“In Poland the ideals of the Charta oecumenica have been diffused but they are still not sufficiently well known”, said Msgr. Tadeusz Pikus, who chairs the Council for Ecumenism within the Polish Bishops’ Conference (KEP). The bishop was speaking just a few days before the inauguration of the 3rd European Ecumenical Assembly in Sibiu. “The Charter is intended to be a means of inspiration for Christians of the various confessions, of various religions and for men of good will to act in common. But I think this point of view is not being properly exploited”. Msgr. Pikus positively evaluates the state of ecumenical relations in Poland, but adds: “I don’t say we have become united by now, because that isn’t the case”. In his view “the local Churches still suffer from the consequences of the divisions within the universal Church”, but “the good will of Christians, common prayer, and the positive support given to ecumenism by most Churches and ecclesial communities, enable us to seek solutions to the problems encountered in the field of religious life, and not only there”.
