States and
Puerto Rico, offered praise and condolences for the deceased Roman Catholic
head, saying that what touches one part of the Christian family, touches
all Christians.

"We stand in prayer with Catholics around the globe as they mourn the death
of Pope John Paul II, leader of the Roman Catholic Church for more than a
quarter of a century," Thomas said. "The United Church of Christ, committed
at its inception to ecumenical relationships and the unity of the whole
church of Jesus Christ, believes that when one part of the family grieves,
all do. That which touches our sisters and brothers across the Christian
faith touches us as well, and today we stand with Roman Catholic colleagues
in the United States and around the world as they mourn the passing of
their ecclesial and spiritual leader."

Thomas said theological differences between the two Christian traditions
should not stand in the way of expressing our shared respect and grief
for
a Christian leader who demonstrated a "deeply spiritual commitment to
peace" and displayed a "remarkable contribution to the welfare of the whole
world."

"Differences we have in theological perspective do not keep us from giving
testimony to this remarkable legacy of faith and we celebrate those
achievements even as we mourn his death," Thomas said.

Thomas lauded the Pope's high-profile commitment to building peace in the
Middle East, Sudan, Eastern Europe, and elsewhere. In addition, the UCC's
leader said the Pontiff's focus on youth and young adults "has inspired
generations of young people, both within and beyond the Roman Catholic
family."

Read Thomas' full statement at:
http://www.ucc.org/news/st040105pope.htm

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