Printer Friendly
Email to FriendAUSTRALIA: Pope speaks about church unity in Sydney
Speaking on July 18 at a meeting of 50 Christian leaders at the city's St. Mary's Cathedral, the pontiff said, "Australians cherish cordial and frank discussion. This has served the ecumenical movement well."
But he noted, "I think you would agree that the ecumenical movement has reached a critical juncture..."We must guard against any temptation to view doctrine as divisive and hence an impediment to the seemingly more pressing and immediate task of improving the world in which we live."
The Pope added, "The more closely we strive for a deeper understanding of the divine mysteries, the more eloquently our works of charity will speak of God's bountiful goodness and love toward all."
Earlier, 500,000 people turned out to welcome Benedict to Sydney, and commentators said that there had been an estimated television audience of hundreds of millions worldwide viewing a re-enactment of the Stations of the Cross. This depicted the last moments of Jesus' life in his journey towards his crucifixion. The event concluded with a re-enactment of Jesus' body being brought down from the cross, and it was staged in the setting of Sydney's Darling Harbour viewed by many as one of the world's spectacular backdrops.
Australian police moved activists from Broken Rites, a support group for people protesting that they are victims of abuse by Catholic clergy who were in front of St. Mary's, the Agence France-Presse news agency reported.
"It's really shameful of the church to be doing this, to be moving people on. They're just stopping people from being heard," protester John Ellis was quoted as saying.
The Pope had reportedly indicated on his way to Australia he intended to make an apology for sex abuse by clergy in Australia, where more than one quarter of the population are Catholics. He did this in the United States in April, but he has not yet done so in Australia.
Commenting on the Pope's sermon, Uniting Church youth representative Robyn Goodwin told Ecumenical News International, "It was really encouraging that he seemed to think we actually could get over our differences, that he was a little bit idealistic about it."
The Pope also met representatives of other faith traditions in St. Mary's Cathedral Chapter House. Rabbi Jeremy Lawrence from the Great Synagogue in Sydney and Sheikh Shady Alsuleiman from the National Council of Imams spoke to the meeting.
A 63-meter (208-foot) three-story cruise ship carried Benedict across Sydney Harbour. On arriving, he gave a traditional blessing to the pilgrims who had gathered: "In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, peace be with you."
The Pope then transferred to the popemobile for a procession along a heavily guarded route. Some spectators were disappointed that the Pope was rushed through. "I was trying to get my little camera-phone to work, and then when I looked up, he'd gone," a Sydney resident told ENI.
On July 19, more than 180,000 people are expected to walk over the Sydney Harbour Bridge as part of a Pilgrimage Walk. The Pope will then share an evening vigil with pilgrims.
» Respond to this articleSearch
Browse by Topic:
