Acta Francisci Pp. 1171

another as members of the same family. For indeed we have one Lord and

one Saviour. We belong to him through the gift of the good news of salvation

transmitted by the apostles, through the one baptism in the name of the

Holy Trinity, and through the holy ministry. United in Christ, therefore, we

already experience the joy of authentic brothers in Christ, while yet fully

aware of not having reached the goal of full communion. In anticipation of

the day in which we will finally take part together in the Eucharistic feast,

Christians are duty-bound to prepare to receive this gift of God through

prayer, inner conversion, renewal of life and fraternal dialogue.

Our joy in celebrating the feast of the Apostle Andrew must not make

us turn our gaze from the dramatic situation of the many people who

are suffering due to violence and war, hunger, poverty and grave natu-

ral disasters. I am aware that you are deeply concerned for the situation

of Christians in the Middle East and for their right to remain in their

homelands. Dialogue, pardon and reconciliation are the only possible

means to achieve the resolution of conflict. Let us be unceasing in our

prayer to the all-powerful and merciful God for peace in this region, and

let us continue to work for reconciliation and the just recognition of peo-

ples' rights.

Your Holiness, the memory of the martyrdom of the apostle Saint An-

drew also makes us think of the many Christians of all the Churches and

Ecclesial Communities who in many parts of the world experience discrim-

ination and at times pay with their own blood the price of their profession

of faith. We are presently marking the 1700th anniversary of Constantine's

Edict, which put an end to religious persecution in the Roman Empire in

both East and West, and opened new channels for the dissemination of the

Gospel. Today, as then, Christians of East and West must give common

witness so that, strengthened by the Spirit of the risen Christ, they may

disseminate the message of salvation to the entire world. There is likewise

an urgent need for effective and committed cooperation among Christians

in order to safeguard everywhere the right to express publicly one's faith

and to be treated fairly when promoting the contribution which Christianity

continues to offer to contemporary society and culture.