His Excellency Bishop Joseph C. Bambera, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, conveyed that Christians of different faith traditions gathering to pray, to work together for a better world and to express love for others despite differences can provide a powerful witness and example in a divisive world. His Grace Bishop highlighted that unity among all people is at the heart of the mission of the church.
As reported by cruxnow.com, His Grace Bishop Joseph remarked that “As leaders in the church, and our people, (we) as members of religious traditions, need to profess, proclaim and live a spirit of unity. We have to give witness to what we say is so wrong when we see hatred when Christians and Muslims are being slaughtered simply for what they believe.” Further, His Excellency Bishop added, “We need to give a voice when we see people being turned away at our doors when all they are doing is seeking a better life, and we need to give voice and example and witness to our faith when we see the poorest among us.”
His Excellency Bishop Joseph reminded that Christian unity doesn’t mean uniformity, but it means praying “as brothers and sisters from different Christian traditions together, to let our voices blend together in harmony and then we are called to embrace whatever we can to give witness to our unity,” and “not just to be an empty voice but to give a life to what we pray (for), to serve our brothers and sisters.”
