Pope Leo: World needs ecumenical witnesses to Christ

By Devin Watkins

Pope Leo XIV held an audience on Thursday with respresentatives of the Lutheran World Federation.

In his address, the Pope expressed his appreciation that Lutheran-Catholic relations have matured spiritually and theologically over the past few decades.

He pointed to the ongoing international dialogue between the Lutheran and Catholic Churches, which has reached its sixth phase.

Pope Leo then recalled the late Pope Francis’ invitation in 2021 to ecumenism, which he said purifies memories and overcomes inflexible attitudes.

“Ecumenism is not an exercise of ecclesial diplomacy but a journey of grace,” he said. “It depends not on human negotiations and agreements, but on the grace of God”.

Pope Leo encouraged Catholics and Lutherans to continue on that journey.

“Renewed communion in the apostolic faith, in the sacraments, and in the ministries is the goal of our ecumenical journey of grace, which we walk together guided by the Gospel,” he said.

The Pope noted that 2030 will mark the 500th anniversary of the Augsburg Confession, saying that what became a divisive moment should now instead be an opportunity for a “profound ecumenical experience” that takes Christians closer to full, visible unity.

He recalled Pope St. John Paul II’s words about the Augsburg Confession, saying the authors’ intention was to bear witness to “their faith in the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.”

Meant as a document of reconciliation within the Church, the Confessio Augustana later came to be understood as a “text of divisive confessionalization.”

Pope Leo invited all Christians, especially theologians, to set their minds and hearts on Christ, as the Churches look toward the 2030 anniversary.

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“Let us return, with deep devotion,” he said, “to our common roots, to the faith of the early Church and the Church Fathers, in order to rediscover the apostolic and pre-confessional heritage which truly unites us as brothers and sisters in Christ.”

In conclusion, Pope Leo XIV said Christ must not become a “foreign word” in our world, inviting Lutherans and Catholics to share our common missionary task of preaching the Gospel.

“Our world needs ecumenical witnesses to Christ who make him known through their lives and actions,” he said, “for He alone is the living source capable of fulfilling humanity’s deepest longings.”