ecumenism" "
The theme of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity – which will be held, as it is every year, from 18 to 25 January – was made public in September: “Christ, only foundation of the Church” (1 Corinthians 3, 1-23). The theme this year, and the reflections that accompany it, are the fruit of the labours of an ecumenical group composed of members of the theological committee of the Ecumenical Council of Churches in Slovakia, of which the Old Catholic, Reform, Catholic, Orthodox, Methodist, Baptist and Evangelical Churches all make up part. In their introduction, the committee members recall that if, prior to 1989, people avoided the Church, today “they have begun to turn to her with important questions about their own lives. This means that Churches have had to learn to respond and communicate the Gospel in the new context of ascendancy”. This context requires that Churches be as united as possible as they address society in the name of Christ, “the only foundation of the Church”, and with an awareness of the gifts that each person has. In the light of this dual dimension, the Churches present European Christians with a theme for reflection and with a question: “to what extent are the tensions between us caused by doctrinal differences? How much pride is there among us? To what extent do we allow the desire for power to control our actions, rather than a desire and a readiness to serve? In Slovakia, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is celebrated by most of Churches. In 2003, for example, the Slovak Christian youth movement organised special ecumenical meetings throughout the month of January. The most important event of the Week is the ecumenical prayer in which the principal representatives from Christian Churches involved in the ecumenical movement participate together with personalities from civil and political life. The celebration is also transmitted live by State television on its national channel.
