Pope Francis received a delegation of the Ancient Orthodox Church, consisting of priests and monks, at the Vatican on the morning of June 3. In his speech, the Pope reflected on the meaning of the oneness revealed by Pentecost.
(Vatican News Network)Pope Francis received a delegation of the Ancient Orthodox Church at the Vatican on the morning of June 3. The delegation consisted of young priests and monks from the Old Orthodox Church communities in Egypt, Armenia, Lebanon, Syria, India, Ethiopia and Eritrea. In his speech, the Pope emphasized the unity we long for with the ancient Eastern Orthodox Church of different traditions.
The Pope told the young priests and monks who met him that their visit on the eve of Pentecost was very fitting. Therefore, the Pope gave four brief reflections on the theme of Pentecost, which, the Pope said, were regarding the complete unity that we all long for.
The Pope’s first reflection was “Oneness is a grace”, it is the flame from the high heaven. Unity, the Pope said, “is not primarily the result of our commitment, our efforts and consent, but the action of the Holy Spirit. We need to open our hearts to him with confidence so that he can guide us towards complete communion. Fusion. Oneness is a grace, a gift.”
Next, the Pope preached the second inspiration of Pentecost, that “Oneness is Harmony”. “Oneness is the harmonious coexistence of different charities inspired by the Holy Spirit… Harmony is the way of the Holy Spirit, who, as Saint Basilius said, is harmony in himself.”
Later, the Pope pointed to the third teaching of Pentecost that “oneness is a journey”. “This is not a plan to be drawn up, or a project to sit down and discuss,” the Pope said. “Unity is not standing still, but moving forward with the new impetus of the Holy Spirit.” “Unity is moving forward. Journey: Oneness grows by sharing every step of the journey and being open to embracing the unexpected joys and struggles of the journey together.”
The Pope quoted the Bishop of Irenaeus, who was recently awarded the title of “Unity”, as saying that the Church is “a caravan of brothers”. “In this caravan, in the way of God’s serenity, oneness grows and matures. The achievement of oneness is not a sudden, dramatic miracle, but a journey of endurance and perseverance together.”
Finally, the Pope emphasized that “unity is for mission”. “On Pentecost,” the Pope explained, “the Church has a missionary mission. Today, the world is also looking forward, albeit unwittingly, to hear the gospel of charity, freedom and peace. We are called to share with others. Witness this together, not once morest each other and separate from each other.”
Closing his address, the Pope expressed special praise to the various ecclesiastical communities represented by these young priests and monks, many of whom have sealed their faith in Christ with their blood. The Pope concluded: “Thank you for all the seeds of love and hope you have sown in the name of the crucified and risen Christ. May you continue to sow love in places that are unfortunately still full of violence and conflict, but often forgotten. and seeds of hope.”
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