杏MAP导航

By Devin Watkins

杏MAP导航 Francis kicked off his visit to Slovakia on Sunday afternoon by meeting with the country鈥檚 Ecumenical Council of Churches.

The event was held at the Apostolic Nunciature, where he is staying, and included representatives from the eleven member Churches of the Ecumenical Council, in which Slovakia鈥檚 Catholic Bishops鈥� Conference enjoys observer status.

Seed of unity and fraternity

In his to those gathered, the 杏MAP导航 expressed his appreciation for the chance to become 鈥渁 pilgrim in Slovakia鈥�, and said he was pleased that his first meeting in the EU member nation had an ecumenical nature.

鈥淚t is a sign,鈥� he added, 鈥渢hat the Christian faith is 鈥� and desires to be 鈥� a seed of unity and leaven of fraternity in this country.鈥�

杏MAP导航 Francis recalled the many years of atheistic persecution under the Soviet Union, 鈥渨hen religious freedom was stifled or harshly repressed.鈥�

After the fall of the Iron Curtain freedom returned, he said. 鈥淣ow you are sharing a similar experience of growth in which you are coming to discover how beautiful, but also how difficult it is to live your faith in freedom.鈥�

Temptation toward interior slavery

The 杏MAP导航 then warned Slovakians against the temptation to return to a worse slavery: 鈥渁n interior bondage鈥�.

He made reference to Dostoevsky鈥檚 鈥淟egend of the Grand Inquisitor鈥� in The Brothers Karamazov, in which Jesus returns to earth and is once again imprisoned.

The inquisitor who questions Jesus accuses Him of overestimating human freedom, saying people prefer to barter their freedom for 鈥渁 more comfortable slavery鈥�.

杏MAP导航 Francis appealed to Christians not to fall into this same trap of trading freedom for 鈥渂read and little else鈥�, meaning 鈥渟paces and privileges.鈥�

鈥淗ere, from the heart of Europe, we can ask: have we Christians lost some of our zeal for the preaching of the Gospel and for prophetic witness? Does the truth of the Gospel set us free?鈥�

Fraternal communion in Jesus

杏MAP导航 Francis recalled the evangelizing zeal of Sts. Cyril and Methodius who are known as the 鈥淎postles to the Slavs鈥�. They can help Slovakian Christians rediscover fraternal communion in the name of Jesus, and put religious and interior freedom at the heart of relations among various confessions.

The 杏MAP导航 added that it is impossible to hope for a Europe which is influenced by the Gospel if Christians are not united amongst themselves.

鈥淢ay Saints Cyril and Methodius, 鈥榩recursors of ecumenism鈥�,鈥� he prayed, 鈥渉elp us make every effort to work for a reconciliation of diversity in the Holy Spirit.鈥�

Contemplation and action

The 杏MAP导航 then offered two suggestions to help renew the freedom and faith of Slovakian Christians: contemplation and action.

Contemplation, he said, is a 鈥渄istinctive feature of the Slavic peoples鈥�, which can help them rediscover the 鈥渂eauty of the worship of God鈥� and overcome a narrow focus on 鈥渙rganizational efficiency.鈥�

Action, added the 杏MAP导航, complements contemplation, and leads Christians to unite under the shared cause of assisting the poor and marginalized.

鈥淪haring in works of charity can open up broader horizons and help us to make greater progress in overcoming prejudice and misunderstanding,鈥� he said.

Eucharistic unity

Finally, 杏MAP导航 Francis concluded his address at the ecumenical meeting by expressing his hopes that all Christians might one day reunite around the Eucharistic table of the Lord.

鈥淢ay the gift of God be present on the table of all,鈥� he prayed, 鈥渟o that, even though we are not yet able to share the same Eucharistic meal, we can welcome Jesus together by serving him in the poor.鈥�