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The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity begins this Friday and ends a week later, on the Jan. 25 feast of the Conversion of St. Paul.
Every year on this occasion, ecumenical activities are carried out in Rome, as well as in dioceses, parishes, movements, schools and seminaries, or wherever Christians are open to dialogue and coming together for prayer.
The entity in charge of promoting this initiative in the whole Catholic Church is the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
ZENIT talked with its prefect, Swiss Cardinal Kurt Koch, who is also in charge of the dialogue with Judaism.
Part I of the interview was published Wednesday.
ZENIT: The issue that worries many is new changes decided in the Anglican Communion.
Cardinal Koch: There is something that is clear. Our objective for unity is unity in the faith, in the sacraments and in the ministries, and if the Anglicans change everything in the ministry, this becomes a great challenge even for us. These developments are causing much tension within the Anglican Communion, and we want, we need, to help to recover Anglican unity, but only if the Anglicans want our help.
ZENIT: Another aspect that calls attention is the strong secularization in Europe and in other places. Are studies being made on how Christians will respond to these currents, which annul and erase God from public life?
Cardinal Koch: In the first place, Christians in Europe must take into account their responsibility in this development as, after the Reformation, we had the schism, the division, and after the division there have been many confessional wars. I would say that these wars and situations have made religion in Europe no longer the foundation of unity in the society, but the root of all the conflicts. In this connection, modern society has had to find a new basis for its unity, independent of religion.
ZENIT: What you are saying explains many things today.
Cardinal Koch: The flip side would be that, if Christianity wants to help to rediscover the religious and transcendent dimension in European society, it must rediscover its unity. Ecumenism is now a great challenge for the very secularized situation Europe is living, given that only a common voice from Christians -- with Christian values -- will help to rediscover those values which are fundamental in Europe's history.
ZENIT: And what response has the Catholic Church's push for a New Evangelization received from the other groups?
Cardinal Koch: The New Evangelization must have an ecumenical dimension, because it's obvious that in Jesus' priestly prayer He prayed that all would be one, so that the world would believe. The credibility of the proclamation of the Gospel depends on the unity of the Church. I have many ecumenical counterparts who are happy with this initiative, however, there are still some who aren't. It's very important to encourage all ecumenical counterparts to reflect further on the challenge of the New Evangelization.
This article highlights quotes from historical and Catholic sources proving the Papacy's aggressive nature.
