Pope Benedict’s ‘Impelling Duty’: Rebuild the Full and Visible Unity of the Church

April 20, 2005 newly elected Pope Benedict XVI gave his message at the end of a Mass he had concelebrated with the members of the College of Cardinals. He signaled his mission: “Nourished and sustained by the Eucharist, Catholics cannot but feel encouraged to strive for the full unity for which Christ expressed so ardent a hope in the Upper Room. The Successor of Peter knows that he must make himself especially responsible for his Divine Master's supreme aspiration. Indeed, he is entrusted with the task of strengthening his brethren (cf. Luke 22: 32). With full awareness, therefore, at the beginning of his ministry in the Church of Rome which Peter bathed in his blood, Peter's current Successor takes on as his primary task the duty to work tirelessly to rebuild the full and visible unity of all Christ's followers. This is his ambition, his impelling duty.”

The announcement that an Apostolic Constitution will establish a “Personal Ordinariate” for Anglican Christians and their Clergy to enter into the full communion of the Catholic Church while retaining elements of their distinctive Anglican identity is generating a lot of Press. Secular news sources have offered some interesting analysis. A Wall Street Journal article written by Stacy Meichtry was entitled ,i>“The Great Unifier?” Though worth reading, it is the Title which will endure. The question mark will fall away as this historic moment unfolds over the coming years. Pope Benedict XVI is indeed the “Great Unifier.” The writer claims “Few expected Pope Benedict to reach out to other Christian churches aggressively when he was elected in April 2005”. However, anyone aware of the writings, history and ecclesiology (theology of the Church) of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, knew this would happen. In fact, I believe he is only warming up.

I have some major issues with the Catholic Church especially the liberal USA branch and the failure to shut down the pink seminary.

On the other hand, I think this Pope gets it. Rowan Williams fawns all over Islam like a major dhimni. The gays wrecked the Anglican church and are now working on the Lutherans. I think the Pope is trying to prepare Christians for something the Church has been fighting for 1400 years - intolerant Islam.

You are welcome. This is coming for a semi-lapsed Catholic. What is sad is most Christians know very little about their history. The little they know stops at the Reformation.

The Catholic Church for all it’s faults was the bulwark in stopping Islam from taking over Europe. We all might be Muslims today if it had not been for the Church. This includes Jews, agnostics, whatever. The libs will say “well Christianity had the Crusades..blah blah blah.”

Looks at the history of the Turks and Muslims even into the middle ages sailing up to villages in Italy and Greece murdering villages and taking people as slaves.

The Battle of Lepanto in 1571 AD was to stop this. This battle and Vienna later are portrayed as secular wars but they were battles to stop islam spreading throughout all of Europe.

British writers and Lords can write columns about the Pope poaching believers from The Church of England but Rowan Williams wants to sell out to Islam. In fact, England and France were AWOL (no help) in protecting Europe from Islam at Lepanto or Vienna.

If Rowan Williams could not contrast Christianity and Islam and was an appeaser plus allowed militant gays like Bishop Gene Robinson who goes on about thinking of God when he and his boyfriend are....... I will not post what he said but he said it.

If The Church of England stands for nothing then what purpose does it serve? It is a social club not a church. Williams has essentially abandoned his flock.

Now if Pope Benedict can do something about the liberal American Catholic Church, the liberal Catholic colleges and the pink seminary. I think he sees all the dangers.

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