Pope Francis has emphasised the ecumenical vocation shared by Christians during an audience at the Vatican on Monday. Source: CNA.
The Pope met with Finnish representatives of various Christian denominations who made a pilgrimage to Rome on the occasion of the feast of St Henry, celebrated on January 19.
Monday’s meeting took place in the Vatican Apostolic Palace and was attended by the head of the Finnish Orthodox Church, Archbishop Elia of Helsinki, as well as Catholic Bishop Raimo Goyarrola of the Diocese of Helsinki and Bishop Matti Salomäki of the Evangelical Lutheran Church.
The Holy Father stressed that bearing witness to the incarnate love of Christ “is our ecumenical vocation, in the communion of all the baptised”.
As part of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and the 2025 Jubilee Year, the pontiff stressed that St Henry, the patron saint of Finland, represents an icon of hope “that finds its sure and firm foundation in God.”
As a messenger of peace, he continued, St Henry “urges us to never cease lifting up our prayers for the precious and fragile gift of peace”.
The Pope said St Henry was “a symbol of the unity given by God,” since his feast day continues to unite “Christians from different churches and ecclesial communities in the common praise of the Lord”.
He also applauded the fact that this pilgrimage was accompanied by the choir of the Sanctae Mariae Chapel, recalling that “whoever sings, prays twice.”
He then referred to the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed shared by Christians as an “extraordinary musical score of faith” and a “symphony of truth,” with Jesus Christ at the centre.
“Whoever listens to this ‘symphony of truth’ not only with their ears but [also] with their hearts will be touched by the mystery of God, who bends down toward us, full of love, in his Son,” he said.
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Pope Francis emphasises ‘ecumenical vocation’ of all Christians (By Almudena Martínez-Bordiú, CNA)
