Acta Francisci Pp. 643

NUNTIUS

Occasione L anniversariae memoriae Coetus laboris Ecclesiae Catholicae et Consociationis « World Council of Churches ».

To the Reverend Dr Olav Fykse Tveit General Secretary World Council of Churches

The fiftieth anniversary of the Joint Working Group between the Catholic

Church and the World Council of Churches is an occasion of thanksgiving

to Almighty God for the meaningful ecumenical relationship which we enjoy

today. So too, it is a moment to thank the Lord for all that the ecumenical

movement has achieved since its beginning over one hundred years ago,

inspired by a longing for the unity which Christ intended for his body, the

Church, and by an emerging sense of sorrow for the scandal of division

between Christians.

Since its inauguration in 1965, the Joint Working Group has fostered

the necessary conditions for a greater common witness of the Catholic

Church and the Churches and Ecclesial Communities of the World Council

of Churches. Reflecting on these past fifty years, we should be encouraged

by the collaboration which the Joint Working Group has promoted, not

only in ecumenical issues, but also in the areas of interreligious dialogue,

peace and social justice, and works of charity and humanitarian aid. The

Joint Working Group should not be an inward-looking forum. Rather, it

must become ever more a « think-tank », open to all the opportunities and

challenges facing the Churches today in their mission of accompanying

suffering humanity on the path to the Kingdom, by imbuing society and

culture with Gospel truths and values.

In my Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, I noted that realities

are more important than ideas (cf. no. 233). The Joint Working Group must

be oriented to addressing the real concerns of the Churches throughout the

world. In this way, it will be better suited to proposing collaborative steps

that not only draw the Churches closer together, but also ensure that they

offer an effective diakonia suited to the people's needs.

In fulfilling this task, the Joint Working Group distinguishes itself by its

own character and aims. The nine reports produced thus far bear witness