In today’s catechesis, all focussed on the Week of Prayer for the Unity of Christians, which starts today (until January 25th), the Pope also outlined a sort of balance of the ecumenical journey since the Council (by quoting passages from the "Unitatis Redintegratio" decree). "We can thank the Lord said in particular Benedict XVI for the new laboriously-created situation of the ecumenical relationships among Christians in a newly-found fraternity, relying on the strong bonds of solidarity that have been established, the growth of communion and the concurrences that have been accomplished of course, unevenly amongst the different dialogues. The future is in front of us". Finally, quoting John Paul II who "did and suffered so much for the ecumenical issue", the Holy Father recalled that his predecessor "expediently taught us that ‘acknowledging how much God has already granted is a prerequisite for being ready to receive those gifts that are still essential to complete the ecumenical work of unity", as written in the encyclical "Ut unum sint".
