Prayer for Christian unity “is not an accessory of, but an essential condition for ecumenical work”, declared Cardinal Friedrich Wetter, archbishop of Munich and Freising, on participating in the ecumenical service held in the Evangelic-Lutheran church of St. Matthew in the Bavarian capital during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. “The unity of Christians in a single Church is the work of God, but we must place ourselves at his service as his helpers”, the cardinal emphasized. “The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is an invitation to prayer not only for this week, but for every day in the year. Spiritual ecumenism prevents Christians from considering unity as a result of skilful negotiations or human ingenuity. Prayer also preserves us from lack of courage and from stagnation in ecumenism”, he added. The Cardinal acknowledged that “the community of Christians has been enlarged and is being expressed in the most varied contacts and in close cooperation”. Ecumenism, declared Wetter, “is a process of growth that enriches us all”. The archbishop of Munich did not fail to mention the factors of separation between the Churches. Nonetheless, he declared, “we cannot permit any arrest of the ecumenical process. The task given to us by Jesus does not allow it”.
