Note #9135 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:
06087 Feb. 14, 2006
Pope pledges to work with WCC to promote global Christian unity
by Stephen Brown Ecumenical News International
PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil - Pope Benedict XVI has vowed to continue working with the World Council of Churches (WCC), the world's biggest church association, in promoting Christian unity.
"We look forward to continuing this journey of hope and promise, as we intensify our endeavors towards reaching that day when Christians are united in proclaiming the Gospel message of salvation for all," Benedict said in a message to the WCC's ninth Assembly, which opened in Porto Alegre today (Feb. 14).
The Roman Catholic Church is not a member of the WCC, which is composed of more than 340 churches in more than 100 countries, principally from the Protestant and Christian Orthodox traditions. The council represents more than 550 million people.
The Catholic Church cooperates with the council in many projects and serves on some of its committees, and also belongs to some related national church groups, including the National Council of Christian Churches in Brazil, the host of the WCC gathering - which is taking place on the campus of a Catholic university.
From 1968 to 1975, Pope Benedict - then Prof. Joseph Ratzinger - was a member of the WCC's Faith and Order Commission, which promotes church unity through theological dialogue.
The day after his election as pontiff in 2005, Benedict described his primary task as promoting Christian unity, and said he would do everything in his power "to promote the fundamental cause of ecumenism."
Patriarch Bartholomeos I, who is seen by many as the spiritual leader of Eastern Orthodox Christians worldwide, underlined in his message to the Assembly the commitment of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to the WCC and to the ecumenical movement as a whole.
He said the patriarchate "will continue to offer its witness and to share the richness of its theological and ecclesial tradition in the search for unity among Christian churches, in all efforts towards reconciliation and peace."
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan urged the council and leaders of faith communities to support U.N. efforts to promote peace, development and human dignity.
"At a time when some would seek to divide the human family by exploiting differences among peoples, the United Nations needs more than ever the support of men and women of faith like you," he said.
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