1. This admonition, dear brothers and sisters, is contained in the part of St Paul's Letter to the Romans that is proposed for common reflection this year on the occasion of the "Week of Prayer for Christian Unity".
The perspective in which the "Week" is set is that of a humanity united in praising the Lord, the creator of man and his redeemer: "Praise the Lord, all you peoples" (Ps 117:1; cf. Rom 15:5-13), recites the psalm quoted in St Paul's passage. A fundamental contribution to the implementation of such universal praise will certainly be offered by the rebuilding of the unity of Christ's disciples.
The movement, "born by the grace of the Holy Spirit" and "growing larger by the day" (Unitatis redintegratio, 1), which proposes the re-establishment of the full unity of Christians, is by its very nature very complex. It implies profound spiritual motivation, an attitude of religious obedience to the demands of the Gospel, persevering prayer, fraternal contact with other Christians to overcome, through dialogue of the truth and with respect for the integrity of the faith, existing differences, and finally cooperation in the various fields possible for a common witness.
This search for unity in faith and Christian witness finds in St Paul a realistic and admirably fruitful indication, as well as one that is always timely: mutual acceptance among Christians. The Apostle recommends: "Welcome one another as Christ welcomed you for the glory of God" (Rom 15:7).
The spirit of welcome is an essential and unifying dimension of the entire ecumenical movement; it is a vital expression of the need for communion. St Paul indicates some important elements of this welcome: it must be a welcome in faith in Jesus Christ, it must be reciprocal, and it must be for the glory of God.
2. As Christ welcomed you, St Paul exhorts, so you welcome one another, in sincere forgiveness and brotherly love. It is in faith in Christ that the Christian community gathers. It is in the context of the common baptism that mutual acceptance can count on the agglutinating power of grace, whose efficacy endures despite serious differences. The Second Vatican Council emphasises this when it states that those who "believe in Christ and have duly received baptism are constituted in a certain communion, albeit imperfect, with the Catholic Church" (Unitatis redintegratio, 3). They are therefore "justified in baptism by faith, are incorporated into Christ and are therefore given the name of Christians and by the children of the Catholic Church are rightly recognised as brothers in the Lord" (Unitatis redintegratio, 3).
3. Welcoming among Christians, to generate true communion, must also be reciprocal: "Welcome one another" (Rom 15:7). This presupposes mutual knowledge and readiness to appreciate and accept the authentically Christian values lived and developed by others. This is what the Second Vatican Council recalls: 'Catholics should joyfully recognise and esteem the truly Christian values, coming from the common heritage, found among our separated brethren. To recognise the riches of Christ and the virtuous works in the lives of others, who bear witness to Christ sometimes even to the shedding of blood, is a just and salutary thing: for God is always admirable and sublime in his works" (Unitatis redintegratio, 4). The Council goes even further by adding that "what is done by the grace of the Holy Spirit in separated brethren can contribute to our edification" (Unitatis redintegratio, 4). It is therefore our duty to appreciate what is authentically evangelical among other Christians. In fact, "everything that is truly Christian is never contrary to the benefits of faith; on the contrary, it can make the very mystery of Christ and the Church more perfectly attained" (Unitatis redintegratio, 4).
Hence the "golden rule" of ecumenism, the principle of respect for legitimate variety, as long as it is not detrimental to the integrity of the faith (cf. Unitatis redintegratio, 16-17). Some aspects of the revealed mystery in fact, as the Council notes with regard to the Eastern Churches, can sometimes be perceived more adequately by some than by others (cf. Unitatis redintegratio, 17). Openness to welcoming others with their Christian heritage thus proves to be the way to better draw from the superabundant wealth of God's grace.
4. The consequence of this is that, as St Paul says, everything is accomplished "for the glory of God" (Rom 15:7). In the Christian community, united in the name of Christ and guided by the word of the Gospel, God's action on behalf of humanity is reflected and his glory somehow shines forth. Jesus himself reveals this when, in the priestly prayer, addressed to the Father, for the unity of his disciples, he affirms: "The glory that you have given to me, I have given to them that they may be as we are one" (Jn 17:22).
Mutual acceptance for the glory of God is shown particularly in two moments: in the prayer that Christians raise together in praise of the common Lord, and in the concordant witness of charity, from which Christ's loving concern for the people of our time shines forth.
5. Considering the ecumenical situation today in the light of the demands of mutual acceptance, we must give glory to God for the new conditions of Christian brotherhood that have been consolidated. The slowly resumed and sometimes laboriously pursued contacts, the ever arduous and demanding theological dialogue, the events of pastoral collaboration and practical cooperation, have created a truly new situation among Christians. It has been clearly perceived that division is anti-evangelical, and efforts are being made together to re-establish unity in faithfulness.
The theological dialogue between Christians is reaching important goals in terms of clarifying each other's positions and achieving some convergence on issues that were bitterly disputed in the past. But the dialogue must continue in order to reach the goal: full agreement on the common profession of faith. In this regard, I would like to express my appreciation and gratitude to the Catholic theologians and theologians of other Churches and ecclesial communities who, within the framework of the various joint commissions, devote their attention and efforts to finding the way to overcome the divergences inherited from history, thus facilitating the Magisterium of the Church in fulfilling its duty in the service of revealed truth. Valuable work, therefore, that of theologians, which must be welcomed with gratitude and supported with prayer.
6. The theme of the present "Week of Prayer for Christian Unity" is set in the perspective of the universal doxology, which must rise from all peoples in praise of the one Lord.
Let each one feel committed to contribute to it in the ways that are possible for him. Persistent prayer will not fail to hasten the restoration of the full unity of all Christians in the one Church of Christ. Let us therefore also say with the Psalmist: "Praise the Lord, all you peoples, / All you nations, give him glory; / For strong is his love for us / And the faithfulness of the Lord endures for ever" (Ps 117:1-2). Amen.
[Pope John Paul II, General Audience 23 January 1991]
