"May this trip to France offer the opportunity to boost ecumenical dialogue and renewed hope". This is the wish the French Protestant Federation, led by pastor Claude Baty, expressed in a release today. "The Federation reads the release rejoices with the French Catholics for Pope Benedict XVI’s coming to France". In the release, the Protestants insist on their (historical) perplexities about the Catholic veneration of the Marian apparitions of Lourdes. "Ecumenical dialogue and cooperation they write however in the release are deeply rooted enough in France in loyal, honest and fraternal relations as to enable us to express our differences of opinion about the apparitions of the Virgin in Lourdes". Then, in the release, the Protestants express their esteem of the ecumenical work carried out by the Pontiff. "We are aware of Pope Benedict XVI’s care for ecumenical work; even recently, during the World Youth Days, the Pope mentioned the irrevocable commitment of the Catholic Church to the movement for the unity of Christians".
