Pope Francis on Monday emphasized the ecumenical vocation shared by Christians during an audience held at the Vatican with Finnish representatives of various Christian denominations who have made a pilgrimage to Rome on the occasion of the feast of St. Henry, celebrated Jan. 19.
The Jan. 20 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 baptized.”
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.”
At the same time, he pointed out that he is “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 is 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 center.
“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.
To express with confidence the “filial vocation” of ecumenism, Pope Francis invited those present to pray the Lord’s Prayer.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
