Acta Benedicti Pp. XVI 641

those creedal formulas which, beginning in the New Testament itself, have

guaranteed the integrity of its transmission. The Church's unity, in a word,

can never be other than a unity in the apostolic faith, in the faith entrusted

to each new member of the Body of Christ during the rite of Baptism. It is

this faith which unites us to the Lord, makes us sharers in his Holy Spirit,

and thus, even now, sharers in the life of the Blessed Trinity, the model of the

Church's koinonia here below.

Dear friends, we are all aware of the challenges, the blessings, the disap-

pointments and the signs of hope which have marked our ecumenical journey.

Tonight we entrust all of these to the Lord, confident in his providence and

the power of his grace. We know that the friendships we have forged, the

dialogue which we have begun and the hope which guides us will provide

strength and direction as we persevere on our common journey. At the same

time, with evangelical realism, we must also recognize the challenges which

confront us, not only along the path of Christian unity, but also in our task of

proclaiming Christ in our day. Fidelity to the word of God, precisely because

it is a true word, demands of us an obedience which leads us together to a

deeper understanding of the Lord's will, an obedience which must be free of

intellectual conformism or facile accommodation to the spirit of the age. This

is the word of encouragement which I wish to leave with you this evening, and

I do so in fidelity to my ministry as the Bishop of Rome and the Successor of

Saint Peter, charged with a particular care for the unity of Christ's flock.

Gathered in this ancient monastic church, we can recall the example of a

great Englishman and churchman whom we honour in common: Saint Bede

the Venerable. At the dawn of a new age in the life of society and of the

Church, Bede understood both the importance of fidelity to the word of God

as transmitted by the apostolic tradition, and the need for creative openness

to new developments and to the demands of a sound implantation of the

Gospel in contemporary language and culture.

This nation, and the Europe which Bede and his contemporaries helped to

build, once again stands at the threshold of a new age. May Saint Bede's

example inspire the Christians of these lands to rediscover their shared le-

gacy, to strengthen what they have in common, and to continue their efforts

to grow in friendship. May the Risen Lord strengthen our efforts to mend the

ruptures of the past and to meet the challenges of the present with hope in

the future which, in his providence, he holds out to us and to our world.

Amen.