As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I have been reading Traces, the magazine of the Communion and Liberation movement. In the January issue there is a wonderful collection of articles on the opening of a new location of the Library of the Spirit, an endeavor of both Russian Catholics and Orthodox to testify to the reality of Christ. One of the included pieces was the address by Fr. Scalfi. In it, Fr. Scalfi writes:
"We are particularly grateful to Divine Providence and to our Orthodox brothers who allow us to operate together in the great work of mission. We are convinced that every missionary work that springs forth from a common passion for Christ is already in and of itself a step toward unity. If the passion for unity is not accompanied by the passion to announce Christ to the world, you have a limping ecumenism. 'Love one another, so that the world will believe.' Carved into the lintel of a Romanesque cathedral are the words, 'Ex multis unum ut mundus credat.' When the missionary passion suffers (I’m speaking of our Italian communities), ecumenism also suffers, and vice versa. Mission tends to become ideological propaganda and ecumenism a worldly technique of ceremonies."
I'm not sure why, but I was struck by his emphasis on proclaiming the Gospel as being necessary for ecumenism, particularly in the context of the articles about the cooperation by Catholics and Orthodox in this Library of the Spirit. I guess, often I see ecumenism described and approached in a way where Christ is minimized.
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