VATICAN CITY, NOV. 19, 2001 (Zenit.org).- John Paul II gave another boost to ecumenical dialogue when he received in a joint audience members of the Episcopalian community and of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity.
The audience took place Saturday at the conclusion of the plenary assembly of the pontifical council.
When he learned that Episcopalian communities of Europe were in Rome for their annual meeting, the Holy Father broke with protocol and invited them to the audience.
Some 170 Episcopalians attended the audience. Their Christian community dates back to the time when members of the Anglican Church of England arrived in colonial North America.
The Anglican Church in America — which later became known as the Episcopal Church — became independent of Anglicanism in 1789, but it continues to maintain close relations with its origins. Offspring of Episcopalians, who now live in Europe, were having a reunion in Rome.
When meeting them, the Pope noticed that there were many young people, «a sure sign of hope that the search for Christian unity will be carried on by a new generation of men and women committed to making a reality of the Lord´s prayer: ´that all may be one.´»
«In a world that is increasingly globalized, divisions among Christians are more than ever a hindrance to the proclamation of the Gospel,» the Pope said.
