On the Occasion of the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity”
His Holiness Pope Francis meeting with a group Patriarchs from the Middle East in Bari, southern Italy, on July 2018. Photo: AFP - Source: Al Hurra website.
A glimmer of hope amidst a sea of crises and divisions, a movement always calling for the acceptance of others and the recognition of the richness in diversity among ecclesial families in a world steeped in hate, violence and hostility... The Ecumenical movement is a lifestyle based on prayer, repentance, and solidarity aiming to restore communion and unity amongst All Christians.
A movement different from other movements and groups, with a goal to build bridges, shorten distances, and merge opinions between different churches opening horizons for intellectual exchange and theological debates, hoping to live one day in a world where justice, the values of love, solidarity, and brotherhood would prevail...
The Ecumenical movement witnessed and is still witnessing several initiatives that sought to consolidate the Christian faith and strengthen the ties between all Christian traditions. For example, Christians pray for unity during the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity”, starting in a few days. It is celebrated on a historical phase between January 18 and 25 of each year.
The Ecumenical movement thus lies in discovering the truth of what our Lord Jesus Christ wants in His Church, for He said: “so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.” (John 17:21).
How did the Ecumenical movement begin? What are its most prominent historical stations?
Historic Efforts for Unity
His Holiness Catholicos Aram I Catholicos of Cilicia for the Armenian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, His Holiness Pope Francis, His Beatitude Patriarch Mor Ignatius Youssef III Younan Patriarch of Antioch for Syriac Catholic Church, during the Vatican meeting on July 1, 2021. Photo: AFP - Source: Independent Arabia website.
Throughout the ages, the Church went through different eras that led, in one way or another, to destabilize the relations among Christians, dividing them into four ecclesiastical families, namely, the Orthodox, the Eastern Orthodox, the Evangelical and the Catholic. Many attempts were made to achieve unity again, especially at the beginning of the twentieth century, when the modern Ecumenical movement was born to contribute in finding middle grounds among churches through theological dialogue.
It all started in 1908, when the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity” was launched in New York with Father Paul Watson, to become today an important Christian date celebrated annually, to satisfy Christians who have long thirst for this unity. 1910 was a turning point as the conference of Evangelical World Missionary Conference was held, after which the modern Ecumenical movement was established through the “Practical Life” movement and the “Faith and Order” committee to begin organizing international conferences and meetings in order to achieve the desired goals.
In 1920, His Beatitude Ecumenical Patriarch Germanos Sternopoulos launched an appeal to achieve Christian partnership for cooperation and common testimony. In turn, Father Couturier sought to strengthen the Ecumenical spirit, prayer, and penance, as he worked in 1935 on the reformulation of the prayer for unity.
1948 was a golden Ecumenical stage, this is the year of the establishment of the World Council of Churches in Amsterdam to take its headquarters in Geneva in order to consolidate the Ecumenical movement. All Orthodox churches joined in 1961. Between the years 1962 and 1965, the Second Vatican Council met and praised what other churches had done in the name of unity. The Council then affirmed the Catholic Church's commitment to the Ecumenical movement. This was translated into the Synodal Resolution and the establishment of the "Secretariat for Christian Unity", later to be the "Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity".
The year 1974 bore a golden oriental milestone: the establishment of the Middle East Council of Churches, the regional Ecumenical organization that brings together churches in the East for a common Christian witness. This is the region where Christ was born, lived, and resurrected.
Ecumenical Ecclesial Endeavors
In addition to the historical Ecumenical stages, many Ecumenical meetings and dialogues were held after this Vatican Council, working towards Christian unity. In 1980, for example, the Catholic-Orthodox dialogue was launched, achieving great success until 1993. However, it resumed its activity in 2006 to focus its studies on the sacraments in the Church life, the priestly service, and the role of authority.
The Lutheran-Catholic dialogue has also made Ecumenical progress, especially since in 1999 it was able to conclude an agreement based on faith in the Lord Savior and the only mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ. In 1991, a pastoral agreement between the Greek Orthodox and Syriac Orthodox Patriarchates of Antioch stressed that “We belong to one faith, in spite of the fact that history has highlighted our division more than our unity.”
Two years later, in 1993, the Mixed Theological Seminary between Catholic and Orthodox Churches issued the Balamand Document, also concerned with Ecumenical affairs. In 1996, the first pastoral agreement was signed covering the belonging of children to the churches of the fathers and the organization of ceremonial communion in parishes and not schools to avoid any conflicts, in addition to working on the formulation of an Ecumenical Christian education for schools. In 2008, the Eastern Orthodox-Catholic Dialogue was held in its fourth session in Maarrat Saydnaya, Syria, hosted by the Syriac Orthodox Church, during which they presented the issue of communion and the Church as an association.
The abovementioned was only about churches and their leaders. The youth, however, need today an Ecumenical formation that would explain to them the importance of the Ecumenical movement and its goals so they can adopt it as a pattern in their lives to strengthen Ecumenical bonds among them and build bridges of unity.
Therefore, global and oriental Ecumenical youth movements have been established, aiming to consolidate the ecumenical spirit of this age group, so that young people, in turn, are able to pass on this Ecumenical heritage from one generation to another. Globally, we mention, for example, the World Student Christian Federation (WSCF) founded in 1895 with a presence in the Middle East, and the Ecumenical Taizé Community established in 1940... In the East, we mention, for example, the Palestinian Youth Ecumenical Movement (PYEM), the Youth Ecumenical Committee in Egypt, and the Iraqi Christian Youth Committee (ICYC) born in 2004.
Communication and Public Relations Department
Resources:
- Article entitled "The Ecumenical Movement... Stations and Reflections", written by: Father Boutros Azar Al Antouny. It Includes excerpts from a speech delivered at Our Lady of Zahle and Bekaa, at the invitation of the Bishops of Zahle and Bekaa to celebrate the first centenary of the "Week of Prayer for Christian Unity" - https://bit.ly/3facEts.
- Coptic Catholic Church of Alexandria in Egypt website - https://bit.ly/3JT7bFo.
- "History of the Coptic Catholic Church" website - https://bit.ly/3f60phl.
- “Joint Advocacy Initiative” in Palestine website - https://bit.ly/3qa2RcR.
- Facebook page of the “Youth Ecumenical Committee in Egypt” - https://bit.ly/3F8DvQZ.
- Facebook page of the “Iraqi Christian Youth Committee (ICYC)” - https://bit.ly/3Gc76u8.