Agence France Presse — English
January 19, 2005 Wednesday 1:12 PM GMT
Christian unity must be goal of every Catholic, says pope
VATICAN CITY Jan 19
Unifying the various branches of Christianity should be the goal of
every Catholic, Pope John Paul II told pilgrims at his weekly general
audience Wednesday as he promoted a week of prayer for Christian
unity.
He said the week of prayer was “dedicated to reflection and prayer on
the need for all the baptized to work for the restoration of full
Christian unity”.
“The pain of separation is felt with ever more intensity,” the
pontiff said, adding that the world awaited a “clear and unanimous”
worship by all believers in Christ — a veiled reference to the
strained relations between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.
Prior to the audience attended by 7,000 pilgrims, the pope
inaugurated a new statue of Armenia’s patron saint, Gregory the
Illuminator. The 5.6 metre (18 feet)-high, 20 tonne statue of the
third century saint was created by Armenian sculptor Kazan Kahtechik.
It stands on the right side of the exterior of St Peter’s basilica.