In his meeting with the Finnish delegation yesterday, Pope Francis expressed his concern about God’s presence in Europe.
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“In this time and age, the ecumenical path and the relations between Christians are also experiencing major change, due first and foremost to the fact that we are having to profess our faith in the context of societies and cultures that refer less and less to God and to all that refers to the transcending dimension of life. We see that above all in Europe, but not only there”. This was said by Pope Francis this morning, as he met an ecumenical delegation to coincide with the Day of St Henry, the patron of Finland. The Finnish delegation’s visit takes place just before the Week of Prayer for the Unity of Christians, which this year will be focussed on “Is Christ divided? (1 Cor 1,13)”. “This question – the Pope said – is addressed to us. Faced with some voices that no longer acknowledge the full and visible unity of the Church as an attainable goal, we are called not to give up our ecumenical efforts, loyal to what the Lord Jesus Christ Himself invoked from the Father: that ‘they all may be one’”. Hence the importance, he went on, that “our testimony be focussed on the centre of our faith, on the announcement of God’s love that appeared in Christ, His Son”. Then, the Pope called them to “grow in communion and in mutual unity, by promoting spiritual ecumenism that is directly born of the commandment of love left by Jesus to His disciples”.

Source: Agensir Europe