One of the principal objectives Blessed John XXIII had in calling the Second Vatican Council, which he did 55 years ago last Saturday, was to pave the way for full communion between the world’s divided Christians. Pope Francis recalled his late predecessor on the anniversary of that historic announcement as he brought to a close the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity with Vespers at St Paul’s Outside the Walls. He praised Papa Giovanni, as well as Paul VI and the Blessed John Paul II, as his predecessors who most contributed to the ecumenical movement. No one failed to notice that he did not mention Benedict XVI. But most people seem to have overlooked a significant, unscripted remark that Francis made in his homily. He expressed confidence that the Holy Spirit would ev
30 January 2014, The Tablet
Letter from Rome
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