For the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, that runs each year from the 18th through the 25th of January, Christians around the world are encouraged to pray for peace and brotherhood between all churches.
EWTN Vatican Bureau Chief, Andreas Thonhauser, spoke to Cardinal Kurt Koch, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Christian Unity, about the efforts he and his Dicastery are making to bring about this harmony.
Andreas Thonhauser
EWTN Vatican Bureau Chief
We’re here in the Dicastery for the Promotion of Christian Unity, and with me is His Eminence. Cardinal Kurt Koch, who has been leading the Vatican’s initiatives and projects, also, for unifying the different Christian religions and traditions for a while now. Your Eminence, if you would share with us a little bit, where do we stand right now, also considering the war in Europe that is ongoing and the situation of the Christian churches also, and the promotion of unity?
Cardinal Kurt Koch
President of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Christian Unity
What belongs to war in Ukraine, we must say we have the sad situation that Christians kill Christians, and Orthodox kill Orthodox. And this is a very, very bad message in the world today, because Christians have all the responsibility to what we can to finish this war, and to find peace in this very difficult situation.
Andreas Thonhauser
EWTN Vatican Bureau Chief
What is your dicastery doing in this regard? I know that you have many contacts, also especially in the European East. What would you say is happening in this regard?
Cardinal Kurt Koch
President of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Christian Unity
Our duty is religious matters. All the political and diplomatic matters are the responsibility of the Secretary of State and the Vatican. But it is clear that we collaborate together. But for us, it is very important that we can continue the relations with the Russian Orthodox Patriarchate in Moscow. But it is a very difficult situation, because we have the impression that the Russian Orthodox Patriarchate sustains this war, and we have another vision, as said the Holy Father, always, that this is nonsense, this war. But we must keep open the door for relations and to deepen what is possible.
Andreas Thonhauser
EWTN Vatican Bureau Chief
Today is also the beginning of the Week of Prayer for Unity amongst Christians. What is the main message, also of the church, for this unity?
Cardinal Kurt Koch
President of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Christian Unity
The introduction of the Week of Prayer stands on the beginning of the ecumenical movement. And this is a very beautiful sign. That means that we, humankind, cannot find unity. We can make problems and divisions, as we see in the history but also in the present. Unity is always the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the best method for receiving this gift is the prayer. The fundament of all ecumenical engagement is the priestly prayer from Jesus in the 17th chapter of the Gospel of John. And it is very interesting that Jesus does not order unity from His disciples, but He prays for the unity. And when Jesus has prayed for the unity, we cannot do something better.
Andreas Thonhauser
EWTN Vatican Bureau Chief
Speaking of unity, of course, on the on the level of theology, there are also differences. How do you find a good balance between unity and let’s call it diversity?
Cardinal Kurt Koch
President of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Christian Unity
Just in the Catholic Church, we have a relation between unity and diversity, because the Catholic Church has the relation between the local churches – many local churches in the world – and the unity of the universal church. In this sense, unity and diversity, multiplicity, are not against one another, but help one another. And in this sense, also in the ecumenical engagement, we have researched unity. But that means not that we have “Uniatisme,” but we respect and acknowledge the different diversities in the other churches when there are not separating issues, but reconciling issues. The differences are reconciled: this is a very important question that we must find.
Andreas Thonhauser
EWTN Vatican Bureau Chief
If we look to Africa, very soon the Holy Father will travel to Congo and to South Sudan. Could you tell us a little bit, also about the conflict going on there? We understand there are also, in South Sudan, for example – it’s been a long civil war – Christians fighting against Christians.
Cardinal Kurt Koch
President of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Christian Unity
This is a very difficult situation. We have many is civil wars in this region: in Congo, also in South Sudan. But we have a common work for reconciliation between the Catholic Church, and the Anglican World Communion, and the Presbyterian Church in England. And in this sense, this apostolic visit of the Holy Father in South Sudan will be a common pilgrimage between the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and the president of the Presbyterian Church in England, and the Pope, because all these churches are engaged to re-find reconciliation in this country. And this is a very beautiful sign, that all the churches collaborate together for re-finding peace in this very difficult situation.
Andreas Thonhauser
EWTN Vatican Bureau Chief
Is the situation similar here in Europe as it is in Africa, especially if we think of those three churches?
Cardinal Kurt Koch
President of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Christian Unity
No, it happens there because these churches are present in that region and have collaborated together in the past. And the presidents are here in Rome for the visit with the pope. And also, the president of the Presbyterian church and the Archbishop of Canterbury were present here. And they have decided in this time to go to South Sudan. It was planned last year in June, but with the problems with the knee of the Holy Father, it was postponed until the end of January.
Andreas Thonhauser
EWTN Vatican Bureau Chief
What would you say is the status right now of the unity of Christian churches, maybe with regard, also, to the Orthodox churches and the Catholic Church? Have the relations improved? Has it become more difficult?
Cardinal Kurt Koch
President of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Christian Unity
They have become more difficult because we have many tensions and divisions in the Orthodox world, and we, in the dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, we want to re-find unity. And now we have many, many tensions and divisions in the Orthodox world, and this is a difficulty. For instance, we have an international and mixed commission between the Catholic Church and all the Orthodox churches, but the Russian Orthodox Church doesn’t participate in this dialogue after the declaration of the autocephaly, of the Orthodox Church in the Ukraine, two years before the war. And when the Russian Orthodox Church doesn’t participate in this dialogue, this is a challenge.
Andreas Thonhauser
EWTN Vatican Bureau Chief
Is there any chance of the Holy Father meeting the Russian Orthodox Patriarch anytime soon?
Cardinal Kurt Koch
President of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Christian Unity
It was planned in June to have this visit in Jerusalem, but it was very difficult because when there are very, very different visions about the war, we must keep the door open for dialogue, but I cannot say something if we haven’t heard of a meeting between the two heads of the churches.
Andreas Thonhauser
EWTN Vatican Bureau Chief
So, the situation has also not become easier over the past months.
Cardinal Kurt Koch
President of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Christian Unity
No, in every case.
Andreas Thonhauser
EWTN Vatican Bureau Chief
What will you personally pray for in this week of prayer for Christian Unity?
Cardinal Kurt Koch
President of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Christian Unity
First of all, that we can re-find peace between the Christians in the Ukraine and in many, many different countries. I think we have this very beautiful leitmotif for this week. It was taken from the Prophet Isaiah: “Do good and seek justice.” And a beautiful fruit of justice is peace. “Opus iustitiae pax.” It was the leitmotif of the pontificate of Pius XII and comes from the Prophet Isaiah. And when we cannot re-find a better justice between the human kinds, we cannot have peace. And in this sense, it is very important to deepen all these realities.
Andreas Thonhauser
Your Eminence, thank you very much for your time and for sharing with us, also this information and your thoughts.
Cardinal Kurt Koch
President of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Christian Unity
Thank you. And I hope that all want to pray for the unity and the engagement between all people.
